this morning, but hope to have her againe before Pope sailes. note, this woman I now send I bought her from one John Wilson and paid him forty-five pounds Cash. I now understand his title is not good, and am advised to ship her off. if you like her I will warrant her to you. Pay Captain Kerr six or eight pound for his Sivellity to my brother; he would not take any thing from me here. I am sorry you'r disapointed in the Limmons, Orringes and Lymes I sent you. if the Fellow ever comes here, I will make him dearly pay for them. I am sorry I can't send you any now except a feiw by my brother, which am afear'd they will not keep. I have sent you two Caggs of Tamerins, one ditto of Sweetmeats, mixt with Ginger, Twelve bottles of Sittron Watter, of which I begg your Acceptance. I have also sent one Cagg of Tamerins to your brother-inlaw Mr. Coggshell.1 I begg you'l deliver it to him to whom I present my humble Service. Altho: unknown, I am verry much obliged to him for his Sivellity to my brother when there. Mrs. Nugent joynes me with our best respects to your good Lady and Little ones. Accept the same your good selfe for I am sincearly Your Most Obliged Humble Servant, WALTER NUgent Pt. St. note by Collonel Gilbert's Letter you are to keep the bills untill such time you have his Advise of my bills being accepted. Please to lett my brother have any thing he wants on my Account. FRANCIS POPE TO ABRAHAM REDWOOD2 Dear freind Antigua May 12th 1731. I HAVEING this good oppertunity by Capt. Bennett to let you know that I have disposed of all my Cargo, only good part of the Chese I cant sell, for the markett is very dull I have sold as my Neighbowrs has done, but have not as yett got in my Debts as yet; and as for my horses 1 David Coggeshall. 2 The original is in the Newport Historical Society. will turn out at about eaight pound foreteen shillings per head but however it cant be help now, for there was three Newlondon men arived after I landed. they landed there horses and sold for tow pistoles a head and three which is very true but however I shall make what Dispach I can If it pleases God to sale next Sunday for I pray excuse my lying so long hear, twas not for my Desire. If I could a heard of any Salt down to Leward I would bin allmost by this at home. but however I hope you will not take a mis in what I have done for the best I could to your advantage. I have got in about tweenty Cask of hog Suger and Rum. so more next, onely that Capt. Newgent came to town to day, where wee got by our self and drink you and your Wife good health. No more at present but shall conclude this Instant with Love to you both and Children. I hope your self and good Family do enjoye health as I hope from the allmighty to find in. tell then I am, Sir, your most humble Servant and affectionate freind FRANCIS POPE1 Kind Love to Brother Abraham and his Wife and famely. Pray excuse bad wrighting. Deare freind I pray you wont see my Wife want any thing that you can due for her. Sir, ROWLAND FRYE TO ABRAHAM REDWOOD London, 15 May, 1731. My last was 20 March by Capt. Carey advising you that I had honour'd your Bill £50.-. --to Jos: Jacob. I have since your favor 9th Febry with a Power of Attorney to receive some Legacy for you, and I have been with the Widow of Mr. John Field, who is willing to pay any Legacy that shall appear due to you, and I beleive she is also in such circumstances as to be able to do it, but at present seems to be a stranger to the Affair. Mr. Richard Part 1 Francis Pope is a signer of the petition to Earl of Bellomont, September 26, 1699, on a church in Rhode Island, together with Pierre Ayrault. Probably father to the ship captain. Mason, Annals of Trinity Church, Newport, 11. ridge,1 to whom I deliver'd the enclosed letter, informs me that he has already received the Legacy for his Friend, and believes that you have made a Mistake in your letter of Attorney, for he apprehands that there are two Legacys due to you, whereas you only impower me to receive one for £38:10:- which fell to you by the Death of your Brother Jonas Langford Redwood the other is the Legacy of Brother Wm. Redwood,2 of £154:—— left [by] your which you take no Notice in your letter of Attorney, nor is there any proof of his Death. Mr. Walter Newberry also informs me that he has received both those Legacys, and advises me to write you and get an explanation of this from you before I receive the Legacy of £38:10: so that I beg you will let me know how the Case stands, and I will then finish your Business withal the Dispatch imaginable. I have honourd your Bill for £60. to Jos: Jacob, one for £100. and another for £50. payable to John Freebody. pray be so good as to advise me when you draw