JOHN STUART MILL. yog 



he begins a treatise on Value, and Sir S. B. is to get Say's book for 

 him. His French master seems to prescribe, among other things, trans- 

 lating from Latin into French, and he takes up the speech of CatiHne 

 in Sallust, and afterward some Odes of Horace, There is another day's 

 excursion to the forest of Ramelle, with many incidents. He soon re- 

 ports having read the last of Lucian, and gives a short review of him, 

 accompanied with high admiration ; Hermotimus he considers a master- 

 piece of ingenious reasoning. In a letter to his mother he adverts to 

 his progress in music and dancing; he advises his two elder sisters to 

 remit their music till he returns, as he discovers now that they were on 

 a wrong plan. Writes a letter in Latin to those two sisters, correct 

 enough but not very high composition. Begins a Dialogue at the sug- 

 gestion of Lady B., on the question — whether great landed estates and 

 great establishments in commerce or manufactures, or small ones, are 

 most conducive to the general happiness ; in the circumstances, rather 

 venturesome. The following day began, also by Lady B.'s advice, to 

 write on the Definition of Political Economy. Very much elated by 

 " excellent news of the revolution in Italy." Attends three lectures on 

 modern Greek, and gives his father an account of the departures from 

 the ancient Greek, In the beginning of August the lessons are at an 

 end, the family going for a tour in the Pyrenees, What remains of the 

 diary is occupied with this tour, its incidents and descriptions, and is 

 written in French. 



I must, however, advert to an interesting letter from Lady Benthani 

 to his father, dated September 14th. It refers to a previous letter of 

 hers giving particulars of John's progress in French and other branches 

 of acquirement. The family is to reside in Montpellier, and the purpose 

 of the present letter is to recommend to his father to allow him to spend 

 the winter there, and to attend the public lectures of the college. Mr. 

 Bernard, a distinguished chemist, who had visited the Benthams at 

 Toulouse, had taken an interest in him, and sounded his depths and de- 

 ficiencies, and gives the same opinion. As the party has now been 

 boxed up together for some weeks, his habits and peculiarities had 

 been more closely attended to than ever, and (I quote the words) " we 

 have been considerably successful in getting the better of his inactivity 

 of mind and body when left to himself." This probably refers to his 

 ennui when deprived of books ; it being apparent that, much as was his 

 interest in scenery, he could not as yet subsist upon that alone. The 

 letter goes on — " Upon all occasioQS his gentleness under reproof and 

 thankfulness for correction are remarkable ; and, as it is by reason sup- 

 ported by examples we point out to him that we endeavor to convince 

 him, not by command that we induce him to do so and so, we trust 

 that you will have satisfaction from that part of his education we are 

 giving him to fit him for commerce with the world at large." Lady 

 Bentham does not omit to add that he must also dress well. 



The remainder of the diary serves mainly to show his growing taste 



