30 March 1808

Barbuda March 30^th 1808

Sir,

                By the last mail I had the pleasure to receive your favour of the 3^rd February, you may rely that every thing shall be done for the recovery of Crudens bill that is possible.  I was informed a few days since that he is now at Barbados and was about to resume his former contract for supplying the Navy, in which care I trust there will now be much difficulty in recovering it, when I next go to Antigua which will be before the sailing of the next Packet, will get every possible information concerning him.  I must certainly acknowledge the justness of your remarks concerning the instructions given me at different times, and shall in future act with the greatest caution, I now find that in this country few people are to be dealt with without receiving the money at the same instant you deliver the things sold; I could sell many things were I disposed to take any other than cash payment as is the care that I am under the necessity of making all the Cattle I now sell fat, in which state they will always command cash.  The weather I am sorry to say is not yet as favourable as I could wish, but is better than it has been for some time past, we have had for the last five weeks regularly a good shower once a week, which has kept the grass in a pretty good state of vegetation, the crops of Guinea Corn turned out very indifferent, I do not think the whole crop from about 200 acres of land will exceed 600 bushels, I have however since Christmas got about 80 acres of woods cleared the greatest part of which is planted with American Corn, & which at present promises to turn out very well;  I shall continue to clear more & plant with every shower.  I am extremely happy to find by your letter that I may daily expect some Bull dogs, we are greatly in want of them, particularly so, from having been under the necessity of turning a great many Cattle into the woods during the dry weather, which we should have had great difficulty in getting in again without good Dogs, the Grass seed I will make particular inquiry after, and take every care of tho’ I fear it will not be of much care to us, unless it is particularly adapted to stand dry weather, which is the only time we are in want of food, with any rains the vegetation is so remarkably quick that the natural grass is more than sufficient for our consumption, but it is as soon gone with dry weather; I therefore much fear the cinque-foil will be lost with the first drought.  The Ass will be very acceptable, as we have not been able to breed any mules for the last two years altho I have had several asses on the Island last year Mr. Hodge lent me two but we did not get a single foal from them.  I hope you received the three bills sent on the 6^th of September last, one for £300 sterling drawn by Mr. Hodge, the other two drawn by Mr. Crookshank for £114:14:3 and £113:0:9 sterling.  I have the Honour to be

                                Sir

                                                Your most Obedient Servant

                                                                (signed)John James 

 

 Reference: JJ255 Robson Lowe collection on microfilm 24995, University of Texas at Austin, Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection. 

20 March 1807

Barbuda March 20^th 1807

Sir

                By the last mail I had the pleasure of receiving your letter of the 7^th January, and have to return you my most sincere thanks for the one hundred pounds, which you have been good enough to give me on account of the last wreck;  I have also received great pleasure by your approbation of my exertions on that occasion.  I am extremely happy to hear you have some Bull Dogs coming out, as we are in the greatest want of them, we are so badly off for Dogs at this time that it is impossible to catch a large Cattle where the woods are at all thick, where it is more open, & it is possible to ride, we are enabled to get them by tiring them out with horses but this is a work of great labour; & but seldom practicable, therefore hope the Dogs will arrive soon.  The ploughs I much fear it will not be in my power to use this season, the demand from the Estates for cattle having been large, has taken off the greater part of those I intended to have put to that use; however I shall attempt it if possible; the sloop if the wind is fair will sail tomorrow morning with ten Oxen which will make fifty five sent this season; out of which number I am sorry to say we have had the misfortune to lose three at landing, and four others within a few days after they were on the Estates, at the times they were lost, the vessel had very long & bad passages by which means they must have got bruised.  With respect to the balance of £1756 : 12 : 9 ¾ in the Christmas quarter, I made a tender for some Government Bills by the last Packet but did not get them, altho’ I then offered 198 per cent(?) which was three pounds more than had ever been given, they sold for 200 ¼.  Mr. Besouth has now offered 202 ½, and was when I heard from him in hopes of getting them, which I trust will be the case; good Bills are at Antigua from the late regulations with respect to the payment of the troops becomes  very scarce, and are consequently risen to the present price – I last Monday finished getting in my Corn, which considering the bad season has proved a pretty good crop, about one fifth more than last year, which added to a very large crop of yams, will I hope be much more than I shall want for the supply of the Island, unless the Negroes provisions should fail them much more than they have done for the last two or three years, the weather at this time is severely dry much more as than I have ever seen it.  I have not had a Man of War here since I last wrote you, and have consequently made little or no sales, the fat cattle I shall invariably keep for them if possible – You may rely that I shall be extremely jealous of granting liberty to any parties to visit this Island, Mr. Harman’s was the first request of this kind ever made me, I had no knowledge of him at that time, but Mrs. Harman’s recovery being represented to me depending on a trip to this Island, was the reason for my granting it.  Inclosed is a duplicate of the general statement of the last years accounts, together with the supplies to the Estates; the statement of the Negroes I sent you in my last, but in which there is a mistake of one birth, (a boy) which was born at the time I was in Antigua, making the births of Males eight instead of seven.  The Negroes are very healthy.  I have the Honour to be

Sir

                Your most Obedt. Servt.

(signed) John James 

Reference: JJ254 Robson Lowe collection on microfilm 24995, University of Texas at Austin, Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection. 

24 January 1807

Barbuda Jany 24th, 1807

Sir

Herewith you will receive the Barbuda accounts from the 1st October to 31st December last, also a general statement of the last year.  Mr Hodge has been paid this quarter fifteen hundred pounds sterling, I am extremely sorry bills could not be secured for the remaining £1756: 12: 9 3/4, the whole has been offered Mr Hodge several times, but as bills could not be got he declined receiving the cash; of which, he assured me, he had informed you by the last packet stop I have been at Antigua myself and has done everything profitable to probe cure bills but could not get more than what has been paid, but as Mr Hodge has promised to assist Mr Besouth in brokering all he can, I hope the whole will be sent to you by the next packet. There is a charge of £9:19:6 in the disbursements of the Island for the expenses of two passengers that were wrecked on board the Drey Schwestern, they came on the shore without a farthing and the sum was expended during the time they were at Antigua waiting for a passage to St Thomas’s; it was given them with the promise of its being repaid, but as it has not yet been done; I hope you can have no objection to its being charged as it is, should they repay it, you will have credit for it.

The island is now in pretty good condition altho we are now suffering a little from the very violent winds which have been blowing for some days, our crops both of grass and corn are rather backward owing to the dry weather we had in the beginning of the season, the former I shall begin to cut on Monday next, it will be rather a small crop but I hope I shall have a very fair crop of corn, much more than a at first expected; I have also a good many fat cattle fit for sale, but as the man of war is the best market, I shall reserve them for their coming, unless the grass should fall off as much as to oblige me to dispose of them else where.  Since I last wrote you Circe has been here under the command of Capt Pigot, I am in expectation of soon seeing the Cerberus, Capt Selby and also some sloops of war.

I have added a statement of the Negroes to the end of December, the deaths are one man from an accident, No. 35, in the list sent you in September 1805, one man and one woman from old age Nos. 160 & 167, and two children under 10 days old.

I have the honour to be

 Sir

 your most obedt servant

 (signed) John James

	Males	Females
Negroes on the island of Barbuda Jany 14, 1806:	168	168
Births to December 31, 1806:	7	6
	175	174
Deaths to same time	4	1
	171	173
Removed to Antigua	2	2
Remaining on the Island	169	171	340

                                                                                                                               

Reference: Gloucestershire Records Office, Microfilm no.351, Section no.6, D1610 C24
Accessed through Simon Fraser University library