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The Prince of Meclenburg our Queen's brother has a
great deal of excellent Timber for Masts as well as
Oak timber, and he would feign send it to England
but it must pass through the King of Prussia's
dominions, and he wont let it without paying a
duty of about 50 pr Ct. This cant be agreed to.
The King of Prussia has got a parcel of small
timber which he cant sell, which has put him
upon building small Vessels with it. So that he
or rather the Timber Company are going to build
a vast number of Vessels of about 50 tons
to draw 6 feet water only, somewhere very high
up the River Elb I believe which passes this
City. Therey are to be for sale to whom ever
it may please to buy them. The English cannot
on account of the Navigation act. Qaerè how
far would Government be bound by that act?
Would it prevent the Navy Board's contracting
for the building or buying Ships in a foreign Country?
surely not any more than it would prevent their
hiring them as Transports? Tell me however
how this matter stands by the next letter.
I should like very well to have a little talk
with this Timber Company or with the King of
Prussia himself about these small Vessels.
It is supposed that he has thoughts of setting his
Merchants to trading in their own bottoms.
Chas Hanbury is intimate with one or two and I believe he of
his Ministers, his principal one too I believe, and they
want him to go to into the woods to look at some
Mast Timber, and to manage a Contract for them.
He has got from me some dimensions of Masts, and
talked with me about the matter, by which I have
picked up a little usefull intelligence. Indeed I am
in hopes of making this scheme of the King of Prussia's
in some measure servicable to me auprès le dire , notwithstanding
the Market would soon be overstrelt with these
small craft. I hope these people will be confined to
their 6 feet draft of water. We can have 10 or 12.
I think too that we now possess a secret or two which it
would be a little hard if we could not make something of.
I only long to come to the point, and for I have all to
hope and nothing to fear.
When I wrote to you the bit of a letter by last
post I had just written to Bakarty at Lubec and
Hanbury to his correspondent there to enquire about
the Vessel going to Dantzig. Yesterday I received an
excedingly polite letter answer from Bakarty in which
he tells me that the Vessel wont sail before the
middle of next week. He poor devil I believe has
not much acquaintance there and would be a little
ennuiè were it not for his female charge who
Mathias tells me is a charming girl.
I must make myself contented here till about
Tuesday next [Oct. 19th] and pick up what I can, for the
expence as well as the time it would take up to
go by land I cant bear the thoughts of.
I shall contrive to be one or two days at Lubec because
Hanbury tells me there is a good deal for me to see
there. I hope now to receive the parcel you speak
of having sent me, before I go.
I have as yet cait constantly at Hanbury's not
in consequence of a general invitation, but from a
particular one repeated for each time. 3 or 4 nights
I have slept at his house out of the City.
as one of the family except that I a
more attention to, and Chas Hanbury de
whole time to me. This being post night indeed
he has some letters to write therefore he is retired
to his counting house and I am have possession
of his Study to write my letters in, last post night
when I wrote to you last it was the same. He comes
now & then between his letters and gives me a
serenade with his harpsichord which stands by me.
He plays excedingly well and with a charming
taste. We shall go to night when we have
finished our letters to sup with Dr Matson
a laywyer of great reputation and secretary
to the Senate. a man also of universal learning.
I have called frequently for one purpose or other at
the Academy on some of the Professors. To day Professor
Bush gave me an excellent latin edition of
Euclid with Comments but I forget the name of
the author already. The Comments appear to be the
best I have seen.
I told you in my last that
I was much better in health, I think now I am
as well as ever again and have my senses as much
about me as usual.
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Identifier: | JB/538/395/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 538.
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1779-10-15 |
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538 |
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395 |
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001 |
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Correspondence |
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Samuel Bentham |
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