date

Imley Park near Brackley NorthamptonShire
Imley Park near Brackley

NorthamptonShire. Sunday June 6. 1779

Dear Sam

The beginning of your Letter of the 31 st Ult w ch. came to hand here

the 4 th inst t, afforded me some Satisfaction, to find you had adopted a

branch of the Practical Part w ch I recommended to you, when I endeavourd

to impress upon your mind, what I conciev'd to be absolutely necessary

to qualify you for a Master in the profession of a Shipwright: so far

as It goes you have done well, but there are a thousand other

Particulars, equally necessary for you, to make yourself thoroughly

acquainted with, to give you a Pretense to understand the Profession as

a Master; & w ch. it is impossible you sho d be able to acquire, but

by being sometime in a Merchant's yard; & this indeed is in the

Power of Mr Randal to do for you, by permitting you to be a

while in his yard with his Partners, & Foremen &c, for surely you

cannot expect he wo d give up a Sufficientcy of his own time to

give you the Information, it concerns you to acquire, nor wo d

it be in his power to do it, was he ever so willing, he has

not knowledge enough of the Particulars of the Practise himself, his own Department,

as the Head Partner, & one who has the greatest command

of money is to see the Merchants at Change , to get business

and orders, & making Contracts for building & repairing Ships

& other Vessels, either for Merchants, or to get Contracts with the Proper

officers employ'd by Government for the Public Service — this he is

capable of doing by the Instruction & Information he occasionally

receives from such of the Partners as are most conversant in

procuring & working up the several Materials, of various sorts, of which

Ships &c are built, and who by their knowledge of the best

means of procuring them, & upon the most advantageous Terms

with regard to the Prices of Each particular, & of the Time which

it will require, in working up those materials, are capable of

making calculations, necessary to fix, & ascertain the sum

Total, of the Expence of building every such Ship &c as they

shall undertake or Contract to build, so as to give them a

suitable Profit for their Skill & trouble. This you ought to be

master of, & to be fully acquainted with, before you entertained

an Idea of setting foot out of your own Countrey & without this,

all is visionary, & mear Speculation; & without these requisits

there cannot, in my opinion be a greater absurdity than for

you to think of going to a Country, that cannot furnish you with
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    Adieu my dear Sam, with my Love to you

    Brother I am

    Your truly affect te brother

    Jere h: Bentham

    Imley Park near

    Brackley Northamptonshire

    7 July 1779

    P. S. whatever letter you send me may come in

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    Dear Sam,

    If you will read my last once again, I am very much

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    but the Post is going out , or I shall be too late

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    Imley Park, near Brackley

    Northamptonshire July y e 19 th

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