[Thomas Waters, R.M., to his wife, Elizabeth]
Addressed to Mrs. Lt. Waters R.M., Mulgrave Place, Woolwich, Kent
No. 13 H.M.S. Maidstone St. Thomas’ 7th May 1826
My Dearest Love
I received your Letter No.11 yesterday and am extremely concerned to find your sister is so dangerously ill, I cannot hope that she will recover but should be extremely happy to hear that it might be so. Your good Aunt I think holds out wonderfully, it must be highly gratifying to you that you have seen them once more when they must have been so very anxious for the interview, I have no doubt it must have caused great comfort to their minds. I am sorry for Molly she is an old servant to your family, however we must all put our trust in the Almighty and with our best exertions everything will turn out for the best, Thomas seems, by your account, very promising, poor Johnny, I am sorry he is no better, I am afraid he has too many cakes and other confectionary trash, do desire your folks to send no more of it, a few pence to buy them fruit would do the children a thousand times more good in fact the other stuff is downright poison, let them have a plenty of fresh air, let them dig in the garden there they can do no hurt, recollect my treatment of them at Southampton and in the New-forest, bear in mind the advice that I have repeatedly given you about them, recollect what a weakly little child John was when he was born and yet what a good health he nearly always enjoyed, do not stuff him with more food than his tender stomach can digest, let not their food be cloying, give them all as much ripe fruit as you can afford and they can relish, and vegetables, if you give them cake let it be of your making, as plain as possible, with respect to eating do not entice the boy’s appetite, I can assure you I enjoy a most excellent health, indeed, I never enjoyed a better and yet my appetite has been so bad this twelve months past that I eat scarcely any thing for breakfast and for dinner very little, I eat nothing after that excepting fruit of which I eat plentifully when ever I can get it, I do not drink much, a little wine, a glass of ale or porter after dinner which I relish very much, water I drink freely when ever I am thirsty but that is seldom now compaired to when we first came to the Coast, cocoa for breakfast, tea or coffee in the evening, bye the bye, the Commodore has given me 16 or 18 lbs of Coffee for you, it is not roasted it will therefore keep good a long time; I attribute my good health, under Providence in a great measure to the regularity of my bowels, and I recommend you, of all things in that respect to attend to yours and your childrens, if you attend to that and keep the pores free, I think, under the Almighty good you will have nothing to fear, endeavour as I said before to recollect the treatment in the New forest and the advice that I have frequently given you about them, you will find it for the best. do not kill them with kindness, do not be too angry with them if they come in with dirty shoes or soiled clothes if John is very tender let him have flannel next his skin. I suppose you have heard before this that we were at Assention last Feb. for a fortnight painting the ship the Col. told me that he had mentioned in a letter to Mrs. Nicholls that I was in good health. Mrs. Nicholls is very good in being so kind to you & she has my best thanks for her attention to you. I have given Hindle his Wife’s note, I believe it pleased him much. I am much pleased with Mary’s letter I am glad she is such a good girl
I have just received your letters No 10 12 & 13. I will answer them in my next
I remain My Dearest Wife
Your Most Affectionate
Husband
Thos. Waters