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13
"Britain's Glory, or Shipbuilding unveiled: being a general
Director for building & compleating the said Machines,
by Will: Sutherland author of the Ship-builder's Assistant.
2d Edition. 1729. Folio 134 Pages. There is a dedication
to the King in french. There is also bound up with it
another work entitled the Prices of the labour in Ship-
building adjusted, or the Mystery of Shipbuilding
unveiled 1717. This contains 286 pages more.
"Marine Architecture or Directions for carving on
a Ship." London Mount & Page 1736. 80 Pages
very small quto.
There were 2 English books which I have not:
The first of them do try all you can to get for me,
I dare to say it is the same which I saw at Lord
Mulgrave's and which we have both of us often enquired
for. It contains a great deal more than the Shipbuilders
Assist a very small quto of which you know I have
2 editions. These were make part of a collection
of Shipbuilding books which th Professor Buch of the
Academy here has been making for these 20 years.
He has almost all which I have and 13 which
I have not. One only in German published in 1663.
2 in Dutch and the Title of a 3d. all folios.
Among them is one book which I wish very much
I had with me. "Duhamel sur l'exploitation
de bois." It is not indeed the french work itself which
he has but a translation of it in German in 2 very thin
volumes quto. 1767. I suppose this is to be got at
Elmsley's or at any rate in London. I am affraid
there will be no more opportunities of sending things
to Petersburgh this winter. Yes, you may always
send things here to Mr Hanbury and when the frost
is set in He will have many opportunities of sending
things (small packets) to Petersburgh by travellers.
14
Well but I must tell you a little more about my
visit to the Countess. 1st She does not understand or at
least cannot speak english, and I had scarcely spoken
any french since I left Amsterdam so that I found
I was in short some how or other a good deal put to
it to express myself on every occasion, however I seemed
perfectly at my ease from the instant I first spoke
to her, notwithstanding I heard so much of her scrutinizing
eye and extraordinary understanding. After
dinner we walked into the garden but as She had
been too ill the day before to get out of bed, She
made apologies for sending one of her Secretaries to conduct
me to the distant parts of it, as She herself
could not venture 10 yards from the door.
You are to 77know Finding She was very fond of her
garden I talked to her about a botanical clock,
which I believe I have mentioned to you. This seemed
to please her very much and most likely She will
get one planted in her garden.
The gates of this city are shut always about sunset
and they would not open them for a crowned
head till the morning. This in case of the want of a Physician
Midwife or some such distress is exceedingly inconvenient
however so it is. Accordingly when this time drew
near She gave me to understand with a number
of polite expressions of concern that She must
her coach was ready to take me to town. She took
this occasion to enumerate the inconveniences which
this rule of shutting the gate produces She had
before sent rememberances to Euler at Petersburgh
and to Baron Kloppman. She had also offered
me letters to Denmark as She had many friends
there. She now pressed me most vehemently to
come & see her again any day that I pleased, and as She
understood that my being able to come would depend
upon the vessel's sailing. She talked of praying
that the winds might delay it: but still more
that I should alter my plan and go by land.
with such expressions as these on her part besides the usual
ones of being charmèe de l'honneur d'avoir faite ma
connaissance (to all which I could do no more than
talk about honour and make my bows) I took
my leave and was conducted to my carriage
by one of the Secretaries. It was something
like an english coach, four horses and a postillon
a coach man looking so fierce with his whiskers
that were it not for the servant I was to have
behind besides my own poor devil who had been
kicking his heels I should have been almost
affraid to have trusted myself out of the sight of
a house. There were 2 or 3 more servants standing
on each side the coach door diverging from it
as if they were just there to show me the prevent
my mistaking the way into the coach.
So complaisant were the people to the Countesse's
coach & horses that not only the hats in abundance
were pulled off and Musquets shouldered, but even
the pompous looking 6 mourners who were walking
before a burial forgot their grief to make theyir
bows. To be sure I was a very great man to
be riding withinside a coach to the outside of which
was paid so much respect.
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Identifier: | JB/538/398/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 538.
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1779-10-19 |
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538 |
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398 |
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001 |
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Correspondence |
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Samuel Bentham |
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