Antigua April 4, 1809
Sir
I duly received your favours of 15th January
& 16th of February both reaching me at the same time. I cannot
but confess that their contents have produced some unpleasant sensations, &
I will endeavour to reply as fully as possible. The leading feature appears to
be the inadequate return that Barbuda makes for the very extensive capital
invested in it, and I must readily allow that there is just ground of
dissatisfaction on this part, but how it arises and whether it can be removed
is what I shall endeavour to explain. The Island you observe has reverted to the original situation in which I
found it. On reference to former accounts I found sales of livestock had formed
the most considerable part of the Barbuda revenue & the Island when I took
charge of it, was I conceived deficient
in young breeding Cattle endeavours to increase this kind of stock, has as much
employed my attention as the sales, they having been entirely confined to old Cattle,
in few Instances have I parted with any which I thought necessary to augment
the number proper to breed from, & I have now the satisfaction to think the
island is getting well stocked in this respect. With regard to sheep, the Idea of
them breeding twice in the year I have every reason to believe is erroneous,
the dropping season is from the beginning of November to February, besides this
kind of stock suffers much in long droughts, we lost a great number last year
of which I informed you at the time. Horses & mules also formed a considerable
part of former profits they have very much fallen off by the diminution of
mares which I understand to place a few years since from the dryness of the
weather. The sales of Cattle have been entirely confined to fat ones &
which I have always wished to keep for the man of war, the blockade of
Martinique & Guadeloupe has been the means of preventing them coming to
Barbuda for some time past, the contractors on the station having been
regularly & plentifully supplied from Porto Rico, the weather has been lately
so extremely dry that it has been impossible to get any Cattle sufficiently fat
for market, at least to sell to any
advantage, working oxen at one time
sold well, but the sales being now contained to cash only, none can be disposed
of, Antigua it is so circumstanced that no dimination of price will command
money if the same articles are to be had on credit & from this cause alone
the demand for firewood has ceased. Cotton I do not ever remember you to have
mentioned before your last letters & understanding long ago that it had
been so unsuccessful an experiment that the cultivation was at last forbidden
never seemed to me necessary to review it, the very few Cotton Estates in
Antigua have fallen entirely thro’ want of success in adequate returns and they
in some instances not clearing expenses; the present high a price of the
article is owing to confusing circumstances and may not long continue. Hawks Bill
Turtle has been sold at the usual price it fetched many years past the retail
price of the meat also remaining as formally and as very few turtles yield more
than from two to three pounds of shell; I never adverted that as an article
likely to increase the revenue of the island as the disposing of the meat &
collecting the money is troublesome, the shell has generally been considered
the only profit; and in some instances the butcher has been the loser, as by selling them principally to one person
he took them dead or alive which was not the case formally, I have therefore
suppose the shell which has been credited in your accounts must have been from
those which died in their passage. The Estates have always been supplied with hoe sticks & when ever ordered
& in any quantity. Also no salted
fish had ever to my knowledge then supplied from Barbuda to the estates, it
never occurred to me to attempt it as the quantity to be caught could have
never furnished a regular supply, nor is there in my opinion a sufficient
quantity near the Island to make it worth attending to. With respect to Corn I
must confess it’s the only cultivation in my opinion that can be attempted on
Barbuda with any prospect of success, & even this in unfavourable seasons
must also fail, but it frequently may be productive, to this cultivation I have
for the last two years particularly attended, but from the want of rains at
proper times I was not able to make any thing of it, last year I planted not
less than 300 acres & in the beginning of November there was the greatest
prospect of success, but the weather being extremely dry from that time, there
was not sufficient moisture in the Earth to enable the greater part of it to
come with an ear, & Those that did were very small in consequence of which
I did not reap above 700 bushels, whereas, I had a right to expect six times
the quantity. Last week I finished clearing
& fencing about 70 acres of good land, intended to
form part of the land for next year’s crop, the success must depend on the
season, the nature of the Barbuda soil is such that there is no medium particularly if the weather is at all
dry. There is one thing I must by leave
to draw your attention to that is the expenses of the Island which I am
confident you will find much decreased. The two vessels belonging to Barbuda were in
such condition as not to be trustworthy to carry buyers from your estates to
the shipping one of them the schooner was condemned as unfit for use; she has
been hauled up at Barbuda & nearly new built, the other has undergone very
great repairs, & that with a trifling expense, they are now in as good
condition as any vessel can be, I have undertaken also to build a boat
calculated to come into the lagoon the intention for her is to be kept
constantly Barbuda and prevent the necessity of the larger ones crossing the
Channel with letters etc, it will enable them also to be laid up during the
Hurricane months if not particularly wanted, & will be always ready in case
of a wreck or anything else happening at Barbuda, she will be built entirely
from old wrecks she is a boat very necessary to have there, therefore hope the
building her world with your approbation. The reason for my not writing by the Packet
which left this in December was that at the time of her sailing I was unwell on
Barbuda & not able to do it as I did not then know the amount of the wreck,
nor did I think of sending you the money supposing that Mr Hodge would have
taken that as well as the list, & indeed I had no idea but that it was so
(as I knew he was frequently getting money from Mr Besouth) until I was
settling the Christmas accounts when I found that he had only taken one
thousand pounds, for which he then gave me bills, & at a time when it was
too late to procure others, I should not in the first place have place the
money as I before informed you had he not shewed me your letter authorising him
to get from Barbuda funds what he wanted, at the time of the arrival of the
last packet the Barbuda boats were employed, Mr Hodge was good enough to send
one over as soon as she was ready but it was too late for the packet, with
respect to Crudens Bill I still hope to recover it, he is now in Demerara, at
all events it shall be ultimately settled to your satisfaction. I am happy to
find Mr Martin is coming out with Powers & Instructions from you respecting
Barbuda particularly so as since a very violent attack of fever which I had in
September last & from which it was not thought I should recover, my health
has been much impaired, with a fever regularly returning every month, which
makes me very desirous of quitting the West Indies and which I hope Mr Martins
arrival will enable me to do, it will give me great pleasure if he is able to
point out anything for the benefit of the Island, every assistance that lays in
my power I shall be glad to give him not only in forming his plans, but seeing them put into execution until he can procure a person to take
charge of the Island. Inclosed are the
duplicates of Mr Hodges three Bills, and the first if one drawn by Mr Besouth
on Messrs SS & C Turner
for £146:12:11 Sterling the amount of the salvage of the wreck & balance of
the Christmas accounts Capt. Head of the George Hibbert has promised me to take
charge of your turtle they shall be sent to him in time for the sailing of the Telud(?). I have the honor to be
Sir
your most obedient
humble servant
(signed) John James
