JB/116/574/001

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Letter 3

1 Jany 1803

Note
XVI. Improved prisons

When [due attention] What strange place can is this be which
the worthy Magistrate is speaking or dreaming of? For my part I
who have been looking upon the look out for such a place for
above these 8 years, have never yet been able to meet with any thing like itand without success to no purpose. Is it any where
about the Treasury?—Is it any such place as the closet of any such person
as the "great person" so "alluded to presently after by the worthy Magistrate?a few hours after. What
Thus as to the foundations—what a sort of a ground is it (I wonder) that "an application" must
have to make it a "well-founded" one? An Act of
Parliament for example? applications on such grounds grounded on such
foundations have been made month after month, year
after year, to as great persons as any he can have
been alluding to, and the "attention" shewn to them has
been worse than none: has it has
had every property of refusal; saving only but the honesty on the one
side part, and the quietus on the other.

[Without adding to the rate] restrain vice &c.

The person to whom the expectations of the worthy Magistrate
... has existence to the imagination of the
worthy Magistrate: if he were a real human if he were
a man of flesh and blood the answer would not be difficult
having by the supposition the power he would have the will
to enact it and the thing would be done.

If what the worthy Magistrate really looks for is a great
person, great or otherwise, who by what he "feels" about "the importance
"of restraining vice and improving morals" is to afford him such provision
for his prisoners as shall not add to the County rates, the worthy
Magistrate's own imagination (Your Lordship may venture to assure him)
is the likeliest place for finding what he wants. Year ago he
would have made his appearance, had there been any such person in
existence. An act of Parliament for doing all this has been passed— an establishment which
in the opinion of Parliament would do all this+—or Parliament
would have been ordered it to be set up, has by Parliament
been ordered to be set up—for above may have these 8 years.—Whatever
be the thing needful, one power to and the thing is done.
Power is thus beyond dispute Power for this then has always been all that time in a certain place:—beyond dispute
had will been in the same
place, the thing would long ago have been done years ago,
and neither the worthy magistrate nor so many other people, would have been
left at this time of day, to amuse themselves with "hopes" and
"expectations."

+ would restrain vice
and improve morals
without adding to County
rates—

+ Duty there has always
been: full knowledge
of that duty there
has always been:

Identifier: | JB/116/574/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 116.
Date_1	1803-01-01	Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	116	Main Headings	panopticon versus new south wales
Folio number	574	Info in main headings field	letter 3
Image	001	Titles
Category	correspondence	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	f33*
Penner	jeremy bentham	Watermarks	1800
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year	1800
Notes public	letter was never sent; see note 8 to letter 1747, vol. 7	ID Number	38107
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