[Thomas Waters, R.M., to his wife, Elizabeth]
Addressed to Mrs.Lieut.Waters, R.Marines, Woolwich, Kent
No 5 H.M.S.Maidstone Sierra Leone 21 Aug. 1824
My Charming Love
We left Cape Coast the 9th Inst and arrived here yesterday where I had the pleasure of receiving your interesting letter you may imagine from your own heart what pleasure it gave me, it is you that are my Life, my support, my everything – Delightful thought to think of you and to know that I have your affections how wretched was I, after I left you at Rochdale untill I joined you again, I could not then call you my wife, by the laws of the Church, but now, I thank the Almighty, you are sure of my affections, no one will tell you I intend to deceive you, I can now write from my very soul to you without offence to any one, you I am sure will, now, believe me. May the Almighty of his infinite goodness make you as happy in me as I am in you – My children, sweet babes, come but second, yet I love them dearly. May the Almighty bless them in all virtuous habits, and may they be as dutiful to their mother as she is affectionate to her husband – It gives me much pain to find you had any difficulty in cashing your Draft when I am so anxious to shelter you from the slightest breath of uneasiness, absence but endears you more and more to me- Mr. Sillifant’s letter was very kind to you, and your answer was very proper, you need not have mentioned Mrs Nichol’s name to him as he did not know who she was, but it was of no consequence and you did very well – Hindle seems vexed at his wife’s going to Ireland, he expected a letter from her, he sent her a pound note from Portsmouth he does not know whether she received it, he still attends on me. I have a very good party of Marines, 3 or 4 of them are from Rochdale and Whitworth and about there remember me to my sweet children, kiss them, and tell them how much I shall love them if they are good – I do not wear collars, they are badly washed and soon dirty in this hot climate I hope Miss Silly gives you satisfaction, if she behaves well, remember me to her –
Time seemed tedious indeed at first but now it begins to slide a little one sixth of the time is past – we have not been to Ascension yet, the Commodore forwarded what he had for the Island, we expect to go there very soon, everything was quiet at Cape Coast Castle, the Ashantees do not find themselves a match for Europian Tactics, they have been obliged to retire but it is expected they will make a fresh attack in the course of a few months when they have recovered their strength, it is said they wish much to make peace with us but we and they do not know how to do it.
If you sent two letters before the one I received yesterday, the second one must be missing as I only received one, which was the first you sent me but probably I shall receive it yet – you was right in not sending a second letter to Mr. Sillifant the first being sufficient –
I remain My Dearest Love Your Most Affectionate Husband
Thos. Waters
My Heart cannot tell you how dear you are to me I must refer you my sweetest Angel to the two verses you sent me, for my feelings, My Love