7 September 1824

  Extract of letter dated 7 September 1824.


  This extract was quoted in a newspaper article (Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette, Feb 10 1825).  It was included as part of an argument agaist the emancipation of British held slaves in the Caribbean.  Included are the written notes in Sir Christopher Bethell Codrington's own hand and the newspaper aricle.  It seems that the original of this letter was, for many years, framed on the wall in the Codrington's country house at Dodington Park, Gloucestershire and likely has stayed with the family after the other items were auctioned off.  There are some slight differences between Codrington's notes and the newspaper article.  I have followed the article in the transcription but have added the extra lines from the notes in brackets.



  "The negroes have more than doubled themselves since I have been on the island (twenty years.) There are a good many negroes on the property who would do anything I ordered, and would run  into any danger with me, which I have often experienced in saving lives and property from wrecks. <<I have swam off to vessels surrounded by them when no Boat could live and had never an occasion to order one, but more to restrain those I could not depend on for firmness.  The negroes, generally speaking, if left to themselve, I could rely on.>> About 100 good negroes, with their families, would be as many as Barbuda would require.  Should you relinquish it, no other person could settle in it, when it would become a complete resort for every idle person from the neighboring islands, and would then be a complete place for pirates.  I am now obliged to forbid any strange boats from landing, unless they come directly to me.  The negroes, generally speaking, if left to themselves, I could depend on.  Many a night have I, surrounded by from 100 to 150, slept by the side of my horse in the woods.  There are but two white men with myself on the island, and I frequently leave my wife and daughters there without a fastening to the house.  There are some good head men on whom I can depend: with these I have only to give an order, which is never disobeyed.  Corporal punishment I never allow, if it can be avoided; but a little solitary confinement, which has a much better effect, as they more dislike it.  For any crime, such as killing cattle and sheep, I send to your Antigua estates.  Generally speaking, I think, should an immediate emancipation take place, one half of the negroes in the colonies would be dead in a very few few years; they have been so long in the habit of being provided for, they would have no idea of taking care of themselves when they came to feel it.  Some of the best and able might work occasionally, but could not always be depended upon; the others would of course starve.  There are a great number of the latter description in all the old settlements.  All this estate there are many superannuated people, which must be the case in other estates, who must be fed, clothed, houses found them, and doctors charges paid.  The best method of treating negroes is with firmness and kindness: they know as well as any people when that is done, and they are happy.  The greater part of the negroes on Barbuda would lay down their lives to serve me, when I am with them.  Here we give no salt fish, but in lieu, haul the seine as often as they like, that is, when convenient, sometimes three or four days together, when fish are plenty, at other times once in two or three weeks.  They have occasionally wild hog and goat meat; many of them have also their own nets; and scarcely do any of your vessels come to this island <<go to Antigua>> without a quantity of fowls, and many salt fish to sell, and in a good season, an immense quantity of potatoes.  They have regularly, throughout the year, Saturday afternoon to attend to the grounds, and Wednesday afternoon, when they assist themselves; and such is occasionally the quantity of potatoes, that they will rather relinquish their allowance of corn than their Wednesday; many of them have ten or eleven acres of land in cultivation, the produce of which, of course, is their own property. <<They are the most athletic people I ever saw>>  The negroes on this estate, with few exceptions, are well behaved and contented; they get ten pints of corn or meal per week, with salt-fish; it is given Tuesdays and Fridays - may say the same of the island generally.  To free them <<the negroes on your Clare Hall property>>would be ruin to the country <<property>>, and doing them a serious injury.  We have examples enough in the African apprentices of insubordination; they are most disorderly, idle set of people, under little or no control; they have an idea that they are King's men, and must be provided for, work or not, and I know they are a great charge to Government, which will increase every day."

 

 



Reference: Gloucestershire Records Office, Microfilm no.351, Section no.6, D1610 C24

Accessed through Simon Fraser University library

British Newspaper Archives (1607-2013) https://newspaperarchive.com/browse/uk/

Accessed March ‎6, ‎2014

05 Sep 1818

Barbuda Sept^r 5^th 1818

Sir.

    In a letter of 9^th July of last year, I informed you of the necessity there was of building a vessel for the use of this Island, and your Antigua Estates; I am now happy to say that it is in a great state of forwardness, and could be launched in a very short time, and as it will not be much wanted till about the commencement of the next sugar Crop, it is not my intention to get her into the water till about Xtmas; she is built of the very best materials, and I trust will be a fine vessel, of about sixty tons and will carry thirty two Hh^ds of Sugar.  I have, from Bolts obtained from Wrecks, then enable entirely to Copper fasten her; the Deck as well as Bottom, & Bands.  I therefore trust you will have no objection to have her bottom Coppered as far as her light watermark. It will cost some money at first, but ultimately will be a saving; without it a vessel in this Country ought to be hove down at least every six weeks; when carrying Sugars it is a great loss of time: as well as expense; we cannot do it in this Island, I am therefore obliged to have it done in Antigua; in consequence of which, it is seldom done in less than a week.  In a list of things required for the use of the Island I have included that Copper sheathing, but should you disapprove of the vessel being coppered you will of course strike it out. The Cable, Chain, & Canvas are principally for her use. The vessel now in use is very old, and must soon be condemned; I have been patching her ever since I have been on the Island.

