JB/009/121/001

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84

George Wilson & James Trail were of all Bentham's acquaintances at that
those with whom he was most intimate. It was to Wilson that
most of the Bowood Letters were addressed.

George Wilson said he was my bosom friend. We were both of us friendless.
He had lived at Aberdeen when his father had been Collector of the
Customs. He had been at Edinburgh University. He was related
by marriage to Dr. Fordyce. I made acquaintance before I was of
age with Dr. Fordyce in consequence of his lectures on chemistry – &
I once gave him & (Chamberlain) Clark a dinner in Lincoln's Inn
Dr F was, I think at that time the only chemical lecturer &
was very poorly attended. Wilson was first cousin to a Lord
Forbes & Fordyce invited Wilson to dinner to meet me. He had
no legal acquaintance except Sir James Archibald Macdonald who was an
aristocrat & a puppy & took no notice of Wilson, – so that
Wilson soon really knew nobody but Dr Fordyce who was a queer creature
without conversation. Wilson & I there met – He was not a
forward – no! he was rather reserved, even bashful man, – but
he was 6 feet 1 inch in height. Not only after it happened I
was not so poor but I could go & live apart from my father, so
I went to a little eating or chop house called the Three Tuns where
I used to dine for 13d including 1d to the waiter. & thus to be free from
troublesome company. While sitting at one table he was at another
I recognized him & asked him to take tea with me. I found he was
fond of Chess. I was passionately fond of it. (This was long after
our meeting at Fordyce's who was in the habit of bringing people
together, giving no one any account of the others, so that they were
instantly in awkward plights. He thus introduced me to Solander's
Club when nobody knew me & I knew nobody & had nothing to
say to any body, nor any body to me) – At this time I was
writing

Identifier: | JB/009/121/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 9.
Date_1		Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	009	Main Headings
Folio number	121	Info in main headings field
Image	001	Titles
Category	biographical material	Number of Pages	2
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering
Penner		Watermarks	[[watermarks::[fleur de lys]]]
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year
Notes public		ID Number	3422
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