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It did not therefore escape Your Committee, that Mr Colquhoun, in pointing out the Error
of the present Mode, speaks of an improved System for the employment of Convicts, as one of
the chief Measures by which the Expences of the Police are to be diminished.
Your Committee were therefore induced to enquire whether that Gentleman had any particular
System in View in making that observation: and they learnt with considerable Satisfaction that
Mr Colquhoun (who appears himself to have submitted a Plan to the Secretary of State for this
purpose) did allude to a Particular System, from which, according to his decided opinions, if
adopted and carried into execution, infinite Advantages would arise tot he Public, not only in the
Diminution of the Expence at Present incurred, but in the Improvements of the Morals of the Convicts
who may be placed under such an Establishment; Your Committee have therefore annexed to this
Report a Sketch of that Plan, contained in a Printed Paper intituled, "A Proposal for a New
"and less expensive Mode for employing and reforming Convicts".
Impressed with the Advantages of which the Perusal of the Heads of the Plan appears to justify
the Expectation, Your Committee were gratified in finding that it had already attracted the Attention,
and obtained the Encouragement of His Majesty's Government.
That so long ago as the 11th of June 1794 the Sum of £2,000 had been actually granted to the
Proposer, Jeremy Bentham Esquire, under Warrant from the Treasury "to enable him to make the
"necessary Preparations for the Custody of the Convicts to be confined in the proposed Penitentiary
"Houses".
That an Act of Parliament received the Royal Assent on the 7th of July 1794, 34. Geo 3. c.84. not
only authorizing but requiring the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, as soon after passing the Act
as Conveniently might be, to fix upon Ground therein described, or upon any Convenient and
proper Sport, with certain limits, for the erection of one or more Penitentiary Houses and giving
the usual compulsive Powers for purchasing the ground that should be so Chosen.
That Articles of Agreement were thereupon drawn up by the Solicitor to the Treasury, and approved
by the Attorney and Solicitor General, for the purpose of carrying the Proposal into Effect reciprocally
binding upon the Proposer and upon the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury.
That encouraged by these Proofs of Confidence and Approbation, and by these Assurances of Support
Mr Bentham had proceeded to the Performance of his Part of the Contract and had incurred and Expence
of many Thousand Pounds of his own Money, in Addition to that advanced by the Treasury, in consequence
of the Preparations which he had made: but that his further Progress has been impeded, and the Contract has
remained without Execution, from Difficulties in regard to obtaining a Spot of Ground proper for the Purpose.
Your Committee, however, are informed by the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, that
they have always felt a Disposition to carry into effect the contract intended to be executed, whenever a
proper Spot of Ground could be obtained, and that the Contract intended to have been entered into has
which the Penitentiary House was to be erected but that they are ready to enter into the Contract
whenever the Preliminary Difficulties relative to the Ground are removed.
Upon further inquiry Your Committee find that a Spot has been pointed out, which appears well
adapted to the Object, and against the Approbation of which to a Purpose so interesting to the Public no
solid Objection occurs; and that the preliminary Difficulties above alluded to have arisen from the
Rules and orders of the House relation to Bills of Inclosure which are supposed to be applicable to
the Ground in question. The Difficulty is therefore One which may be easily removed before the
next Session of Parliament; and Your Committee were glad to receive from Mr Bentham himself
the
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Identifier: | JB/149/118/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 149.
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