From Thomas Waters Sr. to his wife Elizabeth Waters (February 10, 1832)

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

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

4 H.M.S.Barham Napoli 10 Feb. 1832

My Dearest Love

Your letters of Oct. and Nov. gave me infinite pleasure, greater than I can express, but, I think, not greater than you can imagine, if I may rely on your expression of feelings, and I am sure I may, when you receive a letter from me; my sweetest love what a happiness it will be, under Providence, when we meet again in health, to think, we meet to part no more. may the Almighty watch over you my sweetest love and make our children the delight of your life. I am delighted to find that my small parcel gave you pleasure, the value of it I own was trifling, I wish I could have afforded one more worthy of your acceptance but I thought you would feel gratified, even, with such a trifling remembrance, knowing that it came from my heart, and I am happy in not being mistaken- I am glad that you have received a letter from my Sister, make my love to her when you write again; I believe I did not tell you I wrote to her last summer, imagining it would be soon enough when I received her answer, and as she did not write, I conceived you would be hurt at her apparent indifference, therefore, I said nothing to you about it, although I must own that I thought she would write to you, or call on you, one time or another, from not getting a letter from her myself, for I am confident that her nature is not unkind, on the contrary her disposition is generous and independent; the disturbances, so disgraceful, at Bristol, an account of which I have read in the public papers, must have given her great uneasiness, I hope she was not a material sufferer from the outrageous conduct of the mob, I dare say you would be happy to see her, should she be inclined to pay you a visit, and desirous to make her comfortable as long as she might be disposed to remain with you. I am glad you have got your remittance from Mr. Sillifant, better late than never but I do not like you to feel distress at any time; I hope you find some comfort in being able to get a small supply from the saving Bank, when you are in want of money- Hindle wished to send his wife a sovereign but as he did not know how to remit it but at great expense, I told him to let me have it and I would request you to pay Ann a sovereign, therefore, if it will not put you to much inconvenience I shall be glad if you will do it and I will endeavour the beginning of next year to send you a small draught, our mess has been rather expensive, it is more moderate now. 6th On going into a church I saw an old man, who appeared to be the grave-digger, with his lad fitting a coffin to the grave; the grave, which was about three feet and half in depth, was too short, and after trying various way, in vain to get in the coffin, not being willing I suppose to move any more of the pavement they procured an old saw and began cutting and tearing away one end of the coffin making the first piece they got off serve as a hammer; after sawing and hammering and hammering and sawing for some time, shaking the coffin almost to pieces, one of them went for a more skilful sawyer who succeeded at last in shortening the coffin two or three inches, which contained the corpse of a man, one of whose feet was quite exposed, the other foot was wrapped up in a piece of white cloth, stained through with blood; probably the poor creature had met with some accident which caused his death; after putting back some carpenter’s shavings that had fallen out, and without fastening on the board, which indeed was broken to pieces, at the end, they succeeded in forcing the coffin into the grave, and then with a kind of hoe, and an old hand basket, for shovel they had none, commenced drawing the relicts of humanity, among which was no lack of skulls, earth etc. into the last depository prepared for the dead. the mode, to me, was so novel, and in a catholick church, that I looked on with the greatest attention, for, I suppose, a quarter of an hour, 11th sailed. 14th arrived at Napoli de Romania. Your letter of the 3rd Jan^y. I received the 4th Inst. By all means keep your house in Rochdale insured. You will do well to remove the boys from Mr. Dixon’s school- I am just recovering from an attack of liver complaint. The mail is made up in London about the first tuesday in every month, therefore it will be as well to send your letter away by that time otherwise it will remain in the Post Office untill the following month- I remain my Dearest Wife, with love to my children, I hope they are good, your most affectionate Husband

Tho^s. Waters