Supporting Documents

SD811.  Edward Moulton-Barrett (father) to Samuel Hilton

Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 3, 332 (in part).

London,

Portman Square

Sepr 5. 1836–

My dear Hilton

I am very sorry that I permitted your letter of April last to remain so long unanswered, but the fact is that I thought I had replied to it, until about ten days ago, when I found it among others preserved & waiting for a reply. I had however lost no time in forwarding your demand to my brother, & by the last Packet I received an answer from him on this subject– Before I refer to him, you must allow me to express my surprise at your application; In the first place, you have suffered ten years to elapse without any communication with me about it altho in the interval I have both heard from you & had personal intercourse with you, in the next place why did not you pay yourself seeing you were in possession of the Estates as Attorney, & lastly you must feel that during a portion of this time you real[l]y were enjoying a greater Income from the Property than I myself derived from it & the rest of the time more than any Attorney certainly in the Island from a Property such as mine, & therefore I hardly expected such a charge in this day. I must take the liberty of adding that I cannot conceal it from myself, I did injustice to myself in not following the example of all Propositions at the period you were acting for me, in not diminishing the allowance made for management, & be also candid with you in stating that considering my situation which you were well acquainted with together with my large family, I am surprised that such a suggestion had never come from you, a conduct I think you should have pursued, & on the propriety of which a gentleman, whom we both respect, Mr Cliffe, I suspect would concur with me. My Brother, who is my only Representative in this I shou[l]d & with whom I must have this as well as every thing else connected with my Interests there, writes thus to my enquiry. “Do not let the demand of Mr Hilton annoy you in the least– It is true that his Attorney made a claim upon me during the life time of Mr Reynolds & when I had no power to act for you. I laughed at the time at it, which so annoyed Mr Reeves, the Attorney, that he threatened law, upon which I told him to take his own course”– I am sorry that he has given me no light on the subject & therefore I cannot answer your application in any way satisfactory to yourself, for I neither know nor can I venture to act in the business altogether in the dark as I am–

The Suit is still going on with rather some advantage to us, but when to be finished who can say. My Eldest Son is returned & my second Son is now in Jamaica, learning the planting business in the regular way. I expect to get about 240 Hhds this year, which considering the Seasons & that my others average nearly 19 cwt I do not think I have much reason to complain–

I trust you keep your health & that your family are all well–

I am, Dear Hilton

Yrs truly

E M Barrett

I settled long ago with the Greenwoods.

Publication: None traced.

Source: File copy at Eton College Library.

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