Editor’s Notepg 543Editor’s Note2358To John Herbert Koe12–17 August 1816 (Aet 68)

Ford Abbey 12 Aug. 1816

Reced on Saty.² yours of |    |³

I don't recollect Dumont's mentioning in his letter to me⁴ his having received any Spring of Action. I certainly sent him a parcel of them viz. six by Romilly:⁵ and afterwards a list of Errata by post. Pray ask Romilly about this.

Saty. 17th

They all came safe on Thursday. Subreprobate⁶ now saved from drowning and falling off and breaking his neck at night by the charity of Mrs. M.⁷ By 〈…〉 injunction he wrote his letter to his mother certifying his existence yesterday: but it will not be delivered sooner than this will be if I dispatch it this day as I intend. By bad schooling he is much more deficient in general instruction than I expected: but he reads well beyond expectation, which is a great comfort: incomparably better already than Super-Reprobate.⁸ Writing I have not yet tried him in. He is under Mill's schooling, and I doubt not will progress as fast as Super Reprobate.

The Organ has been taken to pieces and I hope put to rights, by assistance from a sort of Gentleman-Malster 5 miles off an acquaintance of the Gardener's. The fault which is now discovered being clearly out of the Carpenter's power to end. The whole busines is the result of a special providence, but too multifarious to be detailed here. James Hume took an active and useful part in it.

Stat.53 G.3 C.149 Curates' Pay etc.

Per § 13. Clause narrowing the operation of the Act by confining to future Rectors and Vicars the power given to Bishops to take money out of their pockets and give it to Curates; alias to exempt actual Incumbents from the operation of it. Marginal Content—'Not to empower Bishops to assign the Curates of persons holding Benefices before passing of the Act or of certain persons', any greater stipend than before. Who are these 'certain persons'? Pray transcribe and send me by Ladyship's honour the words by which they are described.⁹ I take for granted that neither in this clause nor anypg 544 other part of the Act is included any exemption in favour of existing Patrons, to prevent the value of the Livings destined for their sons etc, from being reduced to nothing. No certainly: this can not have been d〈one〉.

Stemmatic Laticulata [?]^10—Two tall thin volumes—a new purchase of mine, Mill would be glad to receive it by any opportunity that occurs.

Books not to be forgotten by Ladyship's Honour when she comes—

1. Neal's Histy. Vol. 4 and 5¹¹

2. The Botanical books left for her at Q.S.P. viz.

Salisbury¹² and Keith.¹³ Lee¹⁴ is not here. May it not perhaps have been sent to Appledore?¹⁵ Enquiry at any rate can do no harm.

3. Item the striped Phlox which being exonerated of pot and greatest part of the earth will tie up in a couple of outside Cabbage-leaves.

4. Item. Siberian Flax, if seeds are ripe and saved, or ripening becomes hopeless.

5. Q.S.Pian perennials to be saved, and noted, that in due season (say latter end of Octr.) specimens of such as are not here, or are rare here, may be transferred hither.

Ford Abbey 17 or 18 Aug. 1816 Saturday¹⁶

Panopticon—I hope and believe we shall have one good one—and that in the most publickly inspectable place in England; viz. the Juvenile.¹⁷ But it grieves me to think of the unpromising state of the Bristol one.

I hope your letter to Miss Morgan will have been written before this reaches you.¹⁸ All depends upon the Bristol people: Justices in Sessions are they, or governing corporate body of the City. We know nothing about them: and as little of the sort and degree of influence this philanthropic and public spirited Lady has in relation to them. I should be happy to see her here, if it afforded any promise of being of use; and perhaps she would not be averse to come.

pg 545Nobody can be more decidedly against all intercourse between Criminals and debtors than we all are: and that Debtors ought not to be subject to inspection, unless it be at their own desire, or in 〈…〉 of misbehaviour on their part, i.e. on the part of any one, for a time to be limited and by way of punishment for the misbehaviour of that one, and the prevention of future misbehaviour during that time, in the instance of that one. Supposing the disposition of the building suitable, i.e. the simple annular plan adhered to throughout, all this might be secured by a piece of canvas to each apartment, in form of a curtain, which the Debtor might draw aside at pleasure, (in case of sickness for example) and the governing body —the ruling powers whoever they are cause to be removed for a time, for punishment, as above: but in no case without making entry of the act done, and of the justifying cause of its being done.

The great advantage of this plan is that by this means provision will be made in as effectual degree as possible, against the uncertainty attendant upon the numbers of the individuals, in the instance of both classes: whereas but for this you may have the Debtors part crowded to the great distress of all of them, and yet though the Criminals part be not half full no means of affording relief to the distress produced by crowding in the instance of the debtors: and so vice versâ: and thus if health be not injured, productive industry more or less impeded in one part, for want of that relief—that supply of room, which in case of an appropriate construction might so easily be afforded by the other. But even though it should be determined that no such relief shall be capable of being afforded, in which case the quantity of room allotted to both classes together and consequently the expence must be much greater than otherwise it need be, still what use would there be in deviating from the simplicity of the annular construction? On the plan you have delineated as collected from the accounts you have heard here would be a portion of the whole mass of building thrust aside out of the ring: of which extrusion it is clear by inspection that a very considerable addition would be made to the quantity of matter and consequently expence of the walls.

I hope in both instances I mean Juvenile and so far as concerns criminals Bristol Ainslie and you have paid due attention to that contrivance of Places, which seems to be an admirable one, in relation to the Necessaries: viz. in including them in the ring but in such manner as to make them be capable of being exposed to inspection (viz. by drawing aside or removal of a curtain as above) yet perfectly air tight,—the windows not opening, and thence no possibility of annoyance by bad smell. Two different ones for thepg 546 two sexes, that one may be accessible at all times to each sex; and it should seem that one should be over the other, rather than by the side: since in the latter case, what was going forward in the one might be more or less perceptible in the other, conversations might even be carried on etc, etc, in various ways adverse to comfort or decorum or both.