17 Feb 1815

Antigua Feby 17^th 1815

Sir

                Yours of the 15^th Nov^r I have just received, the November Packet having had passage of above sixty days; with respect to M^cKays protest Bill, you are certainly entitled to 10 per Cent damages, and also to 6 per cent per annum interest; together £16: 17:6 Sterling and which you will have credit for in the Wreck Accounts; my reason for sending the Bill for £132: 7 was, that I happened to have received it just before four an old debt; & not being able to get M^cKay’s to go by the Packet I forwarded that in its place.

                As soon as the Law Courts are open I shall go to St Kitts respecting Rawlins’s Bill, that Protest, & Bill have been there some time; but the latter not arriving here till Courts of last year were shut, I thought it useless to go there at that time, but I trust now to be able to settle it.

                I am sorry to inform you that the dry weather continued so long at Barbuda that the Crop’s of Corn & Cotton have entirely failed; one piece of Corn of nearly 200 Acres has given no more than 340 Bushels, another of above 70 Acres about 45 Bushels, and one of about 30 Acres of grain, the whole of which in October last promised an abundant Crop, the Negros grounds from the same cause have next to nothing in them, in fact we have not had the least rain since the latter end of October, till the 3^rd & 4^th Ins^t when we had pretty good showers but the ground being so extremely dry before, it has not had much effect; I am taking every precaution if we have rain to plant something to help the short Crop of Corn.

                By the fleet which left this in Nov^r last I forwarded the first set of seven Bills for £1250 Sterling, the seconds by the Packet which sailed from this in December, which I trust you have received, they were for the salvage of the stores of the Woolwich sent to the Naval Yard in this Island, her ordnance stores are still to be received for.

                Inclosed you have Rich & Musgrave’s Bill on S, S & C Turner for £230: 11:9 Sterling. I am promised some more Bills by the Sailing of the Boat which follows the Packet, which will be some time next week; but as there have fallen some good showers and this Island, the last 24 Hours, I am anxious to return to Barbuda; to take advantage of any rain which may have fallen there, I shall therefore leave this upon with my agent here, to inclose them if got.

I am

Sir Your Most Obedient

Servant

(signed) John James

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

23 Dec 1814

Barbuda December 23^th 1814

Sir,

Having on 31 of October received the salvage of what stores were sent from the Woolwich to the Naval Yard at Antigua, I enclosed the first of the Bills amounting to £1200 Sterling to be forwarded by the Man of War which was to Convoy the Fleet then about to sail from Antigua; then fully intended writing you by the Packet at that time expected, & sending you the seconds but unfortunately the wind blew so very strong from the North that our Vessels could not get here in time after her arrival; and I am sorry to say the same winds have continued ever since, attended with extreme drought, in consequence of which the prospect I there had of a good Crop of Corn has entirely vanished one piece of 130 Acres which then promised abundantly I shall get little more than my seed from another of nearly  two hundred will do something better but far even from a tolerable Crop, this has been the worst season I have ever seen since I have been on the Island, in fact we have not had Rain (Unreadable, but possibly “on the Island but six times”?) for the last fifteen months, and even then it was only partial. The Sheep have suffered nor is it possible to prevent it, as they cannot be attended to like the Cattle & horses, both of which are (Unreadable).  The severn Bills for £1250 were for the article is sent from the Woolwich to the Naval department, the Ordinance stores are still unpaid for nor can it be done in this Country. I have obtained certificates for the Articles sent, but they must be valued in England the storekeeper here having no directions to do it. The ship is now given up, I shall directly after Xmas have men on board her to get what Lumber we can from her.  Three of her Decks are still out of water. The Cotton of last year amounting to 15 Bales were forwarded together with the Turtle shell by the last fleet. I remain

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.

23 May 1814

Barbuda May 23^rd 1814

Sir.

                The last Packet brought me your letter of 20^th March inclosing protests for non acceptance of two Bills (Viz) MacKays for £140: 13. 1 & Taylor’s for £105 Sterling both of which they assure me will be paid when due, which I hope will be the case; these Bills were paid me on account of the Wreck Sales, which were sold for Bills. I have also received the original of Rawlins’s Bill & have put it into the hands of a lawyer for recovery, he will proceed against the endorser of the Bill as I find the drawer is in Prison in England; I have every reason to hope it will be recovered with Costs.  Inclosed you have the duplicates of the two Bills. Your Accounts to Christmas last I intended to have forwarded by the last Fleet, they were all ready but at the time of its sailing a Gentleman arrived here from Barbados to purchase Cattle, for which Admiral Duram was to have sent a Frigate, and expecting her momently I could not leave the Island; the ship has never arrived and the Gentleman after waiting three weeks return to Barbados whither he will come back or not is uncertain, as I have not since heard from him, he had twelve hundred pounds Government Bills with him which I was sorry to see again carried off the Island; these Accounts I shall now keep and bring myself, as I hope to leave this in the Fleet which is to sail the latter end of next month if nothing particular should occur to detain me.  I have now nearly sent over all I can get from the Woolwich, it has been a very troublesome job. Your salvage will be I suppose upwards of one thousand Guineas, but I cannot speak positively to the Sum as the Articles are to be valued by the Officers of the Naval Yard at Antigua I shall arrange every  thing before I leave this Country, there has been some delay in consequence of your Vessels being obliged to attend to the carrying your sugars.

I am extremely sorry that I am not able to give you a good account of the Island, we have had but one shower (to speak of) since last September; which was on the eleventh of last month, it then rained for about three Hours; but the Ground was so dry before that it has been of little service, no appearance of it remained two days after; therefore you may form some idea of the state of the place: at this moment not a sign of vegetation on the whole Island; I have been for some time feeding on Hay & and now obliged to have recourse to Bush, the Cattle are notwithstanding looking pretty well, my greatest fear is for the sheep, every precaution shall be taken to keep them up.

The Negros for the last ten days have been employed picking Salt, and must now be distributed over the Island to cut Bush for the Sheep. This is the dryest season except 1809 I have seen since I have been on the Island.

I will endeavour to get all the information I possibly can respecting Blacks contract before I have the pleasure of seeing you in England I am

Sir

Your most Obedient Humble

Servant

(signed) John James

Reference: JJ259 Robson Lowe collection on microfilm 24995, University of Texas at Austin, Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection.