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to leave the helm for a few minutes I offered to steer take the management of it with an
air by which I endeavoured to shew him that I was the qualified for the charge. As I had before
let him know I had been used to the business he accepted my offer. He presently saw that he co
depend upon my management and when he came to resume his function he even did me the traordinary
honour to say "Why u steer quite so well als myself." Ever since that time I have
taken the helm when I please. This is an honour which no other of the passengers is admitted to.
you cant perhaps enter into the spirit of this amusement, but I assure you I find it very amusing
and instructive to: for I have am by means able to judge of some of the properties of this kind of Vessels much
better than I otherwise should. We have the finest weather now imaginable. The sea as smooth a
you ever see the Thames when there is any wind at all; but the wind is right against us and very lit
of it so that we shall scarcely get to the end of our Voyage before we have made out the week.
I now sometimes almost forget where I am going to and seem to think that I am sailing abo
for the pleasure of sailing only.
Monday
I have just been writing to my father and directed the letter to Imley Park. But
you may as well write to him too upon the receipt of this least it may be possible hi
letter might be delayed more than yours. I will write again to either you or him by
the next mail least any accident should happen to this. I will write to him through you
hands. When I write anything that I should wish any other of my friends should see,
may return you my letter in the weekly pa frank to Q.S.P.
The Stinks were very tollerable last night. The beds we lie on are stufft with a kind of
grain called buck wheet. I cant learn any reason for this but that if they should get wet
they would be sooner dry than if stuffed with feathers or flock. You will in that they are
as little elastic as possible but yet from the smallness of the grains and the ease with which
they move over one another they arrange themselves by your weight in such manner as to be
adapted to all the parts of your body. On this account as each part of your body is supported
by the part of the bed immediately under, the whole lower surface is in contact with the bed and
it is very easy and comfortable if covered by a blanket or something thick enough to prevent
you dict feeling the separate grains. If the crew on board a dutch vessel are not very brisk
they are very quiet no swearing and blustering nor any unnecessary word made use of.
Orders are quietly given never repeated except the person to whom they were intended to be given could
not hear them. They say a prayer which lasts about a minute before and after they eat each meal
The putting the hat before their face seems as necessary a part of their devotions as any: for I have
seen on the Crew at great pains to find his hat for this purpose and never saw either of them pray
without it. They make but 3 meals in the day and never have never eaten between meals. Their
breakfast is of Coffee or tea which they boil in a kettle and bread & butter which is cut
with great exactness all round the loaf. They butter one piece then put very thin slices of a
particular kind of cheese on it so as to cover the butter and then put another piece with great exactness
over it. This assemblage they cut into regularly into squares. They drink no sugar or anything
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Identifier: | JB/538/361/002 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 538.
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1779-08-28 |
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538 |
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361 |
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002 |
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Correspondence |
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Samuel Bentham |
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