From Thomas Waters Sr. to his wife Elizabeth Waters (July 22, 1824)

[Thomas Waters. R.M., to his wife, Elizabeth,]

Addressed to Mrs. Lt. Waters R.Marines, Mulgrave Place, Woolwich

No 4 Cape Coast Castle 22 July 1824 per the ….. frigate Thetis

My Dearest Love,

I hope you and your sweet little Family enjoy a good health. We left Cape Coast Castle the 3rd of June and the next day anchored at Accra a pleasant looking place and stock reasonable excepting beef which is extremely dear. the country round is cleared of wood, it is considered the Montpelier or Cheltenham of Western Africa for healthiness. gold-dust is sixteen dollars an ounce, dollars are five shillings sterling each, in England they can be bought for 4/2, horses are scarcely to be found on the coast of Guinea it is said the climate and food will not agree with them, the gentry are drawn in carriages by six black men. The country round Accra produces sheep Bullocks pigs deer of different sorts, turkeys, ducks, fowls, different sorts of Birds very beutiful, fruit and vegetables peculiar to a tropical climate – The 6th we sailed and on the 10th we arrived at the beautiful Island of Fernanda Po, we anchored in a most noble bay called N.W. bay, supposed to be equal to any in the world, Naples bay excepted, the Island, from the sea, has a most interesting appearance. it is lofty. one part of it at first sight has a strong resemblance to the peak of Tenrieffe, the Island is supposed to be about 30 miles long and 15 broad, it is all round completely covered with wood for I suppose half a mile or more. in land the center of the Island seems very fruitful producing very fine yams in great abundance and some other vegetables and fruit and palm wine –

The Natives and savages, a singular looking race their heads thickly bedaubed with red earth mixed with palm oil the faces of some of them painted with the same. their weapons are small sticks 6 or 7 feet long barbed at one end, we have seen nothing as yet worth trafficing for excepting yams and fowls, for which we give pieces of old or new Iron hoop, six inches will buy a fowl, we have not ventured far in land but the Commodore has a very high opinion of the place and thinks it would be of infinite service to government as a depot for the shipping to get wood excellent water and vegetables, it is in the bight or bay of Biafra and about sixty miles from the mainland- They make knives of the iron hoop stuck into a small piece of wood- 14th sailed on a cruise, sent boats away to look out for slavers the barge was upset near the African shore at anchor, 9 of her crew were drowned and an Assistant Surgeon – 2nd July returned to Fernando Po- 5th sailed and the 18th arrived at Accra where we found news from England by H.M. Frigate Thetis same day sailed for Cape Coast 20th arrived – It appears the Ashantees made an attack upon Cape Coast Castle on Sunday the 11th Inst, they were beaten back after a great loss of blacks on both sides and one Europian Officer on our side, it is said the Ashantees are gone to their own country – I am in good health. I remain my Dearest Love
Your most Affectionate Husband Thos. Waters

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