SD1075. Edward Moulton-Barrett (father) to Samuel Moulton-Barrett (brother)
Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 4, 361–362 (in part).
Torquay,
Novr 15. 1839.
My dear Sam
You will see from the date that I am still with our dear Ba, who is, I am happy to say, somewhat better than when I came down, suffering as she then was & had been for some time from the loss of poor Dr Barry; you know how exquisitely acute her feelings are by nature, & now disease has weakened her frame these feelings are painfully severe when the least called into play; but she is in the Hands of one Who loves her, & altho his dealings are oftimes very misterious [sic], yet we know all are founded in mercy & goodness, & there we must leave her, yes rejoicingly leave her, for He has promised his own “I will never leave or forsake you[.]” Thanks be to His Grace for this record for his abiding care–
I shall now proceed to reply to your two letters of the dates Sepr 3d & 29th, the latter received yesterday– I should have written to you on the subject of the first by the last Packet, but after writing a long letter to Mr Carey I found that I had no time. With respect to the correspondence on the death of poor Morris, however much I lamented that his friends should have refused to accede to the terms, whereby his Remains might have been placed near his family’s, I think that you acted perfectly right, & the propriety of it was evident from the observation of Mr Ricketts that my Grandfather had sold the burial ground to his family, from which there can be no doubt that in a few years the permission to bury there would have been claimed as a thing indisputable belonging to every one connected with the Barretts– I think Mr Plummer assumed an authority that he had not the most distant pretence to, in taking the body of R. Barrett to the G. House; He knew well that my Grandfather on the death of his Son Henry Barrett broke through the Custom of bringing the funerals to the House, by staying the body at the Works, whence it was taken to the Tombs– You will find from a letter I wrote on the subject to Mr Carey that I had anticipated your suggestion with respect to the or any Tombstone, which his nephew might desire to put over his Remains, to whom I refer you for instructions about it– I only hope that Sam or any other Relative of his wont suppose from the precaution I have thought it right to take, that I mean any disrespect either to the dead or the living, but merely to guard against the possibility of Mr Ricketts’ assertion being realized, & thus the burial ground be made public Property, & like public property in general, to have no one to take care of it & protect the fence– I am glad to hear your report of Cinnamon Hill & Cornwall at least with the exception of the Grass Fields, & still more so that the People are disposed to take them by task work, for if they will only to do justice for the wages they receive, I doubt not but we shall come upon our legs again– As I dont quite understand your plans with respect to the Rents, even with the assistance of Bros & others intellects to help me, & as in your letter of the 29th you say nothing more on the subject, & I have been pretty explicit as to my view of that head both to Mr Carey & Mr Jump, as indeed I thought I had been to you in Wimpole St I shall [say] nothing more about it– Rent to be paid I think the best plan; if then the People go off, we dont lose all, if they stay they get their full wages, & all will be well; Do the 5/cy include the Grounds as well as the House, of the former, are all the Grounds occupied by the various Inmates of the House also included? Pray do we find wine & eatables & grass for Mr Rowe at The Retreat, & is he really proposing his own House for his future Residence, or is he going to abide there; this in confidence; I fear that he has been much in the way of Carey when there, & I fear that I was hardly justified in acceding to the application without consulting the comfort & ease of my Attorney– What you say of the prospects of Hyde Hall for next year, Mr Jump had intimated before, as well as Mr Dawson, whom I saw before I left Town, I mean Dawson of Sportsman Hill– What a business then have they made of it there, injuring so much neighbouring properties without doing any essential or lasting good to their own– I suppose however they made a large Crop this year, but it was doubtless at a tremendous cost to themselves– I am aware of the difficulties which Mr Jump had to contend with & I rest perfectly satisfied that he will leave no effort unmade to surmount them– And now as regards your letter of the 29th The Item in Mr Carey’s Account is quite satisfactorily explained, as well as all money matters alluded to by you– As soon as you get money, you must pay Steward Chapel 100 Cuy and Tinkler’s Legacy, the latter perhaps when I am better off I may add something to– I am glad to find that the Land at Falmouth is becoming more valuable, & your project with respect to the Water Pipes possibly might answer to induce Purchasers, but it wi<ll be ne>cessary in order that I may be able to make some calculation as regards the expense <to kn>ow the length, how I shall be remunerated or rather be able to guard against <P>ersons, who refuse to make the proposed annual payment, getting the wate<r,> whether the Source will suffice to supply the demand without makeing a Resev<oir>. You are quite right not to make any conveyance until the Money is lodged, or you will have trouble & legal expense without end– I am glad that the two Leases are at an end, & in any new Lease you give of the Land, would it not be better to let it be short, as well as to reserve a large portion for the purpose of selling in Lots by which you would save a great deal of necessary explanatory clauses about the sale of Land, which were in the former lease– I dont object to the Vestry renting a portion of the Land for the diseased, but let the holding be short & definite. Only never do anything in a hurry, or on the impluse, & I have no doubt that you will do very well indeed– It is very satisfactory to hear of your doings at Cinnamon Hill & Cornwall, & I trust that next year matters will not be so bad, for you will I dare say send me a fair Crop– I wish, as you write from Cambridge, you had intimated whether affairs were improving there, particularly as I have not heard from Mr Jump by the Packet– Storm in his addendum to your letter said nothing about it– I hope for the best– I am glad to find from his report that Edward Barrett continues his regard for me– What have you done with the Clothes you took out conditionally of G.P. of Wales, & were the presents received by the Parties in a good spirit? I have had a letter from the Scotch Missionary Society upon the subject of some land they want for a School at a place I never heard of which they say belongs to me |Nicholsons| Penn near Grange Penn & Barrett Hall, what do you make of it? Is it at the suggestion of Mr Waddell– Is he gone or going?
I wrote to Stormie that I got your letter from Madeira advising of the Bill, & I think what I said about it should have been satisfactory– My beloved Brothers Tombstone left here yesterday for London to be put on board the David Lyon, & every care has been taken to prevent a mistake in putting it up, pray see to it, & tell me how you like it: They are contained in 9 boxes– I have no space to enter upon the topic of the Attorneyship, not is it needed as Mr Carey will show you my letter by the last Packet, wherein I entered largely into the subject, & I trust that it will be satisfactory to you– Ba says that you have had the start of George in being made a Judge first, & that without eating a single dinner in the Temple, I add– He is to be called to the Bar on Friday next, & Sette writes me, that there is a Peerage Case perhaps two waiting for him– So you see we are going at once to the top, no crawling for George– They were all well when we heard yesterday– I am truely rejoiced to find that Stormie & you Keep your health[–] I pray God that you may continue to do so– Sugars are improving a little but the state of the money Market Keeps every thing dull– I am glad that poor old Woman has gone, & I trust that you will be able to appreciate the new Governor, of whom so much good to be done in the Island is anticipated here– I write to Storm next Packet if possible– Best of loves from all to you both–
Yrs my dear Sam
very affectionately
E M Barrett–
I believe Atkinson Attorney to John Clarke has sailed– Tell Sam the Papers are not yet come to me[,] never were such Men a<…> for delay– Regards to him–
Address, on integral page: S. M. Barrett Esqre / Cinnamon Hill / Little River / St James’s / Jamaica.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Eton College Library.
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