09 May 1794: Edward James Eliot to Mrs. Stapleton

My Dear Mrs Stapleton

You will I hope have received my yesterdays thanks and acknowledgements to Lady Chatham and yourself for your most successful exertions and very effectual assistance to my Troop of Fencibles, which I have therefore now only to repeat and add that you would certainly have received these before, if circumstances had not made it necessary for me to have a meeting with Sir Francis Basset and consequently carried me into the west of Cornwall from Tuesday morning to yesterday afternoon, in the cover of which interval both your letters arrived. I am affraid, I must also repeat what I have said about the additional Guinea, which would I doubt have a bad effect on the rest of the Regiment, and is too great a risk to be run, considering the natural disposition which two at least of our Troops (being Tinners) will probably set out with, and with regard to the ??? Guinea, it should be so contrived as to have the least possible appearance of its being an extra Bounty. The Pay will be about six shillings six pence (a little over or under) per week. Part of it will be paid every three or four days, the rest p[ai]d or accounted for, in the purchase of Necessaries for them; at short intervals, till the Regiment is form'd, they will have 9-1/2 pence per day, as that part, which is two pence every three or four days, and call'd subsistence: that part is, afterwards, not quite so much; but in proportion as they shall have bought more or less necessaries with their Bounty, what comes as the two pence payment, and is call'd arrears, will be more or less: in both cases: the necessaries wanting being as I said before purchased out of that fund (the arrears) by the name of offreckonings. There are however some old soldiers pensioned in and about Longport, whom Mr Mitchel can point out to you, who will be able to explain this better than I can. Maybach will be at Burton on Tuesday. I must stay till I can assemble my thirty men at Liskeard and put them into the hands of a Quarter Master. I expect him on Sunday or Monday; after that I shall make the best of my way to those at Burton, who I say it for the sake of honor, amount to more than I think I shall actually want, or there is in truth fair to take away from you and accordingly shall consider myself as very handsomely provided for by one half of the N you have offer'd. in the meanwhile not to have my dearest Little Girl [Harriet Hester Eliot] out of the question I desire you to thank her for her cockades as also Mrs Capper [Elizabeth Capper, governess to Harriet Hester Eliot, the writer's daughter], Mrs [?] Mrs Lewes etc etc

I remain
My Dear Madam
your affectionate H[umble] Ser[van]t
Ed J Eliot

Port Eliot May 9th 1794

*Original letter is part of the Eliot collection at the Cornwall Record Office.
Catalog reference: EL/B/4/3/10