The list of the things for the Island is absolutely necessary the Negroes having had no clothing since 1815 the date of the last Invoice; as I shall have to make the vessels sails after the arrival of the Canvas, I shall be glad to have the articles out by one of the first ships to Antigua, that she may be ready early in the Crop to carry Sugars.

I am sorry to say that I have heard nothing from Lord Combermere since I wrote you in November last; he was to have sent for the Cattle, and had promised to let me hear from him some days before his vessel would be here; he also talked of visiting this Island in his next tour.

We have an extremely dry, having had no rains of consequence for the last three months till yesterday, when we had some good showers, which enabled me to plant the whole of my Corn for next Crop. Last night and this morning it has been blowing hard, but nothing in the shape of a Hurricane, tho I think it possible it has blown harder at no great distance.  I trust my boat will be able to cross the Channel, with this, tomorrow, I do not think it safe for her to do so this day.  Enclosed are the second of the two Bills forwarded in my last of the 14^th (instant?), one for £200 the other for £168:8 Sterling. I have forwarded the papers respecting Rawlins Bill to St Kitts. 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

25 September 1804

Barbuda September 25^th 1804

Sir,

                I should have sooner informed you of my arrival, but as Mr. Hodge told me he had wrote you I deferred it until I could give you some account of the Island.  I left England on the 20^th of May and arrived at Antigua on the 5^th of July but was detained there until the 21^st on which day I reached this place, since which time I have been endeavouring to make myself as much acquainted with the nature of the Island as possible. I am very much pleased with the Country preferring it greatly to Antigua, and as yet have I reason to think but that the climate will agree perfectly well with my constitution.  From the observations I have been able to make I find in the first place a very valuable stock of Negroes, amounting in all to three hundred and fourteen including children, many of them very able tradesmen of every description, and I general very healthy in the field we can muster from forty to fifty, who are at this time when the weather will permit, employed in weeding the corn yams etc which are all expended on the Island, none having been exported for  several years and I am informed that this work takes up nearly one half of their time notwithstanding they feed themselves several months in the year,  and for which purpose they are allowed as much ground as they can manage, in which they work the Sunday and Saturday afternoon at other times they are employed in cutting wood for sale, burning lime, drising sheep, repairing the fences or any other occasional work, I am keeping a diary of their times which will enable me to send you a copy as often as you may desire it. There are also in and about the enclosures nearly five hundred head of cattle, but the exact number has never been ascertained, many of them are very old, several oxen are fifteen years and some older, and many of those that have not yet been worked are as much as six and seven years old, there are from three to four hundred more in the woods.  The horses, mares & colts are about one hundred; the sheep of which it is impossible to ascertain the number, and they are all over the island, are thought to be from twenty to twenty five thousand, Hog in the domestic state there is not one, there are some wild in the woods, but they cannot be brought to any account, and are only as well as the goats taken for the use of the Negros.  The island according to a plan of it here consists of 39376 acres including the salt pond; about 1497 acres on by are enclosed, said that divided into ten divisions, the island at this time has a very favourable appearance, there having been a great plenty of rain, consequently great plenty of feed for the stock, but I am informed that one part of the year during the dry months, the island is very much distressed; when they are obliged to feed the cattle on bush, at which time great numbers of the old ones die; there is some hay made every year, but not nearly enough to serve them in the very dry season, it is therefore kept for the horses as they will not like the cattle and sheep eat the bush; it would therefore be a great object to raise something that might supply the place of grass during the dry weather, there is very little cultivation carried on, everything being left to nature except the corn, which takes up so large a part of the Negros time, and the greatest part of that time is employed in weeding, the method used in cultivating it consists in making small holes at four feet from each other, in which the corn is planted, when the grass and weeds are cut down with hoes, and in this almost all the labour consists, and if it proves a wet season which we ought always to wish for, the ground is never clear, nor is it ever thoroughly moved.  There are spots of very good ground on the island, where ploughs may be used to great advantage, both in raising corn, and also some sort of food for the cattle, but of what kind I am as yet at a loss to say, but that great benefit would arise from the  use of the plough I have not the least doubt of, especially as there is such a number of young Oxen on the place and now perfectly idle, there may be a little difficulty in establishing it at first but that will very soon be yole over.  As to the accounts they are all kept at Antigua, and we know nothing of them here neither of the disposal of the stock we sent off, there is an agent at St Johns a Mr. Besouth who sends here for what he may want therefore the only thing which ????? ????? in my power to do is to keep as exact account of the difference ??? the of out from the island, but as to the ?????? where and how  ??? are disposed of I am entirely ignorant, there has been nothing of consequence sent from here since my arrival, but as it is your desire that I should send you the accounts, I will request with your permission to have a copy of the sales sent me as also an invoice of whatever maybe sent here, which is not at present done.  Mr. Huggins, the present manager of the island is a native of Antigua, he is a very active young man, and I understand considered there a very good planter, in which line he had hither there are two other men on the island, I am therefore at present mearly a lookeron, but shall endeavour to make myself as useful to as possible and it will give me the greatest satisfaction to find that my conduct meets with your approbation.  There was a Vessel wracked on the island on the night of the 7^th inst. But very little of the cargo has been saved.  I shall be very much obliged to you for the permission to have the use of a horse.

I have the honour to be, sir

Your most obedient and very humble servant

John James 

Reference: JJ251 Robson Lowe collection on microfilm 24995, University of Texas at Austin, Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection.