| Title: | Letter, Benjamin Worsley To Dury |
|---|---|
| Dating: | 27 July 1649? |
| Ref: | 33/2/18A-19B |
| Notes: | Dury's adaptation of this letter at 33/2/22. |
[33/2/18A]
Amsterdam Iuly 27th st:vetero.
Deare Mr: Dury./
I wrote 2 or 3 lines to you this day fortnight./ The contents of which, perhap might appeare, as strange to you, As the providence that led me to them, did vnto me/ since That; having yett received more Incitations, Incouragements, and cleere Resolutions about the manner & way of improving it/ Diverse Merchants having beene with <me> I could <not> but write the whole Result, & give, or committ the whole Account of it to <my good freind> Mr Sadler:/ which I did in by the last post./ Sir This is certaine/ that not only Civill, & Industrious men, but good men, began to increase There./ And a church 2 or 3 of the Independent, & presbyterian way, were gathered./ some comming thither from the Bermudas, or sommers Island, some from new=England./ And very great Expectation that Debaushery, & sensuality, so reigning, there./ would quickly in a great measure have beene discountenanced, might they have beene countenanced, or at least permitted to stay there./ But some of the ministers, & & some other heads of Churches, were Banished, as men [word deleted] schismaticke & factious./ And an oath or Covenant, [letter deleted] pressed to mainteyne [word deleted] the Governour and the Interest of the Crowne, against the parlaiment./ All men also prohibited to pay Tithes, or Church=Dues, to such ministers whatsoever as Read not Common praier./ secondly it is certaine that the Governours Ministers & Agents are at this time heere, & in France, Indeavouring to gett a new patent for their Governour: from the young King, and a Commission like <That> of Paul to Damascas./ To prevent as they call it the incroaching of new Light, and faction./ <3dly>/ That if the Parlaiment do neglect the Government, & Care of it, The Plantation at Best: must remaine in, as much Debaushery, as it is, or grow worse./ And men mistrusted for good debarrd fitt Lyberty & Commerce there./ 4thly/ That if the Goverment be Altered The Parlaiments Authority instituted, & erected, Their friends, good men, free preaching of the Gospell, civility, & industry countenaunced, many a good minister may there find a call, & be plentifully mainteyned; many from new England (now Drooping) cherished & sustayned/ Trading very much advanced, & bettered./ And the knowledge of God among the Indians as well [letters deleted] there as in new England promoted./ To all which purposes, as I writt in my last to you, A very considerable stock is offred to be subscribed. Sir, These are all things Reall./ Lastly the Governours Comission is voyd./ The whole desires of merchants & good men are only, These./ & first that the Parlaiment would take notice of the condition of the plantation, & vote the Government to be their Right & belong vnto them./ 2dly That they would cause an Act to passe for it, and the power of Government to be absolutely, fully, & Actually settled in Comissioners 3 or 4 of Parlaiment men, & merchants/ by vertue of the sayd Act./ and order therein: to receive what shall be offred them by Any, for the good of the plantation, and to do therein, and appoynt what Deputyes vnder them They shall thinke fitt./ And Because these Comissioners must have a secretary; A man carefull, & a lover of the good of Plantation, I have commended for this imployment Mr H our freind Mr Hartlyb for whom there may be a good & comfortable sallery./ And certainly payd to him/ The Government once settled./ And thus farr I have moved to Mr Sadler, that it might goe, As not knowing eyther in my privatt or publicke Duty To whom more cordially & effectually
[left margin:] to Recommend it./ And having discharged my thoughts, & Ingagements in a matter as I conceive so much concerning the good of many, to you, to Mr Sadler, and to Mr Hartlyb, I comitte it to the wisedome, pleasure, & goodnesse of divine providence./ For me/ though I am intreated and it is very much desired by some, [letters deleted] (who thinke it not improbable I may assist in the furtherance of Trading [word deleted] incourageing Industry & <may> contribute to the flowrishing of the plantation) to Accept or move for, an Imployment There, especially to be secretary of the Country, A place also voyd [letters deleted] and not yet
[33/2/18B]
<sued> for by Any./ yett if my friends thinke I may do as much good any other way, or that I am [two words deleted] not so well qualifyed for this kind of Imployement;/ I am submissive/ as <being> willing and very willing, to see (for the manner of my future settlement & Relation to the World) a cleere call of Providence./ However I could not but take notice when these things came so fayre upon me: How many thoughts I have formerly spent, about Education, & civilizing of Indians, How many about improving of plantations, and increase of Trading; which did mainely presse my spiritt, & made me in my very heart to thinke, I was [word deleted] the more obleiged not slieghtly to passe it/ [word deleted] notwithstanding all which; I will <still> sett downe, & marke the will of providence, both in circumstances, & in the [letter deleted] guyding, or framing <the> hearts and spiritts of my freinds./ But Againe & againe I could desire they would passe it so farr, as to settle the Goverment of it Absolutely in a Comittee <
