[Thomas Waters. R.M.. to his wife.Elizabeth]
Addressed to Mrs Waters, 21 Mulgrave Place, Woolwich, Kent
1 H.M.S.Barham off Plymouth 31 Oct. 1831
My Dearest Love
Your philosophick reasoning does credit to your understanding considering you are so young in years and your early education but very moderate, however, you are endeavouring, I am happy to say, to make up for the deficiency through your good sense. I hope our children will reap the full benefit of your wisdom. Do not fail, dearest love, to make me acquainted with your thoughts as they occur. I think you must be convinced by this time of my solicitude for your happiness, and I can best contribute to it by a knowledge of your wishes. Although I may at times perhaps appear to act contrary to them, yet, I think you will imagine my judgment to be more mature than yours, and consider that I look to the result rather than to any immediate comfort. With respect to the money, why it may be a loss to me as well as to you, and those who are acquainted with my miserly disposition, will suppose that I shall feel it at least as much as you, but then that very disposition makes me anxious to economise what I have remaining, that is to say my happiness, and not throw that away after the money. If I cannot get what, perhaps, I have lost, I will at least endeavour to reserve what I have not lost and by that means I may possibly in time get more. Hope is a friendly companion, if it is not misused. John’s timidity will wear away in time, and he will have more confidence, I have no doubt; I hope he is a good boy. I hope you received the two or three books I sent by coach the 27th Oct.- Some of the Lords of the Admiralty were on board on the 28th, and on the 29th Oct. we sailed from Spithead, after having received on board Sir Walter Scott and a son who is a major of Hussars, and a daughter of his; I understand he has a son and daughter besides those who are with him, we are not a little proud at having such an illustrious passenger on board, he is very lame and can but with difficulty walk, he requires to be helped up and down stairs, he has had, I believe, an apoplectick attack, he cannot, when walking, bring his right heel to the ground, he is a stout, mild, benevolent looking man, no way distant, very thankful for any little attention paid him, his age, I should think, about sixty, he is a widower; we are glad to get round him when he comes on deck, where he sits down with a classical book in his hand and his spectacles on; he lives, of course, with the Captain, indeed, it was His Majesty who offered Sir Walter a passage to Naples in the Barham when it was made known to him that Sir Walter intended …… ; I had the pleasure of being invited in company with him at the Capt’s table the day after he came on board but was sadly disappointed for within two minutes after sitting down to dinner he was obliged to retire from the table in consequence of a slight degree of sea-sickness which prevented him from returning to the table for that day; his hair is white; his features are not handsome; any person who has once seen him will easily recollect him, I should suppose an artist would find it easy to take a correct likeness of him, and I am told there are some very good likenesses of him in the print shops; he wears a blue cloth scotch bonnet-
I remain dearest Wife
Yours Most Affectionately
Thos. Waters