From Thomas Waters Sr. to his wife Elizabeth Waters (August 3, 1831)

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

Addressed to Mrs Waters, 21 Mulgrave Place, Woolwich, Kent

H.M.S.Barham At Sea 3 August 1831

My Dearest love

You mentioned in your letter of the 18th Ultimo how disagreeable you found it to go to the saving-bank and having to wait an hour and then to be told you ought to have given notice, now I should recommend you when you again want money to send notice a fortnight before agreeable to the saving bank instruction, Joseph or any one else can carry it, and afterwards write out a request for the money and send by Joseph or perhaps Mrs.Baynham or some one else will be so kind as to take it and bring home the money for you, the same person will sign the receipt at the bank and you will have nothing further unpleasant to do. Mr.Wilson dined with the Capt. the day after I did and found him very agreeable and even facetious, the Capt. dined with us the sunday following, Mr W. did not this time absent himself from the table, although we are not very comfortable, yet I am in hopes we shall get on well enough, we have some good messmates- I think Mr.Chadwick’s answer to your letter very kind and satisfactory, I hope you will excuse my not having written to Mr C., it is not to throw the trouble on you, or to save myself, but I consider the property yours, and I wish you to act as if you consider it as such, I shall be happy my most Angelick love to assist you with my advice whenever you may think you need it, but do not think me unkind to you. I am sorry the children do not behave better, I cannot excuse their faulty conduct to such a good mother as you are, that they should harass you so much gives me great uneasiness, at the same time I am pleased that Mary makes herself useful to you, I hope she will be good, having such an example before her to imitate. I am happy to find you have less trouble with sweet Betsey, to see Benjamin playing with her I should be delighted. We are informed, we are to stay out untill the 12th Inst., so you had better send your next letter to Falmouth, as we still continue on the Cornish coast. Mr.Wilson resigned the catership the 25th ult. completely tired of it, and well he might, from the many difficulties he had to contend with, we have lost a good caterer, now we have none, and I do not know when we are likely to have one for I will have nothing to do with the management of the mess- We expect at the end of our cruise to return to Portsmouth. The squadron is termed “The Evolution Squadron”– When Mrs.W let her house, she parted with some things that she did not wish to carry with her for thirty shillings to the gentleman who took the house of her but when she left Woolwich she could not get a half-penny of the money 

I remain My dearest Love

Your Most Affectionate Husband 

       Tho? Waters