St. Augustine, Florida: 1771.
Price: $3,800.00
Autograph Letter. Folio. 4pp., St. Augustine, Florida: October 15, 1771. Incomplete (lacking the final page), near fine. A long letter consisting of over 800 neatly written words, giving an informative and detailed account of contemporary life in the British colony of East Florida shortly after poor health forced its Governor, James Grant, to return to England. Before he departed, Grant appointed his Lieutenant Governor and President of the East Florida Council, John Moultrie, to act in his stead. Moultrie served as Governor from 9 May 1771 through 1 March 1774. Apparently missing a final page or leaf, thus unsigned, the letter was likely written to Moultrie by David Yeats, who was Grant’s agent in Florida and the caretaker of his Mount Pleasant plantation (located on the North and Guano Rivers). The letter begins:
“I was this morning made happy by yr. Excellys. most kind obliging letter. I had been up the North River & the rain keep us there all night, but as soon as I return’d I had a hund’d upon my back telling me there was a letter from you. The contents pleased every one that was worth pleasing, the rest you may imagine were sulky enough, some ask’d if you were still Govnr. I said you did not mention particulars, only that you were certainly coming out again … .”
The letter goes on to identify some of Moultrie’s “sulky” opponents, particularly Dr. Andrew Turnbull, a planter who had deceived hundreds of Minorcans into serving as indentured servants on his massive indigo plantation, and William Drayton, the colony’s Chief Justice. The letter contains several comments and gossip relating to the political machinations of the Colony’s plantation owners and politicians, as well as problems with enslaved workers, and prospects for the year’s indigo crop and market, as noted in the following few extracts from the letter:
“De Brahm I’m afraid is low in circumstances, it was conjectured that he left Charles Town for fear of bills coming back on him … a day or two before he went away two of his Negroes were drown’d, which he had already sold for ?200 sterling but unfortunately was not delivered … Jerry has wrote to Mrs. Gordon, says her husband has got his Commission in his pocket, that he Jerry had been to wait on Govr. Grant but was cooly received, however that he was very easy as he neither loved or feared you – these are the words of the letter. The scoundrell must have been at great pains to invent such a number of lies. Dr. Turnbull was much disappointed, he has wrote you I’m afraid with little warmth … / … The Indigo Acct. pleases every one, ascertaining the real value was wisely done, & I think a great stroke for the Province it being sold with the Carolinas & peach[?] – You mistake about Drayton’s, it was sold in the same time it was the two last lots under the name of Grab who is Drayton’s mercht. It fetched 6/11d the highest and 6/6 the lowest. Drayton is at his plantation but I have seen the list which Harris sent to Yates & I immediately recollected the name … the summer has been so exceeding dry upon the coast that everything was burned up, [Skinner] has made 1500 Wt. … Poor Alert is dead, they say Mr. Oswald has not used him well & he broke his heart, Fairlamb is going to quit the plantation & if so the Mount will not flourish … Pinman goes home with Dr. Turnbull next month, and will carry with him some good Indigo, a thousd. weight or more – the Dr. has got 7000 made, & if the weather continues he will have 3000 more at least – he would have had above 10,000 if it had not been for the worms … .”
Nearly every person of social or political consequence within colonial East Florida is mentioned in this letter. A scarce and detailed firsthand account of British East Florida politics, agriculture, and power.
Item #584064
