SD1517. George Goodin Barrett (1792-1854) to Edward Moulton-Barrett (father)
Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 17, 275 (in part).
The Ramble
Claremont. St Ann.
Oct 1851
My dear Edward
Very many thanks for your kind letter. There are but few persons, whose congratulations upon the improvement of my health are so welcome as yours; and none which are more so– During the most threatening periods of my illness, I cannot tell you how comfortable I felt whenever I thought I was about to shuffle off this mortal coil.
I am aware, and it has frequently caused me much pain, that I must have greatly added to my debt to you since my arrival in this country, and had not events as they unfolded themselves year after year proved so arduous to me as an individual, and as one of a depressed colonial community, I should long ago have commenced a repayment. When I first came out I found heavy claims against Richard’s Estate, which had to be settled. When I had pretty well mastered my portion of them, came, through Sam’s (I will not trust myself with an adjective) misconduct, the suit of Vidal vs Exrs of R. Barrett, which ended by fixing upon me a charge of more than £6000, and £1000 costs—(and this a compromise)[.] This claim of Vidals Sam undertook to pay, when it was at half its amount, and my Brother’s exrs left in his hands assets sufficient to discharge nearly the then whole amount– But Sam never had any intention of keeping his engagement with the Receivers General & me, or of paying off his Uncle’s creditors—mixed up with all this has been the ruinously low price of cattle. Still times may alter, as they have frequently done—when least expected. Had Lopez not been so eager to commence his expedition, but had waited for a year to two or three, until a party in Cuba had been better organized to support him, we might have had a change of “emancipation,” there and of good times here– As it was I do not think, even had Crittenden been less of a coward or an imbecile that Lopez had the smallest chance at the time he landed. Although our chance of benefit from that source has been almost destroyed by Lopez’ infatuation, something else may turn up for us, and I shall feel very much obliged if you will let me know how we stand. That old humbugging Sinner, W. W. Anderson has gone a wild scheme to Canada & the United States– We shall have to pay him a long bill, if he is not much altered by his trip– The scheme of bringing all the free colored people from the United States & Canada if successful, amounts, in my opinion, to the compulsory abandonment of the island by the white people. A few persons from those parts, if properly selected might be of the utmost service to us, but a general invasion of Jamaica by a turbulent, jealous, ignorant & presumptious set of brown & black people, who would seek to vaccinate our population with their feelings, would soon convert this lovely island into a Saint Domingo–
I now come to a very difficult and anxious subject– You say, “Now as regards Lizzy, what are your views? You know that she is now turned of 18 years, and I presume some arrangement must be maid [sic] for her removal from school &c.” This, owing to her unfortunate and peculiar position in regard to her parents, is a subject which has often puzzled Edward and myself– We have no home here, which could be considered comfortable or desirable to a young lady brought up amongst civilized beings. Here she would be without a pursuit, without companions, without even the means of turning to her amusement, the accomplishments which she may have acquired at school. A Piano would soon be useless at Albion, without a person to tune it occasionally or an “ear to listen to its lay.” We get on pretty well because we have our occupations, and have been broken in to living without society– Her life has been hitherto happy owing to the great affection, which it has been her good fortune to meet with from you and your family, and I should wish it to continue so if possible, and here is the difficulty– How is it to be got over? I know not, unless you will again come to her assistance and mine– It is a proposal, attended with great anxiety, which I am about to make– You may object to it and so may Arabella; but I hope not. My proposal then is that you should allow her to live with Arabella, Arabella being agreeable thereto– Should this scheme of mine, which however you may consider a bad return for all your kindness to Lizzy, find favor in yours and Arabella’s eyes, I should of course desire that she should be no pecuniary burthen to you. It is a home which I want for her, and there is none wherein she will be so happy as in that I am asking for her, and which you may possibly consent to afford– At her Mother’s death, she will not be badly provided for, when one considers the cheapness of all things, excepting law and physic, and the officials of Jamaica– She will have about £7000 which are in the funds, and some house property at Mosely & Hampton Court. Upon this she may manage to just keep herself tidy–
