23 October 1823

Clare Hall Octbr 23^rd 1823

Sir.

  By the Jamaica Packet I had the Honor to receive your favor of the 3^rd Sept^r the contents of which shall be minutely attended to, but it has been impossible to do so by this Packet.  When the two last Packets where here I was at Barbuda the last of which arrived two weeks before her time which prevented my writing you by her, at that time I would have given you but a very bad account of the weather both on this Estate and Barbuda,  I left Barbuda about three weeks since when we had but little rain for several weeks & I much feared from the lateness of the season that the Corn Crop would have entirely failed, I have got about fifty Acres of Yams planted in a new piece of wood cleared this year & fortunately the only rain that fell was on the Yams, I have since heard from Mr^s James & the Overseer in charge of the Island and I am happy to say there have been very good rains which have enabled them to replant the whole of the Corn pieces and I trust they will do well I shall go over tomorrow.  Fortunately I have now in store full seven months provisions of Guinea Corn I therefore expected to have been able to send the whole of the yams which I may reap this season to this Estate, & which I (think?) may be the case.  I am happy to say we have also been fortunate on this Estate having had three good rains within the last fortnight and an appearance of more.  Our Canes are ?????? occasioned by the state of the land when I took charge of it last year, and it also requires a vast ??? of manure & raking, but I trust we shall make a tolerable Crop in the present state it will be impossible to state the quarterly, nearly the whole of the land for the next Crop is for the provision Ground ex????? which cannot be done till the provisions are taken out, I have also taken in this season about seventeen Acres of pasture & which I think will be as good a piece as any on the Estate.  From the badness of the allotment of roads on this Estate I have been obliged to have the whole of the ???? on the roads for about fourteen weeks, which has thrown us something ????, By different vessels I have sent to England fifty Hdds of sugar and have sold & paid away about twenty five more in liquidation of the Debts left due by Mr Ick.  I have also paid for every thing purchased since I have had charge of the Estate.

                I remain

Sir

Your Most Obedient Humble

   Servant

(signed) John James

The Boat to follow the Packet has arrived sooner than expected which occasions me to write rather hastily.

6: O’Clock

I am happy to say that  ?? fine rain is falling at this moment & promises to continue.

Reference: JJ277 Robson Lowe collection on microfilm 24995, University of Texas at Austin, Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection.