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April 14th O.S. 1781
Nigri Taghil an Iron fabrick belonging to a Mr Dimidoff
140 versts to the northward of Catherineberg on
the Asiatic side of the Ural mountains
When I left Petersbourg which was on the 6th of February I had promised to write
to you during my journey oftener than I had been used to do before. On the
contrary I have sent you only one little scrap of paper with half a dozen lines on
it since that promise. You will admit I am affraid of no excuse, but I must
give you my reasons such as they are. The journey I was setting out on being
through a vast extent of country very little known and of which the Inhabitants
with respect to their manners are very falsely described, I thought I should find
subjects enough to amuse you and as I determined to keep a regular journal
I concluded I might safely promise to write often. A Journal I have
all along kept which one day or other I hope will you will have a good deal
of pleasure from in reading; but the copying it out in a style intelligible to any
but myself is what I have not been as yet been able to do. Finding my time
so much taken up in a or place where I make acquaintance, I have
intended to stop at some solitary post house where there could be nothing
off my attention and there to stay till I could give you a full account of my
journey so far. I have stopped but my head has been so full of considerations
respecting the future that I could not keep my attention for two minutes
together to what was past. In vain have I sat for an hour with my pen in
hand and the papers before me. Besides I have been thus far very much
hurried on account of the Season. It was of consequence that I should get as far as
Catherineberg with the winter road, I have been there and am now waiting at different
places round about it till the snow & Ice are gone and the Summer roads are in
tollerable order. I brought a letter to this place from the owner of the works
here (whom I never saw) to his Intendants with orders not only to shew me every
thing I might wish to see, and give me all the information I might require;
but also to do any work for me which I might have occasion for respecting
carriages & c. As I am come so far with the winter road I have had only a
couple of ordinary sledges shaped a good deal like a cradle and almost as easy
in their motion; these being now useless and in pieces it is necessary to take
to actual carriage: the people here have offered to make one for me but you
may well imagine it is not one of the ordinary construction that will content me
A vehicle for me must have many "properties" never attempted to be given
to a carriage in this or perhaps in any country; but for this purpose it is
necessary I should superintend the making of it myself and this I am now doing.
I am very anxious still about Lohman.
1781 } S.B. Nigri Taghil
May } ironwrks N. of
30.5 } Catherineberg
} Siberia
14 10 S } J.B. Linc. Inn
Sheet }
I }
Received
July 17
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Identifier: | JB/539/169/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 539.
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1781-??-?? |
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539 |
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169 |
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001 |
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Correspondence |
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Samuel Bentham |
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