Autograph Letter Signed from the West Indian merchant Justinian Casamajor, of Potterells, Hertfordshire, to 'Mrs. Curling', describing the judgement of the Court of Chancery in Antigua regarding the estates of the late Mathew Christian.

Author: 
Justinian Casamajor [Justinian Casamayor; Casamayorga] of Potterells Grove, Hertfordshire, West Indian merchant [Mathew Christian [Matthew Christian] (d.1778) of Antigua; sugar plantations; slavery]
Publication details: 
St Helens Place, London; 19 January 1809.
£130.00
SKU: 11564

3pp., 4to. Bifolium. 56 lines. Good, on aged paper. Addressed on reverse of second leaf to 'Mrs. Curling'. Casamajor is taking 'the earliest opportunity' to inform Mrs Curling 'by the last Packet', that he has 'received an Acc[oun]t. from my agent in Antigua, that the Court of Chancery in that Island had disallowed all Charges of Interest on the Arrears of the Annuities on the late Mathew Christians Estates amounting to £2567.2.5 also the Trustees Commission of £50 a year for 16 years, to this our Counsel'. The Attorney General filed a Bill of Exceptions, 'but they were overuled by the Court & the Masters report confirmed'; he prayed an appeal to 'this decretal Order', 'as directed to do, altho' he says that the reasons given by the Master in his report were such as he could not sufficiently answer'. The agent has deferred sending the papers, as they are 'so voluminous that the expence of sending them by the Packet would be enormous'. Casamajor now gives a quotation from a letter of the Attorney General, regarding 'appeals from the Plantations', before describing 'former proceedings' in the case, and his agents claim for factorage ('seeing it was likely to create delay and procrastination, he waved the claim, that the parties might not longer be kept out of their money he took the Masters Acct. up to the 8th. May last and received £2968:18:3 which is allowed to be due'). He considers that the 'business in future [...] promises to be regularly conducted'. A postscript concerns the 'considerable' expense of an appeal.