t of his own military
experience which dates from the mid-eighteenth century. He says to Jack:
"Say your Prayers regularly to God Almighty and trust entirely to His
Will and Pleasure for your own preservation.... If you should happen to
be in an engagement attend to your men, encourage them to act with
spirit in such a manner as most effectually to destroy their
enemy's."[14] When Jack is a little too free in his demands for money
the Colonel, writing on Nov. 22nd, 1795, tells him of his own
experience:

I have done wrong in having given you so much money since you went
into the Army which might have served you almost without any pay
from the King and which by the bye I can little afford. You
obtained it easily; for which reason I suppose you have spent it
easily: you have no right to expect more than I had at your age yet
you seem to regard twenty pounds as I would have done twenty
shillings. But you must now understand that twenty pounds is a
considerable sum to my circumstances they being straitened for the
Rank and the family which I have to support; therefore I have to
inform you that you are to draw no more Bills upon Mr. Ker nor upon
me without first obtaining his or my consent in writing for so
doing. It is no disgrace nor does it hurt the service (but quite
the contrary) for every officer and soldier to live within the
limits of the pay which Government has thought proper to allow
them. They are thereby more led to temperance, to improve
themselves by study, to mind their duty and how best to promote the
service of their country. I served sixteen years as a subaltern
officer in the army, made long sea voyages with the Regiment,
furnished myself with sea stores, camp equipage and every other
necessary equipments [and] my Father nor any Relation during that
time was never [put to] one farthing's expense upon my account.
Altho' I sometimes lost money in the Recruiting service I repayed
it by stoppages from my pay, was always present with the men
whether in camp or in Garrison and punctually attending on my Duty.
I endeavoured to be in a good mess for my Dinner, drank small Beer
or Water when it was good; when the Water was bad qualified it with
a mixture of Wine or Ginger or Milk or Vinegar but no grog or
smoking tobacco. I was always an enemy to suppers, never engaged
m