James J. Wright, Santiago de Cuba, to Jonathan Wright, Esq., No. 7 Christ Church Place, Dublin, Ireland,
Item
Rights
Permission to publish from the Historical Library of the Religious Society of Friends in Dublin
Publisher
University of Galway
Format
JPG
Type
Manuscript
Number of pages
3
Source
Historical Library of the Religious Society of Friends in Dublin
Creator
James Jenkinson Wright
Identifier
Portfolio 35X_L40
Date
1843-10-29
Surname
Wright
Firstname
James Jenkinson
Title
James J. Wright, Santiago de Cuba, to Jonathan Wright, Esq., No. 7 Christ Church Place,
Dublin, Ireland,
Dublin, Ireland,
Translator
Kerby A. Miller, Patricia Miller
Description
James J. Wright, Santiago de Cuba, to Jonathan Wright, Esq., No. 7 Christ Church Place,
Dublin, Ireland,
Dublin, Ireland,
Transcript
001
Santiago de Cuba October 29th, 1843
My dear Jonathan,
I have before me your interesting letter under dates of May 28th, June 4th and July 29th, which I have perused with all attention which it so justly merited, and I acknowledge the truth of your plea in extenuation of your delay in replying to me, but hope that you will not bring it forward too often. I have not read "Guy Fawkes" in Bently's Miscellany, but as the facts about the Wrights are taken from Lingard that I have, which was the interesting point for me, I am not excited to a search for the former. I have no correspondent in London, that I could expect to attend to such an enquiry for me, for those that I have, are all heavy business men, except one, and he is entirely too much occupied for me to think of addressing him on the subject, - and I would a great deal sooner pay the expence necessary for a trial through the J. Burke, who you refer to, indeed I must leave the matter pretty much if not altogether at your discretion, merely confirming what I have already written you, as to my entire readiness to reimburse to the amount named, I shall be truly pleased to receive a draft of the family tree, accompanying one of the arms which you have selected and I anxiously wait their getting to hand.
The state of Ireland is really awful, and I can fully enter into your feeling with the family of the unfortunate victim John Gatchell, as well as sympathy in your fears as to the final results of such universal and continued agitation, how much better we are off here, thanks be to God for it, why we got through our late change of authorities throughout the island, consequent upon the revolution in Spain, with all the quiet and tranquility of a friends meeting and you must never be uneasy as to the News Paper reports of our position for in general the writers thereof under some malign influence deal in a
continued tissue of falsehoods, never has the colony had a prospect of greater safety and peace than it enjoys at present.
002
I have as your presumed the affairs of Mrs. Henry, or rather I should now say Mrs, Helen Shelton to attend to, as I have her power of attorney as administratrix to settle up the estate, which I calculate may leave a clear result of about $120.000, say One hundred and twenty thousand dollars, but this does not add to my labor much, as I am ably seconded by partners.
Please to say to your brother Nathan and wife, that I am gratified in having been brought before them, and beg to be kindly remembered to them, how pleasant it must have been to you to see the affliction of sickness pass away, and a grandson to your father agreeably close the dread array. How well I remember Abby and Margaret Watson, and sorry am I to hear of pressure upon them, either as it respects means or domesticities. What change does your statement as regards the Knott branch of the family present, it shows the vicissitudes of the world and is truly distressing to contemplate. I had a letter lately from Ohio where all the different members of the family were pretty well, father was at about his best as regards health etc., but had been troubled in mind, fearing the reenactment of the scenes of 1798 again in Ireland, and dreading the results of some entirely false newspaper statements of insurrection here, Uncle William had been hurt by a fall off a load of oats, but not seriously, brother Nehemiah who writes me, had been to visit him, and found him I am happy to say much the worse of the accident, but he had had a fortunate escape indeed. Nehemiah himself was in good health, and felt no effects from his old hurt except when he exercised too much, and all the rest were as their usual health, Smithson Wright was mayor of Columbus Ohio. I have put up two boxes of our sweetmeats of eight pots each, exactly alike, which I shall ship by present conveyance to the care of Captain John Ruxton of Swansea with instructions to hold them at your disposition clear of charges there, and I beg you to advise with him about them, as to getting them safely forwarded to you, and to accept one of the boxes
003
yourself and present other in my name to Aunt Martha, with hopes that they may be found good, I regret that we have no variety here, so as to enable me to force you oftener to recollect me, which you cannot fail to do, when you have such little mementos on the table before you, for it is more natural for me isolated as I am, to think of my native land and family frequently and strongly, than for you to bear a stray individual in remembrance. Busy as I am generally, I don't think I could bear up against your fifteen hours a day of employment, I should certainly flag under it, and the smaller in detail the business calling for it was, the sooner I should give out, - nothing but strong excitement could possibly carry me through, and that would inevitably eventually wear me out in a few years I should be fairly used up, indeed I seldom take up the pen except in the forenoon for I find that after 2 or 3 OClock PM, I am not at all fit for it, I am happy to be able to say that my health keeps slowly improving, that which I have suffered most from, is a chronic catarrh of the bladder which prevents me from taking the necessary exercise to keep myself otherwise in real good health, in fact I don't move except by carriage, I don't mean moving about the house, that I can do without any augmented sufferance, and always have good appetite and digestion which I am compelled to limit to avoid plethora.