[left margin:] Cotton; sugar & Indico/ As doubtfull whether some will quitt cost (or whether others will grow./ But Anise seeds/ sweet Fennell seeds/ Rice,/ Flax,/ Woad/ & Barill/ & Almonds/ Are Comodityes certaine & soone produced./ Also oyle Tallow & Pott Ashes for the making of hard white soape./ Hides to Transport & <or> make Leather./ For Cattle are Actually already plenty & more may easily be Reared & fed./ And no Adventurer can thinke it hard to be Tyed, according to so many Acres of ground or servants as he hath to Breed vp or feed such a number of Cattle./
[33/2/19A]
And as the Riches are at first in a great measure to be gained by the Adventures, so the flourishing of the plantation, & gaine; will draw on Adventures/ As it doth now to Berbados, which falling vpon new Comodityes, & prospering/ hath within 10 yeares raysed its land from almost nothing; to be as deare full out or dearer then in England And that spott hath <had> 60 and a 100 saile in one yeare Trading with it./ Be [pleased? page edge torn] to consider what the Hollander, & Portingall have made of Brasill, A place as [in page edge torn] some consideration <superior> so in very many others lesse inviting, & more inferior then Virginia./ But all This Raption./
Now sir having playd the Clowne to trouble you . so long; & with so many thoughts, about my owne Busynesse, and in the first place, too (which you will pardon) it is fitt I should thanke you for yours of the 12th & Answer your Demands/ There./ And though in all misteryes; some things are still hard to be imitated, & made, Practicable, by a literall or verball direction./ yett I shall indeavour to make things as plaine as I can./ First sir for the wine, though an Artificiall wine, made of sugar, is purest & freest, from all prevalent sapor, or odor that might infect the genuine odor, or tast of any plant, & so the Best./ yett/ it is somewhat difficult to ferment in cold weather, & hazardous somewhat, if not carefully handled in hott weather for growing sowre./ To Take away Both these/ I shall discover a cheaper, shorter, & easier way: and which is the most lucriferous secrett in this kind that I know (& to be therefore kept privatt) It is only This/ to procure good, pure, pippin Cyder./ of the latest vintage or making/ It is sold for about 20 shillings a Butt the Best in some parts of England./ And if it stand you <in> 50 shyllings It is as cheape again as french wine./ yeelds a purer, fuller, & stronger spiritt (if it be pure & good) then french wine, And the Butt holds as much againe almost, as a Hogshead of french wine/ And the sent or odor it hath, is very symple, & pleasant if you marke it./ And now having this to putt <it> into a new fermentation with the Plants you would ferment, is all the worke.// To do This/ Take small Iron bound Caske, of 3.4.6.8.12 or 16 gallons according to the quantity of spiritts, you will make of a sort./ And fill these small <caske> 2/3 parts full with your choyce Brisk Cyder./ Then putt to it, as much of your Hydrosacharum, in a good strong decoction (to witt fine sugar lli. water a Gallon, boyled gently away to 3 quarts) Cold/ as will almost fill vp your vessell/ leaving an ynch ynch & ยด or 2 ynches empty;/ according to the bignesse of your vessell, even after your hearbes or symples are putt in./ Then stop it vp exactly; fast, & close; leaving a very small hole for vent, with a litle pegg somewhat loosely putt in it, & sett it in a coole convenient place./ you have these conveniences by this Compendium./ first cheapnesse/ 2dly gaine of Time, for it will ripen, & grow stale in lesse then halfe the time your other would; being fitt to be destilld after 2 or 3 moneths at farthest 3dly ease of trouble care & hazard, Here being no care taken, but only to make the Hydrosaccharum, boyle it <well> & when cold, to Tunn it vp with the Herbes,/ Nature doing all the Rest./ And thus I apprehend your first care is taken off your handes./
For the Glasse vessells Th or Alymbeckes first the figure of them imports somewhatt, The bodyes being to be so large indeed, as may hold 3 or 4 gallons./ yett not above 12 ynches high at most/ It being (as I apprehend) an error in error in the Antients, to institute their Alymbeck so high, [letters deleted] as they did;/ thinking to have the purer spiritt/ whereas they considered not the fire, or heat, must be stronger./ Wee studying to draw our spiritts with the most tepid heat, would not trouble them to clymbe much/ and therfore would have the Bodyes short/ yea as short, as was possible to have them (Conteyning such a quantity as they ought) 2dly The Head must be as large as Art can make them./ That the
