SD941. Edward Moulton-Barrett (father) to Samuel Moulton-Barrett (brother)
Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 4, 338–339 (in part).
London
Sept 15. 1838.
My dear Sam
Trusting that you are safely arrived, & anxiously hoping that the voyage has removed the fever which has so long troubled you, & has made us so desirous that you had come on to England when you were within 15 or 16 days sail of it, instead of returning to Jamaica, I proceed to fill the Sheet of Paper to you.
To my great disappointment the last Packet from the West Indies brought no Mail from our Island, so that I know nothing of what is doing of the Estates, either as regards the People or the Crop, since Mr Carey’s letter of the 15th June, & Mr Farquharsons of the 26th of the same month, & as no Packet is due until the 26th of the present month, a longer time will have elapsed in getting intelligence from the Properties than has occurred for many years– In the absence of information, I do not fear, but on the contrary have strong confidence all is going on well, and altho we may not make the large Crops which have hitherto been done, and indeed as regards this I dont know why we should anticipate it, yet, supposing it will be so, I think we shall not make it so expensive, & above all I am sure our Property is safe in every way.
It is somewhat unfortunate that our prices here for Sugar are very low, truly miserable, so that the Desponding have nothing to cheer then, the Government under the change which was coming on, should not have reduced the Bounty on refined Sugars for another year. Rums are however of a good price; by the bye why is it that the Cinnamon Hill Rums are so inferior in quality to the CE & OE, particularly the latter, which are very superior, there are always some in every lot of a thick muddy complexion, the strength is well enough–
I wrote to you that I could make but little of the Map of the Lots at Falmouth, there should have been a [illegible word] to have accompanied it, Bro has forgotten all about the Place, as is not unusual with him, so I cannot get assistance from him, hence I must wait until you come, or I may obtain information from some one, who has recently been there– Provided you can get a [illegible word] price for Lots, I see no objection why you may not go on selling, for the larger the Town becomes, & the greater the Population is, the more valuable will the Property be about it, & thus the large Tract of Land now under Lease will be made valuable & available– When I wrote to you before on this subject, I wished you to pause a little, & not to [illegible word] the demand by a forced sale–
Logwood here is at a great price, somewhere about 8 or 9 guineas a Ton, chiefly through the Blockade of the Mexican Ports, but a Man offered me the other day to contract for a large quantity for next year at £6– Now you know what you can get it for in the Country, & what the freight of it is, & hence whether it would pay to send any, either by cutting down if <…> or purchasing; if it will do, you may draw upon me for the last purpose–
Perhaps you are aware that my dear Brother drew some Bills in favor of one [illegible word] a Tailor, for an old Debt, three of them, they state there are, purporting to be due in August 1838. 39. & 40 upon the former, which I have seen, & the signature to which I believe to be in his handwriting, there is no date, consequently the last day is supplied by custom, hence it was due on the 31st of last Month & with three day grace, it was payable on the 3d of the Month, on which day I sent my Broker with the Money £87-18 sh to pay it, when I found that the Holder of the Bill was out of Town, since when I have heard that on the 15th of June last they returned the Bill to Jamaica, stating that I had instructed them to do so, which is not the fact, all I did was refusing many months ago to make myself responsible to pay it when due, but telling them to wait the expiration of the period– You will immediately acquaint Mr Ashmore or Whoever is employed for the trust with the circumstances that they may regulate their mode of meeting the claim– The Bill was made payable on the Exchange, this is of little consequence– Noted it could not have been, for it was a promissory Bill & never run out its time– Pray attend to it—I could not write sooner on the subject as I did not know of its return until the 6th inst I wrote by the first July Packet to Mr Anderson for an Exemplificaton of the Will, as I cannot get on without it– Do beg them to forward it be the first opportunity– What has been done with Vermont’s Wharf, I heard that Jarrett had attacked him, if so, & he be successful, it will save my ammunition–
Pray tell Edward Samuels of the Retreat, that I have received his Letter & will answer it by some Ship, & say how truely gratified I was at the Sentiments expressed by him, so honorable to himself & his late dear Master, & for which I shall ever esteem him as a worthy & grateful Man–
What is to be done with the two small planks of Mahogany sent by the David Lyon
Our precious Ba, who you know is at Torquay & where she is to remain during the Winter, is much the same, but she is sensible that the Climate is much more agreeable to her, than that of this Town, & that there she gets air & exercise, one day going out in a Boat & the next in a Chair, without exertion or labor– She is in God’s hands, & being assured that she is an handmaid of the Lords, He will order all things aright for her good– She is a blessed one, the most beautiful of Character, of the highest attainments & possessed of the noblest Mind, she esteems herself little & would always take the lowest place– God has truly blessed me in her, & thanks be to His Grace, has evidently blessed her for himself
And now dear Sam I must conclude with assurances of my best affections towards you
I am yrs most affectionately
E M Barrett
Address, on integral page: S. M. Barrett Esqre / Cinnamon Hill / Little River / St James’s / Jamaica.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Eton College Library.
___________________