any Bills, least there might be otherwise some mistake or some forged Bills be brought to me for Acceptance, for at present I only believe they are of your Drawing by the hand writing. Since the above I have rec'd yours 21 November, via Antigua, with orders for sundry Goods, all which I am getting ready and will send by the first good opportunity to Boston or Rhode Island; but I beleive it will be sometime hence before they can all be finished fit for you. however I will loose no time. I hope you have received your Account Current dated 21 January last, and shall observe to send it once a year. if you would have it oftener be pleased to let me know. I have received none of your Sugar yet, but beleive we shall have some Ships in very soon, tho' the price is so low that I am afraid they will not answer your expectation. I am Sir, ROW'D FRYE P. S. I have taken my Brother Samuel (whom I beleive you knew in Antigua) to be in Partnership with me, and hope you will continue to favour us with your Correspond 1 Merchant of London, and later agent of Rhode Island. 2 He had died October 31, 1712, aged sixteen. ence as when I was without a Partner. Copy per Capt. Clarke. ELIZA LANGFORD TO ABRAHAM REDWOOD Dear Cousen, Antigua, May the 16, 1731. YOURS I received by Capt. Pope, and am well pleased to hear of your safe arrival and that you with your Family enioy a perfect state of health I pray God keep you so, that yours may not be left as I and mine are, for we are like Sheep without a Shepherd. he had his failings as well as others but I may say I have lost the best of Husbands and my Children the best of Fathers. my troubles are unknown. I pray God soporte me under all my afflections. I hope he has receiv'd true satisfaction for his Good deeds don upon Earth there being but few that has left a better carrecter behind them he departed this life the thirty of november after three days illness of the Collick. Dear Cousin I hope that we shall still keep a true freindship for each other and when ever we meet again you shall find as hearty a wellcome to me as ever. I thank you for all favours received Particular your last which is a Horse betwixt Betty and my self he has no mark so we weare oblidge to take any that Pope would give us. he is a small black horse. Pray make my Love and Service exceptable to your good spouse and Family, except the same from her who is your Loveing Cousen Elixas Langford the Children gives their kind Loves to you and yours. I have sent you by Capt. Pope 1 Kegg of tamarind markt 1 Kegg of Sweatmeats markt A R. AR 1 Sir, EDWARD BYAM TO ABRAHAM REDWOOD My last was by Capt. Carr of the 7th of Aprill in which I gave you an account; the Arbitrators upon second thoughts and the extreame dry weather had awarded Mr. Gamble to pay you £102. and to deliver up the land the 25th of May. I alsoe advised I had paid your bil on me to said Carr for £200, and that I had sent you by him 90 bar. Sugar and ten hheads of rum amounting to £310. 1. 21. there was alsoe some goods sent you that Mr. Lovell brought out for you according to your order, amounting to about £90; I gave Capt. Carr £20 od mony to lay out for you at St. Kits in case there being none to be purchasd here, but at an extravagant price £20 or £22 per Cent. I am now to inform you that your Crop is almost over all that is now made or likely to be made will not be sufficient to pay your debts here and buy provisions and cloaths for your Slaves. Abundance of your canes by means of the dry weather are soe short they will not be fit to be cut this year. if we finde them of any length in July to be sure they shall be ground. Mr. Burke nor my selfe has rec'd one shilling from Gamble Watkins or Tomlinson, occasiond by the great drought. a day of fast was appointed the 19th of May to beseech the Almighty to turne his wrath from us. God was graciously pleased to send us a fine Season the 17th and some the 19th, which put some watter in our ponds1 and greatly refreshd the canes, which gives hopes of a Crop the next year. Your Manager sticks close to your plantation, soe that if we have tollerable weather you may expect to make a good quantity of Sugar the ensuing year. With boath our kind respects etc. EDWARD BYAM 1 The Indian name for Antigua was Jamaica. "It is a singular circumstance that this word, which in the language of the larger islands signified a country abounding in springs, should in the dialect of the Charaibes, have been applied to an island that has not a single spring or rivulet of fresh water in it." Edwards, History of the British Colonies in the West Indies, 1. 473. Antigua was subject to excessive droughts, and the settlers early resorted to cisterns for holding the rain water. |