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 myself in the Evenings, but on particular occasions or to be Complaisant to Strangers.  Nor [did I] ask Company to see me when on Guard; nor show a Vanity to treat people.  By which means I had a great deal of quiet and sober time to myself, to read and to write, &c., &c., especially as I always rose early in the Mornings.  You may believe also that I was always far from being concerned in any sort of Gaming so as to risk losing any of my money or to have a desire to gain any from others.  By such a Conduct I received more favour and regard sometimes from my Commanding officers even than I thought I was entitled to.

These monitions to Jack were written while his father was in Scotland in 1795.  There they separated, the father to return to Canada with Christine whose schooldays were now ended, Jack to go with his regiment to India.  In parting from his son the father pronounced a solemn benediction:  “that God may preserve you and assist you in following always that which is good and virtuous shall ever be my most earnest prayer.”  They never met again.  Jack continued to draw rather freely upon his father for funds, and Nairne wrote to the Colonel of the regiment