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Rotterdam Sept 1st 1779 Black lion Inn.
Paper
Another advantage of this sort of paper is that it will suffer
less by being doubled up or rumpled. It will bear to be folded up
in different forms without wearing to pieces so soon in the pocket.
Sword-hook.
Perhaps it was sent to Greensill's with the Sword but not
returned with it. If you find it do send it me. There
may be time to send that & other things to Hamburgh in the
parcel Lindgren is to send me.
It was near 6 o'Clock when we set out from Hellvoetsluys
for this Place. We had half a dozen different accounts
of the distance; some making it 11 or 12 miles others 25 or 26.
Our equipage consisted of a Phaeton and a Waggon. It would
have cost you some consideration from the general appearance
of these 2 Vehicles to have determined which was which. They
had each 2 horses, 4 wheels, and no springs at least none
of Steel: the Pa body of the Phaeton was connected with the Carriage
by thick leather straps which yielded a little to the Jolts. It
was to hold 6 people upon 3 seats arranged in the same manner
as in our long Greenwich coaches. As there were 7 of us
I chose to sit on the seat with the coachman, that I might
see more about me and be sure of being in the open air, as
well as that I might observe the manner of guiding or rather
steering the carriage: the contrivance for this purpose is
very strange, requires a great degree of dexterity and a stant
attendance and at the same time I should not
to trust to it where it was necessary to keep
a foot or two. The Steersman was very near
the carriage over into the River as he was driv
into a ferry boat. It is absolutely impossible
to get out of these carriages without rubbing
against the wheel. They drive however faster than
I expected and keep the same pace in all sorts
of roads except theyat they mend their pace as they pass
through a Village.
Desiderata
Things to be sent if you have an opportunity to Hamburgh
or to Petersburgh are 1st Sword-hook. 2. 2 Cakes
of patent Shoe blacking. 3. Remind Nairne of his
Delineator experiment. 4 A tin of Burkitt's tooth Powder.
5. My things from Blamires. 6 One of the set of
Curvators from Mrs Ramsden's. The other set is for Lindgren.
Send me bills of every thing you send me.
Mr Raikes you know promised to take charge of
any parcel to Petersburgh.
We passed along 2 sides of the Dockyard the walls of which
are so low where there were any that I could see every
part of it as we rode along. There seemed nothing at all
going on which was worth examining, so that in short the greatest
satisfaction I had was that from seeing so much of it was the
persuasion that there was nothing worth seeing in it. There
were no Ships at all building. There were several Ships
of the line & Frigates to rigged and to all outward appearance
ready for sea lying in the harbour. I should have liked much
to have gone on board some of them, but as Mr Strachan's
friend was not at home I could had no means of making
acquaintance by which I could have got permission to do it without
staying a day or two for that purpose and quitting my
company, which was not worth while since there are other and
a greater variety of Ships at Amsterdam.
Our journèe seemed to be entirely directed by my Dutch friend
Strachan & Decourt with respect to the way we were to go as well
as the means of conveyance, yet somehow or other it was very
ill managed. In the first place the going by land was very
not so pleasant and much more expensive than it would have
been by water. On the other it was more expeditious and
they were in a hurry. 2. We did not pass through either
the Brill or Delft, but 2 or 3 villages which were pretty
ugh but in which there was nothing remarkable.
d to pass 2 rivers or canals which we did in a
kind of flat bottomed barge which held both our carriag
It was a fine moonlight night and though we
to go at the rate of 5 miles an hour we did not arrive
the Toll house till after 12 o Clock. When we were here we were in sight of Rotterdam where
ut had a long passage to make over the River to get to it.
There was no entering the City at that time of night but
as it were by stealth in some private manner, and our baggage
could not get in by the same means. The company in general
wished to get over that night as indeed they could have no hopes
of getting beds where they were there being but about ½ a dozen
houses and not above one inn. We knocked the people up
unloaded our baggage and as there were 2 very good beds, I
preferred the bird in hand and offered to stay and take care
of the baggage my friend Strachan promising to come over the
next morning early to attend me. My friend Decourt as he
was going the next morning early to Dort and had no particular
business at Rotterdam staid with me. We eat some hung
beef and coarse brown bread & butter which is exceedingly good,
drank nearly a bottle of weak red claretty wine and were
very well pleased with our lodging I nev had not before undressed
myself to go to bed for above a week. I believe
I did not tell you in my last that in coming ashore from
our Vessel we were stopt by the tide for about ½ an hour
in which time I went in to the water upon a fine sandy
shore had a charming wash & swimm and put on changed
my cloaths from top to toe.
In the morning between 7 & 8
comes Strachan's Landlord whom he had sent to my assistance as
he himself was too much fatigued. Decourt set off for Dort
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Identifier: | JB/538/367/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 538.
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1779-09-03 |
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538 |
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367 |
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Correspondence |
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Samuel Bentham |
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