All your friends, my dear Henry, join in affectionate remembrance to you and Tom; and sincerely wishing you health and happiness, believe me to remain, dearest Henry, your truly affectionate sister,
Eleanor.
Addressed—
Brigade-Major Smith,
2nd Light Brigade,
Light Division,
Portugal.
Pd. 3/
Letter II. Endorsed—“19^{th} August, 1813. The last letter my dear Mother ever wrote to me. She died on the 12th December, 1813, Sunday.—H. G. Smith.”
Whitta, Augst 19, 1813.
My beloved Childn,
What words shall I find sufficiently expressive to congratulate you upon yr great escape from the great perils and dangers you have been exposed to, where so many of yr brave countrymen have fallen? But to God alone must the praise be given, who has preserved you both, I hope to be an ornament to yr country and a blessing to yr friends, and may God Almighty of his infinite mercy still hold his protecting Arm over you both, and may we never lose sight of him, and have always his goodness in our sight as never to neglect our duty for his great mercies towards us at this time and all others.
This, my dear Harry, is an anxious time, and, tho’ we have not a Lettr from you, by the Gazette we know that you are safe.
As for Tom, I think he never intends to write to eithr of us again, but I am proud to hear of him from you as being so brave a fellw, and hope to have Lettrs by the next dispatches. We can make every allowance for not hearing from you at this time, as indeed you must be so much ingaged, but pray write whenever you can, and indeed it is one of my greatest comforts.