SD1342. Charles John Moulton-Barrett to Henrietta Moulton-Barrett
Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 14, 374 (in part).
The Retreat
Dec. 19. 47.
My dear Henrietta
I am going to reckon stock this morning, so I have only time to scribble a few lines. Thank you in the first place for the newspapers. I get them as regular as clock work. I was sorry to see the death of Mr Deffells. I mean for his family. A relation to his penkeeper hung himself too the other Evng in a mango tree—attended Baptist Church in the morning & hung himself in the evening. The first wanted I suppose money |or bewailed| the loss of it—the latter |stuck a pig|. For my part I cannot sympathize with men who leave this beautiful world under such circumstances, & I cannot help thinking that many of them wish themselves back again. I never liked it more than I do at present—hhds bringing from 69 to 72. I only wish that it would remain so. The natives call this time of year winter & those who can afford it wear cloth—of flannel—. Perhaps the |Cihallny| barrister will tell me if a bill making over the management of property in the shape of an |Electorship| for a term of 500 years cannot be set legally. In this way Spot-Valley has fallen into the hands of the Deffells. It would be clearly the act of a Samaritan on the part of Sept to call upon Lt. Zenith and give him a little lecture on the subject. He disappeared suddenly from this Country, some thought he had fallen into a sink hole, but he has returned I believe to his old quarters in London. Tell papa with my love Cinnamon Hill has had rain at last, & that all his ponds are full to the brim– Jump came here for a |day’s fishing| but the rain fell too fast for us, they hustled back again in spite of it to get his packet letters. If not washed away altogether, I certainly expect to hear of his death. This is the way men kill themselves in this country. My garden suffered materially at one time only the tops of the pen sticks out to be seen. The |bodies| have not gone yet. I find that they settled originally at Phoenix, under the management of a Mr Price. I think papa knows him, & that he is very glad to get rid of them. I have put them into a |trust|, & wished them to be paid at a 1/ a day. They are clean sober & very different <in> every respect to the Accounts given of them. The fact is from the scarcity of labor I am glad to get hold of any body. The [illegible word] in [illegible word] is rather exhilarating I only hope it has got us a little time. I am getting rid of my pigs fast—this amt. pays for the [illegible word] pays [illegible word] them & I lose my temper pleasant in England but not at all so in this country. If the bald-pates I sent you were blue pigeons, they were curious, for they are not often met with. Baldpates on the contrary are innumberable in this side of the island. I killed 4 this morning before breakfast. I will try to get another pair for you. My best love to Trippy—don’t get into a passion with me Trippy for not writing to you, but thank your stars that you have your money in your pocket instead of my nonsense in your intellect—if you honoured it so far as to deposit it in that |billet|. [illegible word] of the “handsome” Cunningham for you know you told me he was [illegible word] good looking. I shall be very glad to do any thing for any body if they will only tell me what it is. Remember me to Trippy. Edward & his father promised to pay me a visit 2 months ago, & I have neither seen nor hear from them. I miss Sam Barrett. I wish with all my heart he was out here. May his estate & [illegible words] it. Tell papa I have made up the quarrel between Samuels & Allen. My best love to the breakfast table.
Ever Yours
Storm
A <merry> christmas & a happy new year
Address, on integral page: Miss Barrett / 50 Wimpole Street / London.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Armstrong Browning Library, Altham Archive.
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