[Thomas Waters to his Sister Mary Waters]
addressed to Miss Mary Waters, King St, Woolwich, Kent, England
Barque Fawn Woahoo Nov.r 12th/42
Dear Sister
I wish our correspondence could be carried on with greater certainty but hoping this will reach its destination, I shall endeavour to fulfil my ever dear Mother’s, and your requests; you must excuse the bad writing, and all mistakes, attribute them to the time and circumstances of the writer. The only time I can write free of disturbances, is at midnight, and as I am all day hard at work, getting off fresh water, or helping to repair the rigging, at night I am fatigued and sleepy, and not in the best possible order for writing.
I should like very much to see Jack, rigged up with his quaker cut coat on, he has written two letters to me, one of which was filled up with half a chapter out of the bible, no doubt he meant it for my good, and I really thank him for it, but I should have been better pleased, if he had given me more mundane intelligence.
You do not tell me the name of the steamer which H. Bissett sailed in, nor in what capacity he sailed in. I should like to hear all the news which you can give me of our dear Father. You would hardly know me if you was to see me now, I am rather taller, my face, arms, breast, feet, etc have a Molatto [mulatto] appearance, bare footed, and merely a shirt and trousers on, and those none of the best, but though outwardly different, I am otherwise the same. I hope Ben improves at school, what life does he think of choosing, give my love to him, to Eliz, and Sarah, remember me to all friends. I think I do not deserve the praise you clap on my letters. I am glad they pleased you and the rest. The garden I understand improves. Our captain sent two boats ashore on Ocean island [Banaba Island], N. Pacific, and picked up some of the wreck of the Gladstones, a whaler which was lost on the reef some years ago, we knocked down plenty of seals, and large birds, which were not in the least frightened of us. A dog which belonged to the Gladstones, is still alive ashore but very wild, there is no fresh water ashore without digging deep for it. I do not comprehend what you mean about watchwork. Woolwich must be greatly altered, though not so much but what I shall find home, when I get to England. My clothes look very maugre, especially my thin shirts, and white trousers, the last of which I now have on me. Capt Dunn does not like to let me have anything out of the slop chest, because he says, I brought plenty out with me, so I did If they had been good for anything. I shall have to wear thick clothes in the boat, and they will not be very comfortable in a hot climate, and are heavy to swim in, when the boat is stove or capsized, which very often happens, it is seldom we lower the boats in chase of whales, but we get stove, though the one I belong to has only been stove thrice, more by good luck than good management. I have been hard at work chasing whales, in a heavy sea from sunrise to sunset, nothing to eat till you can get aboard. My lips have been very sore from the whale spouting on them, when getting killed. I must now conclude, as I can manufacture no more news, having sent one to Mrs Waters, another to John Waters, and this for you. Capt Dunn has been very ill with acute rheumatism but at present is quite well
Your ever affectionate
Brother
Thomas Waters
Remember me kindly to your neighbours. Mrs Nichols who I hope is quite well, Miss Elitia Nkchols, Miss Bissett, Mrs Mercer, and Henry, to all enquiring friends.
Since dating this letter, through losing the chance of sending it aboard the India, which has sailed from this port for England, I am able to write some more news. Nov 20th/42 at 1 A.M. the second mate, roused the steward, and myself up, on account of a suffocating smell of smoke, as we were sleeping in the after cabin, as the Capt was ashore; accordingly the steward produced a light, with which we went into the pantry, and saw thick smoke, issuing from between the bulkhead of the sail room, upon which the 2nd Mate crawled into the sail room, and saw the fire, we then roused up all hands on board, who were sober, and stove in the bulkhead, threw water on the sails, and managed to extinguish the fire, before the Captain, who had been sent for, come aboard; the fire is supposed to have been caused, either by self combustion, or from some drunken person, going into the sail room with a lighted pipe, though I think the former most likely, from the appearance of the burnt sails, which I saw before the fire was extinguished, it caused a deal of extra work.