SD881. Edward Moulton-Barrett (father) to Samuel Moulton-Barrett (brother)
Published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 4, 335 (in part).
London
March 1. 1838.
My dearest Sam
I can well appreciate your feelings of acute pain in again revisiting the Scenes wherein you have seen him, we all loved & now deeply lament, forming the chief part of them, the directing & moving hand of every thing going around– I can myself scarce credit a fact I hear confirmed on every quarter; & have I lost him for ever, no, no, only in time, he has only got the start of me, & presently I shall reach him, God being willing. None ever knew the love I bore him, indeed scarcely did I its extent, until the object was removed– Yet in the midst of the visitation I see much to be thankful for, He was so situated that he had many kind & anxious friends around him to sooth & sympathise with him in his dying hours, and above all, the deep humility & abasement of self, & blessed confession of hope in Christ above, gave balm into my wounds, & cause me great peace & comfort– Oh, dear Sam, may that aweful scene, which sooner or later we must all enact, cause you & me & all dear to us to be ever on the watch Tower, looking out, for in an hour that we know not, the word may go forth, Cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground– There is one thing connected with this event, as I have written to Mr Anderson, which I wish much undone, it is that his Remains had been removed to Cinnamon Hill, I am sure one word to him, would have been sufficient to induce him to have acquiesced, we have no connection with Kingston, & the probability is one or other of the family will from time to time reside on Cinnamon Hill & I should have much desired that his Dust reposed immediately in the neighbourhood: I think his Spirit could it take an interest in our Wishes would not object to this, which is purely one of feeling– Whilst upon this subject, you must let me know, if I am according to your desire to order a Tombstone &c, as Mr Anderson wrote to me that he had been requested by Sir J. Rowe, at least so I understood him, to procure one, & which he intended doing; if I am to get it, let some one send the length & breadth & whether the grave is in the Church or Church porch– I shall not have much Paper to spare, & therefore I must turn from this subject to one of a very different Character.
You will by the last Packet have received a large Package containing a Power of Attorney for these Properties devolved to me appointing Mr Carey, I shall not write to him again, until I know whether he accepts it, should he do so, perhaps you may be able to ascertain, what Salary he expects, & from others, without shewing much anxiety about it, what would be right to give, for I should like to do what is just & proper; and pray tell him, I request that should he accept the charge, a very due regard should be paid to all my dear Brother’s arrangements, indeed as I expressed in my letter by this Packet to Mr Farquharson, his very errors in judgement should be touched with a very tender hand, particularly as regards Persons: It is a respect I owe him & them in whom he had confidence & to whom he was attached. A departure from which on the part of Mr Farquharson so shortly after his death, has annoyed me much, & induced me, notwithstanding his connection with those Properties is at an end, to animadvert in my letter to him; right or wrong the overseers should not have been removed, & I confess my feelings have been greatly outraged by the step taken, however my interest in Mr Farquharson’s opinion were implicated; I regret also that the stillness of the Great House, its proper character at this time, should have been broken in upon by the residence of a family, and I am sorry that he should have been so precipitate in letting the Wharf until He heard from me– I confess I had a Person in my mind, of whom I wrote to my beloved Brother about, as a most proper & eligible Tenant, when the Lease of Mrs Dornon has expired–
You say that the 70 or 80 Negroes property of dear Sam, are to be valued, Is it for the purpose of paying duty; I thought Negroes were real Property, except for debts, which will not hold here, and therefore no duty was paid– With regard to the Land at Falmouth, I must get further information before we can go on selling—or even renewing the Lease to the late Tenant– You must, or Mr Carey or some other let me know something of the values– The keys as Executor you should have kept & not handed them over to anyone, you being the person responsible– The Papers, at least such as are connected with business, perhaps had better be left with Anderson, my Solicitor; however of this consult with Sir J. Rowe, other Papers forward to me. The two People you speak in behalf of on Cinnamon Hill, I thank you for mentioning their wishes; most fully I concur in their wish to remain—Mrs D’Etrea & Mr Tinkler have my full permission, & make what arrangement you like with them, as to employment & salaries– Tell the former I deeply sympathise in her motives, & honor her for the affectionate feelings she thus displays; and communicate this to Mr Carey, who, if I am not mistaken in the Man will joyfully acquiesce in it– Tell Mr Tinkler that the Character my dear Brother had of him entitles him to every consideration from me–
And now, dear Sam, what shall I say with respect to your altered view of not coming hither; of course, if you distrust yourself I would not venture for your health is good, & I trust you are in the course of well-doing, but I am bound to tell you that many here, if you come not will be much disappointed, & further if the expence be the true reasons, I hope you will not do my affection the injustice of thinking that should be any bar. This must be a subject for your own decision, if you can trust yourself, we shall be rejoiced to have you here, & Sir J. Rowe observes you would be able to afford me information by word of mouth, which a lengthened correspondence would hardly supply– The Sea is open for you, every thing is propitious, just do what is for the best according to your Judgement, first asking counsel from God. More I shall not say on this subject– With respect to the Articles contained in the Inventory, at present I would only say, that I should like some few of them sent here, & you must selct them for me & have them well packed up to come by Selby– I think I should like those pieces of Furniture made of the Island Wood, if good specimens, but mind you dont denude any place for my fancy– Likewise of the Wine– Dear Sam promised Anderson his Scott’s Bible; Has he got it, if not send it to him when you can. And now I want you to tell me if there is any thing you think would be acceptable to Sir J. & Lady Rowe, Mr Anderson, & the Doctor whose kindness & attention were so conspicuous during his illness, that I may order them to be sent to each Person, & are ther<e> others, who ought to receive a testimony of respect from me for their regard to him. I wish to shew every one, who loved him what I feel for them in some little way– I have offered Sir J. Rowe the use of the Houses in his Circuit–
Pray tell Mr Jump I must postpone my answer to his letter until next Packet, & that had it entered into my <head>, I should certainly have insisted, by way of present compliment & perhaps future change, his name after Mr Carey– I think highly of him & wish to shew him every respect– I suppose my beloved Brother suggested Mr Carey, in some measure, in consequence of his having expressed a desire, which of course was complied with, to undertake himself the care of my Estates, I believe merely to save me the Commission, after the death of Reynolds, when there might possibly have been a chance, but for his doing so, of Mr Carey being appointed– Mr Jump must be aware it could not have been from any disrespect or adverse opinion which he had formed of his ability as a Planter.
Pray give my best Compts to Mr Waddell & tell him I hope things will go on to his satisfaction & that I have not the most distant Idea of making any change, that he and Mrs Waddell may make themselves easy & go on in the blessed work, teaching & preaching & exhorting into all good, & that should he have a leisure hour, I should like to hear something of what is doing as well as how I can help forward the work– And now dearest Sam I have exhausted my paper, & I suspect you
God bless you & keep you prays yours affectionately
E. M. Barrett
I am sorry to say that dear Ba has got a sad cough but I hope the warm weather may help her– I shall break you in Postage– Mind if you want money either use what comes into your hands, as you may require or draw on me.
Address, on integral page: S. M. Barrett Esqre / Bloomsbury House / Montego Bay / Jamaica.
Publication: None traced.
Manuscript: Eton College Library.
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