23 October 1823

Clare Hall Octbr 23^rd 1823

Sir.

  By the Jamaica Packet I had the Honor to receive your favor of the 3^rd Sept^r the contents of which shall be minutely attended to, but it has been impossible to do so by this Packet.  When the two last Packets where here I was at Barbuda the last of which arrived two weeks before her time which prevented my writing you by her, at that time I would have given you but a very bad account of the weather both on this Estate and Barbuda,  I left Barbuda about three weeks since when we had but little rain for several weeks & I much feared from the lateness of the season that the Corn Crop would have entirely failed, I have got about fifty Acres of Yams planted in a new piece of wood cleared this year & fortunately the only rain that fell was on the Yams, I have since heard from Mr^s James & the Overseer in charge of the Island and I am happy to say there have been very good rains which have enabled them to replant the whole of the Corn pieces and I trust they will do well I shall go over tomorrow.  Fortunately I have now in store full seven months provisions of Guinea Corn I therefore expected to have been able to send the whole of the yams which I may reap this season to this Estate, & which I (think?) may be the case.  I am happy to say we have also been fortunate on this Estate having had three good rains within the last fortnight and an appearance of more.  Our Canes are ?????? occasioned by the state of the land when I took charge of it last year, and it also requires a vast ??? of manure & raking, but I trust we shall make a tolerable Crop in the present state it will be impossible to state the quarterly, nearly the whole of the land for the next Crop is for the provision Ground ex????? which cannot be done till the provisions are taken out, I have also taken in this season about seventeen Acres of pasture & which I think will be as good a piece as any on the Estate.  From the badness of the allotment of roads on this Estate I have been obliged to have the whole of the ???? on the roads for about fourteen weeks, which has thrown us something ????, By different vessels I have sent to England fifty Hdds of sugar and have sold & paid away about twenty five more in liquidation of the Debts left due by Mr Ick.  I have also paid for every thing purchased since I have had charge of the Estate.

                I remain

Sir

Your Most Obedient Humble

   Servant

(signed) John James

The Boat to follow the Packet has arrived sooner than expected which occasions me to write rather hastily.

6: O’Clock

I am happy to say that  ?? fine rain is falling at this moment & promises to continue.

Reference: JJ277 Robson Lowe collection on microfilm 24995, University of Texas at Austin, Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection.

15 October 1821

Antigua Octo^r 15^th 1821

Sir.

  By the second August Packet which arrived a few days since I had the honor to receive your letter of the 15^th of that month & I particularly regret to find you have reason to complain of my not writing as often as you could wish, I certainly meant to have written by the Apollo & to have sent you the wool, Turtle, Arrow Root &c, which except the Wool was sent by the Percy Hall to London, but the Apollo sailed within three days after I wrote saying I should do so, & certainly much sooner than I expected I was therefore not ready for her, being then engaged getting as much from the Spanish schooner as possible.  The Wool I have not hitherto sent having an idea you would rather have it at Bristol than London, & the Apollo was the only ship for the former Port, also being informed that it would not injure by keeping I have also to regret that the weather has been such it was impossible to send off any fat Cattle from Barbuda, nor has there been a single demand for the working Oxen except from your Estates, Bettys Hope has had twenty-two &  Skerritt’s twelve; Barbuda working Oxen are not in demand when they are to be got in this Island; I have done all my power to make the most of the Island, but we are so subject to dry weather that every precaution cannot secure a Crop, the two years before the last the first 1818 was dry & the gale of 1819 nearly destroyed all the Corn, the consequence of which was that I was obliged to buy a considerable quantity for the Negroes; last year we were more successful & I think shall have from one thousand to twelve hundred bushels to spare but it has been at so low a rate and I have not thought it advisable to sell any as yet, particularly as Guinea Corn will keep two or three years, at the time I received Robertsons money I forwarded all the Bills I could get, & then owing some money for Corn I thought it advisable to pay for it out of what remained, expecting to get Bills the beginning of August to forwarded to you in its place, but which I have hitherto been disappointed of, but I have no doubt shall be able to do so by the next Packet, by which conveyance you shall also have a Bill for the amount of the wrecks, the proceeds are very trifling compared with the trouble we have had they were all but under the direction of M^r Joshua Kentish Agent to Lloyd’s in the Island who has assured me that I shall have his Bill by the Packet for the Amount.  The Rum from the last ship could not be sold here without paying the Colonial duty which would be scarcely double its value. I have therefore determined on shipping your third part to M^r Trattle, your part was 13 Puncheons which I have kept in Barbuda, I suppose it will take one to fill the others up, two I shall keep for the use of the Island, the other ten I shall ship on board the Snow Adelphia, F. Stuart master of 337 tons she is insured at Lloyds and is expected here immediately to load sugars. I have done all in my power to recover Rawlins Bill but without effect he has gone to one of the Dutch Islands taking all is Negroes with them, the whole of the Papers I left with Mr Woodley the Attorney General of St Kitts to do what was possible I shall write him by the first opportunity if you still wish to have the Papers sent home it shall (be?) done. I do assure you I should be most happy to part (with?) a great part of the Negroes, & I think it a pity Mr Osborn will not assist me in sending them to your Estates, as fast as I can find them doing anything wrong they are sent to Bettys Hope, seven able men have been sent lately as you will perceive by the Triennial Return which will be forwarded you together with the Island Accounts to the end of June, by the Adelphia directed to the care of Mr Trattle; the next Packet will be due at Barbuda next Sunday week, the amount of the salvages independent of the Rum is £321:3:3 currency. The Privotes(?) has proved the best to you as they left all her sails, ropes and cables &c behind which will serve your vessels for some time they have already had a good cable & a set of sails each we have as much more canvas left, besides a quantity of rope which will last the vessels at least three years.

