D. Ben Rees, Y Cenhadwr Cyntaf o blith Cymry Lerpwl: Josiah
Hughes (1804-1840) (Cyhoeddiadau Modern Cymreig, 2016) Price ,
£15 Clawr caled
Mawr yw ein dyled i'r Dr D. Ben Rees am lafurio i sicrhau nad aeth
y cenhadwr Josiah Hughes (1804-40) yn angof yn ein dyddiau ni.
Gwaith arloesol a thrylwyr a gyflwynir inni yma o ysgrifbin hynod
o gynhyrchiol yr awdur toreithiog hwn. A sail yr astudiaeth hon
yw'r casgliad sylweddol o ddogfennau a gohebiaeth sydd ar gadw yn
archif sylweddol Cymdeithas Genhadol Llundain, ac yn eu plith ceir
nifer o lythyrau dadlennol ac arwyddocaol o eiddo Josiah Hughes ei
hun. Ceir tystiolaeth amlwg yma hefyd am ddarllen eang a manwl i
ddod o hyd i wybodaeth am gefndir hanesyddol gwrthrych yr
astudiaeth bwysig hon. A cheir yn yr ôl-nodiadau llawer iawn o
ddarnau o wybodaeth werthfawr ychwanegol, gan gynnwys
bywgraffiadau cryno o rai o'r cymeriadau sydd yn codi yn y stori
ryfeddol hon, ac sydd o ddiddordeb mawr i'r darllenydd wrth iddo
ddarllen ymlaen.
Disgrifir Josiah Hughes yma fel 'un o arwyr anghofiedig cymuned
Cymry Lerpwl, a hyd yn oed Ymneilltuaeth Gymraeg' (tud. 7). Roedd
ei dad John Hughes, brodor o Abergele, yn un o flaenoriaid amlycaf
ei enwad yn Lerpwl o 1813 ymlaen ac addolai aelodau'r teulu yng
nghapel Pall Mall yn y ddinas. A rhyfeddol o anodd iddynt ar y
cychwyn oedd dygymod â bywyd prysur ac ansicr dinas fel Lerpwl.
Cafodd Josiah Hughes ei ordeinio yng nghapel Great George Street
ym mis Chwefror 1830. Ei uchelgais mawr oedd cael mynd i genhadu
yn yr India, a theithiodd o Lerpwl i Bombay ym 1830, ar long a
gymerodd saith mis ar ei hyd i gyrraedd pen y daith. Yna teithiodd
ymlaen i Penang ac yna i Malacca, sef pen terfynol y daith, yn y
mis Tachwedd. Disgrifir Malacca yma fel 'canolfan gweithgarwch
Cymdeithas Genhadol Llundain yn rhan ddwyreiniol Asia' (tud. 15).
Ar ôl cyrraedd y lleoliad hwn, aeth Josiah Hughes ati i ddysgu o
fewn yr ysgolion lleol, i efengylu dros y pedair cymuned
ieithyddol a fodolai yno ar y pryd, ac i fugeilio'r
cynulleidfaoedd a fodolai yno ar yr adeg honno. Aeth ati'n ogystal
i weinidogaethu ac i ddysgu o fewn y Coleg Eingl-Tsieinaidd lle
blodeuodd yn aruthrol gan wneud cyfraniad nodedig dros ben fel
athro. Aeth ymlaen i fod yn gyfrifol am agor tair ysgol yno, gyda
83 o blant yn cofrestru ynddynt mewn fawr o dro.
Ond, yn ôl y dystiolaeth a gyflwynir inni yn yr astudiaeth hon,
nid oedd bob amser yn llwyddiant mawr fel trefnydd a gweinyddwr, a
bu perthynas lai na hwylus rhyngddo ef a'r awdurdodau yn Llundain
ar adegau. Yn ogystal gwelwyd rhywfaint o wrthdaro rhyngddo ef a
rhai o'r cenhadon eraill a oedd yno ar y pryd, yn fwyaf arbennig
gŵr o'r enw John Evans (nid oedd hwnnw'n Gymro o unrhyw fath yn y
byd er ei enw!) a anfonwyd yno gan y Gymdeithas Genhadol fel
cenhadwr.
Gwynebai Josiah Hughes dalcen caled wrth geisio efengylu a
chenhadu ym Malacca a chynyddu a wnaeth ei anawsterau yno. Ac
mae'r ohebiaeth yn Llundain yn dyst huawdl i'r tensiynau sylweddol
a godai yn enwedig rhwng unigolion fel Josiah Hughes, John Evans a
Jacob Tomlin. Ac mae Ben Rees yn asesu'n ofalus natur y berthynas
a fu rhwng Hughes a Tomlin yn arbennig. Er iddo ddod o hyd i
dystiolaeth am berthynas gyfeillgar rhwng y ddau, ni allai Hughes
wrthod y casgliad 'fod agwedd Tomlin yn gyfrifol am yr awyrgylch
annifyr ymhlith cenhadon Cymdeithas Genhadol Llundain ym Malaysia,
yn arbennig yn Penang a Malacca' (tt. 27-28). Yn ddiweddarach
gwelwyd rhywfaint o gymodi rhwng Hughes a John Evans yn ogystal.
