Fr. Vespre to Fr. Mulledy on accepting an arrangement for the payments due from the sale of 1838, March 25, 1844

Fr. Vespre to Fr. Mulledy on accepting an arrangement for the payments due from the sale of 1838, March 25, 1844

Slavery; Slave Trade; Slave-Sale; Jesuit History-19th Century

In this letter written six years after the sale of 1838, Fr. Vespre notifies Fr. Mulledy that their agent in New Orleans, Edmund Forstall, had negotiated a new payment arrangement with Gov. Johnson for the money due to the Jesuits from the sale of enslaved people to Johnson in 1838.

Maryland Province Archives, Society of Jesus

Letterbook (2 of 2), 1843 - 1908, Box 68, Folder 2, Identifier 119.1_77, Georgetown University Manuscripts, Archives of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus, 2. Records of the Procurator, 1633-1968, 2.2 Correspondence, 1833 - 1967, Booth Family Center for Special Collections, Georgetown University

Georgetown Slavery Archive

1844-03-25

Adam Rothman, Elsa Barraza Mendoza, Transcription by Hillary MacKinlay

Maryland Province Jesuits

PDF

English

Manuscript

GSA365

[page 20]

[March 25, 1844, to Rev. Thos F Mulledy, George Town College, Mar 25/1844]

Revd & Dr Fr in Xt

This morning I received a letter from Mr E J Forestall of New Orleans, our Agent in the Johnson affair, Notifying us that he had received the power of attorney and that he had finally succeeded in procuring the most ample security for the payment of money due us for Negroes: He says; “The Estate on which now rests your security is one of the finest in the state and is worth at a low valuation ($150000.00) one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. It will produce annually upwards of (500) Five hundred hogsheads of sugar. I believe you now most completely correct, in notifying (he continued) Governor Johnson of your acceptance of the act it will be well for Mr Mulledy to say that “al tho’ not acknowledging the declaration of Govr Johnson as to the disposal of the Negroes in Maryland and afterwards recorded in Louisiana as having been mortgaged to him, said Mulledy &c or something to that Effect: so as to do away with the appearance of a connivance in an act which certainly was fraudulant. Do not fail, Says he, to send me for record how the letter of Mr Mulledy accepting or rejecting the arrangement”

Thus far the letter.

We have accepted the arrangement; be therefore, so kind, as to send me a letter accepting the arrangement, that I may enclose it to Mr Forstall and also one for Gov. Johnson when notifying him of the acceptance of the act.