Address:
M^rs Flinders
      Partney near Spilsby
            Lincolnshire

Annotation:
June 5^th             1806 N^o 26
1806

                                Wilhems Plains in the Isle of France Nov 20. 1805

    Thy dear letters of May 12 and June 14. 1805 I received, my best love, on Oct.
22. last, by a brig which arrived here direct from London: they were inclosed
with one from Sir Joseph Banks, one from my cousin Henny and sister Hannah
and one from my friend M^r Robertson, through whose obliging care they were
conveyed to my friend Pitot at the town of Port N.W. and from him to me.
What a relief did these letters bring to me! Since Sept. 1802 I had known
nothing of thee or any one of my relations; and my letters of that date
had told me of the death of my father dear father and of the miserable state
of thy health. I knew not what to fear. I was obliged to drive as much as
poƒsible all reflections that related to England from my mind, to avoid
being completely miserable; whereas now, I can dwell upon the domestic
scene my imagination continually raises with a solid and heartfelt
satisfaction. I know that I have still a beloved wife whose healthful frame is
agitated only by her sighs at my absence: She has no other distreƒses! Delight-
-ful flattering thought. And I now know also by these letters, that steps have
been taken to obtain my release, and that there is every prospect of their being
attended with succeƒs. I know also the situation of almost the whole of my
friends; unfortunate, indeed, some have been; but to know even that, is bet-
-ter than the tormenting suspence [sic] with which I have been racked these last
three years. Receive, my best beloved, my thanks for thy communications,
but especially for thy sweet aƒsurances of unaltered affection; and with
them receive my vows of constant unabated love: to love thee more
than I have done, and now do, I think cannot be, thou hast the sole
undivided poƒseƒsion of my heart.
    By the account of the letters thou hast received from me since
my confinement here, I see that my two first letters to M^r Tyler have
miscarried, the one dated Dec. 31. 1803 and the other April 14. 1804. They
were sent by French ships, and as I had not much hope of their arrival,
or if they should arrive, that they would be unopened, they were very
short and merely intended to let thee know where I was. There were two
other letters which had not arrived when thy last letter was written, the one
dated May 15.1805 and the other July 7. 1805, with a postscript in August.
This postscript was written from the town after I had obtained permiƒsion
to reside in this district. Two cartels had arrived from India which