JB/117/252/001

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Portland Langston Harbour 24 Jan 1803

Sir
If it becomes every man in every situation
to to to the utmost of his power to the general
welfare, as you Sir, with every other statesman will
admit, I presume this good intention will excuse
an obscure individual in calling your attention to
a subject so worth of your humanity and so
to the public safety as the administration of
justice. I am the more strongly urged to the performance
of my duty in this respect from an ardent desire to efface
my own transgression against the community, and here
I must claim your indulgence while I mention that
at the last spring assizes I was convicted of having
in my possession a forged Bank note, and sentenced
to 14 years transportation, which unfortunate circumstances
with an uncontaminated & reflecting mind
have enabled me to make such observation on the
manners, expedients, and History of felons and convcits
in general, and those to whose care they are intrusted
as can scarcely meet the notice of any cursory observer
or draw a judicious remark from any person
who has not the misfortune like myself to be chained
in these degrading ranks, and every day and every
hour hear the boasted exploits of hardened wickedness,
and to stand a mute and uncontrouling witness
of the sordid, corrupting and oppressive measures
of the ignorant and mercenary Guardians
of the offenders of the law. For certain I am
Sir, that the bad police and the injudicious government
so prevalent in places of this kind making
them in reality seminars not of penitence & reform
as they ought and might be made by a more enlightened
and salutary discipline, but of every view
which degrades human nature below the ferocious
brute is a striking and essential cause of the multitude
the craftiness and audacity of the depredators
who infest and as they themselves obdurately
and pointedly express it bleed the Country.

Mr Colquhoun in his Treatise on the Police
of or supposes that there is in the Metropolis
on a mis

Identifier: | JB/117/252/001"JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 117.
Date_1	1803-01-24	Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	117	Main Headings	panopticon
Folio number	252	Info in main headings field
Image	001	Titles
Category	correspondence	Number of Pages	4
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering
Penner	george lee	Watermarks	[[watermarks::1800 [bell motif]]]
Marginals		Paper Producer
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year	1800
Notes public		ID Number	38869
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