1821 Oct. 19 ┴ G §.7

To Toreno

Letter VI

§.7 Atonement proposed

While this pen of mine is moving, in come a cluster of documents shewing the progress made of Codification shewing the progress made in the quondam emulated[?] Republic now stiled the Canton of Geneva. They are three in number namely 1. a Code of procedure bearing date in 1819 and actually in force pp. | | /1 Loi sur le Procedure Civil par le Canton de Geneve Deinté[?] par le Conseil Representatif et Souverain le 29 Septembre 1819 pages 188/: 2. A work of M r Bellot’s entituled exposé des Motifs de la Loi sur la Procedure Civile pour le Canton de Geneve pages 236: 3. Projet de Code Penal par la Republique et Canton de Geneve Mai 1821 pages 87: 4. Avertissement par M. Etienne Dumont Membre de la Commission pour la reduction du Code pages x.

As to giving any account of them, or any of them, so much as setting eyes on them or any of them, it is what I dare not trust myself: Sir, at any rate till this my correspondence with you is closed. The most accredited Codes of cultivated Europe so often from the wisdom of which Gentlemen have not disdained to enrich theirs have not I will venture to /would not scruple to/ affirm had, any of them a tenth part of the consideration declared upon that /the/ proposed Code just mentioned[?]. Great /Not small/ will be my surprise, if in my eyes /judgment/ I do not find it in a high degree conducive to the greatest happiness of the greatest number than the most accredited whichever it may be of all those their most acredited Codes. But in saying that you will not easily conceive how little it appears to me that I have been saying in favour of it. On that occasion these works of mine that are in French were {I am informed} made use of. Application was made to me to me to furnish a proposed Penal Code. I had even sat down to the task, and made some progress: but the circumstances of the occasion and the time were not favourable to the accomplishment. A love is not an empire: 40,000 are not so many as 16,000,000: Geneva was /is/ not so near to me as London. The sensation of a bridle in the mouth was not found more agreable (I understand) at Geneva than at Madrid. The proposal of a Rationale had been rejected. {Masters /Employers/ to whom the obligation of giving reason for the} use made of their power