Collections - Letters
Letters of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Bevan, 1804-1811.
Letter Number 12
Dated 26 June 1807 from CB at Dambury Addressed to Mrs
Charles Bevan, Vice Admiral Dacres, Bursledon, Nr Southampton, Hants
I yesterday, my ever dearest Mary, received your two letters. They had
been unaccountably delayed at the Maldon Post Office, and although this
delay annoyed me, still I did not impute the length of time I was
without hearing from you to any other cause than the one it has turned
out was the case as I knew that had illness unfortunately prevented
you from writing I should have had a line from some one of your family,
& rely much too sincerely on your punctuality in writing to imagine for
a moment that my (illeg) could arise from that cause But now I have
received your letters I am comfortable, at least as much as I can be
without the beloved society to whom I now naturally look for all comfort
and happiness. Poor little Charles cannot wish half as much as I do
that I was yours and his playfellow I most earnestly wish we were
embarked & on our passage to our destination, wherever that may be. We
now go out every morning about eleven oclock for two or three hours
which in this extremely hot weather quite knocks one up for the
remainder of the day; we are just now returned from one of these
expeditions, & the weather as hot as the West Indies. And I feel as lazy
as a Creole I see by the papers that Lord Cathcart has taken leave of
the King previous to his going to the Continent, so I suppose we shall
very soon be off as the sooner we go the sooner we shall return at
least one soon begins to look forward to a return after a very short
stay from all our best friends; & all that we best love. I delivered
your message to Paterson who begs I will offer his best remembrances
Major Ibbetson who has just joined the Regt always enquires very
particularly after you, hes just as much of an old woman as ever but
very good natured & gentlemanlike therefore pleasant. The history of my
life at present is easily told Get up about Eight, Breakfast dressing
hair fills up the time like Pomade; then an excursion takes about two or
three hours, then rest till dinner after dinner parade; & after that
go to bed as soon as I can. Generally about half past nine or ten.
Sometimes play a game of cricket but these morning d(illeg) have put a
stop to that, which I am not sorry for as it is almost too hot for such
violent exercise. The Mess now consists of nearly 30. You may suppose
not the pleasanter for being so numerous.
I intend to write to our Cousin Shaw before we sail I hope she will
write to you. My Mother I conclude or Julia have written to you before
this time I do not know what their intentions are for the summer,
Julia talks but my Mother is not determined I think it will be a pity if
they lost the chance of (illeg) themselves with a house in Town during
the empty months. But that is you will say no business of mine. So God
Bless you & our dear Boys Give my best love at home God be with you
dear, dear Mary I am always your affectionate and faithful
Charles
NOTES BY TRANSCRIBER
i) Regt preparing for expedition and went to Copenhagen 2 Sept to
seize fleet before Napoleon could do so
ii) Cathcart General and 1st Earl son of 9th Baron Cathcart, began at
the Bar but joined Army, 1803-05 C in C Ireland, 1807 commanded
Copenhagen force
iii) Ibbetson Does not appear in Regimental lists in Cadell or
Branigan or in Blakeney
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