Our H of Assembly is to meet on the 28th My health has improved so surprisingly, that I think I shall be able to go through the Session, without much inconvenience. Mr Wm Smith, our self styled chair of the Exchequer, proposed last year that the excess of expenditure over Revenue was £80,000, and proposed taxes additional to meet this vast sum– The excess of expenditure was however found out to be about £15,000– Still our taxation is unrivalled. It is a question, to which, ever since I had a seat, I have directed my attention, At first, from its novelty, the question puzzled me, but I think that I have now sufficiently matured my plan of operations, as, with the assistance of the House, to be able to promise great reductions. I am aware that I shall meet with much opposition from all in possession of place as in expectancy; from the Chief Justice and his council, down to the meanest bloodsucker: that with them I shall be the most unpopular man in the island; but I care not, so long as I feel that I am performing honestly, what is it within my duty. I have said, “with the assistance of the House,” for as my plan contemplates not only labor in Spanish Town, during the recess, but also a visit to every Parish, which will take much time, and put me to great expense, I shall call upon it not for remuneration, but merely the payment of any personal expenses– There is not an office, public or parochial, which I shall not pry into, with the intention hereafter of creating something like an equality between the value of its labor, and the pay it receives– Several I shall propose to abolish entirely, and where required, transfer their duties to others– From a rough calculation, for until the House shall afford me the means of mastering the details, I shall not be able to speak authoritatively, I think a saving may be affected of between £50 and £70,000 per annum. The following is a rough sketch of the principal sums which I think can be saved.
By a total change in the present
system of road management, £20,000
Judicial Establishment, 13,000
Collection and disbursement of Revenue, 17,000
Public & Parochial officers, extra judicial, 5,000
Prisons, 4,000
£59,000
I shall state but little to the House, until I shall have got correct evidence in favor of each of my proposals, and I shall try to avoid committing myself to anything, until I am thoroughly able to sustain it. I may be wrong in my hopes of being useful, for, as I have said before, I have yet to enquire into the details of almost every office in the island—but I am sanguine, that by hard work & by personal enquiry into everything, I shall be able to lay before the House a comprehensive and systematic plan of retrenchment, very disgusting to some parties, and very agreeable to others.
Storm has sent me a letter from Mr Butler of the London Trade Protection Society, which you were kind enough to forward to him for that purpose. In this letter Mr Butler demands on the part of Mr Andrews of Leamington, £41.14.3– Now I never, so far as any memory goes, had any dealing with Mr Andrews, and at present I have not the least recollection of having employed him, but it is so long since I left Leamington, that I may be and no doubt am, mistaken– Certainly the present is the first application which has reached me, since my arrival here–
No Crystal Palace for me. It must be a wonderful lounge. I should like to see it–
Storm was at Albion some time ago from a Friday to a Tuesday following, the longest visit we have ever had from him. He was then going to look at some stock belonging to a miserly, litigious young German Jew– I warned him about him—but he would leave Albion long before daylight, did not see the animals until 4 or five hours after his arrival at New Ground, got no breakfast until after his return to The Retreat, sometime after dark, and made no bargain– Edward expected him on friday 19th on his way to Sp Town to attend the Grand Court as a Juror, but he has not yet made his salaam, and we conclude therefore that he has bribed “the Court” to let him off– Cholera still lingers at the west end of the island.
Edward joins with me in best love to all your party. Believe me,
My dear Edward,
Very Affectionately Yours
G. Goodin Barrett
We are expecting the Bishop– I wish he would come and decide Edward’s fate.
You will find that I am right about cotton– You think that as the labor is light, the young and the old may be employed at it—but in Jamaica the young and the old generally do not and will not work at all. Let the labor be what it may, you will not, until population cannot do without work for a subsistence, find the people here different from those of other countries, excepting in their fewer excitements to exertion– The black’s has no ambition to raise his family in the world—here is the difficulty–
Publication: Barrett, p. 136 (in part).
Manuscript: Eton College Library.
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