Handbill headed 'The Converted African, written by himself. Part First. This piece was published by William Luboys, an African, Who was converted by means of the Methodist Missionaries at Gibraltar. [..] A Christian Hymn, Composed by an Indian [..].'

Broadside folio (printed on one side of a piece of paper 38 x 24.5 cm). Recently professionally archivally repaired and tipped in on a piece of cream card 41 x 28.5 cm. Text clear and complete. On creased, aged paper with staining at head and closed tears skilfully repaired with archival tape. Printed in double column, with the titles in a variety of types and point sizes. The upper part of the document is a letter addressed to 'DEAR READER' and signed in type 'William Luboys, | AN AFRICAN.' The lower part of the document is an unattributed 36-line poem entitled 'A Christian Hymn, Composed by an Indian near unto Death.', beginning 'My soul's full of glory, which fires my tongue, | Could I meet with bright angels to join in a song,'. Luboys' letter describes his path towards 'eternal salvation'. He 'laboured under this sharp conviction for nearly three months before I was set at liberty, at which time I was seaman on board the Wizard, Capt. Moseberry, in his Majesty's service, [...] I kneeled down to pray between the guns on the main deck, that Mr. Thompson, the first Lieutenant, overheard me, and ordered the Master at Arms to put me in irons till Monday morning, saying he would flog the methodist out of me. [...]' (There seems to be no reference to a Captain Moseberry commanding HMS Wizard.) Excessively scarce, no copy on WorldCat, and the only copy on COPAC at the British Library, whose entry dates the item to the 1820s. BBTI only has William Bragg active in Taunton in the year 1830.