[left margin:] spiritts may have the more Roome to play, And by being not over much pent, & pressed, may be the more pure, & free from Adustion./ 3dly The Rostrum ought to be wholly different from all other Alymbeckes./ first in going not so sloaping, as is vsuall, but almost streight out 2dly in being not so narrow, as is vsuall, but caryed on in a full large pipe, an ynch over every where, That so the spiritts when they find not roome ynough to play in the Head, may presently without being heated, fly into the Recipient, & there settle themselvs by degrees without the least Empyreuma or <combustion> Adustion. 3dly your Recipient must therefore be large, very large of 12 or 20 gallons content
[33/2/19B]
But Because Glasses thus made will be found sufficiently Deare/ nor for any Destillatory hardly; But a great mans or Princes./ Therefore there must be the greater care, How they be Handled./ And first for the Bodyes; which are the soonest Broken (for a man may destill 7 yeare with one head so he be carefull) I shall propound you 2 wayes./ Eyther the way of Glauberus; which I like Best to gett Bodyes made of excellent Cley: such as they make glasse potts/ and well Baked: The inside strewed with powder of venice glasse./ which Bodyes will be strong & lasting[altered from lasteng]./ or else/ To take of Calcined Alablaster, finely ground <&> made into a past with Buttermilke; and playstered over the glasse about a fingers thicknesse:/ which will be as strong as a stone being exposed to the ayre./ A plaister also of Tarris stone, finely powdered, mixed with a 3d part of quicke . lyme; and made vp with Buttermilke; will have the property & hardnesse of a stone./ with this may be secured the Body of your Alymbecke, and your head; especially the Rostrum./ which of all is most apt to mischances./ your Recipient need not be fenced, as being no way in danger of any thing but Carelessnesse; and if it should be playstered; would also be too vnweldy, & heavy; being so large as it [ought MS hole] to be./
To keepe in the spiritts close, & lute all fast; betweene the head & the Body, & the Rostrum & Recipient; There needs no great Art./ Cap paper starched, & applyed close/ first one, & then a 2d over that, is sufficient/ for these kind of spiritts/ especially when they are so litle pent in, & pressed./
For the frame of the woodden Balnei/ I have seene some made <of wood> well ynough/ and did heare one White a Bricklayer (now in new England knowen well to Mr Hartlyb) sp first speake of it/ As a thing very feasible by him/ And which was applicable to Brewing & would save the fire./ And indeed I thinke it also feasible/ But the readier way is to compound with Mr Petty for his Art of Brewing in woodden vessells/ which was in my head as soone as I came over (by exchanging some secrett with him) to doe/ for the Remainder after Destillation/ which must alwayes be at least one Third./ Being distilld with so gentle a heat, there will always be this profitt/ To Turne it into vinegar./ which may be done by putting a few Malaga raysins, It maybe about a pound or lesse to a Gallon, & adding a litle ferment./ or comon Leaven./
Thus I have discharged my duty to you, I hope plainely, & intelligibly./ If not; or that any scruple arise, eyther before, or in Practise; you will much favor me to lett me know it/ By how much Sir As to serve you, would be not only a very Reall, but a very Considerable satisfaction to me./ About the Iewes Mr Borrell is only able to procure those writings that were delivered, which if you have; is all that the Iewes themselves know of them./ If they be There, The prosperity of Virginia will not harme them./ Mr Borrell is not heere; being at Rotterdam learning to grinde & make perspicilla./ He is halfe minded if I goe over To goe to virginia/ But this pleasantly. For my Coming over/ As to my naturall Appetite, It is There already;/ This place not perfectly agreing with my health, & as litle, or lesse, with my affection/ yett some thing is <still> yett further <expected> in our metallicke Busynesse; which if I may speake my owne thoughts in/ I lesse despayre about then ever./ something else in poynt of Prudence is to be considered/ & more; the satisfaction in some measure of the expectation of others./ But if our freinds may be gained to doe any thing in the House, about the virginia Busynesse; That done & they vndertaking wee shall have a Comittee of friends to forward <promote> it; I shall be able to leave this place; perhap the sooner, and with the more pleasure./ God if it be his blessed will, Assist vs All, through the Courses he hath appoynted <vs> through this lyfe
[left margin:] so/ that wee may <not do> Things beneath the greatnesse of our and dignity of our high <calling> and that wee approve our selves vpright to the Consciences of all men/ And that wee may walke with all chyldish symplicity & pacatenesse of mind before him./ Though which & whose assistance I shall not forfeyt the Relation & Duty of Being ever
Sir your True friend & faythfull affectionate servant
Ben: Worsley