Editor’s NoteEditor’s Note846To Francis Burton2, 3 July 1792 (Aet 44)

• Queen's Square Place Westmr
• July 2d 1792.

Dear Burton

Inclosed you have the proposal I mentioned, together with a preceding one which it did not occurr to me to mention. What also did not occurr to me, was that Mr Dundas has been long in possession of a copy of the book you were kind enough to mention to him.² He took notice, I think, to you of his having seen that or the proposal. Of the latter however I think I told you of his having pg 371bestowed some testimony of general approbation, upon Mr Rose's making him hear of it. This, combined with other instances of apparently studied silence, and with the intelligence given by the enemy of a connection betwixt him and Duncan Campbell (I know not whether upon any grounds) confirms one's apprehension of the consequence of the video meliore proboque. If this be the danger, the more they hear of this business from respectable people of different descriptions, the more difficult they may find it to indolence or private affection or interest to the prejudice of public interest. The mention you so kindly made of it and intend making of it promises therefore, besides being so honourable to the projector, to be of real use to the project. Next to adopting it, the greatest favour they could do me would be to reject it: they would then leave my brother at liberty to go to one country where he is pressingly summoned, and me to another where I am invited by the Department of Paris to do what I am solliciting to do here. /In some opinions it will reflect no great credit on the Ministry/ It is for the Ministry to judge how far it will be for their credit, that /if/ a man with such a proposal in his hand should after so many years hard labour and a year and a half's patience be driven into a foreign country by the inability of getting a hearing in his own. As for tumults I neither court them nor fear them—Believe me, most thankfully, Ever yours

Jeremy Bentham.          

P.S. Since I wrote the above which I kept till I could rummage out an old unpublished pamphlet which courts the honour of your acceptance I received a letter from Mr Rose³ in which he says 'I have had several conversations with Mr Dundas respecting your plans for Penitentiary Houses, and he will speak to you on the subject himself at the earliest opportunity'

I shall be happy to shew you the model whenever it suits you to drop in upon me.

Did Sr C Bunbury tell you as he told me of a conversation between him and Mr Campbell in which Mr Campbell began with I am sorry Sir Chs that you should be so much my enemy etc. while [?] not conceiving that Sr Ch. could have any other view in the matter that setting up a hungry jailor in the room of an over-grown one. This was viewing the matter in the good plain mercantile point of view. Should Mr Dundas view it through the same pg 372medium, which I hope he will not, I trust at least that will not be the case with Mr Pitt.