Furnished with letters of introduction to Dr. Areskine, chief physician and privy councillor to the Czar Peter I., Bell “embarked at London in July, 1714, on board the _Prosperity_ of Ramsgate, Captain Emerson, for St. Petersburg.” As the Czar was about to send an ambassador, Artemis Petronet Valewsky, to “the Sophy of Persia, Schach Hussein,” Bell, by the good offices of Dr. Areskine, obtained an appointment in his suite, and set out from St. Petersburg on the 15th of July, 1715. He kept a diary, and was evidently an enlightened, discriminating and careful observer.
The following is the story referred to in the text. It well illustrates the process by which the first rumour concerning cotton--that “wool as white and soft as that of a lamb grew on trees”--was exaggerated to a statement that “lambs grew on certain trees,” and were, therefore, partly animal and partly vegetable.
Two honest tradesmen, meeting in the Strand, One took the other briskly by the hand. “Hark ye,” said he, “’tis an odd story this About the crows!” “I don’t know what it is,” Replied his friend. “No? I’m surprised at that,-- Where I come from it is the common chat; But you shall hear an odd affair indeed! And that it happened they are all agreed: Not to detain you from a thing so strange, A gentleman who lives not far from ‘Change, This week, in short, as all the Alley knows, Taking a vomit, threw up three black crows!” “Impossible!” “Nay, but ‘tis really true; I had it from good hands, and so may you.” “From whose, I pray?” So, having named the man, Straight to inquire his curious comrade ran. “Sir, did you tell?”--relating the affair-- “Yes, sir, I did; and, if ‘tis worth your care, ‘Twas Mr.--such a one--who told it me; But, by-the-bye, ‘twas _two_ black crows, _not three_!” Resolved to trace so wonderous an event, Quick to the third the virtuoso went. “Sir,”--and so forth. “Why, yes; the thing is fact, Though in regard to number not exact; It was not _two_ black crows, ‘twas only _one_! The truth of which you may depend upon; The gentleman himself told me the case.” “Where may I find him?” “Why in--” such a place. Away he went, and having found him out, “Sir, be so good as to resolve a doubt;” Then to his last informant he referred, And begged to know if true what he had heard. “Did you, sir, throw up a black crow?” “Not I!” “Bless me, how people propagate a lie! Black crows have been thrown up, _three_, _two_, and _one_; And here, I find, all comes at last to _none_! Did you say nothing of a crow at all?” “Crow?--crow?--perhaps I might; now I recall The matter over.” “And pray, sir, what was’t?” “Why, I was horrid sick, and at the last I did throw up, and told my neighbours so, Something that was--_as black_, sir, _as a crow_.”