From Thomas Waters Sr. to his wife Elizabeth Waters (August 14, 1836)

[Thomas Waters, R.M., to his wife, Elizabeth]
Addressed to Mrs Waters, King Street, Woolwich, Kent

Stodman Street Newark 14th Aug^t 1836

My Dearest love

Your letters of the 2nd & 12th of August came to hand, I am glad to find you had not to wait long for your Money from Coombe – You do right to write to me when you are in trouble, for although
I can do nothing to assist you out of it, yet by unburdening yourself to your Husband, who you know feels for you, my own best life, and would gladly relieve you from all your trouble, it may tend to relieve your mind, and in some measure mitigate your sorrow, therefore, continue to write, my own best comfort, every uneasy thought of your mind and I will attend with my utmost wish for your good and relief, I may not answer your Letters as often as you may wish, but I hope you will excuse your ever faithful and attached Husband-Joseph poor boy! it is a new thing to him, I dare say at times he hardly knows what he is about, but I trust he is in a great measure reformed and that he will make a dutiful son to his mother and an affectionate brother to his brothers and sisters, it seems to me that he has a good stout heart, he showed a very natural feeling of tenderness on parting from you which I admire, and that he will have perseverance in the right way to get on, Please the Almighty to spare him his Health; tell him from me that he has my most hearty
Blessing and I pray the Almighty to bless him and to make him a Man of Probity, honour and Truth and may you my Love live to see him what I wish him to be, and may his brothers and sisters always have the Almighty’s blessing on them, it is the richest endowment that can be possessed-  I cannot think how it is that Joseph gets no victuals in the ship, I suppose it is in the Captain’s agreement to find them, and besides I suppose that the people working aboard get some, and therefore he would also, even a bit of biscuit in his pocket would be of some use; as to his work, there is always a great deal to do when a ship is fitting out, and it will be all the better for him, it is a fine opportunity, to learn, particularly to stow the Hold, but when he once gets to sea, an Indian voyage is a very indolent one to much so by a great deal unless he has the good sense, then, to endeavour to improve his mind, which I could wish him much to do; I wish him by all means to make himself acquainted with Merchants’ Accompts, it is a most useful study and may be of great help to him in after life, Mercantile affairs are what he must expect to rise by, and he can make but little progress if he should be ignorant of Accompts; I am glad the Captain finds him useful, as that is the way to rise, where he is the first to be serviceable and the last to be idle or of no importance – I feel thankful to Mr. Lafargue for his kindness to Joseph make my warmest acknowledgments to him – As for John and Thomas I do not know what to say about them with respect to their school; suppose you consult Mrs. Nicholls or Miss Nicholls, perhaps they will consult with Mr. Lafargue who of course is a good judge of what is best to be done, or where is the best school to send them, and you might also if you thought proper speak to Mr. Barry and say that if it was inconvenient for him to attend to them, you would be glad if he would recommend to you some instructor that could and would do them justice; if any other plan occurs to you which you could feel satisfied with, I wish you by all means to adopt it, be assured I shall concur in everything that can tend to make you and the children happy – I cannot help thinking you have succeeded admirably in settling Joseph aboard Ship, and it appears, from him, to his content to [too], which must be a very great satisfaction to your mind – I was wandering, two or three Sundays ago in the morning among the graves in a Country Churchyard about two miles from Newark when the fine toned church clock struck six, my attention was drawn to a verse on one of the Tombstones taken from the forty-first Chapter of Isaiah tenth verse which I trust will harmonize with your present feelings, indeed on referring to the Sacred Volume I found that it was only the first part of the verse that was on the stone, but the whole verse you will find beautiful- My kindest and most affectionate regards to all my children I remain my dearest Wife yours

ever truly

      Tho^s. Waters

Living is as dear here I think as at Woolwich with the exception of milk, which is poor and small measure, Coal and perhaps House rent; I have given five-pence half-penny the quartern loaf ever since I came here, for washing they charged me a penny the Night cap, and fourpence for duck trowsers; shoes and wearing apparel are dearer than with you

My hussive [small sewing kit, aka housewife] I believe I came without for I could not find it when a button was wanted in a pair of drawers and another in a shirt, indeed one of my shirts is very much worn and will not do again without much mending, Hindle thinks it has been one of Joseph’s-