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two were Captains of Merchant Ships here, [Hall and Love who upon the war's breaking
offer'd their service; and the fourth, Captain Bell whom I was not sorry in this way
to get off my hands. They have all (Englishmen-like) much eagerness in the
cause." [Love I know nothing of. Hall had been mate to Capt. Newman who
took me up at Thicmed
on the Asiatic coast, and was at that time master of
a vessel Newman had been buying at Alexandria in Egypt. The Bosphorus
being rendered impassable and the trade of the Black Sea suspended by the war,
these people were of course to seek for employment. Bell who had been master of
a vessel at Newcastle was one of the popele engaged there by Notman. Bell was
a Quaker as well as Notman: but my Brother's pious zeal has render'd him a
convert it seems to war and orthodoxy. Were this service properly represented to
the Archbishop of Canterbury, I should humbly hope it might be thought not altogether
undeserving of a small token of his Grace's approbation. The post would
carry a pastoral letter, though not a consecrated sword. Charles, I think, is well
at Lambeth — But I would not be too intruding.]
"I am detained here at present, by an order from General Souvaroff, Commander
in Chief here, in consequence of Mordvinoffs representations of the need he had of my
assistance at this critical time. [Col. Mordvinoff is first member of the board of Admiralty]
They have both made their reports to the Prince" [who since the Empress's departure
has been at Kremenchook the capital of her government] who has written to
Mordvinoff that I may be made to belong to the Admiralty." —
" I had, while at Kremenchook, improved in my amphibious vehicles, so as to
"make them answer the purpose of military carts. I left some of my people and
"wood to construct one at Fanshaw's [An English Lieut: Colonel who commands such
"another Batallion as Sam's. ] I have since learnt that it had been shewn to the
"Prince, and much approved of, and that similar ones were making for all the
"four Batallions of Chasseurs, of which mine is now the second." [I had already
heard of these amphibious pontoons from two officers of my Brothers who arrived
here from Kremenchook about 3 weeks ago. The remains of his Batallion except
two officers and 15 men marched this day sennight for Kremenchook in consequence
of a sudden order from the Prince issued doubtless on the prospect of the war, and
received here about three weeks before.
By the same conveyance comes a letter to me from Prince Wiasemski repeating
his invitation [mentioned in my last] to go and spend the winter with him at Cherson;
seconded by an observation of my Brother's that though the Turks are not far
distant, a siege is not very probable, and at any rate there would be warning time
enough for me to decamp.
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Identifier: | JB/540/399/002 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 540.
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