SD1138. William Tinkler to Edward Moulton-Barrett (father)
Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 4, 369 (in part).
Cinnamon Hill
November 3. 1840
Sir
Mr Jump has requested me to give you all the information I can respecting a lot of land in Montego Bay. I presume he alludes to that near Bloomsbury purchased from Dr Longmore September 10, 1837 for £425 currency. The Title (which I copied into the Deed Book) does not state the dimensions, it merely names the parties by whom it is butted & bounded. I have not seen the diagram, but the lot is so large that your Brother had it in contemplation to build three houses on each side of an avenue through the middle, to lead to Bloomsbury. He intended to purchase a small grass plot which intervened but could not obtain a good title. He therefore abandoned his first intention, & only fenced the front of the lot with a low wall & palisade, placing a double gate in the center about the width of the intended avenue, & built one house for a Domestic named Rebecca Leslie, who declined occupying it, preferring her situation at the Great house here– The house was untenanted until the 26 November last, when your Son desired me to make a memorandum that it was rented by __Davis he did not name the rent which I understand is £50 p annum which when due will be claimed by Mr J G Jump, on the part of Sir Joshua Rowe who is Trustee. Rebecca has no document to shew that she has any claim to it. There is another lot named Fiddle case adjoining Bloomsbury, in the possession of Jane Middleton (formerly a domestic) I understood that at her death the lot would revert to the Estate, but can say nothing from my own knowledge, as none of the papers or titles passed through my hands– I wrote (at your Brothers dictation) to his Solicitor W W Anderson requesting that he would examine the titles of the then owner, & if correct to effect the purchase. I cannot recollect the sum offered, & have no reference to the letter book at present, Mr S G Barrett being in Town–
We have had a long spell of very dry weather, only occasionally relieved by a few partial showers until last week, when we had four days of good rain the next crop must fall something short of the last, but as there is only a partial shew of arrows, if the weather is moderate we may still hope to come very near it[.] I fear I have com[m]itted an error in my last letter to you in stating the crop– Cornwall made 70 Hhds, Cinnamon Hill 171, Total 241—the figure 4 is slightly blotted & appears so like a 7 that I am almost sure I must have read it as a 7 & wrote accordingly. If I have done so, I beg you will attribute it more to accident than to inattention[.] The promising after growth of pimento which I mentioned to you has totally failed, we have only collected 30 bags at an expence of £22.75– The grass pieces & canes are all cleared, & the people so willing to work that they really annoy the overseer with petitions that he would give them jobs which are not at present required[.] The land prepared for plants is all holed & in the course of being planted—at Cornwall they are now holing & will plant im[m]ediately– The shop proceeds languidly £10 p Week is the average of the receipts, your cotters have taken up the trade. Some of them even bake bread buns &c.– The porter is all sold at a profit of £20 the wine is nearly finished, & will give good profit. Pork & butter continue in demand, the other articles from home go off very slowly. Candles very seldom Brown biscuit frequently shows signs of mouldiness, when so I have it inserted in the oven after drawing bread, which restores it to its usual appearance. There are still four Puncheons remaining on hand–
There is a lot of land near the sea belonging (I believe to the Estate of Charles Moulton[)]—your Brother had some thoughts of claiming it, but found on enqu<iry> that there were some outstanding debts, which might r<ender> it an unprofitable speculation—a case was tr<ied in the> courts back before Sir Joshua. I was not in the Jury box that day, but two Jurors who were fellow lodgers with me, assured me that the litigants had no more claim to the land than I had, & that their duty had been only to decide on the priority of possession
I am Sir
Your Obed Servt
William Tinkler
Edward B M Barrett Esqr
Address, on integral page: Edward B M Barrett Esqr / No 50 Wimpole Street / Cavendish Square / London.
Docket, in EMB’s hand: W. Tinkler / Nov. 3. 1840– / Recd Jay. 4. 1841– / Ansd Jay. 16. 1841.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Eton College Library.
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