JB/121/064/002

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F.3. Mr. Bentham to Mr Nepean. 21 Septr 1799:

Building expence – Panopticon about 1/2th of Cold Bath Fields – about 1/13th of Blackburne's
Plan – Rose called that outrageously extravagant though the 12 Judges &c approved of it – would
not allow Panopticon to be compared with it – £<57,000 for 3,000 Prisoners would not be excessive

Be pleased to observe, that according to the Contract as
settled in 1795 (printed in the 28th Report of the Committee
on Finance) the Money to be allowed for a building to contain
1000 Prisoners was – £19,000 making £19 per man. At this rate,
If 2,000 were the number of Prisoners to be built for,
the allowance for the building would come to – £38,000
If 2,500 – £47,500
If 3,000 – £57,000

This 3,000 is the utmost number I would fix upon,
if it were left to myself, judging from the data you have seen
and which are in print.

£57,000 is a large sum. But it is for the whole of the
United Kingdom: and this expence, which the whole Kingdom
would have to contribute to, is less, by from £10 to 20,000, than
the expence of the so much talked of and commended Prison in
Cold-Bath Fields, out of which, for want of those safeguards which
Panopticon affords even to superfluity (universal and uninterrupted
inspection within – by night as well as day – Watchmen watching
and Patroles patroling without the Walls, between the Walls and
a wet Ditch (&c)) Prisoners have got out, by 7 or 8 at a time, and
may get out again, for any thing there is to hinder them.

Expence of the Cold-Bath-Prison as supposed, upon a
hasty recollection by Mr Mainwaring – between £60 and
£70,000: say therefore – £65,000
Do per Mr Colquhoun upon a first recollection £60,000 – £60,000
upon a second – £80,000

It might of course be ascertained to a penny if it wee
worth while.

No. of Cells in Cold Bath Fields Prison, as reckoned
up by the Governor's Son and the Turnkeys (present myself
and Mr. Colquhoun) more than one man being never put
into a Cell† – 235(a)
† Note, in the original papers
They reckoned up 15
other Rooms, into which,
(as into any Rooms) Prisoners
might be put, – but
which were not designed for Prisoners. £65,000

Identifier: | JB/121/064/002 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 121.
Date_1	1799-09-21	Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	121	Main Headings	Panopticon
Folio number	064	Info in main headings field	Establishment enlarged etc
Image	002	Titles	Mr Bentham to Mr Nepean
Category	Correspondence	Number of Pages	4
Recto/Verso	"Recto" is not in the list (recto, verso) of allowed values for the "Rectoverso" property.	Page Numbering	F16 / F35 / F36 / F17
Penner		Watermarks
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections	Jeremy Bentham	Paper Produced in Year
Notes public	Letter 1467, vol. 6	ID Number	002
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