From Thomas Waters Sr. to his wife Elizabeth Waters (April 6, 1826)

[Thomas Waters, R.M., to his wife, Elizabeth]
Addressed to Mrs. Lt. Waters R.Marines, Mulgrave Place, Woolwich, Kent

No.12 H.M.S. Maidstone Cape Coast 6th Ap. 1826

My Dearest Love

Your Letter of 1st Nov. came to hand the 28th of Dec. your brothers and sister were extremely kind in sending you such a handsome present, your Sister seems very affectionate to our little children, make my kind wishes to your near Relatives, it would afford me great Pleasure to see them all again in the full enjoyment of health, I hope prosperity will attend them. I did send you a letter dated in June last by Dr. Rankine which it appears you received. I am glad the dear Children are impro- ving, it is a great gratification to me and it must be so to you, let them have a plenty of Play, never mind the Garden that can soon be put in order, please the Almighty that I return. I am uneasy fearing you did not receive twenty Pounds from Mr. Sillifant last year, I cannot conceive the reason why you should not have received it unless it is that in a letter to Mr.S. in the beginning of last year I requested him to send you an extra ten Pounds, should you write for it, now he might have supposed I merely intended him to send you that sum and no more, and that, only in case you wrote for it, and yet I do not know why he should have taken it in that light as in my Letter to him before I left England I requested him to send you twenty pounds a year and the first payment to be made as soon as possible, however should it be so, as I fear, I beg and request you will lose no time in writting to him not merely for that sum but for ten Pounds besides, and do not for a moment suppose that I have forgotten you or that I am indifferent about your Happiness, for the Almighty knows my heart, that I do not wish to exist for an instant without you, and yet life is dear to me while our young Innocents are unable to take of themselves, although the Almighty can provide for the Orphan and Widdow, yet they are often feft [left] to want, for what reason is known only to the supreme Being, but this I believe, he expects us to do our best for them, not injuring others, Nature teaches us to be careful of our offspring and to be tender to each other but instead of following reason people are apt to be lead away by false reasoners, their motives may he [be] good, may he [be] bad, whether or no hearken not to them, the Scriptures and your own conscience are your best monitors act by them and I cannot see how you can do wrong, be assured nothing shall be wanting on my part to make you happy and I trust the Almighty will bless our Endeavours.

Believe me my Dearest love to be ever Your Most Affectionate Husband

Tho^s. Waters