                                                        I am Sir Your Most Obed Humble

                                                          Servant

               (signed) John James

 

Reference: JJ272 Robson Lowe collection on microfilm 24995, University of Texas at Austin, Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection.

02 Oct 1820

Barbuda Octo^r 2^nd 1820

Sir.

  I have great satisfaction in being able to inform you that the weather continues as favourable as could be wished for, we have had almost constant rains since my last of the 4^th instant in fact sometimes more than I liked, for on yesterday week there fell in fifteen minutes three & half inches of water; it came from the North West, but was by no means general; at half a mile distant from my house both to the South & East not a drop fell. On Friday night last we had a very general rain, and for a long continuance which is laid all the low lands under water, but as we have had so long a drought I trust it will soon be off without doing the Corn any injury; it is now so wet we cannot put a Hoe into it. These are the heaviest rains we have had since the year 1809, and as we have a much larger quantity of land planted then was ever before in this Island I trust the Crops will be proportionate. The Negro Grounds which are a great help are also looking well, little has been got from them for the last two years in consequence of the droughts, and the Gail of last year which destroyed all their fences, and although they were immediately put up, yet it could not be done so effectually is to prevent that Cattle from frequently breaking into them.

We had a pretty smart wind on the night of Tuesday last but not enough to do any injury.

We have now a prospect of an abundant Hay harvest which we very much want being quite out not having been able to make any the last two years, and therefore trust you will be good enough to send the Scythes I mentioned in my last by the first opportunity. As yet it has not been in our power to do anything to get their Cattle into the enclosures, but as soon as our Horses gain a little more strength we will endeavour to do so. The Cattle are picking up as well as I could expect, they were a great many of them very low, but I am happy to say considering every thing our losses have been trifling. I was much afraid of the young grass, but we have scarcely lost any thing since the rains have not in; there is every prospect of more rain but I shall be glad to dispense with that for the next three or four weeks. The Negroes are healthy and I trust the water will not lay long enough on the Ground to effect them. I remain

                                                                                Sir

                     Your Most Obedient Humble

                                  Servant

               (signed) John James

Reference: JJ269 Robson Lowe collection on microfilm 24995, University of Texas at Austin, Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection.

01 Oct 1816

Barbuda October 1^st 1816

Sir.

   At the time the last Packet was at Antigua the weather had so very unfavourable an appearance that it was not thought prudent to let either of our vessels leave that Island; consequently the Packet had left before I was aware of her arrival, which prevented my writing you by that conveyance.  As it is now nearly about the time another should be there, I shall send this to be in readiness for her.  Since my last we have had some good rains, tho not in abundance; yet sufficient to bring on our Grass well; and also to enable me to plant a good piece of Corn; Cotton I have been enabled to do little with, but I have planted some, though I fear rather late in the season to expect much from it; there are some old Bushes which were planted two years since, I am now endeavouring to get them cleared.  We have a good many Cattle on the Island, but not the demand for Beef there used to be when the Navy was here; I have only sold ten Oxen for working, and about two hundred sheep.  I would have sent you Bills for their amount, but for the last two months the Yellow Fever has been so very bad at Antigua that I have not thought it prudent to go there to procure Bills, nor shall I until it is somewhat abated; the mortality has been greater at St Johns than it has been at any time since 1802, chiefly people late from Europe have suffered, however I trust it will soon be over.

