Progress update, 14 to 20 April 2012

Welcome to the progress update for the period 14 to 20 March 2012, during which time further excellent progress has been made.

3,302 manuscripts have now been worked on, which is an increase of 53 on last week’s total. Of these, 3066 (93%) are now complete and locked, up 48 on last week.

The detailed state of progress is as follows:

• Box 2: 330 manuscripts transcribed of 532 (62%)
• Box 27: 301 of 350 (86%)
• Box 35: 231 of 439 (52%)
• Box 50: 54 of 92 (58%)
• Box 51: 55 of 940 (5%)
• Box 62: 51 of 565 (9%)
• Box 70: 168 of 250 (48%)
• Box 71: 560 of 665 (84%)
• Box 72: 397 of 664 (59%)
• Box 73: 126 of 156 (80%)
• Box 79: 77 of 199 (38%)
• Box 95: 45 of 147 (30%)
• Box 96: 520 of 539 (96%)
• Box 97: 24 of 288 (8%)
• Box 100: 75 of 429 (17%)
• Box 115: 245 of 307 (79%)
• Box 116: 5 of 218 (<1%)
• Box 139: 38 of 38 (100%)
• Overall: 53% of the 6,223 manuscripts uploaded to the website have been transcribed thus far.

Boxes 72 and 100 were the most actively transcribed during the last week. Eagle-eyed readers will have noted that there is a new set of material in the list, Box 116, which contains material relating to Bentham’s writings on the convict colony of New South Wales, and convict transportation more generally. Bentham’s Panopticon versus New South Wales (1802), on which much of these manuscripts is based, is a hugely important early critique of transportation, and its arguments were important in the abolition of transportation to New South Wales in 1840.

Meanwhile at UCL, an artwork by Shirin Homann-Saadat entitled The Third Bentham Box was installed alongside Bentham’s auto-icon this week. You can read more about this piece, and leave your thoughts on it, here. The work will remain on display for a month, and has been sparking almost as much curiosity as the man himself.

Thank you, as ever, to all those who have given their time and effort in contributing to Transcribe Bentham during the last seven days. It is very much appreciated.