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The Flinders papersletters and documents about the explorer Matthew Flinders (1774-1814)
 
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Letter from Matthew Flinders to Ann Flinders (20 of 41) (FLI25) Page 1


Address:
Mrs Flinders
      Partney near Spilsby
            Lincolnshire


Annotation:
June 5th             1806 No 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 Mr 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 Mr 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


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Related people
Chappelle (Flinders), Ann
Banks, Sir Joseph
Flinders, Henrietta
Flinders family
Pitot, Thomas
Tyler, (Reverend) William
De Caen, Charles Mathieu Isadore
D'Arifat
Franklin family
Franklin, John
Lound, Sherrard
Flinders, Samuel
Tyler, Isabella (Belle/Bell)
Standert, A.
Flinders, Matthew

Places
Partney
Spilsby
Ile de France (Mauritius)
Spalding

Words and phrases
Cartel
Parole
Dragoons

Related Documents
Other documents written by Flinders, Matthew

Other documents received by Chappelle (Flinders), Ann

Other documents written in 1805