CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY ARCHIVE Section IV: Africa Missions Part 24: Mauritius, Madagascar and the Seychelles, 1856-1929

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CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY ARCHIVE
Section IV: Africa Missions

Part 24: Mauritius, Madagascar and the Seychelles, 1856-1929

REEL 486

Catalogue of the papers of the West Asia

(Group 2) Missions Vol 5 pp 1-30

These contain copies of private and confidential letters, 1863-1871, 1876-1879, 1881-1886, 1888-1889, from the Secretary at headquarters in London to individual missionaries in the mission. In addition to containing personal matters the letters sometimes also contain discussion on topics of a personal interest to the Secretary. Each volume has a useful index.

C MA I 1 Individual Letter Book 1863-1871

C MA I 2 Individual Letter Book which contains mostly letters betweenRev William Gray as commissary to the Bishop of Mauritius and Bishop P S Royston 1876-1879, 1881-1886, 1888-1889

C MA I 3 Individual Letter Book which Contains mostly letters between Rev William Gray as commissary to the Bishop of Mauritius and Bishop P S Royston 1878-1879

The Letter Books contain copies of correspondence from the Secretary at headquarters in London to the missionaries and the mission secretary on matters concerned with the mission.

C MA L1 Letter Book 1857-1885

Instructions to missionaries going out to Mauritius, Madagascar and the Seychelles; letters to the Bishop of Mauritius and others from the Secretary in London, Henry Venn; yearly estimates for the mission; letters to Bishop Royston and Rev Paul Ansorge, one of the first missionaries and to others such as Rev H Buswell and Rev W B Chancellor.

REEL 487

The Mission Books, covering 1857-1862, 1868-1880 contain copies of the Original Papers received at headquarters from the mission. The papers were entered into the books in the order in which they arrived at headquarters. Letters were copied in full, while a note of receipt was made for the printed papers, financial papers and some letters and from 1858 journals of missionaries. From 1870 Annual Letters were copied out (or if printed pasted into) the backs of the volumes. The Annual Letters written by the missionaries give an account of the year’s work and contain fascinating details on many topics. Each of the volumes contains an index.

C MA M 1 Mission Book 1856-1862

Letters from Rev P Ansorge to Henry Venn, the Secretary in London on his arrival in Mauritius; letters from Rev Stephen Hobbs to Rev J Chapman and Rev S Royston; Annual Letter from Rev S Hobbs for 1856 after two month’s work in the mission; letters from the Bishop of Mauritius to Henry Venn regarding the Indian Mutiny and work in the mission; journal of Rev S Hobbs describing his visits to various parts of the island.

C MA M 2 Mission Book 1867-1870

Letters from missionaries including Rev P Ansorge, Rev H Maundrell, Rev S Hobbs and Rev F H Sparshott; mission estimates.

C MA M 3 Mission Book 1870-1872

Letters from missionaries including Rev S Hobbs, Rev P Ansorge, Rev H Maundrell, Rev H D Buswell, Rev W Denning and from wives of missionaries such as Mrs P Ansorge; letters from the Bishop of Mauritius; minutes of conferences; printed Annual Letters from the missionaries.

REEL 488

C MA M 4 Mission Book 1873-1874

Letters from missionaries and bishops; minutes of missionary meetings; notes regarding the number of freed slaves admitted to the Seychelles; Annual Letters; despatches.

C MA M 5 Mission Book 1875-1876

Letters from missionaries and bishops; details re the sale of mission property; minutes of conferences and the Finance Committee; Annual Letters.

C MA M 6 Mission Book 1877-1878

Letters from missionaries and bishops; minutes of conferences and the Finance Committee.

REEL 489

C MA M 7 Mission Book 1879-1880

Letters from missionaries and from the Bishop of Mauritius; minutes of conferences and the Finance Committee; Annual Letters.

The Original Papers comprise all the papers sent by the mission secretary to headquarters in London. They consist mainly of letters, journals and reports together with minutes and papers of local CMS committees. The early papers up until 1880 are arranged by bishop and are sorted alphabetically by missionary.

C MA O 1 Original Papers CMS Conference minutes 1871-1880

C MA O 2 Original Papers Local Church Council papers 1878-1880

C MA O 3 Original Papers Committees, Associations and Societies 1857-1879

Reports of the Mauritius Mission Committee giving a list of subscriptions and details of the cash account; reports of the Mauritius Church Missionary Association giving statistics, contributions and details of the cash account; an Occasional Paper of the Mauritius Aid Association and an Address of the Mauritius Dicosean Church Society.

REEL 490

C MA O 4 Original Papers Finance Papers 1857-1880

Minutes of the Finance Committee and yearly estimates for the mission.

C MA O 5 Original Papers Miscellaneous Papers 1858-1879

REEL 491

C MA O 6 Original Papers Correspondence with Bishops of Mauritius and Madagascar 1856-1879

The letters cover many topics and also include details on the number of freed African slaves being admitted to the island.

REEL 492

C MA O 7 Original Papers Letters and Papers of individual missionaries, catechists and others Rev Paul G Ansorge, Mauritius 1857-1880

Correspondence with the Secretary in London; letters to the Bishop of Mauritius; letters from Mrs Ansorge to the Secretary in London while her husband was ill; a journal covering Rev P Ansorge’s work and travels in the mission; an account of CMS work in the mission since the inception of the missions; Annual Letters.

C MA O 8 Original Papers Letters and Papers of individual missionaries, catechists and others Rev Henry Dison Buswell, Mauritius 1866-1880

Letters to the Secretary in London; Annual Letters.

REEL 493

C MA O 9 (1-48) Original Papers Letters and Papers of individual missionaries, catechists and others Rev Thomas Campbell, Mauritius 1863-1876

Journals and letters to the Secretary in London.

REEL 494

C MA O 9 (49-75) Original Papers Letters and Papers of individual missionaries, catechists and others Rev Thomas Campbell, Mauritius 1863-1876

Journals and Annual Letters; a sketch of the mission church; statistical returns; a summary of work in the mission.

C MA O 10 Original Papers Letters and Papers of individual missionaries, catechists and others Rev William Bartlett Chancellor, Seychelles 1875-1879

Letters to the CMS Committee; letters to the Secretary in London re the number of slaves being brought to the island; statistics of the school and the number of children; statistics regarding liberated slaves; Annual Letters; list of articles needed for the schoolmaster.

C MA O 11 Original Papers Letters and Papers of individual missionaries, catechists and others Rev Walter Dening, Madagascar 1871-1873

Letters to the Secretary in London and Annual Letters.

C MA O 12 Original Papers Letters and Papers of individual missionaries, catechists and others Rev John Gabb, Mauritius 1877

An annual report for 1877.

REEL 495

C MA O 13 Original Papers Letters and Papers of individual missionaries, catechists and others Rev Stephen Hobbs , Mauritius 1856-1877

Mission expenses and letters re finance; letters to the Secretary in London and to the Bishop of Mauritius; mission estimates; Annual Letters; annual statistics for the mission.

C MA O 14 Original Papers Letters and Papers of individual missionaries, catechists and others Rev Nigel Honiss, Mauritius 1877-1879

Letters to the Secretary in London; Annual Letters; a report on the mission on arrival there.

C MA O 15 Original Papers Letters and Papers of individual missionaries, catechists and others Rev Charles Kooshalli, Mauritius 1864, 1869-1879

Annual Letters; a report on the mission for 1864; letters to the Bishop of Mauritius and to the Secretary in London.

REEL 496

C MA O 16 Original Papers Letters and Papers of individual missionaries, catechists and others Rev Herbert Maundrell, Mauritius and Madagascar 1863-1873

Letters to the Secretary in London and the Bishop of Mauritius; journals.

C MA O 17 Original Papers Letters and Papers of individual missionaries, catechists and others Rev Peter Sorensen Royston, Mauritius 1864-1866

Letters to the Secretary in London; letters re the financial matters of the mission.

C MA O 18 Original Papers Letters and Papers of individual missionaries, catechists and others Rev Frederick Schurr, Mauritius 1874-1879

Letters to the Secretary in London; Annual Letters; report of the work of the native catechists for 1878.