   Since the loss of the vessels last year we have been badly off for want of them, I am now propose as soon as the Corn etc is established to rip up the Woolwich, she is just in the same situation I left her last year; from her, I hope to get enough to enable me to build a good Drougher.

    We this morning began to shear the American Sheep, I am sorry to say the Shepherds give me but a very indifferent account (? letter damaged) of the wool, it is very thin, & on many of the older ones inclined to turn to hair, more particularly so on the hind quarters; they will be able to form a better judgement of it as they get on; the Flock now consist of 215 Americans & 13 Marinos, the sheep are finer & in much better condition than the Island breed, I shall have some of the Rams turned out in different parts of the Island, they may improve the Breed which is much wanted.  We are greatly in want of good Dogs, if you conveniently could send out a couple of Bull Dogs they would be very acceptable, we are now obliged to depend entirely on the Pens for catching the Cattle, the wild ones we cannot get at all.  I remain

Sir

Your Most obedient

Humble Servant

(signed) John James

  

Reference: JJ262 Robson Lowe collection on microfilm 24995, University of Texas at Austin, Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection.

2 October 1813

Antigua October 2^nd 1813

Sir

                I had fully intended leaving the West Indies in this Packet, & meant bringing all the Barbuda Accounts with me, but on the Eleventh of that month in the very severe Gale of wins H: M: Ship Woolwich one of the old 44 Gun ships, but not Armed as of late, together with the Brig Vine of London were Wrecked on the North side of Barbuda, the Brig was laden with Lumber, she is lost but the Lumber is now nearly all on shore, & I am sending it to this Island as fast as possible, it will take some time time to get it all over, & be rather troublesome business.  The Captain of the Woolwich had some hopes of getting her off, & had sent to the Naval Yard in this Island for Assistance, the Master ship-wright & Master Attendant have surveyed her & have given their report to Sir Francis Laforey who I saw yesterday & for the conversation I had with him I think he will not attempt getting her off as he thinks the chances of not succeeding, the trouble, work & expense of repairing when got off will be more than her value.  I have (Provided?) (all?) the assistance in my power, but she is too large a Ship for me to do  any thing with, her own  Complement is a bout 120 Men & Boys (??) will be unable to attempt any thing with less than 300 Men, with that few I think if she is not Bulged she might be got off; but one great objection appears to be the improbability of Anchoring her when off, as its rocky Ground a considerable distance from the Reefs; & the whole of her ballast must be taken out, the Sea was so very heavy when she came ashore that she is far in, having not more than 12 or 13 feet water where she now is & she draws 19 feet a draft, the Gale fortunately did not last long or it would have done us a great deal of mischief the Trees were beginning to fall, the vessels we had at Barbuda were all driven on shore, but not hurt as the wind shifted soon after & left them quite dry, we had an immense quantity of rain with it, this is the fourth Blow we have had this season but they have done us no the mischief than the top of one of our Vessels Cables, after parting  she went to sea.  I was very apprehensive for her safety, but she got to Antigua; this was the Gale in August who being driven off was the reason of your not hearing from me by the last Packet she was then waiting for my Letters. Our young Cotton was injured by the last Wind but I hope it will recover, if it does, I think we may (??) from thirty to fifty Bales which I will thank you to order out with your Antigua stores.  I have had some conversation with Admiral Laforey about supplying the Navy with Beef he has promised to write me is as soon as he has seen the Commissioner at English Harbour, he is much dissatisfied with the Contractor for not supplying him good Beef, I told the Admiral my reason for not letting him have Cattle from Barbuda; we have great plenty of Cattle on the Island, should you think of taking either of the Contracts I would recommend the Army as we should then know the exact daily consumption.  The short time I have to write you will not allow me to enter into particulars I was not aware of the Boat following the Packet so soon & therefore only left Barbuda Yesterday I will again return tomorrow.

Inclosed I have the pleasure of sending you four Bills of Exchange Viz. two of £226: 2:3 each one of £135: 2:2 & one of £50: 7:6 making together £638: 14: 2 Sterling also the second of the two Bills sent with my last of 29 July one for £150 the other 50£ Sterling which I hope you will receive safe.

 I am

   Sir

Your most Obedient & Humble

Servant

(signed) John James

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