Antigua April
30, 1813
Sir
On my arrival here
on Wednesday, I had just time to forward you by the Fleet two Bills of Exchange
for £100 drawn by Thos Allman on Alexd Worswick, the
other for £300 Sterling drawn by Edward Thompson on the Commissioners for the
Transport Service, duplicates of which you have here with; also a duplicate of
Blacks Bill for £150 the first of which was sent in Feby. Since I have been
here I have received yours of the 15th March, I should have written
to you more frequently, but not being able to send you any Bills has been the
only reason, I have done every thing in my power to get paid, the not able to
effect it has I assure you given me a good deal of uneasiness, I am now
promised more Bills this day, but am uncertain if I shall succeed; from Barbuda
I could sell many things, but the difficulty of getting the money is beyond
everything, and what a person in England can have no idea of; the greater part
of my comings since I have been in this Country is now due to me, as far as lay
in my power I have always endeavoured to pay you your Balances, & put what
money was out standing to my own account, & could I have now raised the
money by any means your Accounts should have been fully paid, but which I am
sorry to say it is not in my power to do. For want of payment I have been
obliged to curtail the sales from Barbuda, we have a great plenty of stock on the Island, Inclosed is
Letter I received from Black with the last Bill for £300 by which you will
receive I have done what I could to get payment from them, he still owes me
about £100 Sterling & Holleran between 3 & 4 Hundred, the last part of
his letter I shall not attend to, as I am so soon to leave this Country; nor
have I been at all anxious to dispose of any thing from the Island, nor shall I
until your determination respecting the supplies to the Navy is known, you may
supply many Cattle & sheep but not sufficient when many ships are here, but
what may be wanting you can as well procure as the present Contractors upon this head I will make a point of seeing
you immediately on my arrival in England, and will get every information in the
meantime. Your boat has been so much engaged carrying Sugar etc from your
Estates, that she has not been able to go to Barbuda but once since Christmas,
& that to get a new mast put in, & for 15 oxen for your Estates, the
other which was driven onshore in the October Gale is now there, & is
undergoing a thorough repair which
will not be finished these two months, of course the sales this year have been
trifling. Your
Letter of the 5th Jany I have also received but not so soon as I
ought the one of the 7th reached me a Packet sooner, as soon as I received the Protest for Mr Rawlins
Bill I went myself to St Kitt’s & have seen Mr R. who has promised to have
the Bill paid by the sailing of the June Packet, he says that Mr Paynes failure
has embarrassed him in consequence of
which he shall not have Funds to meet the Bill until that time, I took advice on the occasion & was
recommended that I remain till then, as I could not receive it sooner in a
course of Law, then left the Protest with a Gentleman of St Kitt’s who will if its not paid by the appointed time
commence a suit against him for its recovery, I had advised Mr Rawlins of the Protest for non acceptance immediately on its
coming out. Since you first mentioned the Turtle shell not a bit has been disposed
of in this Island, but has been sent to Mr Trattle, if I recollect aright I sent you Mr Trattles account
of the sales of the first quantity shipped, the shell of last year would have
gone in this Fleet had I not been detained so long at sea, a turtle has 13
pieces of shell which weighs from two to three pounds according on the size, we
have not caught one as yet this season, July & August are the best months;
the first that is caught shall be sent directly to you, there is now a ship
here for Bristol by which I hope to be able to send it. The sheep of Barbuda
are very small, taking a drive generally they will not average more than six or
eight & twenty pounds, nor are they in their wild state ever very fat, good
Mutton will at Antigua sell readily at 2/9 but that is very different from the Barbuda
sheep, I have tried them every way, some time since I endeavoured to sell some
at public auction, & sent over an Hundred for that purpose, but could get rid
of of very few as they would not fetch 5$ I was therefore obliged to let Black
& Holleran have them at that price, when I first went on the Island they
were sold at a Currency per pound alive which did not bring 40/-I then sold
them @ 40/6, & afterwards @45/- the other part of your letter I shall be
much better able to explain when I have the pleasure of seeing you in England.
As you are aware to the Balance due me on the Wreck Account being brought
into the Island Accounts I have omitted it in the present, and shall place it
against the money received for the oppossum which will still leave a balance
due me on that scene of about 30£a statement of which you shall have by the
next Packet, when I trust I shall send you the Balance due on the Barbuda
Accounts to Christmas, the balance now due is £398: 14: 53/4
in my account current you will observe to accounts changed one of £49. 10 for
three Asses which were sent there by Mr Athill, & to my knowledge have
never before been paid for; they have now increased considerably; the other is
an old Account contracted before I went on the Island, I paid it by the consent
& advice of Mr Martin; it agrees with your own Books. You have also the
Estates account the balance favouring Barbuda is £1395: 13: 2. We have been
very dry for some time before I left the Island on Sunday I had ordered Hay to
be given to the Cattle in the Enclosures, but I think on Monday we must have
had a good rain I was becalmed with in
a few miles all the day, & it appeared to rain hard on the land for three
or four Hours. I remain
Sir
your Most
Obedient Humble
servant
(signed) John
James
Per Geo Hibbert Capt Head
I have shipped for you six Green Turtle.
Reference: Gloucestershire Records Office, Microfilm no.351, Section no.6, D1610 C24
Accessed through Simon Fraser University library
Accessed through Simon Fraser University library