C MA O 19 Original Papers Letters and Papers of individual missionaries, catechists and others James Taylor 1864

Letters to the Secretary in London.

C MA O 20 Original Papers Letters and Papers of individual missionaries, catechists and others Henry Morris Warry, Seychelles 1878-1880

Letters to the Secretary in London and an Annual Letter.

C MA O 21 Original Papers Letters and Papers of individual missionaries, catechists and others Rev William Wright, Mauritius 1867-1869, 1879

Letters to the Secretary in London and Annual Letters.

REEL 497

The Letter Books contain copies of correspondence from the Secretary at headquarters in London to the missionaries and the mission secretary on matters concerned with the mission.

G 2 MA L 2 Letter Book 1885-1926, 1929

Instructions to the missionaries; letters to the secretary of the mission; letters from the secretary of the mission to Archdeacon Buswell; minutes of the Committee of Correspondence.

G 2 MA O Summaries of Letters 1884-1892

G 2 MA O Original Papers 1880-1882

Letters to the Secretary in London; minutes of CMS conferences, the Finance Committee, the Native Church Council; Annual Letters; statistics on pupils of the school at the African Institution at Venns Town; statistics showing the number of coffee, cocoa, vanilla and cocoa-nut plants on the CMS estate at Venus Town, Capucin, the Seychelles; a fifth report of the Mauritius Diocesan Church Society, 1880-1881; a report on the Plaisance Orphanage School, Mauritius for 1881; minutes of the proceedings of the Council of Education, 1881; a list of the charitable institutions in Mauritius with an estimate of the number of residents and funds received.

REEL 498

G 2 MA O Original Papers 1883-1887

Letters to the Secretary in London; minutes of the CMS Mauritius conference, of the Finance Committee, of the Native Church Council; printed reports for 1882 and 1883 on the Mauritius mission by Rev N Honiss with notes on contributions and expenditure; 1872 annual report of the Mauritius Native Church Council; extracts from Annual Letters.

REEL 499

G 2 MA O Original Papers 1888-1891

Letters to the Secretary in London; minutes of the Native Church Council, of the Finance Committee, of CMS conferences; extracts from Annual Letters; a report on the work of native catechists such as Ibrahim Jasson; 11th annual report (1891) of the Mauritius Native Church Council.

REEL 500

G 2 MA O Original Papers 1892-1894

Letters to the Secretary in London; minutes of CMS conferences, of the Native Church Council, of the Finance Committee; Annual Letters.

G 2 MA O Summaries of Letters 1893, 1895-1897

REEL 501

G 2 MA O Original Papers 1895-1896

Minutes of CMS conferences, of the Native Church Council and the Finance Committee.

REEL 502

G 2 MA O Original Papers 1897-1899

Minutes of the Native Church Council, the Finance Committee and of conferences; letters to the Secretary in London; news cuttings; a printed copy of “Diocesan Notes and Notices – A Monthly Record of the Church of England in Mauritius”.

REEL 503

G 2 MA O Original Papers 1900-1905

Letters from missionaries and the bishop; minutes of the Native Church Council, of conferences, of the Finance Committee; reports of the CMS Girls’ School and Orphanage, Rose Belle, Mauritius; an issue of “Mauritius Diocesan Notes and Notices”; reports of the Mauritius Native Church Council and the Plaisance Orphanage, Mauritius; statistics for the Mauritius mission.

REEL 504

G 2 MA O Original Papers 1906-1915

Minutes of conferences, of the Native Church Council, of the Finance Committee and women’s conferences; issues of the Mauritius Diocesan Magazine; report on the Plaisance Orphanage, Mauritius.

REEL 505

G 2 MA O Original Papers 1918-1925

Letters from missionaries.

The Précis Books contain a printed synopsis prepared for meetings of the Group Committee in London. The précis comprises number, date, writer, date received, summary of the contents, proposals for committee action to be taken and/or the Secretary’s remarks. For the period 1880-1894, for which no mission Précis Books are extant, we have also included the relevant pages from the General Précis Books.

G 2 P 1 Précis Book 1897-1927, 1929