Supporting Documents

SD1286.  Edward Moulton-Barrett (father) to Henry Shirley

Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 14, 365 (in part).

Octr 12th 1846

Dear Mr Shirley

I have felt, after every consideration, great doubts respecting Mr Fyfe’s scheme; I apprehend a serious expenditure, heavy responsibility & no slight difficulties to be in the way.

His estimates too must be very uncertain, as their amount will depend necessarily on the localities to be selected for the erection of the Buildings, Machinery & the laying of the |Trams|, as well as the working of the whole process–

The Megasse or Track is a very bulky article, & essential to the Estates Proprietors therefore must be assured of getting it back readily, & should be guarded against heavy rates for the use of the |Iron| Road, & against the chance of having in future years hard terms imposed on them, when their own present machinery, & the knowledge of working it, shall have gone out of use & forgotten.

I am really at a loss to know how to decide. I am unwilling to appear indifferent to any suggestion likely to improve our condition, which I am aware is somewhat desperate, at the same time I am as unwilling to involve myself & others in any scheme, which if unsuccessful would make our position more difficult, & possibly hasten our ruin, as Proprietors.

I do not wish to set up any project of my own against Mr Fyfe’s, but I have long thought of one, which would appear as a part of that Gentleman’s, attended with much less cost, namely the establishment of a Refinery at Falmouth, near as that Place would be to coals & other essentials &c; that Proprietors should grind their Canes at home & give the liquor a boiling sufficient to prevent fermentation in its transit from the Estate to the Town, & sold there to the Company by the test of the Saccharimeter or any other mode that might be thought more eligible. I was led to this by seeing the thing done here, in London, on a small scale, the liquor was sent home in [illegible word]—& the sugar made from it was exceedingly good, but the scheme was abandoned from the Adventurer being tempted to go out to India in order to manufacture sugar for a Company. He had lived 9 years in Porto [sic] Rico, was an intelligent Man, & certainly expressed himself most sanguine as to the favorable result of his speculation to himself & great advantage to the Proprietors, if they would send the liquor– As regarded the latter I however differed with him, for from the immense number of |Tuns|, it would have required to convey the liquor, & the amount of freight to be charged on them, it would have inflicted on us a most serious & ruinous expenditure. With Mr Fyfe, I contemplated a superior sample of sugar to be brought to this market, & a complete saving of the 1¼ or 1½ cut of sugar which is now pumped up into the sea from every bkd, that leaves Jamaica,—a loss to every body, the Proprietor, Ship-Owner, & the Government in the way of duty– By the way the latter fact might be an argument to be urged by Mr Fyfe with Ld Grey to make the required advance–

I am afraid that you may think me very tedious in going thus somewhat at large, as to my views respecting the proposed scheme, but I thought it best to let you know my mind on the subject; In conclusion, I beg to assure you of my readiness to assist in any way, what upon every due deliberation, may be considered conducive to the interests of West Indian Proprietors, specially urged as I must be by those of my own, & that without relation as rising from individual fear, to my own peculiar fancies–

Perhaps I had better get an interview with Mr Fyfe–

I am, dear Sir

Ys faithfully

EMB–

Publication: None traced.

Source: File copy at Eton College Library.

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