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3 told me. That it was true there were established some
new laws relate of relating to Bankrupts the Bankrupt
laws had been lately new modelled, and that they had done
him the honour to consult him in the business and
that the honour he considered as much the greater as they
had consulted nobody else in Amsterdam though he was
but an Englishman. As to the work itself he will give
it me I believe. He first gave them hints with respect
to what was wanting, and afterward had the correcting
of it. In short it looks as if the greatest part of
the substance of it was his. The old bankrupt laws
had been made about 100 years ago. He had collected
the English French and German bankrupt laws to
take from each what he thought proper. Upon his
mentioning this I asked him for the titles of the French
& German works which he had made use of. He could
not however tell them me, and the books themselves are
not now in his possession, but he says you may be
sure of having them by sending giving the same order which
he did in each of these countries, which was "The
Bankrupt laws according to the latest establishments".
The German ones he got at Hamburgh.
I asked him about a work if there was any collection of
the Amsterdam laws in general to be had. He says they
are contained in a work consisting of 2 or perhaps by this
time 3 folio Volumes entitled the Handvesten. This
contains all the laws & regulations respecting each
particular trade as well as the criminal law.
About 6 or 7 years ago there was a nest of Jews here
who contrived not only to send out Ships to sea after
having insured them over & over again in different countries,
agreeing with the Captain at the same time to sink the Ship
but they also contrived to insure Ships which never
existed and get the insurance money by bringing
all the proofs of their having been lost. The detecting
these men was a piece of business left to this most
extraordinary of men and so much was his assistance
thought necessary that the Court who had the examination
of these people contrived to put him in such a situation
as that he could hear every thing and even see without
being himself seen by anybody: and they referred to him
for advice through the whole proceedings. With the
greatest difficulty and after having been very near giving
it up 2 or 3 times so artfully was the plot concerted
He at last they were at last detected, and are have now
been working since that time in the Rasp or houses.
This man appears by to be looked up to by everybody
here as Omniscient. With respect to these branches which
I have talked with him upon, he appears to me to be the
greatest Natural Philosopher I have ever conversed with.
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4H I have seen nothing the least visionary about
him. I have all the reason to believe he is
of the greatest Astronomers & Mathematicians we h
He has a Pla Cometarium of his own making
of which I believe there is not above 2 or
3 in Europe. with all this I have not been able
to discover any one prejudice in his judgement
though he is I dare to say he is considerably more
than 60 years of age.
Notwithstanding all this he is in a great way of
business as a Merchant and is remarkable for his
attention to his business, Sunday afternoon
is the only time he has for his Studies sometimes
for a long time together unless it be after supper
But all the 3 brothers have spent all their leisure
time from the age of 15 or 16 to that of 60 in
their different favorite Studies. Now if you allow
him one day out of a week that he has taken
by adding all the ½ hours together you will find
it amount to nearly 9 whole years in which
man may certainly do a great deal.
From everybody account except Sr Jesh Yorke's I had reason
to expect he would be very reserved to me, but
have never found anybody more communicative.
The best tables of Longitude were done under his
direction Eclipses Comets &c he has calculated
ever since he was 20. Yet I had talked with
him a great deal about physics and
had both of us abused Mathematicians a little
I had the least suspicion of his being so great
a one. He is the reasonable mathematician, the
man of all men I should wish to meet with if
he were but about 40 years younger, for for he
cannot have passions strong enough now to induce him to take much. However
his not being disposed to turn his knowledge to
any account himself may make him the more communicative
to me. I believe he himself and
certainly he & his brothers together understand m
of the Theory of Shipbuilding in all its branches
than any body I have ever heard of. He has
that knowledge which I suspected Chapman may
have. I would have will ask him more abou
law & law books but I grudge spending him ab
in that way, on your account.
Job May was brought up a Shipwright and has
a private yard of his own: but I believe now that
he leaves the greatest part of the business to some
partner for he spends has been used to spend for
many years past ½ the year the winter in Hol
England and the summer in Holland.
I don't know as yet what he does in London,
but except that he has his own & his Brother's
business with the Navy Board to manage with which they
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1779-10-06 |
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538 |
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384 |
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Correspondence |
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Samuel Bentham |
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