JB/121/220/001

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The Duke of Portland to the Lords Commrs of the Treasury.
(Extract)
14th Octr 1799

Mr Lords
Mr King having laid before me a letter from Mr
Long of the 27th ulto desiring, by command of your Lordships, to
be apprized of the number of Convicts, which the Panopticon
proposed to be erected by Mr Bentham, is intended to accommodate,
I have examined the Acts of the 19th and 34th of his present Majesty
relative to the building of Penitentiary Houses for confining
and employing in hard labour, persons convicted of transportable &
other Crimes.

I understand the object of those Acts to be, that such Penitentiary
Houses should be used principally as receptacles for such transportable
Convicts, as the several Gaols of the respective Counties can
not contain, from the time of their receiving sentence, till an opportunity
may offer for their being transported.

With respect to the probable number of transportable Convicts,
no safer rule can be adopted than by taking the greatest number
of the four last years of Peace: though it may encrease yet the
encrease of live stock &c. will probably more than counterbalance
the difference . . . .

As to other Convicts, it will depend on the opinion of the
Judges who try them, what number of them it may be proper
to confine in the Panopticon: it is impossible to ascertain with
accuracy the number to which they may amount: but I incline
to think it would be very inexpedient to move such persons from
the Country Gaols, unless the crowded state of those Gaols should
render it absolutely necessary: for it would naturally tend not only
to check that spirit of improvement, which now so universally
prevails, in the several Counties in respect of those Gaols, but
would

Identifier: | JB/121/220/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 121.
Date_1	1799-10-14	Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	121	Main Headings	Panopticon
Folio number	220	Info in main headings field
Image	001	Titles	The Duke of Portland to the Lords Commrs of the Treasury (Extract)
Category	Correspondence	Number of Pages	3
Recto/Verso	"Recto" is not in the list (recto, verso) of allowed values for the "Rectoverso" property.	Page Numbering
Penner		Watermarks
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections	Jeremy Bentham	Paper Produced in Year
Notes public	See note to letter 1514, vol. 6	ID Number	001
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