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By a Gentleman lately arrived from St Petersburgh
the Empress has sent to Dr Robertson a present of a very
handsome gold snuff box, richly set with diamonds
desiring his acceptance of it, as a mark of her esteem,
and of the satisfaction she has received from perusing
his historical works. Her Imperial Majesty during her
reign has not confin'd her encouragement of literary
merit to her own dominions. Several eminent persons
of France and Germany have been distinguished by marks
of her favor. Dr Robertson as far as we know now, is the
first British author who has been honourd with any
mark of her attention.
Morning Chronicle March 25 1780
Bull Inn Dartford Thursday March 30th 1780
I am therefore (half-horn-man, half footman ) as
usual) in my way to London from Brampton where I have been
ever since about the 6th or 7th (I think it was) of
last month. The day before I left London I sent
you a letter, the last of those directed to you at
Milton. I have appointed to dine with Wilson
at the Crown and Rolls to meet Anderson, who
has been in London for this month past. He
came to town the day Wilson left it to go the Norfolk
Circuit. Wilson likes his new Circuit much
he has made 5 guineas to begin with.
From this same Inn I finished and sent
away my long neglected letter to Anderson, telling him
of Sambouski's success, and offering him your assistance
in getting him an account of the plan:
and agricultural correspondences, if he wanted any,
at Petersburgh. You know he is quite one of us :
if occasion should offer I shall depend upon you
every thing you can do to serve him. N.B. I have seen him since : he does not want any thing at present.
I have been passing my time very comfortably
at Brompton; more so perhaps than any time
I ever spent there before: mixing exercise business
and amusement. On horseback every day between
7 and 9: between breakfast and dinner employ'd
as you may imagine: between dinner and tea, Chess,
Music or Bergman, about half an hour or 3/4 before
Ten commonly a game at Cricket with Joseph, in
which we were frequently joined by his father: after
10: Chess or Music.
Guess what I mean by "Bergman". Bergman
means a sugar-plum which I have been coddling up
for you to pop into his mouth; that you may find favour
in his right even as Jacob did in that of his
Father
Father Esau, by cramming him with Scotch-collops.
Likuredieauer has lately imported a little tract of Bergman's
of about 100 12mo pages (in German) on the chemical arrangement
of bodies, & on the application of Chemistry to
the common purposes of life. I wanted sadly to see it :
Davies had been talking to me about applying himself a
little to Chemistry. Schwide disappointed in the former scheme
seemed to hanker after something of mine to set his name
to: Davies was willing to lend a hand but his time indispensably
ingrossed by his pursing affairs. The result of all
this is that in the course of the time I have been at
Brompton Bergman has been translated, by S. from German
into Lingua Franca, by J.B. from Lingua Franca into
English, J.B. walking up and down the room after dinner
and dictating, to D. ( who you find has since
got the place of J.B.'s Secr:y in ordinary) scribbling.
I believe I shall send you the whole lot of it together
Swedis M's, my Ms, and certain copies, 4 or 6;
out of about a couple of dozen I am to have for my
pains. I have written an Advertisement of about 3/4 of
a ruled sheet, stating the history of the translation, &
flattering Bergman. I have in my pocket a sheet of
of "Preface palavering Chemistry & Bergman
& bobragging our nation but more particularly
the Universities for not inthouting it. I shall probably
make in up into a Preface to the tune of
10 to 20 pages. It cost me no time whatever:
I never did a stitch to it at any other time than
dinner, when I knew by experience that I would not write
without disordering myself. How I have sped with Code
you will know before I close this letter.
Key to Allen's Letter. My scheme is that you should
make people there buy the model giving £200 for it
which will be £100 for yourself. I understand from Burkit
that it is in an unique, & upon a fair calculation
of the labour cost £300. I shall write you in French
an ostensible letter about it. The Lord knows, but I should
imagine they would jump at it
Whenever you write tell me regularly whether
there are any naval preparations going forward
where you are, & in general mention any other circumstances
from which it is probable that we shall or
shall not have your assistance. Negatives will be as
well worth sending as affirmations. Well it is time I
should be packing on , so Good morrow to you
From Arthur Young's Tour thro' Ireland 1780 a 4to
in the Crit. Review for Feb: 1780
(L<hi rend="superscript">d Bective</hi> ) "confirmed what Mr Young had been
told before, that the way to make our own firs equal to foreign,
is to cut them in June, and directly lay them in
water
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Identifier: | JB/539/024/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 539.
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1780-04-08 |
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539 |
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024 |
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001 |
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Correspondence |
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Samuel Bentham |
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