JB/538/367/001

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Rotterdam Sept 1st 1779 Black lion Inn.

Paper

Another advantage of this sort of paper is that it will suffer
less by being doubled up or rumpled. It will bear to be folded up
in different forms without wearing to pieces so soon in the pocket.

Sword-hook.

Perhaps it was sent to Greensill's with the Sword but not
returned with it. If you find it do send it me. There
may be time to send that & other things to Hamburgh in the
parcel Lindgren is to send me.

It was near 6 o'Clock when we set out from Hellvoetsluys
for this Place. We had half a dozen different accounts
of the distance; some making it 11 or 12 miles others 25 or 26.
Our equipage consisted of a Phaeton and a Waggon. It would
have cost you some consideration from the general appearance
of these 2 Vehicles to have determined which was which. They
had each 2 horses, 4 wheels, and no springs at least none
of Steel: the Pa body of the Phaeton was connected with the Carriage
by thick leather straps which yielded a little to the Jolts. It
was to hold 6 people upon 3 seats arranged in the same manner
as in our long Greenwich coaches. As there were 7 of us
I chose to sit on the seat with the coachman, that I might
see more about me and be sure of being in the open air, as
well as that I might observe the manner of guiding or rather
steering the carriage: the contrivance for this purpose is
very strange, requires a great degree of dexterity and a stant
attendance and at the same time I should not
to trust to it where it was necessary to keep
a foot or two. The Steersman was very near
the carriage over into the River as he was driv
into a ferry boat. It is absolutely impossible
to get out of these carriages without rubbing
against the wheel. They drive however faster than
I expected and keep the same pace in all sorts
of roads except theyat they mend their pace as they pass
through a Village.

Desiderata

Things to be sent if you have an opportunity to Hamburgh
or to Petersburgh are 1st Sword-hook. 2. 2 Cakes
of patent Shoe blacking. 3. Remind Nairne of his
Delineator experiment. 4 A tin of Burkitt's tooth Powder.
5. My things from Blamires. 6 One of the set of
Curvators from Mrs Ramsden's. The other set is for Lindgren.
Send me bills of every thing you send me.
Mr Raikes you know promised to take charge of
any parcel to Petersburgh.

We passed along 2 sides of the Dockyard the walls of which
are so low where there were any that I could see every
part of it as we rode along. There seemed nothing at all
going on which was worth examining, so that in short the greatest
satisfaction I had was that from seeing so much of it was the
persuasion that there was nothing worth seeing in it. There
were no Ships at all building. There were several Ships
of the line & Frigates to rigged and to all outward appearance
ready for sea lying in the harbour. I should have liked much
to have gone on board some of them, but as Mr Strachan's
friend was not at home I could had no means of making
acquaintance by which I could have got permission to do it without
staying a day or two for that purpose and quitting my
company, which was not worth while since there are other and
a greater variety of Ships at Amsterdam.

Our journèe seemed to be entirely directed by my Dutch friend
Strachan & Decourt with respect to the way we were to go as well
as the means of conveyance, yet somehow or other it was very
ill managed. In the first place the going by land was very
not so pleasant and much more expensive than it would have
been by water. On the other it was more expeditious and
they were in a hurry. 2. We did not pass through either
the Brill or Delft, but 2 or 3 villages which were pretty
ugh but in which there was nothing remarkable.

d to pass 2 rivers or canals which we did in a
kind of flat bottomed barge which held both our carriag
It was a fine moonlight night and though we
to go at the rate of 5 miles an hour we did not arrive
the Toll house till after 12 o Clock. When we were here we were in sight of Rotterdam where
ut had a long passage to make over the River to get to it.
There was no entering the City at that time of night but
as it were by stealth

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Identifier: | JB/538/367/001"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 538.
Date_1	1779-09-03	Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	538	Main Headings
Folio number	367	Info in main headings field
Image	001	Titles
Category	Correspondence	Number of Pages
Recto/Verso		Page Numbering
Penner	Samuel Bentham	Watermarks
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number
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