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Amsterdam Septr 10th 1779.
It is but this instant that I have sent my last
to the post and I am beginning another.
The bells appear to be constantly chiming here. Every
half hour I believe they give us an air. Though I hate
ringing of bells in general this is rather pleasing.
you may remember I had a parcel from Dr Cogan to
carry to a Mr Du Bree a surgeon here. When I called
to deliver it du Bree was not at home. I had my Valet
de place with me and from him they learnt where I lodged
and by accident that I was coming sometime that afternoon
to Crop's & May's which is very near. They watched for
me as I heard afterwards and Mr du Bree stopt me as
I was coming away from Mr May's and invited me
in. I had not the least thoughts of there being any
letter in the parcel in which I was mentioned, but it
must have been so for He seemed wonderfully disposed
to shew me a civilities of all kinds and invited me to
dine with him the next day; I had had however two or
3 other invitations for that day but was engaged as I told
you in my last to go to spend it at Mr Munster's country house.
I asked him if there were any experiments in chemistry
or any other branch of Natural Philosophy going on
hereabouts. He told there were several people making
experiments on airs and that one a man of great
science had lately obtained a gold medal for his experiments
on that subject and that if I had the least wish for it he would introduce me to him
this was said with Our conversation was accompanied
with so much deference and humility on his part, that
though I determined to see this experimenter I could
not think either of them were men of much importance.
Sunday Afternoon.
From Mr Munster yesterday I learnt that Mr du
Bree is a philosophical man, a very able man in his
profession and a man very much esteemed. Munster also
offered to get me introduced to this experimenter, telling
me also that he was a man of great learning.
Munster himself studies Agriculture and his brother
and father have suceeded so well in the practice of it
as to convert 200 acres of the dryest sea sand you
can imagine into land capable of producing corn
and even great trees, and this without the addition of
any manure but what was produced by the vegetation
and rotting of the different plants which were made
to grow in it. I saw some of the k sand same kind
of sand in its original state, some with the kind
of plants in it which make the first step towards its
cultivation and some on which there were trees
growing as big as my thigh. If I had not been almost
an Idiot yesterday partly from my not being very well
I should have put such particular questions to him
as would have given me a much more perfect
idea than I have now of the process and all the
circumstances of the fact. I hope however to have
another opportunity of doing it.
Munster's grandfather was Embassador to England, and
his father was Burgomaster of Amsterdam.
This Munster is I believe the youngest of 3 sons, one of
whom has a much larger country house near his
and one in Amsterdam as well as he. another brother
is now on his travels & is now in Italy. Another brother
is lately dead and his widow has a house with a most
delightfull garden for this country in the english taste
near the 2 brother's. The family is one of the first
hereabouts. I was observing to him as we were driv we
were riding together in his chaise round about amongst
the country seats in his neighbourhood that I was
much surprised to see so few men servants about the
greatest houses either in town or country. He told me
he had often been struck with the great difference
was there was in this respect between the Dutch and
English. His brother he said lived at about the rate
of 4,000 £ a year and yet kept but one footman.
He had been used to keep 2 before he married but
though he married a lady of very good fortune
and with her got another house yet She wished
not to have so many Man Servants about the
house. They have 2 or 3 in the Stables to look
after the horses. This he said seemed to be the case
with all most of the ladies in this country. They are all
fond of having a great deal to do in the menage
of the family and they find women servants mor
orderly than men. I thoug should have thought that taken
Mr M Cornelis Munster to whom I was addressed
might for an under secretary in some office and
to have an income of about 2 or 300 a year out by which
he could just scrape pinch himself out of enough to
take a little house in the country during the Summer
and perhaps a one horse chaise to go backwards and
forwards in. This was the idea I first formed of him
and the oeconomyiesical appearance of the menage at
his country house seemed to confirm mye in that idea.
At first there was no man servant to be seen, afterward
a foot man appeared and upon looking into the Stable
I saw a Coach man 4 very fine looking long
tailed hor coach horses and 2 or 3 Carriages.
These I found all belonged to him and in speaking
of the expence of living in this country he told me
that in the very little way he lived he spent between
17 & 1800 £ a year. I got to his house to
Breakfast and dined with him at his Brother's.
He has a sister of about 19 who was of the party.
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Identifier: | JB/538/378/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 538.
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1779-09-18 |
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538 |
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378 |
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001 |
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Correspondence |
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Samuel Bentham |
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