Supporting Documents

SD108.  Edward Moulton-Barrett (father) to Philip Scarlett

Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 1, 309 (in part).

May 3. 1808–

My Dear Sir

I sincerely thank you for your kind wish for a continuance of my domestic happiness, I trust it will be perpetual. Nothing I now desire, but a release from my present embarrassments, which I hope a very few good years and a little economy on my part will accomplish. I heard by last Packet from Mr R. Moulton he seems somewhat alarmed at my determination of opposing the Masters decree and begs to know from myself if I had given orders to you to that effect; I think if you were, after seeing Plummer’s account which I should think absolutely necessary before you can determine what Mr Moulton has a fair claim to, to make an offer of a sum of money as a complete liquidation of his demand against me, which if he accepts draw upon me, at as long dates as he will permit, making the Bills payable to Messrs B.P.S. & Co. I still think tho’ that he ought to settle with Mr Plummer, as he could not be on the Estate in any other capacity then as his attorney and therefore to his employer only should he look to be reimbursed.

He writes me that he suspects you have stated to me the whole Sum of the Master’s report due to him, whereas to relieve you of the Burthen and intricacy of going into a pecuniary description of his Administration. He delivered up the Estates perfectly unembarrassed except the Taxes due some months after. That you had an enormous Harvest to take off without any further expense, and He says in contradiction to a copy of the decree which I have by me, that the Masters report of my debit with him to be under £6000 fr. whence arises the four over and above their six Pray explain this to me? he could have forgotten it. I see afterwards that he accounts for £3000 of it as Commissions which he claims as the only one that acted for the Properties during the absence of all the Trustees; now the commissions have I believe been drawn for and paid and it therefore cannot be expected that I should again pay them, In fine the more I look into the Business the more convince am I that Plummer and none but Plummer should settle his accounts and therefore I beg you

Publication: None traced.

Source: File copy at Eton College Library.

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