I remain Dear Cousin
very affectionately yours
James J. Wright
P.S. Santiago is the spanish for James, therefore you ought not to direct Santiago James, but either one or the other, as you please, I am well known either way.
yours JJW
Santiago de Cuba October 29th, 1843
My dear Jonathan,
I have before me your interesting letter under dates of May 28th, June 4th and July 29th, which I have perused with all attention which it so justly merited, and I acknowledge the truth of your plea in extenuation of your delay in replying to me, but hope that you will not bring it forward too often. I have not read "Guy Fawkes" in Bently's Miscellany, but as the facts about the Wrights are taken from Lingard that I have, which was the interesting point for me, I am not excited to a search for the former. I have no correspondent in London, that I could expect to attend to such an enquiry for me, for those that I have, are all heavy business men, except one, and he is entirely too much occupied for me to think of addressing him on the subject, - and I would a great deal sooner pay the expence necessary for a trial through the J. Burke, who you refer to, indeed I must leave the matter pretty much if not altogether at your discretion, merely confirming what I have already written you, as to my entire readiness to reimburse to the amount named, I shall be truly pleased to receive a draft of the family tree, accompanying one of the arms which you have selected and I anxiously wait their getting to hand.
The state of Ireland is really awful, and I can fully enter into your feeling with the family of the unfortunate victim John Gatchell, as well as sympathy in your fears as to the final results of such universal and continued agitation, how much better we are off here, thanks be to God for it, why we got through our late change of authorities throughout the island, consequent upon the revolution in Spain, with all the quiet and tranquility of a friends meeting and you must never be uneasy as to the News Paper reports of our position for in general the writers thereof under some malign influence deal in a
continued tissue of falsehoods, never has the colony had a prospect of greater safety and peace than it enjoys at present.
002
I have as your presumed the affairs of Mrs. Henry, or rather I should now say Mrs, Helen Shelton to attend to, as I have her power of attorney as administratrix to settle up the estate, which I calculate may leave a clear result of about $120.000, say One hundred and twenty thousand dollars, but this does not add to my labor much, as I am ably seconded by partners.
Please to say to your brother Nathan and wife, that I am gratified in having been brought before them, and beg to be kindly remembered to them, how pleasant it must have been to you to see the affliction of sickness pass away, and a grandson to your father agreeably close the dread array. How well I remember Abby and Margaret Watson, and sorry am I to hear of pressure upon them, either as it respects means or domesticities. What change does your statement as regards the Knott branch of the family present, it shows the vicissitudes of the world and is truly distressing to contemplate. I had a letter lately from Ohio where all the different members of the family were pretty well, father was at about his best as regards health etc., but had been troubled in mind, fearing the reenactment of the scenes of 1798 again in Ireland, and dreading the results of some entirely false newspaper statements of insurrection here, Uncle William had been hurt by a fall off a load of oats, but not seriously, brother Nehemiah who writes me, had been to visit him, and found him I am happy to say much the worse of the accident, but he had had a fortunate escape indeed. Nehemiah himself was in good health, and felt no effects from his old hurt except when he exercised too much, and all the rest were as their usual health, Smithson Wright was mayor of Columbus Ohio. I have put up two boxes of our sweetmeats of eight pots each, exactly alike, which I shall ship by present conveyance to the care of Captain John Ruxton of Swansea with instructions to hold them at your disposition clear of charges there, and I beg you to advise with him about them, as to getting them safely forwarded to you, and to accept one of the boxes
003
yourself and present other in my name to Aunt Martha, with hopes that they may be found good, I regret that we have no variety here, so as to enable me to force you oftener to recollect me, which you cannot fail to do, when you have such little mementos on the table before you, for it is more natural for me isolated as I am, to think of my native land and family frequently and strongly, than for you to bear a stray individual in remembrance. Busy as I am generally, I don't think I could bear up against your fifteen hours a day of employment, I should certainly flag under it, and the smaller in detail the business calling for it was, the sooner I should give out, - nothing but strong excitement could possibly carry me through, and that would inevitably eventually wear me out in a few years I should be fairly used up, indeed I seldom take up the pen except in the forenoon for I find that after 2 or 3 OClock PM, I am not at all fit for it, I am happy to be able to say that my health keeps slowly improving, that which I have suffered most from, is a chronic catarrh of the bladder which prevents me from taking the necessary exercise to keep myself otherwise in real good health, in fact I don't move except by carriage, I don't mean moving about the house, that I can do without any augmented sufferance, and always have good appetite and digestion which I am compelled to limit to avoid plethora.
I remain Dear Cousin
very affectionately yours
James J. Wright
P.S. Santiago is the spanish for James, therefore you ought not to direct Santiago James, but either one or the other, as you please, I am well known either way.
yours JJW
Language
English
List of contributors
Kerby A. Miller
Patricia Miller
Giselle Gonzalez Garcia
Margaret Brohony
Cristian Sanchez
People
James Jenkinson Wright
Martha Wright
Jonathan Wright
Location
Sophie Estate, Santiago de Cuba
New York City, United States
Dublin, Ireland