jet. 26.]

LETTERS.

113

TO WILLIAM LOCKER , ESQ., WEST MALLING.

[Autograph, in the Locker Papers.]

Boreas, Basseterre Road, January 15th, 1785.

My dear Sir,

Your letter of the 16th November, I received a few daysago at Antigua , fortunately when I was in company withCollingwood, who is acquainted with Lieutenant-GovernorStewart. (1 have not been at Dominica since the hurricanemonths, therefore have not been able to say anything to Gover-nor Orde upon the subject of your estate.) He has wrote tohim enclosing a letter I received in England from Mr. JamesBradley, with all the particulars relative to the property ; andas Collingwood is just going to Prince Rupert’s Bay, he desiresme to say, that if possible he will go to the spot, consequentlywill be able to say more upon the matter than I can at present.If the estate has not always had one family kept upon it, Ifear there will be some difficulty in getting hold of it; for if itis good land, most likely some genius or other has got holdof it; and if it has never been inhabited since Admiral Parry 3was here, the buildings must be gone to ruin before this time,but as it is you shall know very soon. Coll, will have infor-mation from Lieutenant-Governor Stewart, and I shall mostprobably be there in a month or two, when you may be assuredI shall go to the spot and take a regular survey of it.

The longer I am upon this Station the worse I like it. OurCommander has not that opinion of his own sense that he oughtto have. He is led by the advice of the Islanders to admitthe Yankees to a Trade; at least to wink at it. He does notgive himself that weight that I think an English Admiral oughtto do. I, for one, am determined not to suffer the Yankees tocome where my Ship is; for I am sure, if once the Americansare admitted to any kind of intercourse with these Islands , theviews of the Loyalists in settling Nova Scotia are entirely doneaway. They will first become the Carriers, and next have

3 Rear-Admiral William Parry was appointed Commander-imChief at Jamaica ,and in the Windward Islands , in 1766, where he remained three years. He diedan Admiral of the Blue on the 29th of April, 1799. His only child, Lucy,married Captain Locker, (vide p. 23, ante,) with whom he seems to haveobtained the Dominica estate so often mentioned.

VOL. I.

I