Erbyn diwedd y flwyddyn 1835 roedd Josiah Hughes yn rhydd o'i
gysylltiad â Chymdeithas Genhadol Llundain, ac roedd Jacob Tomlin
a'i deulu (ac yr oedd ganddynt bedwar plentyn erbyn hynny) ar ei
ffordd adref i Loegr ym 1836-37. Erbyn y pwynt hwn, roedd y Parch
John Hughes, sef tad Josiah Hughes, yn ei anterth o fewn dinas
Lerpwl ac 'wedi datblygu yn arweinydd medrus, galluog gyda
phenderfyniad di-ildio tu ôl i'w ddadleuon' (tud. 30). Byth ers
1830, pan aeth ei fab yn genhadwr, ei nod oedd mynd ati i sefydlu
tystiolaeth genhadol.
Pan adawodd Tomlin Calcutta er mwyn teithio nôl i Loegr, roedd
Josiah Hughes ar ei ffordd i Calcutta er mwyn trafod ordeiniad
esgobol gydag Esgob Calcutta ar y pryd sef y Dr Daniel Wilson, sef
cyn ficer Islington yn Llundain pan roedd yn gwrthod cefnogi'r
Gymdeithas Genhadol. Ond gwnaethpwyd argraff anghyffredin o
ffafriol arno gan bersonoliaeth a daliadau Josiah Hughes, ac ym
1838 aeth yr esgob mor bell ag ymweld â Malacca o dan
oruchwyliaeth bersonol Hughes. Cytunodd yr Esgob i ordeinio Josiah
Hughes a John Evans fel ei gilydd, ond, fel mae'n digwydd, ni
ddigwyddodd hynny. Bu rhagluniaeth yn ymyrryd mewn ffordd hynod
greulon.
Bu farw Josiah Hughes o'r colera ar 25 Tachwedd 1840, ac yntau ond
yn 36 mlwydd oedd. Ceir hanes eithriadol o drist hwn yn gryno yma
o ysgrifbin D. Ben Rees. O fewn diwrnod i'w farwolaeth gosodwyd ei
gorff i orwedd ym mhridd Malacca, gyda neb llai na John Evans yn
gofalu am yr angladd. Ac yr oedd Evans yntau hefyd wedi marw o
fewn cyfnod byr iawn. Yn dilyn marwolaeth y ddau gawr hyn, nid
oedd rhyw lawer o ddyfodol i'r achos cenhadol yn y rhanbarth hwnnw,
a daeth yr achos i ben yno ym 1843. A sonnir yma (gweler tud. 35 o
fewn y llith hwn) am ymateb Esgob Calcutta i'r colledion erbyd hyn.
Ac, yn yr oes honno, nid oedd teulu John Hughes yn Lerpwl yn
gwybod dim am yr hyn a ddigwyddodd am chwe mis arall, a marwolaeth
Josiah yn sioc iddynt wrth reswm. Bu'r tad fyw ymlaen am wyth
mlynedd arall, ac yn ei ewyllys gadawodd y swm o £83-19-6 i
Genhadaeth Dramor y Methodistiaid Calfinaidd Gymraeg. Parhau fodd
bynnag a wnaeth achos y Genhadaeth Dramor yn India – o 1840 hyd at
ddiwedd y 1960au. A thrwy ymdrechion clodwiw y Parch D. Ben Rees,
ni fydd gwaith arloesol John Hughes, Josiah Hughes a Jacob Tomlin
fyth yn mynd yn angof bellach.
Pleser yw gweld y llith hon wedi ymddangos mewn Cymraeg a Saesneg
graslon a darllenadwy sydd yn bleser pur eu darllen. Ac mae'r
gyfrol fach hon yn un arbennig o raenus a hylaw ei diwyg, yn
bleser ei thrin a'i thrafod a'i gweld ar ein silffoedd llyfrau lle
bydd yn derbyn cartref anrhydeddus ochr yn ochr â chynifer o
gyfrolau eraill o waith yr awdur dawnus a gweithgar hwn sydd
bellach ar drothwy dathlu ei ben-blwydd yn 80 mlwydd oed ym mis
Awst eleni.
J. Graham Jones
D. Ben Rees, Josiah Hughes: the Reluctant Welsh Calvinistic
Methodist Missionary of Malacca (Modern Welsh Publications,
2016), £15 Hard back
We are much indebted to Dr D. Ben Rees for his efforts to ensure
that the missionary Josiah Hughes (1804-40) is not forgotten in
our age. This is a pioneering and thorough piece of work from the
exceptionally productive pen of a prolific author. And the
foundation stone of this study is the substantial collection of
documents and correspondence which is part of the large archive in
the custody of the Missionary Society at London, and among them
are a number of revealing, significant letters penned by Josiah
Hughes himself. There is clear evidence here of wide, in depth
reading to discover more information about the subject of this
important study. And in the endnotes there are numerous snippets
of valuable information, including brief biographies of some on
the individuals who crop up in this wondrous story, and these are
of much interest to the reader as he progresses through the text.
