1820 Nov r 12

Rid Yourselves

Introduction

J.B.'s Opinion

'.7. Jeremy Bentham's Opinion A o 1792 as applied to France and

to distant dependencies in general.

Permitt me to conclude with a more particular reference to my own opinion, as above

spoken of, appplied as it was, in the only direct purpose of it, to the case of

France. The work, in which the grounds of it are briefly developed, is a pamphlet of

48 8vo. pages headed Jeremy Bentham to the National Convention of France:

better characterized by the three words of exhortation that occur in the first

sentence - Emanciapte Your Colonies. It was printed in

January 1793: it has incidentally found its way into various hands; but has not ever

yet been exposed to sale. A copy is ere this, at the disposal of the Cortes, if

honoured by their acceptance: a few other copies are at Madrid in private hands.

My friends, even in those days I was not altogether unknown in the country to which

on that occasion I was addressing myself. But any thing more on this head would lead

me too wide from the subject.

But this time you will have heard more or less of my work on Punishments and Rewards, edited in French by Mr. Dumont of Geneva. In the Volume on Rewards is a Chapter on Colonies.

The matter of it was extracted from my above mentioned pamphlet. The reasoning

applies alike to all other countries holding remote dependencies: England not

excepted.

In various works of other persons, it can not but be that opinions to this effect

have incidentally been delivered: but I know not of any other in which the question

has ever been argued in form as in these of mine.

To return to Spain. If the product of the dominion in question was loss even in

those days, what would it be in these? - Spaniards! the inquiry is now fully in your

hands.