[Thomas Waters, R.M., to his wife, Elizabeth]
Addressed to Mrs. Lt. Waters R.M., Mulgrave Place, Woolwich, Kent
No 14 H.M.S. Maidstone Sierra Leone 28 May 1826
My Dearest Love
I hope your mind by this time, is pretty well relieved from anxiety on my account and that you are convinced I am not disposed to neglect you, no one can be more anxious to make his Wife happy than I am, I must say I was very much astonished at being so long without receiving a line from you but I am now satisfied and shall continue so if I can but get a letter every three or four months. I perceive by your letter that John is getting better. I hope he will continue to improve I should be sorry to lose him. I am glad Mary Joseph and Thomas are quite well, pretty little dears I should like much to see them.
I am sorry you were not very well when you wrote but I hope by this time you are recovered. I perceive by your letter that you get an annual remittance from Mr. Sillfant, which is all right. You mention that the men’s wives get rings, beads, shells etc. from their husbands, it may be so, but you should consider my dear our circumstances, my mess costs me between forty and fifty pounds a year, a small debt I owed my agent before I left England, and I never passed myself of to you as rich, therefore, you must know it requires all my carefulness to support our respectability and I trust in Providence I shall support it, as it is the duty, both of you and me, more particularly for our children’s sake, as for shells good ones are not to be had on this coast, at ascension they are met with from the India ships, the beads are brought here from England, rings I cannot afford to buy and money I allow you all I can consistent with our mutual dignity. We must not suffer ourselves to be dazzled with trifles, therefore, I hope you are above such baubles, if we ever get rich we shall be able then to please our fancy, as for the men they have no mess to support, they can earn a little money over and above their pay by their industry, some part of which they very properly send to their families and I am very much pleased they do so, and such shells as they can pick up I suppose they send also, for myself I leave you to judge of my affection by your own — You wish to know how I would like to go to ascension for six years, not at all, I hope to get my promotion before I visit foreign parts again and any remaining subalterns tours would be of no use to me. I must serve abroad as Captain before I am entitled to sea-credit for that rank and I am at a loss to know how our children are to be educated at Ascension, books we may carry with us but how are we to procure instruction for their plain Arithmetic, they must have a better education and so much lost time cannot be regained, besides enervating them by a tropical climate, a subaltern has only one room with a small top over it, to which you ascend by a ladder. Your dwelling placed in the midst of a sandy hill and plain the sea at the front the Mountains in the rear perfectly open excepting its being joined by other houses you may go miles without seeing the least sign of vegetation, no market to go to, every thing served out according to your share and nothing more. in short you can form no conception of the place it looks like a wild Chaos, with the exception of the small open mountain in the midst of the Island, the rest is all barren. Col. Nicholls is doing all he can for the improvement of the Island and I have no doubt in the course of years it will become a respectable place but for the present think yourself happy where you are. I am much delighted to find John is getting better fast and that Thomas Joseph and Mary and yourself are very well make my best regards to your Family and believe me ever my dearest Love Your Most Affectionate Husband I perceive by your letter just received dated first of March that your Sister is no more it must be distressing to you but it must be what you have been long expecting. she must have suffered great affliction. it may therefore be said that she is relieved from misery in this world to dwell with the Righteous in the next. I was afraid on seeing the black edge of the paper that it was my poor Boy I am happy to find is wrong. I am very sorry you are not well you must have had a great deal on your mind but I hope and trust in the Almighty all will be well at last
You are right in writing to Mr. Sillifant for 10 pounds I believe we have some prize money due but I do not know when we shall get it. Hindle is not very well at present but I hope he will be in a day or two. I remain My Dearest Love
Yours most truly
and affectionately
Thos. Waters