[Thomas Waters. R.M., to his wife, Elizabeth]
Addressed to Mrs Waters, King Street, Woolwich, Kent
Newark 21st August 1836
Dearest Love
I just write you a few lines, (by Corp1. Wright who goes up with a recruit and will bring any letter back,) to say that I am quite well and hope that you and the children are also, I have had two recruits since I came here, but one an Irishman deserted and the other an Englishman is becoming troublesome and threatens to desert. I have therefore sent him off, or rather am going to send him off tomorrow, for Head Qrs. to prevent if possible his putting his threats into execution; I do not expect to make my fortune by this service, my aim is to lose as little as I can by it, I have had a hundred bills printed which cost me 18/s and since that, the standard has been lowered an Inch and half, it has cost me 3/s more to have them altered that is to say those that were not circulated, then there is the expense of sticking the bills up in the different towns and large villages in my district, it cost me a shilling for sticking up a dozen or fourteen in this town, then there is an occasional half crown towards Music at fairs, and their are other occassional expenses trifling in themselves yet mounting to something considerable in the course of a year, these are expenses which I think an Officer employed on this service is called upon to bear, some perhaps would say there is no need, but I think that those who are without zeal will neither benefit themselves or any one else, for my part, if I can get recruits I will, although at a tolerable risk and with chance but of little profit, at the same
time I shall not neglect economy, as far as circumstances will admit, so necessary with small incomes, and not needless to a certain extent with large ones. I cannot manage my new steel pens
to my satisfaction notwithstanding the blue ink which I use, I can do very well with a new pen for a short time but I do not think it lasts long enough to make a saving in using them in preference
to quill pens, that is to say I cannot get the steel pens to let down the ink after a little while but with great difficulty, indeed I do not think the Ink is very good for it is become very mothery in the stone bottle as well as in the glass stand, it appears to me to corrode the pen for I cannot write well with it
the second day- I am not at all pleased with Mr. Spurge with respect to my Watch, I gave it him for the purpose of rectifying the regulater and paid him half a crown for the same, it gains now as much as it did before and rather more, and I cannot move the regulater to check its time- I think living is about as dear here as at Woolwich, excepting milk, which is very poor that we buy and small measure, and coals and perhaps house-rent, bread is 5 1/2 d the Quartern, almost every house has its oven and brews its own beer and every Innkeeper however small brews his own. The Millers and maltsters appear to be the chief men of business here, together with the Ironfounders, there is no weaving to speak of excepting a single linen factory, the country is very level and fertile growing immense quantity of corn and feeding a vast quantity of cattle, there is continual travelling through the town to all parts of the Kingdom, the Bread is excellent, we have but a poor Fish market, poultry is not particularly plentiful excepting Pigeons, neither have we any great show of fruit- I have just got a recruit brought in from Lincoln, which I also send off to Head Qrs with the other. I remain My Dearest Wife with Love to Children,
Yours Affectionately
Thos. Waters