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I must be on board by that time. In the mean time I have got a furlough to go to see Pisa which is about 15 miles from
Leghorn, and if possible the famous baths which are about 4 miles farther. Mr Henderson & the ladies had been to Pisa while I
was at Florence. As he went by water, his arm was no hindrance. The fare is but three pence 4d½. I take my ragamuffin
of a Servant, as I did to Florence. I engaged him at Nice, at the recommendation of a Dr Metcalf
(an old acquaintance of Lind's) whom I found there; intending to take him on to Crechoff but he turns out so indifferently that I shall discharge him before
I go on board. I understand from a Swede who was at Constantinople so late as June last that I have
some chance of getting a good servant there. I have written to a Merchant there a friend of Mr Grays and
agent of the Prince's to look out for one. My letter, I am informed, will reach Constantinople in a month by
way of Vienna. If you write to me soon after you receive this, there will be little doubt of your letter's
reaching me before I leave Constantinople: at the worst it will follow me to the Crim. I saw yesterday a London
Chronicle so late as the 13 instant. I hear that Admiral Mackenzie our countryman is no longer in the Crimea: he
is replaced however by a Count Suchotin, who is well known here (at Leghorn) as a great friend of the English, and
one who detests the French. You must excuse sudden transitions; time is pretious, and pen and ink & paper likewise. We have executed
all our Botanical business to our satisfaction. I was the more particular in a former letter concerning the mode and expence
of travelling, on account of my Lord Mayor, who seemed desirous to obtain information of that nature. I would by no means
advise him to think of travelling in France without his own carriage the freight of which will cost him less than the hire of
a villainous vehicle that would reduce him and Lady M. to the state of two Mummies before they had travelled the length
of Paris. Pray tell Mrs Browne that I made a point of accepting a dinner from Mrs Perkins, her desire. She has a
very handsome agreable house with a good garden to it so situated as to answer the purpose of town — & country house, &
she keeps her carriage: she gave me a magnificent dinner tête a tête. She talked much, and seriously as I am apt to
think, of a visit to England next Spring: her wishes if she has any that way will be powerfully seconded by Mr Joseph, who
professes a violent affection for his Mistress's native country. At Pisa, live for the present as man and wife a man who
calls himself Mr John King, and a lady who really is Countess Dowager of Lanesborough Ireland. I dined in comp
with them one day at Leghorn. I heard at Florence. According to Sir H. M. he is a Jew Usurer. He put
proper forms of Synagogue law a Jew had, and has since been married twice over to this Lady Lanesbor
His Jew-wife with her four children a tely come over to reclaim him. Lady Lanesborough's jointure is said bout
£600 a year: and it is said he has about as much: if so, probably in annuities pour autre vie. The acc
he gave of himself to Sir H. is, that he was the Author of some letters in a newspaper signed Neptune (I think
it was, for which Charles Fox obtained a verdict against him for £1,000: to avoid payment he made himself
a bankrupt, but paid his Creditors, he says, 20s in the pound. He is now under an injunction not to leave
the country, for debt. He tried tother day to persuade Sir H. to get the injunction taken off and to lend him money; you
may imagine with what success; especially — considering the party embraced by Sir H. Jun. who is the acting man. Lady
L. tried Ld Pembroke on whom she had certain claims: his answer was if she would discard that fellow, his purse was at
her service; but not otherwise. What a situation for a Lady of her quality! She is a decent well-looking woman
abou seemingly about 35: as far as I would judge from the little I saw and heard of her, has much the behaviour and appearance
of a woman of fashion. He is a forward chattering fellow, seemingly about the same age. Neither France nor
Italy have agreed with me extraordinarily well. Since I have been in Tuscany in particular I have felt an undescribable
kind of lassitude and numb which seemed almost to take away the use of limbs. I think now however
it has pretty well left me. I know not what to attribute it to, except the heat: and yet the heat as such
was not troublesome to me. At this moment contrary to all expectation rain is falling, and I have neither great coat nor
parapluie with me to keep it off. It is dropping on the paper, and I fear will contribute to make the writing illegible.
We have been all living at Leghorn in the oddest way imaginable, sleeping only at our lodgings, eating altogether at a Merchants
of the name of Violet, to whom we had an ordinary letter of recommendation from Mr A Caffarena of Genoa. I
found the rest of my company established in that way on my return from Florence. Mr Griffiths the young Surgeon who went round
with Capt. Brine forms part of it; having nothing else to do, he has determined to seek his fortune in the Crimea.
The post from Vienna to Constantinople sets out twice a month the 2d & the 18: it takes from 15 to 17 days. It will be
easy to learn in London what time a letter takes to go from thence to Vienna. I find the time as well as manner of
our getting from Constantinople to the Crimea is likely to be very uncertain, any of my friends therefore if they have any
thing particular to say to me need not scruple directing letters for me at the Ambassador's at Constantinople for months to
come. For any thing of consequence as far late as the last day of Feb:y to speak at a venture: - but a duplicate should be sent
to Krechoff in case of any at any time after the arrival of this letter. I saw at Sir H.'s a Mr Greenland (Augustus Greenland)
who is travelling with his daughter said to be a very accomplished girl. He is I believe an Att:y my Brothers if so, must know him.
He seemed desirous of possessing Sir H. with an opinion of his intimacy with Ld Camden: but it did not get him a dinner at Sir H.'s
while I was there, I don't know that I saw Lady Craven. I had a pretence to call on her from having seen her beautiful little boy, Keppel
at Mr Pattle's (Mrs Villette & she are great friends) and I was to have taken a letter to her but that the post was preferred as being more
certain, as it proved. I pursued her to two places but missed of her in both. She received Mr Vernon a friend of mine in a bedchamber as the
custom is, and the bed was supplied with two pillows & other duplicat
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Identifier: | JB/540/200/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 540.
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1785-08-26 |
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540 |
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200 |
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001 |
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Correspondence |
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Jeremy Bentham |
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