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Collections - Letters

Letters of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Bevan, 1804-1811.

Letter Number 46

Dated: 24th July 1810 from CB Ceuta
Addressed to Mrs C Bevan, Money Hill, Rickmansworth, Herts


I have this morning had the pleasure of receiving your letters by the last Packet, the latest of the 3rd July – I have also one from My Mother and from Caroline. I am most truly happy to receive such very good accounts of your health and of all our Boys. You have frightened my out of my wits about Mrs Shaw. What do you know to say – has she given you any reason by her conduct to write as you do about --?—daily. As to my Mother she knows nothing about her or about any thing belonging to her – And with regard to my good & worthy cousin I most firmly believe her to be too much good to give hopes for failure of which would justify --?--? herself – A pretty mess I shall have made of the Lt Colonelcy if your ideas had any foundation – As to that foolish woman who is so fond of chattering about what does not concern her – I shall most certainly strangle her if any thing arises from her folly – Enough on this subject – I know I shall have enough of it like I shall again of foie gras - It will get me full of the Blue Devils for a whole month – I shall most certainly write, and write often, to her – I am bound in gratitude to do this – As one part of your letter has a little damped my spirits, so has another given me much pleasure – For the plan only I --- of paying so much by per quarter or as you may feel it convenient – for I find some difficulty in getting advantageous Bills here to send you home – But I dare swear your good luck will allow you to be in her debt for a month or two – I do not think you ought to live in h(word torn out by seal) house now without contributing so (word torn out by seal) (something to?) the catering – because her income cannot be sufficiently large to keep pace with her generous ideas – Was it otherwise I have no false pride of a daughter being under obligation to a Mother.

I shall write to all my friends by the next Packet boat – I am very anxious to get this letter to you by this – Oh how I wish I was of your party – I am quite happy to find that no ill effects occurred from the fright you went through at poor Tom’s folly & God grant that none may occur – I am pretty well – now and then take one of my old friends but not so often as –

Poor little Charles! How I long to see him – Perhaps if I come home in the winter Dr Anderson or some body else would let us a house. For that time of the year, and perhaps very cheap – I have my fears that Money Hill will not do for Mrs Dacres in the winter – However I hope for the people there all things.

I hope you may get this letter pretty easily – The Commissioner/Lobb’s/boat is going over with it -- & it will be in time for the Packet – God Bless you my best friend I am ever Your C.B.






NOTES BY TRANSCRIBER

i) Caroline – CB’s elder sister
ii) Mrs Shaw – CB’s cousin from whom he had hopes of inheritance – and these somewhat obscure recriminations suggest that there may have been an unenthusiastic remark about her by Mary, or allegations about her by CB’s mother. Mention of his Lt Colonelcy makes one wonder if Mrs Shaw had funded the purchase
iii) Blue Devils – Seemingly CB had occasional fits of depression – and seems to have called these his “Blue Devils”
iv) Tom – CB’s younger son who had had an accident without much harm. ‘Charles’ – his eldest son
v) Anderson – elsewhere in the letters there is mention of this Doctor – not otherwise know
vi) Commissioner Lobb – Lobb not indentified – there was a Governor at Gibraltar but in Letter 44 CB had contacted the Commissioner and been offered his yacht to return to Ceuta

 

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