SD778. Edward Moulton-Barrett (father) to Samuel Moulton-Barrett (uncle)
Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 3, 328 (in part).
Sidmouth,
August 8. 1834.
My dear Sam
You will perhaps have heard through Bro, that I went to London on or about the time Selby was expected & that after two fruitless visits to Gravesend in order to intercept him on his way up the River, I was fortunate enough to fall in with him, on the third expedition & truely happy was I to hear his report of you all & gratified not a little at the account he gave me of your approbation of my dear Boy; indeed it is the only circumstance that can afford me the least compensation for his absence & in such a Climate & such Society around him– May the Lord keep him from the evil effects of both & restore him uninjured in body & mind in his good time– Upon the subject of Climate, I scratched him a line or two on a spare corner Ba left him [sic] in her letter to him by this Packet, wherein I begged him to be more guarded than I am given to understand he is in exposing himself to it; I do not like to hear of his long rides in the broiling Sun & perhaps subjecting himself also to the Evening Dews unnecessarily, by which I mean when he might, at a little cost, get a Gig or Phæton to convey him– I beg you to procure such a conveyance for him immediately & let me see it in my account– I think I wrote you before, indeed I am sure of it, to supply him with what money he may require, and altho his wants in this particular may not be much, still there must be occasional demands upon him; as he may feel some delicacy about this, I hope you have or will speedily anticipate his application to you.
And now in order to give you the means of judging the ability or the representations the overseers may have made to you, I think it right to state what I myself saw & know otherwise, of the condition of the Sugars which came by the David Lyon & which I am sorry to say must be far from a favorable one, indeed they are the worse that have come from the Estates for many years– They are very dark & by no means clear of the molasses, so much so as to have wasted a great deal; some of the Hhds weighing very little more than 14 cwt in consequence of their running; I suspect they were never repacked at the Wharf; besides the heaviest do not weigh 16 cwt indeed I am not aware than [sic] one of the 80 came up to that, consequently the loss in the tons will be considerable, as you know the fare allowed on 15½ cwt is nearly the same as on 17 cwt: & the additional price paid for the long Ash Hoops & the large brass Hoops is just so much money sunk, as the smaller ones from the size of the Casks would have answered every purpose– It strikes me that the overseers have been looking & calculating upon the quantity of the Casks rather than the quantity, to say nothing of the quality, of the Sugar, an old & inveterate habit almost all overseers have; The question should be how many Tons of Sugar have you made, not how many Hhds you have sent– The Sugars are unquestionably badly manufactured. This will be a sufficient communication for you to enable you to advise or reprove the overseers– I am happy to tell you & at the same time thank you for the thought of sending the Rum, that it has answered very well, I confess contrary to my expectation as I did not expect a rise in that article, C & E sold for 3s / 2 a gal. OE 3s / 1– They were sold at the same time & to the same buyer, by which I think your opinion of the OE Rums being the best is wrong.
And so that 1st of August is past & I trust peacably with you; what a transition must it be not only in the Event, but in the conduct & words & thoughts of Men on your side of the Atlantic– I am glad of it & yet I rejoice in fear & how it will all end in Jamaica I know not how to judge; the smaller Islands I think will do very well, but Jamaica is peculiar from her extent of soil & thinness of population– Every thing will however depend upon what is done for the cultivation of the negroe mind during their apprenticeship & hence the next six years will be most important not only to the Proprietors of Estates but also to the happiness & comfort & peace of the Negroe himself. But all things are known to Him with whom we have to do & there we must leave it.
I heard from Mrs Gordon that your Wife is coming over in the Hopewell which was to sail on the 10th June, so that we may expect her daily; I hope to see her soon after her arrival & shall feel happy as far as I may be permitted by her Mother & Brother to be in every & any way useful to her as well as renew an acquaintance always agreeable but now I trust to be from our connection of a more interesting character. We are all, thank God, well. Ba is however still weak & very delicate, yet, I hope I am grateful that I have her even such as she is– My two Boys in Glasgow are coming on admirably & conducting themselves in a manner to delight me– Cannot you write them a joint letter or if the trouble be too much—a Postscript to a letter from Bro to them would make them I know very happy– They deserve I assure you every attention from their exertions & their continued good conduct—and your approval would be considered some compensation; as well as stimulate them to further efforts—altho I have & can have nothing to complain of. Love to my dear Boy.
Yrs most affectionately
My dear Sam
E M Barrett
Address, on integral page: S. M. Barrett Esqre / Cinnamon Hill / Little River / St James’s / Jamaica / Pr Pk
Publication: Marks, pp. 443–444 (in part).
Manuscript: Wellesley College.
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