27 June 1814

Antigua June 27^th 1814

Sir,

By H.M. Ship Hannibal which took the Convoy yesterday from this, I sent you the second of three Bills of Exchange Viz Tho^s Allmans on Alex^r Worswick for £717:12:6, Mich^l Furlonge’s on Mess^rs Plummer Barham & C^o for £200 and James Athills on Mess^rs S S & C Turner for £132 together £1049:12:6 Sterling, the first of which you have now inclosed as I doubt not that Packet will be first Home. Mr Hodge has given me Lieu^t M^cGuire’s Bill, it not having been paid, which I am sorry for, being Naval officers pay Bill I thought it the best I could to send, however the money is safe as he has Prize money due in this Island, and in the hands of the person from whom the Bill was taken; the other two Bills, MacKays & Taylors they assure me will be paid when due, the former was taken from Mr Hodge for Lumber bought by them, & the latter paid for Lumber bought by Mr Taylor, however I trust they will both be paid before you receive this, I have not yet heard any thing from St Kitts respecting Rawlin’s Bill but if I do not soon I will go there myself in my way to England, I was in hopes to have gone in the Fleet that left this yesterday, I had taken my passage, but at last I found it impossible to arrange things to my satisfaction, but I hope to leave this in the next Packet, Mr Hodge has kindly promised to do any thing for me in my absence. All the stores from the Woolwich except a few spars, which another trip will complete are now over, I have applied to the Commissioner for payment of the salvage, the answer I have received is that I must first consult the Lords of the Admiralty, upon what grounds I know not, as I saw the Letter from the Admiralty to him desiring him either to sell the Articles on the spot, or have them brought to Antigua, whichever he might think proper; I have his Letters offering me a third part of their appraised value delivered at English Harbour which I accepted & have accomplished. I think from a conversation I had with the store keeper that there will be no difficulty in getting the Admiralty order to pay it, but that the reason they will not do it have without it, is that the sum is much larger than they at first expected, but as the stores have been valued by themselves I should have thought the larger the sum the better they would have been pleased, they will not even give me a Copy of the Valuation for fear as the storekeeper himself told me I might oblige them to pay it, but at the same time gave me to understand, that the salvage, would be above two thousand pounds Currency exclusive of the Ordinance stores, which must be paid in England, probably you may have interested enough on the Vouchers being sent by the Commissioner to the Admiralty to have the money paid in England, this ship has given me more trouble than any other I have had to do with, from the size of the materials which obliged me to be constantly present to prevent accidents.

            I am sorry to inform you that we are still as dry as ever, there has been some good rain in this Island, but we have not partaken of it, consequently I am now obliged to feed on Hay, and Bush, I have now one large Rick, & the best part of two others left, which I hope is the rainy season is near at hand or more than scove us, our losses amongst the Cattle have been nothing as yet, & upon the whole they are looking better than I’ve would expect, the sheep I cannot so well command but I have no reason to think we have as yet lost many, I have had every Spring on the Island hand out, so we’re pretty well off for water.  I have not been able to send the Cotton by this Fleet as I found on my arrival here that the Captain of the Ship which was to have taken it intended carrying it on Deck, and at the same time declared that it would be your risk, which I objected to immediately particularly so after his declaration.  By the Bristol Volunteer I have sent you to Turtle branded CC, & one by the West Indian to London, I also sent you five by the first Fleet which I hope you have received 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

26 June 1814

Antigua June 26^th 1814

Sir

Herewith I have the pleasure of forwarding to you the seconds of three Bills of Exchange,(Viz) Tho^s Allman’s on Alex^r Worswick for £717: 12:4. Michael Furlong’s on Mess^rs, Plummer Barham & C^o. for £200, and James Athill’s on Mess^rs S S & C Turner for £132 making the sum of one thousand four hundred & nine pounds 12/4, the first of these Bills I shall forward by the Packet, which is now here and which will I doubt not reach England before this, as this will go in the Man of War that convoys the fleet. Onboard the Bristol Volunteer, for Bristol I have sent you two fine Turtle, and one on board the West Indian for London, I also sent you five by the last Fleet which I hope you have received safe. The little Cotton I have made this year I have not been able to send by this Fleet, on my arrival here I found the Captain of the ship by which it was to have gone intended carrying it on his deck, and at your risk; to which I objected; and thought it better to keep it for another Fleet, I could have sent it to out Ports but thinking you would rather have it sent to London I have not done it; we have only made 15 Bales.  I regret to add that the weather at Barbuda still continues as dry as ever, we shall I fear consume nearly the whole of our Hay; I have one Large Rick, and about the half of two others still left, I shall write you more fully by the Packet.  I am

