[Thomas Waters to his mother]
[from a transcript]
Wealth of Nations
Hong Kong. June 12th 1867
Dear Mother
We arrived here June 5th all well. I wrote to you from Saigon and hope you received the letter. I am in very good health and I think I am gaining flesh and I hope you and Papa are well. I ought to write this to Ben but I know it pleases him for me to write to you. I was glad to hear that all his
family were well. I hope little Tommy and May dont forget their magic Uncle. I was sorry to hear that Eliz had been poorly. I take Epp’s cocoa every morning and enjoy it, but it is nearly all used up. I have not touched coffee since leaving England, that beef tea (Gillons) in little tins is capital, sometimes when I am worn out with night watching in bad weather, I cannot eat solid food and then I find the beef tea very invigorating and it is so handy that the moment my desire for it comes it is ready for me to take, and if it was not for it I should probably take brandy which only gives a transient strength. My carpets look very nice and I ought to have thanked Barbara before for her trouble in getting them and likewise my shirts etc. Ben had reckoned up in his letter to me that heretofore we – that is Ben and I – have only been together about one day in three years, and I expect if I give them always as much trouble as I did last visit, that Ben and Barbara will think one day in ten years is often enough. All the flowers that Ben and Mr Bake gave me are dead except one slip of geranium and one slip of fuschia which came from Mrs Bake’s greenhouse and a small piece of beautiful moss fern, the original plant is dead, but I have got quite a number of flowers growing which I obtained from friends of whom somehow your crusty son has many more than he deserves. I hope Uncle, Aunt and all my cousins are well. I hope the next visit I pay to Rochdale that both Uncle and myself will be in better health and spirits than I, at any rate, was. Benjamin, Elizabeth, Sarah, Jane and Nancy and Timothy Titus there’s a family for you, now count up all your dear little grandchildren, your sons and daughters in law and I think you will find that you are mentioned in Scripture as one of the blessed, as having your quiver full. If you want at any time to teaze Sarah and Jane, tell them that my first washerwoman here was known as Sarah Jane, but she was bad so I discharged her and my present one (please find her card enclosed) enjoys the name of Mary Ann, and I am happy to say for the honour of the name of Sarah Jane, that Mary Ann is twice as bad or more than my first washerwoman and when she brings all my clothes back, of which I have grave doubts, I shall pay her off. As a rule three shirts out of a dozen are always missing, a tailor and shirtmaker comes regularly every morning to fill up your losses knowing well the destructive organs of the careful washerwoman. Now dear Papa and Mamma I bid you goodbye I will write to you again soon. Remember me kindly to Mr Pyne.
Your ever affectionate son
Thomas Waters
Postage stamps for Sarah, Jane and Nancy. Tell me if mulberries are plentiful.