Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Illustrations and Maps
- Preface
- Author's Note
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Part I Scotland: Border Farm to Literary Edinburgh (1789–1820)
- Part II The Cape Frontier: Pioneer, Settler Leader (1820–1821)
- Part III Cape Town and Genadendal: The Stand Against Power (1822–1825)
- Part IV The Frontier, Karroo: Rural Retreat and the ‘Great Cause’ (1825–1826)
- Part V London Literary Life and The Anti-Slavery Campaign (1826–1833)
- Part VI Scotland and Highgate A Poet Returns to his Roots and Last Works (1830–1834)
- 19 ‘A Little Doctoring’
- 20 African Sketches: Responses
- 21 On Scottish Ground
- 22 Journey's End
- Bibliography
- Index
19 - ‘A Little Doctoring’
from Part VI - Scotland and Highgate A Poet Returns to his Roots and Last Works (1830–1834)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 February 2013
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Illustrations and Maps
- Preface
- Author's Note
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Part I Scotland: Border Farm to Literary Edinburgh (1789–1820)
- Part II The Cape Frontier: Pioneer, Settler Leader (1820–1821)
- Part III Cape Town and Genadendal: The Stand Against Power (1822–1825)
- Part IV The Frontier, Karroo: Rural Retreat and the ‘Great Cause’ (1825–1826)
- Part V London Literary Life and The Anti-Slavery Campaign (1826–1833)
- Part VI Scotland and Highgate A Poet Returns to his Roots and Last Works (1830–1834)
- 19 ‘A Little Doctoring’
- 20 African Sketches: Responses
- 21 On Scottish Ground
- 22 Journey's End
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
In character with so much of Pringle's somewhat star-crossed life, his fate was revealed the very day after he had signed the Society's announcement of the Abolition Act. He wrote from Holly Terrace, Highgate, on the morning of 28 June 1834 to Dr James Kennedy, whose patient he had been for several years.
I must have a little doctoring. Last night, in taking some slight supper, a crumb of bread seems, as we say, to go down the wrong throat. This induced a violent coughing, and I assume lacerated some small blood-vessel in the lungs, for a litte blood – not very much – came up: that soon ceased, but I feel this morning a sensation as if there was a small abrasion of the part; so I suppose you had better come out and prescribe
There was still so much to do – above all the book of his African experiences suggested by Barrow fifteen years before, his literary life resumed – and money to be earned – and claimed from government – now that he was no longer ‘engrossed in slavery’ and without the income that supported him.
The build-up to the final abolition needed intense work by Buxton and his colleagues on the parliamentary front, with major national issues – the great Reform Bill of 1832, Ireland and church reform – in the way of the attack on slavery. An active, powerful and well-funded pro-slavery lobby was another obstacle and by May 1826 Buxton was in a state of collapse, after bringing the horrors of slavery in Mauritius to the House of Commons.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Thomas PringleSouth African pioneer, poet and abolitionist, pp. 217 - 225Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2012