A VOCABULARY OF THE KAFFIR LANGUAGE

First edition: 218 pages, owners name written on the title page, original half black leather with marbled boards which are slightly scuffed, titled gilt on the spine, a good copy.

Standard Encyclopaedia of South Africa volume 1 page 625 - 6: John Ayliff was a Missionary and author London 7.11.1797 - Fauresmith 17.5.1862. He came to the Cape with the 1820 Settlers. He learned to speak Dutch and Xhosa and became a missionary in the Wesleyan Mission in Grahamstown. His first missionary appointment was at Butterworth with Hintsa’s tribe. He became devoted to the welfare of the Fingo tribe and moved with them to the border of the Colony. He compiled A vocabulary of the kaffir language in 1846, and sometime after that wrote a fictional Journal of Harry Hastings which was based on his dairy and did not receive publication until 1963. The Xhosa Bible is indebted to Ayliff for the translation of 6 books.