From: Jemima C Bleek (23 September 1875)

From: Jemima C Bleek (23 September 1875)

Correspondence

A letter from Jemima Bleek to Ernst Haeckel, sent from Cape Town on 23 September 1875. Jemima writes a "sadly-long English letter" describing Wilhelm Bleek's recent death, her anxiety over her pregnancy and how she and Lucy Lloyd have been occupied. She encloses newspapers with notices of Wilhelm's death and discusses the codicil he added to their joint will (quoted), about providing for his family and entrusting her and Lucy with the continuation and publication of his work. Jemima has petitioned for the continuation of Wilhelm's Civil List pension and outlines her financial position. She details the unfinished Bushman research, the procurement of the Cape Parliamentary grant and a planned appeal to European friends of science for help printing the collected material. Jemima describes Wilhelm's appeal to raise interest and funds for a collection of Native Folklore, including the help they received from friends and interested local parties. Jemima asks Haeckel's help in forming a German committee to carry out Wilhelm's wishes or suggests Professor Haug if he cannot. She will send Wilhelm's paper "Origin of Language and Origin of Religion" for Haeckel's review, and she requests he write future letters in Latin script.

23 September 1875

Jemima Bleek (Wilhelm Bleek's death), Wilhelm Bleek (death of), Ernst Haeckel (Wilhelm Bleek's cousin), cousin (Wilhelm Bleek's Ernst Haeckel), sisters (Lloyd), Frances Lloyd (Fanny), Lucy Lloyd (task after Wilhelm Bleek's death), ill health (of Ernst Haeckel's wife and children), family (Jemima Bleek describes challenges facing after Wilhelm Bleek's death), letter (Jemima Bleek's to Ernst Haeckel 23 September 1875), Bushman research (report accompanying appeal), A Comparative Grammar of the South African Languages (Jemima Bleek plans to publish it first), Report (Second - on Bushman Researches), appeal (Wilhelm Bleek's intended), publishing Wilhelm Bleek's work (Jemima Bleek's printing and dispatch plans for), folklore (Wilhelm Bleek's plan to collect Native), friends of science (in Europe and South Africa), pension (Civil List), grant ("Bushman"), death (Wilhelm Bleek's), finances (Jemima Bleek describes state of after Wilhelm Bleek's death), codicil (written four years previously by Wilhelm Bleek), will (codicil written four years previously by Wilhelm Bleek), publications (Jemima Bleek sends Ernst Haeckel Wilhelm Bleek's "Origin of Language and Origin of Religion" for assistance publishing), Roland Trimen (to assist with appeal), Wilhelm Risler (to assist with appeal), Sir Henry Barkly (Governor), Edward Stone (Astronomer Royal at Cape), Martin Haug (Professor), WJ Wrath (German missionary), Ernst Bausen (Jemima Bleek passed Civil List pension matter on to), notices (accuracy of in "Standard and Mail"), Parliamentary Grant (for Bushman Research), W de Villiers (Chief Justice)