RODD, John

National Archives, Kew CO48/45, 494

3 Grosvenor Place

Boro' Road

St.Georges Fields

July 31^st 1819

My Lord,

Having before me an official circular containing the conditions under which encouragement is proposed to be given to emigration to the Cape of Good Hope, I beg leave most respectfully to solicit your Lordship's highly distinguished interest and support in obtaining employment for me as one of the persons to be appointed in measuring the land allotted to the settlers. Your Lordship will possibly recollect my services in making a new chart of the Red Sea from actual survey during the campaign in Egypt. I have since had great experience in surveying & can produce undeniable specimens & testimonials from respectable surveyors in land. I enjoy the best of health & have sons under fourteen years of age who I am desirous to place at Cape Town. I should not have dared to address your Lordship could I longer continue to support myself & boys comfortably in this country, which I lament to say is not in my power without that relief which my feelings will not permit me to accept. I have the honour to be my Lord

Your Lordship's most obliged & very grateful obedient humble servant

Jno. RODD

National Archives, Kew CO48/45, 514

6^th Aug 1819

My Lord,

I had the honour about three or four years ago to present to your Lordship a memorial setting forth my services in the Red Sea and other parts of Asia & Africa as a Surveyor & Draughtsman & soliciting the situation of Deputy Surveyor of Woods & Land at Van Diemen's Land, which memorial was honoured with your Lordship's attention & humane consideration for my family. I have since lost my wife & two children and the others I have hitherto supported by my profession as a Landsurveyor. Having had little or nothing to do in that line for the last six months & my means for supporting myself & three boys under fourteen years of age nearly exhausted, I am compelled most respectfully to solicit employment of your Lordship in surveying the land to be allotted to the settlers at the Cape of Good Hope. My former services & ability are known to the Earl of HARROWBY & I can produce beautiful specimens & flattering testimonials from respectable surveyors in London, as also from Admiral Sir Home POPHAM & other commanders in the Royal Navy. Should your Lordship condescend to grant my request I will ever evince the utmost zeal & assiduity in discharging the duties of the situation. I have the honour to be my Lord

Your most obedient servant

Jno RODD

National Archives, Kew CO48/45, 570

Hatford. Herts

August 26^th 1819

Sir,

Agreeably to my Lord HARROWBY's suggestion I have the honour to submit to your attention specimens of Land & Marine drawing from actual survey. My services in the Red Sea, Asia & Africa during the campaign in Egypt are already known to my Lord BATHURST by a memorial presented to him some time since.

Captains HUSKISSON, MASON, COLLIER, HANCHETT, BARTHOLOMEW & several others of the same rank in the Navy will feel happy in bearing testimony to my zeal & perseverance in surmounting the dangers & difficulties to which I was constantly exposed in determining the position of sunken rocks and innumerable shoals of that dangerous navigation. My practice as a surveyor & accountant is so much diminished that I am solicitous to obtain employment in the colony about to be established at the Cape. Having already resided there I am in some measure acquainted with its localities & have studied the manners & customs of the natives, & although I do not profess to be a practical agriculturalist yet the connexion that naturally results from my profession is so close by long experience in improving, enclosing & valuing lands, that I trust I shall not be considered a useless person in the colony.

Should I be so fortunate as to engage your interposition in my favour, in consideration of my former services & long experience, I shall feel most grateful & will evince the utmost zeal in forwarding the best interests of the colonists by all the means in my power.

I have the honour to be Sir

Your most obedient humble servant

Jno RODD

[Note from GOULBURN]

Acknowledge receipt & acquaint him that Ld B had previously received a recommendation of him from Ld HARROWBY but that as his Lordship is not aware that the establishment of a new settlement at the Cape can in any degree require the employment of additional surveyors beyond those already in the colony Lord B cannot encourage any hope of his being able to confer such a situation on him.

National Archives, Kew CO48/45, 573

Wednesday morning

Sir,

I beg leave to request you will give directions to return the papers I had the honour to transmit. I have the honour to be Sir

Your most obedient servant

Jno. RODD

[Note from GOULBURN]

Let Mr. RODD's papers be returned & some maps which are in a corner of my room

[Clerk's note]

Papers & maps returned 18 Sept 1819