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equal to a little trifle more than 9d a horse per mth,
and none would as the snow they said was deep
and the road steep and mountainous, none wou'd
undertake it with fewer than 10 horses. I was
informed through the same channel that the cattle
were but indifferent, and that it being an feast
holiday-time as usual amongst some or all
of these people it was uncertain how soon if
at all this requisite number could be collected.
After several conferences on the subject, the Colonel
interfered, telling me a person whom he
could depend on and who had six stout horses
for whose sufficiency he could answer was willing
to let them for the three miles for as many
ducats. This made 54 florins. The other proposal
amounted to 45. The enormity of this
demand concurred with other circumstances in exciting some suspicion: but I had already
had experience of the inefficacy of
undisciplined numbers: and for so small a
difference as 9 florins equal to about 4s 6d,
prudential considerations, if no other, seemed
to forbid the rejection of an offer coming from
such a quarter. In short I accepted it: he then
said, if I would then deposit the money in his
hands the bargain was made, and he would forward
the money to the proper hands and be answerable
for the event. I thought this a little
odd, but I complied. Other incidents relative to
this negotiation I must pass by: such as
his labouring without effect to prevent my
visiting the Collector: and my labouring, I believe
with as little effect to make him believe that
that visit had no to him.
About 2 o'clock of the day after my arrival
(Wed. 12th) I set out for Miashoofka: dinner seemed
to have been hasten'd that I might share in
it. We parted with many professions of friendship
on his side; and many farewells and bows and
acknowledgements on mine. I was surprized
at the splendor of this hired equipage: 6 fine
horses that would not have disparaged an
English carriage, decently caparisoned, and driven
by 2 smart postillions, with an outrider
bearing a long pike. I asked Ludwig
whether he knew whose they were: he said
he had asked, and nobody would tell him:
knew but this much he knew by the circumstance
of the pike man, that the owner
could be no other than a gentleman, or if you
please
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Identifier: | JB/540/242/002"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 540. |
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1786-01-16 |
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540 |
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242 |
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002 |
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Correspondence |
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Samuel Bentham |
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