Josiah Hughes is described here as 'a reluctant missionary to
Malacca for a number of reasons' (p. 7). His father John Hughes, a
native of Abergele, was one of his denomination's most prominent
elders at Liverpool from 1813 onwards, and members of the family
worshipped at Pall Mall chapel in the city. And it was
exceptionally difficult for them at the beginning to come to terms
with the busy, precarious life of a city like Liverpool.
Josiah Hughes was ordained at Great George Street chapel,
Liverpool in February 1830. His great ambition was to become a
missionary in India, and he travelled from Liverpool to Bombay in
1830 on board a ship which took all of seven long months to reach
its destination. He then travelled on to Penang and finally to
Malacca, namely his final destination, by November. Malacca is
here described as 'the centre of the eastern outpost of the LMS
activities in Asia' (p. 16).
After reaching his destination, Josiah Hughes started to teach in
the local schools, to evangelise amongst the four linguistic
communities which existed there at the time, and to act as a
shepherd to the congregations which existed there at that time. In
addition he took to preaching and to teach within the
Anglo-Chinese College where he developed mightily, making an
outstandingly distinguished contribution as a teacher. He assumed
responsibility for the opening of three schools there, and no
fewer than 83 children had enrolled there within a short time.
But, according to the evidence presented to us in this volume,
Josiah Hughes was not always a great success as an organiser and
administrator, and his relationship with the authorities at London
were at times less than harmonious. In addition there is evidence
of something of a clash between him and the other missionaries who
were there at the same time, especially one John Evans (he was no
kind of Welshman in spite of his name) who was despatched there as
a missionary by the Missionary Society.
Josiah Hughes faced an uphill task in attempting to evangelise and
act as a missionary at Malacca, and his difficulties there
increased. And the correspondence at London is powerful testimony
to the high tensions which arose, especially between individuals
like Josiah Hughes, John Evans and Jacob Tomlin. And Ben Rees
assesses in particular the relationship which existed between
Hughes and Tomlin. Although he came across evidence of a friendly
relationship between the two, he could but fail to come to the
conclusion that 'the attitude of Tomlin was responsible for the
unpleasant atmosphere amongst the LMS missionaries in Malaysia,
especially in Penang and Malacca' (p. 27). Later on the
relationship between Hughes and Evans improved somewhat.
By the end of the year 1835 Josiah Hughes was free of his
association with the London Missionary Society, and Jacob Tomlin
and his family (and they had four children by this time) were on
their way back to London in 1836-37. By this time, the Rev John
Hughes, Josiah Hughes's father, was at the height of his powers
within Liverpool and 'had been a very shrewd, capable leader, with
a strong will and determination' (p. 29). Even since 1830, when
his son had become a missionary, his ambition was to set up
evidence of missionary activities.
When Tomlin left Calcutta in order to travel back to England,
Josiah Hughes was en route to Calcutta in order to discuss an
episcopal ordination with the Bishop of Calcutta at the time, Dr
Daniel Wilson, namely the former vicar of Islington in London when
he refused to support the Missionary Society. But an exceptionally
favourable impression was made on him by Josiah Hughes's
personality and beliefs, and in 1838 the bishop went so far as to
visit Malacca under Hughes's personal supervision. The Bishop
agreed to ordain both Josiah Hughes and John Evans, but, as it
happened, this did not happen. Fate intervened in an exceedingly
cruel way.
Josiah Hughes died of cholera on 25 November 1939, at the age of
only 36 years. This exceptionally sad course of events is
chronicled here by D. Ben Rees. Within a day of his death, his
body was laid to rest in Malacca's earth, with John Evans
officiating at the funeral service. And Evans himself had died,
too, within a very short time. Following the deaths of these two
giants, there was very little real future for the missionary cause
in that region, and the cause came to an end there in 1843. And
reference is made here (see p. 35 in this work) to the response of
the Bishop of Calcutta to these terrible losses.
And, in that byegone age, John Hughes's family at Liverpool knew
nothing of what had happened for another six months, and Josiah's
death came as a terrible shock to them of course. His father lived
on for another eight years, and in his will he left the sum of
£83-19-6 to the Foreign Ministry of the Welsh Calvinistic
Methodists. But the Foreign Missionary cause continued in India –
from 1840 until the end of the 1960s. And thanks to the sterling
efforts of the Rev. D. Ben Rees, the pioneering work of John
Hughes, Josiah Hughes and Jacob Tomlin will never be forgotten in
the future.
It is a pleasure to see this work appearing in graceful, readable
Welsh and English which are both a real pleasure to read. And this
little work is outstandingly sleek in its appearance, a pleasure
to handle and hold on our bookshelves where it will find an
honourable place side by side with so many other works penned by
this talented, hard-working scholar who is about to celebrate his
eightieth birthday in August of this year.
J. Graham Jones
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