The Orange Grove Estate. Trinidad. Click to Enlarge
The author of this long, meticulously
detailed and observant letter is the subject of a recent, comprehensive
biography The Slave Master of Trinidad by Selwyn R Cudjoe (2018), a Wellesley
College professor who grew up in the shadow of the Orange Grove estate in
Trinidad and is descended from slaves who laboured there for William Hardin
Burnley (1780-1850). Born in America, Burnley settled in Trinidad in 1802 and
became a dominant figure there. He was the leading activist in defence of
Trinidadian slave-holder and then post-slavery interests; the mansion at Orange
Grove was his home. After slavery was abolished in 1833 Burnley successfully
claimed compensation from the British government for the loss of over 1100
slaves. Throughout his life, he
travelled extensively in the USA, Great Britain and Europe to further his and
what he saw as Trinidad’s commercial and political interests. He was not a
humanitarian, believing in the whip for both males and females.
But in this letter from Antwerp he is
writing to his wife, Charlotte neé Brown (1782-1858) in Paris. She lived
there or in London, refusing to live in Trinidad. By 1836 the couple were
becoming estranged, partly in consequence of William’s infidelity, and though
this detailed letter is polite it contains few signs of affection or interest
in Charlotte. In contrast, Burnley is much concerned with the future education
of his teenage younger son, nicknamed Humy. That son, Joseph Hume Burnley
(1821-1904) was named after Joseph Hume MP (1777-1855) to whom Burnley’s sister
Maria was married. Joseph Hume trained as a surgeon in Scotland, became a
military surgeon employed during several campaigns, was a Fellow of the Royal
Society, and a prominent political Radical associated with James Mill and
Francis Place. Hume’s connection to Burnley was entirely through his marriage
which to Burnley has clearly been advantageous in opening doors.
Burnley’s son Humy benefitted from the
German education chosen for him; he joined the British Diplomatic Service and
among other postings served as British Chargé d'affaires at Dresden.
*
Transcription
Addressed to:
Madame Madame Burnley [the double Madame was standard polite French usage] rue de la Madeleine 31 Paris
Datelined: Antwerp Friday night 28 Oct 1836
My dear Charlotte
I received your
letter of the 21st at Brussels where I arrived on Monday the 24th.
It surprises me to hear that your weather has been so unfavourable at Paris, on
the Rhine it continued beautiful and only began to rain on my arrival at
Brussels and today it is perfect winter, the therm: having fallen from 60 down
to 48 and I am writing in my bed room by a famous large fire of Belgian Coals –
the first time I have found the necessity to order since I left England.
Immediately after
I wrote to you from Frankfurt, I went to see Dr Becker [Dr Karl Ferdinand Becker 1775-1849] at Offenbach
principally for the purpose of learning from him whether his son in law at
Oldenburgh was disposed to take pupils as Joe [Hume] had informed me that he did not think Dr
Becker would suit Humy as he thought him too old for the junior school and too
young for the senior establishment where they are treated as young men and
allowed to study or not as they please – the Doctor only being able to give
them an hour in the day. But when I was there, which I was three times dining
and spending the evening with them, I was so much pleased with their whole
family and establishment that I proposed to the Doctor to take Humy into
his senior establishment and allow him at the same time the benefit of a
private tutor to superintend his studies and overlook them during the period
when the Doctor cannot give his personal attention to him himself. This is so
great a deviation from the usual routine of his establishment that he is to
consider of it and let me know his determination immediately after I arrive in
London. If he does not consent I will then send him to Dr Strahl’s at Bonn with
whom I was perfectly pleased and satisfied. But the advantage at Dr Becker’s of
there being 4 or 5 very gentlemanly lads there whose tone and
manner, both by themselves and with the Doctor pleased me so much that I think
Humy would reap great benefit both by emulation and imitation by being placed
with them and acquire more manly habits than he is likely to do with Madame
Strahl and her two daughters – the sons being so much younger than him – at the
same time the whole concern seemed so unexceptionable otherwise that I shall
feel no disappointment in sending him there if Dr Becker does no accede to my
proposition and feel now quite comfortable in the idea that the object of my
journey has been happily accomplished and that there is now nothing more to be
done than to carry him to the one place or the other as early in March next as
the weather will permit – all idea of Oldenburgh I very early gave up. The
road to Bonn or Offenbach will pass from Paris to Brussels through Liege and
Aix la Chapelle to Cologne which is close to Bonn – Offenbach is further up the
Rhine, the whole distance in steamboats through the most beautiful parts of the
river, making a delightful excursion and passing close to Wiesbaden and several
other German Baths now much frequented. Frankfurt is a pretty nice place and
the Hotel de Russie there decidedly the best Hotel I ever was in as respects
beauty of the building, accommodation, meals and attendance and at the same
time reasonable – abundant Breakfast at any hour you please with Caffé au
lait, excellent Butter and eggs for 36 Kreutzer or 1/= sterling. Dinner more
abundant than you ever saw served including positively better roast Beef than I
ever eat in England with a pint of Rhine wine for one florin 54 kreutzer
or about 3/4d including excellent desert. My bedroom 1 florin – or 2 francs per
day – so that my whole expense at Frankfurt did not exceed 10/= Stg per day.