Sir

your most obedient humble

servant

(signed) John James

Reference: JJ260 Robson Lowe collection on microfilm 24995, University of Texas at Austin, Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection.

22 January 1814

Antigua Jany 22^th 1814.

Sir,

                At last the Officers and Crew of the Woolwich have left Barbuda, they were taken off by the Childres Brig on the 25^th of last month having been on the Island since eleventh of September, during which time they have consumed eleven thousand & ninety four pounds of Beef & Mutton; for which, they have paid me at the rate of 12 pence half penny per pound, which amounts to £577: 15:3 Sterling but having supplied them with Bread etc purchased by me at the Wreck Sales, I have received a Bill for the whole on the Commissioners for Victualing the Navy amounting to £672: 18: 8 ¼ which I have enclose. I have also received Certificates for the trouble we have been at, & lodging the Men, but as I have undertaken to send the Materials of the ship to English Harbour Naval Yard, I shall keep it till the whole is completed as they will refer to each other, the Cables & several other things are still on board, but I hope if the weather will permit, have one of your vessels laden with them on Monday.

                The salvage of the Brig Abo was settled today after I last wrote you, you have been awarded one third of the Gross Sales, and forty per cent on the sales of the Vine. Say Brig Abo £1388: 12:4. & Brig Vine £1239: 3:9 together £2627: 16:1 Currency but some deductions must come out of that for the hire of vessels & to bring part of the Cargo to this Island. Have not yet been able to bring over the whole of the Vines Cargo, but shall do it as soon as the Woolwich’s Cables are sent off as they are on board the ship consequently in some danger of being lost, & they are too troublesome to land & there have to reship them.  At the bottom you have a list of the Bills now sent on account of the Wrecks, & also of the Island, the Bill for £672: 18: 8 ½ I shall put to the Credit of the Island altho part of it is for Articles bought at the Wreck Sales and which will be stoped(?) from me out of the Salvage, but in order to keep the Accounts distinct I shall place the whole of this as above stated. Both Accounts shall be sent you by the next Packet.

                I am sorry to inform you that the weather has been extremely unfavourable, we have had no rain since I last wrote you, & in fact very little since the month of September the day the vessels were Wrecked in consequence of which both the Corn & Cotton have suffered considerably.  Our Stock have still plenty of Food. I remain,

                                                Sir

                                Your Most Obed^nt Servant

(signed) John James

The following are the Bills sent with this

Paul Horsford	on JJ & C Turner	£98-6-9
LL Hodge’s	on Mr Trattle	400……
John Crosbie’s	on Rodie & Shands	70……..
Jos & JL Darrel’s	on Newman & Spence	100……
Frans Willick’s	on self	62.10…
Hugh Mackay’s	on F & R Maxwell	140.13.1
John Taylor’s	on J Latham	105…….
Lieut - G McGuire’s	on Commissioner of Navy	22.6.2
On Account of the Wrecks	…………………………………………	…………………………..£998:16:7
RM Whichelos’s	on Commissioner of Victualing the Navy……………………………………	£672:18:81/4
Simon Bishop’s	on Do Do	17: 16:3
On Account of the Island	……………………………....................	…………………….£690:14:111/4
	Total (Stirling)	£1689:11:61/4
equal to £3,041:4:81/2	Currency…………..................................	……………………………………………

Also duplicates of the two Bills sent with my last of the 25^th Nov.
Thomas Allmans Bill on Alex Warswick for £208:19:2 and Finch Bovels d^o on the Pay Master General for 100 Sterling.
(signed) John James

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