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第8章

letters-第8章

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SIR; … Having drawn upon Messrs。 Simondsen and Company of St。  Petersburg for the sum of 2000 roubles (two thousand roubles) as a  deposit upon an order for 450 reams of Chinese paper; at TWENTY… FIVE ROUBLES per ream; I have to request that you will honour their  draft to the like amount。

I remain; Sir; yours;

GEORGE BORROW。



LETTER: Undated



To the Rev。 J。 Jowett

REVD。 AND DEAR SIR; … Our types are in the hands of the printer;  they have been cleaned and set in order。  St。 Matthew's Gospel has  been corrected; and the work of printing commences next week。  Most  truly yours;

G。 B。



LETTER: 1st October; 1834



To John Jackson; Esq。 OCTR。 1 (old style); 1834; ST。 PETERSBURG。

MY DEAR SIR; … I am exceedingly sorry that you should have had the  trouble of writing to me to no purpose; for in respect to the  letter; which it seems by your favour of the 29th ult。 you  committed to a private hand to be forwarded to me; I beg leave to  state that I have never received it; or heard anything of it。  I  must earnestly intreat that in future all letters relating to  business be despatched by the regular post; otherwise great  inconvenience and misunderstanding will be the result。  Private  individuals seldom give themselves the slightest trouble to deliver  letters。  If they chance to fall in with the persons for whom they  are intended … well and good! if not; the letters are flung aside  and forgotten。  In respect to the monies furnished me by our friend  Mr。 Tarn for my journey I have sent an account of the disbursement  on the other side; and also of what I have expended already upon  the Mandchou New Testament; of which ST。 MATTHEW'S GOSPEL HAS BEEN  COMPLETED AND ST。 MARK'S ENTERED UPON。

I remain; my dear Sir; most truly yours;

GEORGE BORROW。


To J。 Tarn; Esq。; UNDER…TREASURER OF THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY。


Account of the disbursement of certain monies received by me for my  journey to St。 Petersburg in the service of the B。 S。:…

Received of Mr。 Tarn (if I mistake not) 30 pounds; and 7 pounds;   making together 37 pounds。

Paid for fare to Hamburg by steam…boat; diet not included; 7  pounds; 0s 0d

For expenses of conveying myself and baggage to the custom…house  wharf; and of getting on board; 0 pounds; 6s; 0d

Carry forward; 7 pounds; 6s; 0d

Brought forward 7 pounds; 6s; 0d

Expenses on board the packet; viz。 diet; servants; and baggage fees  at Stade on the Hanoverian coast; 1 pound; 9s; 0d

Expenses attending my landing at Hamburg; conveyg。 baggage to the  hotel; etc。; 0 pounds; 5s; 0d

Expenses on the day of my arrival; for medical advice; physic;  etc。; having been seized by severe illness; 0 pounds; 7s; 0d

Expenses during three days' sojourn at Hamburg; viz。 for lodging;  diet; and VALET DE PLACE; 1 pound; 19s; 0d

Expenses of journey to Lubeck; namely hire of calash; driver; etc。;  1 pound; 10s; 0d

Expenses of two days' sojourn at Lubeck; 1 pound; 7s; 0d

Expenses for removal of baggage to the river…side and journey down  the river Trave to steam…boat at Travemunde; 0 pound; 7s; 0d

Fare from Travemunde to St。 Petersburg; diet not included; 1 pound;  0s; 0d

For diet; servants; etc。; 1 pound; 17s; 6d

Total; 27 pounds; 7s; 6d

Surplus of money; 9 pounds; 12s; 6d

From which surplus of 9 pounds; 12s。 6d。 are to be deducted 7  pounds; 4s。; or the salary of twelve days not drawn for; which  twelve days were spent in the journey。  The salary commencing from  the hour of embarcation。

Surplus due to Mr。 Tarn; 2 pounds; 8s; 6d

MY DEAR SIR; … At the expiration of this quarter I shall draw for  the sum of 47 pounds; 11s。 6d。 instead of the usual 50 pounds;  whereby my account with you will be liquidated。  I have; according  to your suggestion when we parted; deducted the salary of the days  passed in journeying from the money which I received from you;  Messrs。 Simondsen having received advice to pay me from the day of  my arrival at St。 Petersburg; whereas by the words of my agreement  (see books) the salary commences from the time of embarcation。  I  believe; previous to my departure; that I accounted to you for the  sums advanced for passports。  I have had the good fortune; as I  suppose you are aware; to procure for 25 roubles per ream the paper  for which I was originally asked 60; and of which previously the  very lowest price has ever been 35。  This paper is far superior to  that for which the Society formerly paid 40 (and which was not dear  at 40); being far stronger and more glossy。  You will particularly  oblige me by taking care that Messrs。 Simondsen's drafts are  honored without the slightest delay。  If I were unable to pay for  the paper at the stated time I should probably be arrested; and;  what would be far more lamentable; the contract with the merchants  would be broken; and upon a fresh contract I could not obtain the  paper in question for less than 60 roubles per ream; for the winter  has already come upon us; during which most of the paper  manufactories are at a stand…still; and an order for paper would be  consequently given under every possible disadvantage。  I have  forwarded; according to your desire; an account of the sums of  money hitherto drawn for; and of the manner in which they have been  disbursed。  I intended to have reserved my account for Christmas;  by which season I hope; with the blessing of God; to have brought  out the four Gospels。  Excuse these hasty lines; and believe me;  dear Sir; ever yours;

GEORGE BORROW。



LETTER: 8th October; 1834



To the Rev。 J。 Jowett (ENDORSED: recd。 Nov。 10th; 1834) ST。 PETERSBURG; OCT。 8 'old style'; 1834。

I HAVE just received your most kind epistle; the perusal of which  has given me both pain and pleasure … pain that from unavoidable  circumstances I have been unable to gratify eager expectation; and  pleasure that any individual should have been considerate enough to  foresee my situation and to make allowance for it。  The nature of  my occupations during the last two months and a half has been such  as would have entirely unfitted me for correspondence; had I been  aware that it was necessary; which; on my sacred word; I was not。   Now; and only now; when by the blessing of God I have surmounted  all my troubles and difficulties; I will tell; and were I not a  Christian I should be proud to tell; what I have been engaged upon  and accomplished during the last ten weeks。  I have been working in  the printing…office; as a common compositor; between ten and  thirteen hours every day during that period; the result of this is  that St。 Matthew's Gospel; printed from such a copy as I believe  nothing was ever printed from before; has been brought out in the  Mandchou language; two rude Esthonian peasants; who previously  could barely compose with decency in a plain language which they  spoke and were accustomed to; have received such instruction that  with ease they can each compose at the rate of a sheet a day in the  Mandchou; perhaps the most difficult language for composition in  the whole world; considerable progress has also been made in St。  Mark's Gospel; and I will venture to promise; provided always the  Almighty smiles upon the undertaking; that the entire work of which  I have the superintendence will be published within eight months  from the present time。  Now; therefore; with the premise that I  most unwillingly speak of myself and what I have done and suffered  for some time past; all of which I wished to keep locked up in my  own breast; I will give a regular and circumstantial account of my  proceedings from the day when I received your letter; by which I  was authorised by the Committee to bespeak paper; engage with a  printer; and cause our type to be set in order。

My first care was to endeavour to make suitable arrangements for  the obtaining of Chinese paper。  Now those who reside in England;  the most civilised and blessed of countries; where everything is to  be obtained at a fair price; have not the slightest idea of the  anxiety and difficulty which; in a country like this; harass the  foreigner who has to disburse money not his own; if he wish that  his employers be not shamefully and outrageously imposed upon。  In

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