JB/538/229/001

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Let it be understood that you neither court
danger (when it can be of no use) nor fear it, when it can be of use.

If there are men enough, there can
be of no use in your taking a job out
of the hands of a man who from strength
or habit will be acknowledged to be is likely to do it better than
yourself.

You have two objects - improvement &
curiosity. The business you have there is either
as a Shipbuilder or as an ordinary
spectator - you have nothing to do there merely
as a sailor

As a Shipbuilder, your business is, I
suppose to keep an eye to the accidents
that may happen during the course of the
cruize and the engagement, with a view
to the considering whether any of them could
be in any degree obviated by a difference
in the construction &c of the vessel.

As a Shipbuilder there may be occasions
for aught I know, in which it might
answer to yourself and to public for
you to expose yourself — As a spectator it surely
can not be expected of you; it could answer
neither to yourself nor to the public. As a sailor
it can not unless from some very particular circumstance answer to the public, because
you would only take place of a better man: nor
to yourself, since in that line you could not
expect to rise.

Out of all this I should think you might
extract matter to discourse upon. Whatever
you say on these subjects let it be with as
much sang froid ease and unconcern as
possible.

You may ask your Commander whoever
he is in an easy chearful manner and as it were for the frolic's sake whether
he can find nothing for you to do? - that you
dont suppose you can be of much use, but
that for your part "you dont much like the thought
"of sitting idle and unexposed while so many better
men or (if you are particularly intimate with him)
"while he" is working and exposed. There is little fear of

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of his accepting your offer for the frolic's sake; if
he does there is no help: for you must make the
best of it. Consider there was not a single officer
killed in the last engagement which was a pretty
hot one.

Whatever reasons you may have for declining
danger, endeavour to find them
out and to suggest them in conversation
as long before the danger happens as possible, that
they may appear to be the result of reflection
not of fear.

I forgot in my last to tell bid you desire
the Surgeon if you are killed, to cut off your
hair as close as he can, and give it me —
If I cant have both, of the two I would
rather have your hair than your heart.

Identifier: | JB/538/229/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 538.
Date_1	1778-08-27	Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	538	Main Headings
Folio number	229	Info in main headings field
Image	001	Titles
Category	Correspondence	Number of Pages
Recto/Verso		Page Numbering
Penner	Jeremy Bentham	Watermarks
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number
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