date

Ay, do my dear Sam, come up - on Friday as
Ay, do my dear Sam, come up - on Friday as

thou sayest — I shall be glad to see thee

A very good opportunity of learning Watchmaking has

presented itself to me - and I shall probably have

availed myself of it before you come - R. King

at G. Coffee-House is a Watchmaker by Trade, and

has some Watch "motions" by him which he has

engaged to take to pieces for my instruction — The D r

referred me to him — ' He himself [viz: the D r] could

not undertake the Job - And when you come up

may very likely take a lecture together

Shall I tell thee —? Yes verily I will — There is

to be a Board of Longitude I understand, on Saturday

and I hope to be at it with my memoir - I hope

I say if possible — I am working double tides for that

purpose — I am not absolutely determined whether it would

be better for you to be there or not - However, in

case it should be determined for your being there - you

had better be provided with a decent suit of clothes to

appear in viz: your best — I don't mean the

French ones. Q.S.P. will be in the country Friday & Saturday,- So

that you have nothing to fear from him -

I shall have to two or three of the Board a recommendation

from Foster of Colchester - a much more strenuous

one than I should get from Poore. Poore however is in

Town and I shall make what use I can of him.

Wednesday May 15. 1776.

My Love to M rs D. Make an exact drawing (a neat one, fit to shew) of the apparatus for winding up and regulating without

admitting the Air; and bring it up with you. - The Commissioners are most of them stupid fellows, I understand c I will

suppose nothing - Get if possible the proper names for the several parts of it - Call at Nairnes if you can and get

the name of his new inve fringe - & borrow one of them too if you can to produce — - You might even say what it was for.
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  • Title: [Leatherhead Tuesd: y Sept. 18. 1776]
    Description: Leatherhead Tuesd: y Sept. 18. 1776

    Wilson is come to town, my dear Sam, and I,

    poor I, am left alone. He does not return till Saturday.

    I must have thee or somebody to keep me from hanging

    myself. I did expect Lind, but he does not come.

    Thou must therefore play truant from Richm.

    Park at least for tomorrow and next day and part of Saturday.

    Shirt and Stockings thou needest not trouble thyself about

    Th ou shall have mine. Thou might'st be with me at

    Breakfast if thou beest good for any thing. He that

    can walk 20 miles, a fortiori can walk 1.3.

    There is no such thing as my getting to Richm d

    Park. Thither and back again in a day is too far

    to walk while the roads are in such condition. My

    Mare is under the Doct: r's hands - stuffed with Riwel

    and fed with pissing-balls - excuse me - so the

    D r is pleased to call them. The Farrier tells me I may

    use her again on Friday. But Monday is as soon as I

    can want her.

    It is possible Lind may come on Friday - if so,

    off you pack. Indeed in case of very bad weather we

    might manage your staying, so as not to turn you out

    to drown.

    Duty to my Father. I have nothing particular to say

    to him at present — Oh. yes - I have — Yesterday I was

    again unfortunate. Rose and Forbes did not come — The

    extreme bad weather indeed sufficiently accounts for it.

    We scarce expected them.

    "In Poland every thing seems to favour the King. They

    "talk of the throne being declared hereditary. Diets abolished,

    "and giving him an Arch Dutchess to Wife." Thus saith Lind in a

    letter I have just this instant received. I write now by Wilson's means. We are at

    Breakfast at the Swan.
  • Title: [range in it. For four year's together — nevertheless]
    Description: range in it. For four year's together — nevertheless

    my dear Sam, be cautious of disobliging him; comply

    with him in any respect, but that of working

    along side more than you have been used to do,

    for that I am satisfied, as well as you can

    never answer to your real Improvement —

    and sho d he be nerverse in y h respect rather than

    comply, I sho d be willing to apply to the Navy

    Board to get leave for you to remove to Portsmouth

    or some other yard for y e Remainder of your

    Time — Short as it is — but I hope for better

    things than that there sho d be occasion for such a

    step —

    I have no Intention of making any abatement

    out of your Board for absent Time — but it will

    not suit me to pay the half year till Christmas

    any Drains the workmen are still in my House

    and the Stair case not yet quite finished, - let

    me hear from you soon as I shall be impatient

    to know how matters go on between you & the Builder.

    adieu my dear Sam & believe me

    Your affectionate Father

    Jh Bentham

    Q s. Sq Pla

    14 Nov. r 1776
  • Title: [Linc. Inn Friday May 3 1776.]
    Description: Linc. Inn

    Friday May 3 1776.

    My dear Sam

    The Watchman has just called Ten, & Wilson

    is with me: so that whether I shall be able to say

    to thee all that I would say to thee, which however

    is not much, I know not. I saw my Father c this morning

    he was coming down South n. Buildings from Staples Inn.

    As I wanted you knew to have a few words with him

    alone, I thought that would be as good and opportunity

    as any, and I sh might take the occasion to make

    him the compliment of inviting him up. So I open'd

    the window, bow'd and beckoned to him.

    When I mentioned to him the state of mind into which

    his letter had thrown you, he said what might be expected

    and what was proper on the occasion, that he

    could not be happy, if he knew of your being otherwise,

    and so forth: when I mentioned those words which you

    took amiss, he said he did not remember any such words

    and seemed inclined if it had been possible to deny them

    I said, he could not suppose it could answer any purpose

    to invent any such words to impute to him if

    they were not really in the letter. I 'added that he

    neither surely could be surprized, nor might he to be displeased

    that what he said to you in the way of

    disapprobation should make a deep impression: on the contrary

    it would be a much more reasonable ground of