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In the account I gave you in my last of my friend Ples
circumstances I confounded them with those of another family.
instead of 6,000 boars his father has but little
more than 3,000, so that there comes but 2,000 to him.
In other respects I believe the account I gave you was just
It was not necessary I should have troubled myself with saying
anything about the matter but as I did I dont like to
have represented it falsely. Correct therefore my last
letter immediately.
In my letters now I shall always suppose that you have determined
upon coming here this Summer and are provided with the
means in the manner I pointed out. I shall therefore
always have a letter you begun for you lying by me
or in my pocket and clap down in it whatever happens to
occur to me relating to your expedition.
I am very much affraid that Code is not as yet finished
and that on that account you wont be able to think of
coming till after the last post which may be supposed
to carry it to Bern in time.
If it is finished so far as to have no further occasion for
books — no. if it be entirely finished and has passed
Wilson's examination, then if you have nothing to prevent
you, set off for Holland as soon as possible, you would like
perhaps to go to Rotterdam to see Strachan however
hasten as much as possible to Amsterdam. There you
will find (unless the man should be dead out of spite) the
man of all men to afford you usefull information.
There if you can get enough into his good graces for him
not to be or frightened by the infinity of questions
you would wish to put him I am sure you will receive
the greatest satisfaction. I sha You might humble
yourself in the manner the most flattering to him, I mean
by giving him to understand that it is him alone that
you would so humble yourself. If you could get him by any
means to look over Code or rather to read it with him,
you certainly would receive very great advantages from
it. The general idea of the development of the
principle of Utility in a stead uniform and impartial
manner, is certainly what you have stronger
and more deeply implanted in you than any body
else. but with respect to the practical possibility of
creating such laws depending on the disposition of
the Governer's & Governed: as well as abundance of curious facts
from which the calculation must be made of the quantity of
happiness or unhappiness which a given mode of conduct would
produce: depending upon prejudice & customs in such practical considerations as these he must
from his great experience & discernment be able to give
you great assistance. From Amsterdam if you
must be straightened for time you can be more certain
of the time of its arrival at Berne than you could
from England on account of the crossing the Sea.
When you have dispatched Code you would then set off
for Hambourg I suppose by land, on your arrival there
you would beg Hanbury to write to his correspondent at
Luba to let you know when there is a Vessel sails for
Petersbourg and stay at Hambourg two or three days
till you get information of the day of sailing. A Vessel
There are I dare to say 2 or 3 vessels every week which
make that passage especially at that time of the
year.
I forgot to tell you in my last the little difference
that there would be in our joint expences here
and those which I must necessarily be at alone to answer
any purpose by my being here. W is between 40 and 50£
besides the expence of your cloaths
which I have all
along considered as separate but which cannot be considered
as such entirely as they would likewise be of
great use to you at your return. As I can see
myself no other impediment to your coming but the
expence I cannot but depend upon your coming.
You cannot conceive the advantageous circumstances which
I am in and the still greater which I shall most likely be in for
gaining usefull experience. The swing into gizards and the
observation of springs, as well as the acquaintance with
facts. My circumstances I mean chiefly acquaintances and
connections.
Petersburg April 4 OS 1780.
I may probably give you a few lines more next
post and then I shall tell you how I shall
contrive to make my letters stop in Holland
upon the chance of your going there when they
contain any thing I amy have to say to you
there, and shall at the same time tell you
what you must do to prevent their laying
there in case of your not going. All this in my next.
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Identifier: | JB/539/035/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 539.
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1780-04-15 |
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539 |
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035 |
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001 |
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Correspondence |
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Samuel Bentham |
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