SD1127. Edward Moulton-Barrett (father) to Septimus Moulton-Barrett
Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 4, 365–366 (in part).
[Torquay]
June 24. 1840–
My dearest Sette
You do not say where Mr Moody invites you down to, but from other circumstances, what Chalmers would call, ab extrã, I suppose to be Oxford. However that may be, I am glad to find that you will not break your heart if I say nay, & as it is possible that if I did say Yea, I should break my heart, you had better stay where you are. How can George be there on the 30th & be at Hereford Sessions at the same time, if so I congratulate him on the power he has acquired of ubiquity– I enclose him two letters I have received this day through you from Collins. What does Collins mean by a length of time having had undisturbed possession? It is nonsense. Does he not think we should have broken the fence or assumed some act of ownership, & thus made ourselves defendants, instead of what we are to be, by Collins’s supposition, Plaintiffs? Time will not press so much as to make it necessary to take up the Cudgel within a week or so? If I am to serve <…>in & Co. with a process, I had better employ my Attorney in London to do it. Will Collins be offended if I do so? Let him write immediately, as I must reply to Collins’ letter.
To return to your letter, it is a monstrous time since I left you, and I am wanted very much in London, but how to leave my beloved Ba, I know not, I fear the very mention of it, for she is indeed lamentably weak, & yet it is absolutely necessary I should go; I really know not how to act. She is today much as usual, & she has this week sent a Poem, very short, to the Athenæeum for insertion upon Napoleon’s Bones; & when some one goes to buy my number on Saturday, just let him look into it, & if the verses are there, send one to Bell at Frocester, & another to me here, independent of the one for Wimpole St
Ask George if he means to justify Philip’s speech, after he knew that his Client was really on his own confession the murderer, & direct his attention to such passages as these, You, the Jury & I will have to answer hereafter as we discharge our duty towards the prisoner, & take care how you embrace your hands in innocent blood &c. whilst he knew that his Client[’]s were dyed deep in blood. What jury will believe him after this, he may asseverate, but it will avail nothing, for they will say to themselves, no doubt the Prisoner has told him of his guilt. He will be like the boy that cried Wolf. So Knibb & O’Connell & the Apostate Whigs & the factious Tories stand in the way of the little good the Ministers were disposed to afford us, by letting us have the |Hill Cashier|. No the blacks are to have the exclusive labor market of the Colonies, & the Brown ones of the East are to starve on, or at best stay at home earning 2d/ a day, for this is what they get, when they get anything. I have written to Stormie, to know whether Germans would not do at the Retreat, if so I will get Harry to procure me 20 or 30. & I will try & cultivate the vine & make wine, if I cannot make rum–
73s/ is not to be despised you say, & I say 73s/ is to be despised, when I can get 75s/ which I did yesterday for 40 Hhds. Last Tuesday there were only 8000 & odd in the Docks, short of last year by 14700. It is dreadful, that the Estates should lie uncultivated & we should get all the abuse, first from Knibb & then the Public here in consequence of the high price of sugar, they supposing it to be all profit– You will be sorry to hear, because it has caused me great concern, that my old Schoolfellow & friend Aubone Surtees, of Newcastle is dead. I greatly regret him. Poor fellow I fear he has left his family sadly off. It is very near 2 o’clock in the Morning.
Good night Dearest Sette & with love to all
Yrs affectionately E M Barrett
Remember me particularly to E.<Bar>rett & tell him I hope before long to shake hands with him– Is <Uncle> & Aunt Hedley in Town for so rumour runs here?
Address, on integral page: Mr Septimus Barrett / 50. Wimpole Street / London.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Gordon E. Moulton-Barrett.
___________________
