s
suspicious in the eyes of Bentham, but hardly surprising at such a
period, an act of parliament was obtained in 1794 to adopt his schemes.
Bentham had already been making preparations. He says[279] (14th
September 1794) that he has already spent L6000, and is spending at the
rate of L2000 a year, while his income was under L600 a year. He
obtained, however, L2000 from the government. He had made models and
architectural plans, in which he was helped by Reveley, already known to
him at Constantinople. This sum, it appears, was required in order to
keep together the men whom he employed. The nature of their employment
is remarkable.[280] Samuel, a man of singular mechanical skill, which
was of great use to the navy during the war, had devised machinery for
work in wood and metal. Bentham had joined his brother, and they were
looking out for a steam-engine. It had now occurred to them to employ
convicts instead of steam, and thus to combine philanthropy with
business. Difficulties of the usual kind arose as to the procurement of
a suitable site. The site secured under the provisions of the 'Hard
Labour Bill' was for some reason rejected; and Bentham was almost in
despair. It was not until 1799 that he at last acquired for L12,000 an
estate at Millbank, which seemed to be suitable. Meanwhile Bentham had
found another application for his principle. The growth of pauperism was
alarming statesmen. Whitbread proposed in February 1796 to fix a minimum
rate of wages. The wisest thing that government could do, he said, was
to 'offer a liberal premium for the encouragement of large families.'
Pitt proceeded to prepare the abortive Poor-law Bill,[281] upon which
Bentham (in February 1797) sent in some very shrewd criticisms. They
were not published, but are said to have 'powerfully contributed to the
abandonment of the measure.'[282] They show Bentham's power of incisive
criticism, though they scarcely deal with the general principle. In the
following autumn Bentham contributed to Arthur Young's _Annals of
Agriculture_ upon the same topic. It had struck him that an application
of his Panopticon would give the required panacea. He worked out details
with his usual zeal, and the scheme attracted notice among the
philanthropists of the time. It was to be a 'succedaneum' to Pitt's
proposal. Meanwhile the finance committee, appointed in 1797, heard
evidence from Bentham's friend, Patrick Colquhoun, upon the Panopticon,
and a report reco