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Florence Friday Sept. 23 1785
Hon:d Sir
We sailed from Genoa on Saturday afternoon the 17th instant. A little before I embarked
I sent a letter for you to the Post-Office. My orders were that it should be put
into the French post: but that being shut, my servant put the letter into the Genoese Office
which he found open. This Genoese post goes by way of Turin and Flanders: but though it
sets out on the Saturday night letters sent by it do not reach England so soon by three
days as those sent by the French post, though the latter does not set out till the Monday
after. We came to an anchor at Leghorn about 10 o'clock on Tuesday morning (the 20th)
We found the lodging so dear at that port that after having looked about us a little and examined
all the Inns we determined to return and sleep on board for that night, which was
all the Captain would allow us. As he keeps shop on board of ship, it is necessary he
should have it clear to receive his customers. Mr Henderson's arm growing rather worse
than better, and being so bad as to render the jolting of a carriage dangerous, it was determined
that I alone should go to Florence. I accordingly filled a little leather trunk with necessaries
for the journey and got a boat called to take me from the ship to the Key (which is about
¼ of a mile) about 8 o'clock, being the time when a carriage, for which I had agreed
with the Post-Master, was to meet me. Dies aliter visum. In handing the trunk to the Waterman,
my Servant, like a careless blockhead as he is, quitted it before the Waterman had so
much as touched it, and in it dropped into the Sea. In it were all my pecuniary resources
and some of the most valuable of my cloaths. I immediately gave over all expectation of seeing
any more of it, unless by great chance with the help of divers, when to my no small surprize
it rose and the Waterman catching hold of it, convey'd it safe into the boat. Upon examining
it I found the contents not so badly drenched as I expected: however there was not a single
article that had not come in for its share. You would have imagined the expedition at an
end, for the day at least: so did I; and accordingly sent soon afterwards to countermand the
carriage. However by dint of four hours hard labour in unpacking, wiping and repacking
every thing was replaced in the trunk in a state of tolerable driness before 12: and by
1 I got into the carriage. From Leghorn hither by the shortest road is 7 posts, making
56 miles: The Post-master said it would take me 9 hours: however it took me near
11; for it wanted but little of 12 when I reached the Inn from which I write, viz:
Meggot's in the Street called Fondaccio di Spirito Santo or Holy-Ghost's-Ditch. You are
not to judge of this ditch from Hound's ditch or Shore-ditch or any other of our London Ditches: it is
a very handsome Street, and Sr Horace Mann's house our Pl which is a truly noble one forms
a part of it. This venerable Nestor has been half a century out of England, 40 years of
which he has been Minister to this Court. His Nephew, Sr Horace Mann Junr. the
great fox hunter and Foxite has also been here ever since May. It has been my suttling
house till now and will be till my return which must be tomorrow evening at the farthest
for before Sunday noon the Captain gave me to understand he should set sail. I
atch a few minutes to write thus much on my return from the evening Conversatione. What shall
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Identifier: | JB/540/199/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 540.
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1785-08-26 |
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Correspondence |
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Jeremy Bentham |
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