★ Keep up to date with the latest news - subscribe to the Transcribe Bentham newsletter; Find a new page to transcribe in our list of Untranscribed Manuscripts
Octr 12th OS 1780
If Anderson's paper on the establishment of Weights & Measures
is given in and published at the Royal Society, be sure you send it
me: if it is not to be due anything both send me also a Manuscript
copy.
The boxes which came here by sea, with
Sambourski and which I thought he was to have franked, cost
me four pounds sterling.
Answer to your letter dated May 9th
Copies of Code as well as every thing else to be
directed to Sir James Harris. Neither need they
be sealed up, but every thing private to be sealed in
packets within the box. My name only on these packets
but Sir James's only on the outside of the Box
2
Well I will write immediately to Peake & Mosberry when
I have occasion to say anything to them or to offer them
terms. I could place them both here I make no
doubt with a Salary of 100 a year at least and with other
great advantages, but unless they take me they shall
not have them at least I think so at present.
3
Agency is I dare to say at an end certainly unless
I can think of means of jockying Bar: Kl. one
letter being opened, another having miscarried and
together with the change of circumstances from the
visit of the Prince of Prussia and the death of
the D's put away added to the intrigues
of this said Bar. been the cause of this change.
If I was much I could now
do him as much harm as I before thought of
doing him good but I have no such idea.
4
Franklin's method of seasoning Timber has been
practised in England Holland and from thence communicated
to the English as the method practised
from May's experiments. It is however very different
and inferior in effect from this last mentioned
method. It is This experiment like most
others in the Navy languished in England and then
came over to languish still more here in Petersburg.
The use of the length height of tube to force the solution
into the pores is new to me, though analogous
to contrivances for similar purposes which I have had.
I should a piori doubt its effect as I see not
how the air is got out without which the solution
can not get in: if the fibres go the whole length
it must be at the bottom of the piece that the air
is driven out.
---page break---
With all your study of method in writing and arranging papers
it the well known Dr or Professor Pallas has made me repent of
having taken your advice in the method or writing Inserenda.
He writes every thing on pieces scraps of paper and on one
side only. He has different boxes or pidgeon holes for his
as many subdivisions of his subject as he finds commodious
into which he flings each scrap as he writes it.
Afterwards when he sets about methodising and perfecting
he can arrange and shuffle these scraps about as
he pleases bringing any number of them to one
view. An improvement upon this plan is in short nothing
more than I practised with respect to some parts of my
Geometry. I had paper ruled with a margin: wrote
only on one side and when done that I wanted to
arrange the matter I cut all pieces separate and
brought the shuffled them at pleasure. Now I have
about 180 pages of Inserenda in which many things
are swallowed up and forgotten and cannot be brought
to light without being copied which is a task that
considering my want of time and natural indolence
is almost impracticable hitherto indeed quite so.
---page break---
Notwithstanding the new lights which you pretend to have
received from Guy respecting False Progresses, you write
me nothing but what you had from my information before
written for me under Chancery. I always understood that
as well and probably better than Guy gr can.
---page break---
Don't think of Kruse as a Philosophical man or as one
who can be of the least use to me. He is a good sort of man
enough so that I did prevail upon myself to ask these questions
for him thinking you might get them answered
without much trouble and that might also be of use to
other my friends here. As it happens I am exceedingly
glad you have answered them anything indeed about agriculture
is a treasure but of this more in another place. Kruse's
chief merit is that is father in law to one of the best
Sea Officers in Europe. One whom as you say think would be
a great loss to his country, that is if those on whom
it depends in his country have sense and public spirit
enough to tuen his abilities to good account. Think not
that my other friend makes lessens my attachment regard
and good will towards this said sailor, I am in hopes one time
or other to do him some essential service as far as the good opinion
of those out of power here can be of use to him. I have been the
means of his having that in a greater degree as to share con
that anything said in his favour is but encreasing the
jealousy. I trust to your not letting him think that I
forget him because I dont write to him There is scarcely
no Sea Officer here is mentioned but what I think and
times speak of him. My friend here the only one who in
abilities could be his rival he has nothing to fear from .
He is circumstanced so as not to think of ever being employed
at Sea and is become by any means as much his friend as
I am. To return to Kruse, he has been ill lately and is gone with
his wife unmarried daughter & Miss Paris to his estate in Polish
Liesland and from thence goes to Spa for his health. L's
brother is here and has called on me twice, but he is nothing
to be compared to our friend: he had better get into the land service
|
Identifier: | JB/539/097/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 539.
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
1780-10-18 |
|||
|
539 |
|||
|
097 |
|||
|
001 |
|||
|
Correspondence |
|||
|
Samuel Bentham |
|||