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Subject Area: Law

Peter Roget * to Bentham. - Jeremy Bentham, The Works of Jeremy Bentham, vol. 10 (Memoirs Part I and Correspondence) [1843]

Edition used:

The Works of Jeremy Bentham, published under the Superintendence of his Executor, John Bowring (Edinburgh: William Tait, 1838-1843). 11 vols. Vol. 10.

Part of: The Works of Jeremy Bentham, 11 vols.

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Peter Roget*to Bentham.

“Cheltenham,January 9, 1800.

“Sir,—

Not having been able to procure the number of Nicholson’s Journal, containing the article you refer to in the letter with which you have honoured me, I cannot form any judgment concerning it. I suppose, however, from your account, that it does not differ materially from the ‘Notice on the Respiration of a newly-discovered gas, &c.,’ published by Dr Beddoes in November, in the form of a small pamphlet, under the above, or some similar title. The medical effects of the air in question are, no doubt, very violent and peculiar; but, as far as I was an eye-witness to the experiments, I could not discover in them sufficient uniformity to enable me to draw a conclusion. I shall endeavour, however, to give you some general idea of its effects upon myself. I have respired the air three different times; in the last of which the experiment was pushed as far as was prudent—that is, until the air-bag dropped from my hands. The first inspirations induced a giddiness and stupor, from which I was gradually roused by a kind of delirium, which stole upon me imperceptibly, but which, after a certain time, increased so rapidly that I soon lost sight of every object around me, and all recollection of where I was. I felt as if my whole frame had been violently and tumultuously agitated—a state to which I can conceive nothing similar, unless it be that of high delirium or mania. How long I remained in this situation I cannot pretend exactly to determine, as my estimate of time must, in such circumstances, have been very inaccurate. The whole scene, indeed, had more resemblance to a delirious dream, than to anything that could be distinctly remembered. Its duration was probably not above a few minutes, for every unnatural feeling had completely subsided in a quarter of an hour. But I perfectly recollect that, during the whole time I was under its influence, I experienced no pleasurable sensations of any kind, but rather those of an opposite description. Nor was I singular in this respect; for some other persons on whom I saw the experiment made, were affected unpleasantly. The pleasure expressed by the rest might have arisen possibly from the novelty of the sensation. One chemist, I think it is the Abbé Rozier, describes his feelings on his first inspiring hydrogenous gas, as highly pleasurable, for which, perhaps, the same cause may be assigned.

“In July last, I gave Mr Davy, the discoverer of this air, an account I had written at his request, of the effect it had had upon me. This account, I find, has been suppressed.

“I should not apprehend any dangerous consequences from moderate trials with a gas diluted with a large proportion of common air; but I confess, until its effects on other animals be better known, I should have no inclination again to venture my health in any trial of its full effects. I am, indeed, disposed to doubt the entire safety of such experiments, after the account given me by one gentleman who had breathed it in a large dose, and, I believe, pure. The feelings it produced in him, he represented as those of a total suspension of all his faculties, impressing him with the belief that he was at the point of death. When pure, it is speedily fatal to small animals; mice, when immersed in an atmosphere of it, die in about four or five minutes. A taper burns in it with greater brilliancy than in common air.

“As you seem desirous of knowing the method of preparing it, I shall conclude by giving you some account of it.

“Crystals of nitrate of ammonia are to be heated till they undergo the aquæous fusion, and while in this state, are to be supersaturated with ammonia, by adding dry carbonate of ammonia till no further effervescence is produced by fresh additions. The salt resulting from this combination is decomposed by a certain degree of heat, below what is called a red heat, in such a manner that this peculiar air is extricated. This process, though simple, is an operation that requires some delicacy in regulating the application of heat; for upon the proper management of this the purity of the gas, as well as the safety of the experiment, depends. If the just medium be exceeded, either nitrous gas is disengaged along with it, or a deflagration is produced, which bursts the retort. I should add, also, that before the air thus obtained can be breathed with any safety, it should be allowed to remain a few hours in contact with a small quantity of water, in order to purify it from all mixture of nitrous gas; but if a large quantity of water be employed, much of the air we wish to preserve will itself be absorbed.—I remain, Sir, your most obedient servant,

“Peter Roget.”

A strange sort of asking for a dinner, Bentham addressed to Mrs Evan Nepean. (March 21st, 1800.)

“Good my Lady,—Heaven bless and preserve your good ladyship! Seeing, as how your ladyship was so good as to be pleased to be so kind as to say, as how that the round of beef would be good cold, and that there would be some of it for dinner to-morrow, and the next day, and the day after, (which is as much as to say this day, an’t please your ladyship,) and that I might have some of it for asking for, if so be as how I behaved well, which is my constant indiver to be, to the best of my poor abilities, whereby if it should please your good ladyship to bestow some of this good beef upon a poor man to-day, or to-morrow, or any time, as long as it keeps good, it would be a great help to him in these hard times; and so no more at all at present from your good ladyship’s humble servant to command. And so, with the proviso that so long as there is such good beef to be had for praying for, and such a dear good lady to bestow the same, your petitioner shall ever pray, being, with the utmost difference and respect, your ladyship’s humble servant to command.

“J. B.

“P. S. This is with the proviso that none of the quality, nor nobody else, dines with your good ladyship and the good family, seeing as how if there was any living creatur besides, I could never make bould to intrude myself, but would ax leave for some other day. With my humble duty and sarvice to good Madam Winkworth and the Squier, concludes me.

“J. Barebones.”

Hasty, but characteristic, is the following letter to Dumont:—

“Q. S. P., 20th June, 1800.

“My dear Dumont,—I return you herewith your Buonaparte letter, with thanks; also Mr North’s letters. Your suspicion about Mallet du Pan, I repel with scorn. You made me the offer, but you never realized it. What I had of you was nothing but Bibliotheque Britannique,—all returned.

“Pray send me Mr North’s address; his parish, and nearest post-town,—do so by the first opportunity.

“I leave out for you seven packets of MSS. God knows what they contain!

“I have a few sheets entitled Omnipotence, about a dozen or so,—viz. Of the Legislature or Supreme Power,—showing that there ought to be no limits to it,—no occasional conventions,—no epochs of revision. But this, I believe, you have seen. I have more about Constitutional Laws,—including old stuff about Etats Generaux, &c.”

To Mr Addington, the Speaker of the House of Commons, Bentham sent (July 24th, 1800) suggestions for architectural arrangements in the House of Commons, in order to give effect to suggestions for the regulation of debate. The proposal is original, and parts of it, at least, feasible:—

[* ] Now Dr Roget, the son of Romilly’s brother-in-law. He must have been a young man studying his profession at the date of the letter.