Sir Thomas Hislop [1764-1843, Lieutenant Governor of Trinidad from 1802 to 1811] and his Lady
were at the same Hotel. He was woefully fallen off, looking dottled and with
hardly a leg to stand upon. She – sharp, active and voluble to a degree to be
suffered but by such a poor miserable as himself. I hardly knew which language
she is most fluent in – English, French or German. On my return I stopped at Wiesbaden and took a
bath in the Chicken broth, which Head [author of travel guides] compares it to & which it really is not unlike, being about
the color with a greasy scum on the surface. I did not venture to take it [drink it]. I dare say it is a pleasant place in the
height of the season but every soul had left it, the shops all shut up and the
whole appearance most woebegone. The country around it is by no means so pretty
as at Aix nor to my taste the town half so handsome. The waters at Aix are
clear but some of them so hot you can just bear your finger in them. I took no
Bath as there were none in the Hotel where I put up and the country between Aix
and Liege, a ride of about 35 miles is positively equal to the finest and richest
parts of England, being covered with fields and surrounded by Hedges, and
studded all over with villas and farm houses; what can make such a difference
in the habits of the people in different places I cannot discover. I always
thought before that the farmers inhabited towns on the Continent because the
Country was so liable to be over-run with armies – but no part of Europe is
more subject to such a casualty than the Country of Liege and yet they live as
we do in England, whilst their neighbours in Brabant act as they do in France
and elsewhere with the Country open in every direction.
The weather was
so bad in Brussels I saw little and did not even go to Waterloo which is only
at a short distance; as the Colonel is now at liberty tell him I hope he will
accompany me there in March next. I saw William Drury (Mark’s son) [ William James Joseph
Drury (1791–1878) English schoolmaster and chaplain to Leopold
I and tutor to his son Leopold II of Belgium] and spent the evening with him. His wife is a
pretty, amicable woman with ten children to take care of – 4
of them only her own.
They tell me that
Miss Warner [daughter
of Trinidad's Attorney General] is positively married since we saw her at Paris – to some
foreigner and they think not a man of fortune – so I fear that
she has made a bad concern of it after all. She is a kind sociable gay creature
and would have made a compatible wife for a man fond of company and possessing
the means of enjoying it.
I arrived here at
2pm by the Chemin de Fer, which seems to answer admirably and everybody is so
well pleased with it that they are anxious to have the one completed to Paris
but this I fear will not take place in a hurry. On Sunday I embark on the
Steamer “Ocean” at 9.a.m. and hope to find myself in London, Monday morning [couple of words lost here from
breaking of letter seal] letter from Maria dated 24th when she was [word lost, could be
"feeling"] better and I am engaged to dine with Hume and the Lord Mayor on
the 9th of November. I am well pleased to have the opportunity
to see one of these dinners.
I am glad to hear
Humy has got a god German master, it will make everything much more easy and
agreeable to him when he changes his quarters. I recommend you not stand too
much upon etiquette with Mrs Brevoort, she is a sensible amiable woman of which
we have not too many in our society and with a large family of children to
attend to probably does not study etiquette herself. I heard from the McGregors
[ Alexander
McGregor of the Glasgow West India Association?] when at Frankfurt – they were at Vienna and
hoped in 3 or 4 weeks to leave it for Paris so that they may be with you before
I am. How long my stay will be in London I cannot until I arrive there and see
what has been done or doing at the Compensation Office [established to make payments to former
slave owners] but I shall certainly be disappointed if I am not in Paris before
the end of November as I find travelling in cold weather by no means agreeable.
It has been snowing here all the evening – which for October
seems an early exhibition - accept dearest of kind love for yourself and Humy
and believe me always yours affectionately William H Burnley
*
1836
William Hardin Burnley
Cudjoe,
Selwyn R. The Slave Master of Trinidad (2018)
Wikipedia:
Joseph Hume FRS (22 January 1777 – 20 February 1855) was a Scottish
surgeon and Radical MP.
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