date

He has been from England about 5 years. He
He has been from England about 5 years. He spent a good deal of time at the Hague where I made his acquaintance at Sir Joseph Yorke's. He came here by way of Denmark and Sweden; He is very intimate with Sir James Harris and is now making his rounds amongst the nobility here. It is probable his acquaintance will be usefull to me in some way or other as he interests himself very much and has done since we met at the Hague. He has made a collection of several things in my way during his stay in Denmark & Sweden.

I find, Sir, by my brother's letter that you have been much out of order but am rejoiced to learn at the same time that you journey to Bath seems to have quite reestablished your health. There are some mineral springs in the southern part of this country which of late are very much reported to something in imitation of Bath and where many people are said to have found great benefit in different disorders. When you let me hear from you again do pray, Sir, tell me something about Farr & Charles. How they do and what they do. What line of life has Charles chosen or is he still at Oxford. I should like exceedingly to taste tomorrow of the Sundays fillet of veal at Q.S.P. but I do not mean to return like the prodigal son to eat of the fatted calf. Fain Hon d Sir Your dutifull & affectionate Son S.B. 1780 ) S.B. Petersburgh Nov ) to ) Q.S.P. Q.S.P. S t Petersbourg 21 t November 1780 We have had frost and snow for a fortnight the rivers all frozen over but what but seldom happens in this country it has thawed so much for this week past that it became dangerous to pass the river and it was expected a little that it would entirely break up again last night however the frost is returned and most likely will stick by us for the winter. As to myself nothing has happened to determine absolutely my stay here or my departure for Sweden or other parts of this country.
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    Description: but perhaps these particulars you will have already come to the knowledge of, from Sir James Harris or Mr Shairp before this reaches you. The Winter hitherto, I thank God, has prov'd very favourable to me having as yet escap'd Colds, your Mother has had one, but is now happily rid of it — Farr & Charles are comfortably settled in their Chambers and yr is rather better than he was us'd to be, if we had got for Wishing Cap, we sho d be for taking a peep at you now & then, I hope you have told the Widow & her two daughters, we shall be glad to see them in London, figuring a way at our Pantheon — & Ranelagh Adieu, my dear Sam, let us hear from you soon, & what you made of your excursion to Moscow — you promise to make yourself as much of a Russian as you can, but think of the German language before you go to Sweden. — your affectionate Father JHB. Q.S.P. 15th Feb. y 1780 P.S. Let me know what day this gets to Petersburg. 1780 Q.S.P. Feb y 15 to SB. Petersburg Mr. Bentham at Walter Shairp Esq r The Briish Consul at St Petersburg
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  • Title: [Feb y 4 th 1780. I received your letter]
    Description: Feb y 4 th 1780.

    I received your letter yesterday just as I was going to Court to pay my Compliments to the Dutchess it being her birthday. The compliments consisted in making a couple of bows and kissing her hand. Almost all the Noblesse of the country present themselves on this occasion. They come here a day before and stay till the day after the Duke's birthday which is the 15th of this month. During this time they feast themselves and one another without ceasing, and at the expectation of the time they return to their estates to oeconomize. That is such who have no public concerns to keep them here. You may imagine that this little capital is as full as it can hold, half a dozen sleeping in a room together on beds brought into the room at night at taken out again in the morning. Curtains are never thought of but as ornaments to state beds which are seldom slept in.

    I got to a window and ran over my letter before the Dutchess made her appearance. We had a great dinner that is great in quantity for in quality it is pretty nearly always like. As normal the desert was served the Martial presented the Duke a glass of wine coverd with a glass top then taking off the top held it while he drank to the Dutchess. The Martial took his seat again and the same glass was past round the table from one to another; a servant attending to fill it for each person and the next in turn standing as well as the person drinking and holding the top of the glass. each person empties the glass and wipes it side with his napkin before he presents it to the next. The glass was about half an hour making the revolution of the table. Each person bowed to the Dutchess in drinking, but as She would have been tired in returning the reverence to everyone she did it only a few pretending to to the be engaged in conversation with the Duke the rest of the time. N.B. I got a courtesy. I don't know how many there were at the 2 tables but thir were between 2 and 300 who went away before dinner not being invited.

    There is enough about Court matters. — Vous me dites que vous aviez en un peu de miscontentement de ne rien seavoir de ce que m'est arrive Dantzic. Seavez donc que j'y passois une semaine et en general que j'etois tres content du mon sejour la. Sir Trevor Corry le President Anglois a qui j'etois adresse par Mr Liston notre Charge des affaires a Berlin, me cambloit de politesse; je peux bien dire cambloit parce-qu'il me voulait quire me permettre d'accepter les invitations des autres. — but what do I write French for! — I made also something more than an acquaintance if not quite a friendship with a Mr Barstow of the house of Elliot, Barstow & Elliot Capital Merchants. From He furnished me with all the information I asked for, and offered to continue the same service by letters.

    He furnished me also with some Recommendations for Meruel, Pillau &c. The Russian, Dutch & Danish residents shewed me also all the civilities in their Power. The former (General Peterson) is married to an English lady of Petersburg and She gave me a letter to her sister & brother in law Mr & Mrs Kay in Riga: the Danish resident gave me a letter to an officer in the Marine department in his country, the one the most capable of furnishing me with such information as I wish for, and who should this be but the husband of the lady to whom M r Lindgren so often promised me a letter. You may let that lady know that she may now spare her pen ink and paper. Mr Hazavzenski gave me a magnificent kind of a dinner and invited I believe most of the above mentioned people to meet me, would feign have given me more but I was otherwise engaged. made me me a number of very great compliments by telling me the civil things which my acquaintance there said of me and in every respect behaved to me with all possible attention and politeness. He has a son who is now on his travels in France which is the country he the father is very much attached to. That he has a daughter I think I have told you in a former letter but neither the attractive charms of the daughter nor the politeness of the father or of the rest of my acquaintances could keep m e from pursuing my journey at the expiration of the week, so much did I wish to fetch up that part of my time which was almost lost in waiting for the Vessel at Hamburg. At Koningsberg I believe I have already told you that I stopt but a day, but that my reception at A Merchants there was more flattering to me than any circumstance during my travels. To find that I such men as the Mays had taken steps to insure me civilities there though it was a month after I had left them flattered me more than you can imagine not knowing the disposition of the men.

    Feb. y 11. th Here I am still and here I must stay till the 15 th the Duke's birthday. but shall most likely set off that very night. The Marechal

    Klopmann insisted upon it that it would be the greatest want of attention were I to go away so short a time before the birthday, and that the D. would certainly take it amiss as no stranger ever had so much attention paid him as I have had. It is not however the fear of displeasing the D. that makes me stay, for I flatter myself we are too good friends for him to require such a compliment. I have now been here near 2 months and yet have not made many acquaintances; however I have informed myself of what appeared subservient to my plan and I hope to be able to give or procure you a tollerable good account of the constitution, Laws, & politics of the country. The attendance I have given at the Court will be of the greatest service to me in Russia where oeconomy is more attended to than in any country. I have for a fortnight to gather at court every day and upon the whole at least 5 or 6 times a week. This alone has of course not left me a great deal of time to visit private people, but besides that it was not