Category Archives: Plantation management
Simon Taylor to Chaloner Arcedeckne, 6 October 1792
06/10/1792
On his return to Jamaica, Taylor wrote to tell Arcedeckne about his voyage and the time he had spent in England, which was an even more disagreeable episode to him than when the sugar canes on his Holland estate had been afflicted by disease (‘the blast’). In particular, he despaired at British attitudes towards slavery […]
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Simon Taylor to Chaloner Arcedeckne, 29 May 1788
29/05/1788
In May 1788 Taylor continued his defence of Jamaican slavery in response to the upsurge of abolitionist activity in Britain. He told Arcedeckne his opinions about the treatment of enslaved people and the prospect of a rebellion. He also promised to send his friend a detailed plan of Golden Grove sugar estate, which suggests that […]
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Simon Taylor to Chaloner Arcedeckne, 6 December 1787
06/12/1787
At the end of 1787, Taylor commented on proposals by Matthew Boulton, the British entrepreneur and manufacture of steam engines, to adapt steam power to sugar mills in Jamaica. He was not fully convinced by them. […] Respecting Mr Bolton, untill he sends out modell, & letts people know the premium he expects for his […]
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Simon Taylor to Chaloner Arcedeckne, 1 May 1787
01/05/1787
Taylor’s discussion of breadfruit relates to the infamous 1787 expedition of the HMS Bounty, commanded by Captain William Bligh, to collect plants in Tahiti and introduce them to the West Indies, where it was anticipated that they would help provided food for the enslaved people on sugar estates and other properties. Taylor’s discussion on this […]
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Simon Taylor to Chaloner Arcedeckne, 14 December 1786
14/12/1786
Here Taylor discusses the quality of sugar shipped to England from Chaloner Arcedeckne’s estate, Golden Grove, and discusses the poor health of enslaved people, particularly in western Jamaican parishes, linking this to the unusually bad weather and restrictions on trading with the United States. Taylor provides some detail on his strategies for providing sustenance for […]
Also posted in Disease/health, Drought, Enslaved people, Famine, Food/provisions, Kingston, Natural disasters, North America/USA, The Letters Comments Off on Simon Taylor to Chaloner Arcedeckne, 14 December 1786