Green Hithe London River may [X]^[1]

Loving wife

I Received yours of the 11 Inst [X] To here you Received the ten pound by the [X]^[2] you Receive this I hope you have Received [X]^[3] sums of Eighteen pounds through the Ba[X]^[4] & A. Newes, paper, you will call on C[X]^[5] Hay of the Brig Flora, Aberdeen, [I][X] you will Receive a Parcel containing [X] of Prent for [Alexanderria]^[6] to make he[X]^[7] frok and whate is over will answer[X] & Ann but Alexanderina first ——

The Hand[s] is to bee paid to morro[X]^[8] sail in the evening on Mandy and to [X]^[9] Towed with Steam to the Orkneys [X] I have now Every thing on board and lef[X]^[10] London & Woolwich, cleane of every one not Due one farther and my stoke is 7 Shillings aven, —— I Sined the Books yesterdy about the Half pay, to bee paid at the Custom House Aberdeen it will bee sent by them to you [?] Payable about the 10^th Sept^r you may [X]end^[11] all with bee Right in Regard of the [X]lf^[12] Pay after you Receive the first Evey^[13] [X] days after — I Shall [Lave] no opper[X]ity^[14] in writing you, I hade a Letter yest[X]y^[15] from Aunty Edger Liverpool Mentioning [X] that David hase Fall on a pice of Timber [X] broke one of his Ribes, poor David—[X] one thing comes another, write a [X]^[16] lines to Liverpool, she mentions she [X]Still with Mrs Reid, you will Receive [X] chest with the city Steamer I thought [X]very straing John died not take it [X]th^[17] him, I wase note so uncind to him [X] might saved 4s6 or 3s Mrs Arguant.—[X]shed him to take it, but he sade a very [X]ad^[18] word ^&^ told [her] he would not take it. Loving wife, mind yourself Daeent you Trust to one of them for as soon as they can do for themselves they will never mind you nor me, you daeent see so much of the world as I see, Let them from Home, then the Chiefe [Part] of young men forgets there Parents and friends. Take all but give nothing mind this Take care of yourself & the three young Lasess they are not able to mind themselves, —

Mr. Bannerman & Mr Adam of the Paper caled on me on Sunday Last he[X] Looking well wase Quite Happy to see m[X]^[19] Looking so well we hade a glass of Be[X]^[20] Togeter in my Lodger House at wolwic[X]^[21] — I Called on the Mesrs Enderbys I [X] Mr George but not Charles nor H[X] I Forgot to mention the office th[X]^[22] My Life is insured [in] It is [X]^[23] Economic Life Insurans office Bridge[X] Blackfraier, but the Navy Ag[X]^[24] will put you all to Rights write h[X]^[25] you want any news about any [?] th[X]^[26] they are very fine Gentlemen

I write you again before we start good [vauye] keep your hart up about me we have a good Ship & strong and Sir John Franklin^[27] is a fore man and I Rely think all the officers is all fine young men — I am still sorry I did not bring you up to London you would saved your Passage mony to me at the same time you would hade the Pleasure of seeing the Ships there is no help for it now,

Remains
your Loving Husband
James Reid

J.R.

[1] From envelope: 17
[2] “time”
[3] “the”
[4] “Bank”
[5] “Captain” or a variety thereof
[6] May We Be Spared to Meet on Earth (Potter et al, 2022) has ‘Alexanderina’ for both, but it looks misspelled in the first iteration.
[7] “her”
[8] “to morrow”
[9] Likely missing a “be”
[10] “left”
[11] “send”
[12] “Half Pay”
[13] Meant to be “every”
[14] “Opportunity”
[15] “Yesterday”
[16] Possibly “few”
[17] “With”
[18] “Bad”
[19] “me”
[20] “Beer”
[21] “Wolwich”
[22] “that”
[23] Possible “the”
[24] Agents
[25] “him” + [unknown]
[26] “thing”
[27] There is an unreadable smudge between “Fra-“ and “nklin”
[28] Possible just “the”
[29] Likely “Devil”
[30] Could be “one” or “none”
[31] think

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