Writings for Spain and Portugal

Good progress is being made on a volume of Bentham’s writings for Spain and Portugal. The volume will contain three texts: On the Liberty of the Press, and Public Discussion, Three Tracts relative to Spanish and Portugueze Affairs, and Letters to Count Toreno on the Proposed Penal Code. All these texts are concerned with elements of Spanish politics at the turbulent time of the ‘liberal triennium’ of 1820 – 1823. On the Liberty of the Press was written in response to new legislation in Spain which restricted press freedom and public meetings. The Three Tracts deal, respectively, with a proposed second chamber in the Spanish Cortes; with the delay in proceeding against the perpetrators of the massacre at Cadiz in 1820; and with the perceived flaws in the Spanish constitution, which the Portuguese were considering as a model for their own. The Letters to Count Toreno constitute Bentham’s critique of a draft penal code drawn up by a committee of the Spanish Cortes, which Toreno had sent to Bentham for his comments.

All three texts were published shortly after Bentham wrote them, the first two in 1821 and the Letters to Count Toreno in 1822. The new edition is therefore based on these printed texts, although a certain amount of additional manuscript material will also be consulted.

This work is funded by the ESRC.

Catherine Pease-Watkin, March 2007

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