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Crickoff Dec.r 1786.
Hon.d Sir
I think it was in August last that I wrote last to you. The last I have of yours is dated
so long ago as June 20th. I fear, shall I say, or I hope that in that long interval some
letter or letters may have been destined for us, and miscarried, as has been the case before. I wonder
whether a small packet sent to Mr Pole Carew under your cover, by Sea in answer to his message through you was come
to hand. If for some time past you should have thought me a scanty correspondent that will
not be the case now: for besides this you will receive 20 letters at once. I am not yet quite decided
whether to enclose them under this cover. On the one hand I would wish to save you the
enormous expence of postage for what you may think not worth it. On the other hand as I send
another copy to Mr King I h mean to double the chances of safe arrival by postponing one copy
a post or two, and I have reasons for wishing that one might go to any other address than his.
When first I sit sat down to write I intended but one letter, to which I intended no other
publicity that what you might think fit to give it, by communicating it to your Brethren
of the Magistracy for whose use it was designed. But when I came to see the extensive applicability
of the idea, I saw no reason for confining the communication to any one set of men.
I therefore send instructions to Mr King for the publishing of his copy. But as the letters were are
addressed to you, I have no right to make any such use of your name without your
leave. You will therefore stop the publication if you think proper or strike out any part
having stars in which you yourself are mentioned or alluded to. If you thought fit you might have stars in the room, or if the passage be long given notice in a note of such erasure:
or, if you thought it better you might say the manuscript was illegible, provided the words omitted
were but few but I hope and am pretty confident there is nothing in the letters that will induce you to make use of the power You will likewise make any addition by way of note or otherwise which you may
think proper, provided it be in your own name or in the general name of the Editor. All I
stipulate for is that I may not be made to say any thing which that I do not say: However trifling
the alteration, and how much better sense in might be than what i do say: for it would
be impossible for you to judge at your distance, how far such alteration might quadrate with my
views here. As some part of the letters bear relation to the subject of Penitentiary Houses, and I
have not the Act that passed on that subject to turn too, only a copy of my own theme of the first
G. Labour Bill, I have written to Mr Wilson to beg of him, if he has leisure to add some
notes, if necessary by way of correcting any citations erroneous or imperfect ideas which I may have given of the
state of that concern. I have likewise begged for him of the statutes proper to take upon him the
office of Editor, for the purpose of correcting the proofs &c: if not, it may as well go to Payne
at once. I know not how far Mr Wilson avocations will permitt him to take any part
in it: but if he should, you will I dare say have the consideration to take up as little of
his time as possible with discussions relative to a subject which can not be expected to be so interesting
to him as it is to Sam and me, and we flatter ourselves will be to you. Possibly, out
of compliment to you, your brethren of the Magistracy might be for making it their request to
you that the letters may be printed: if so, there may be no harm in their understanding that
the impression is in consequence at such requests, nor in inserting the form of words in which
they signify it. I will take care that any number of copies you please shall be at your command
I received a kind letter t'other day from Alderman Clark who informed me more particularly
than the papers did of Far's marriage, but tells me that there has been scarce any intercourse between
you and him for a long time, but without hinting at any assignable cause. In answer to what I to had
said to him in a letter which I told you of, that intimating that I took for granted he saw all
the letters to you which gave any account of my travels, he speaks as if he had seen but a
part and that not without great difficulty. Pray be so kind as to send him the whole bundle for
a fortnight at least, you will not be the poorer. I must not neglect friends who deserved well of me
if
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Identifier: | JB/540/314/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 540.
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1786-12-18 |
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540 |
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314 |
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001 |
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Correspondence |
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Jeremy Bentham |
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