‘Yours ever,
‘Jeremy Bentham.’
‘Q.I.P.: Sept. 30, 1794.
‘Dear Sir,—A thousand thanks for your kind letter—sorry you should fancy you have been bathing[[161]] for health—hope it was not true—only idleness—we can’t afford to have you otherwise than well.
‘Must prefer[[162]] you once more, “Rental of England twenty-four millions.” Good! but houses, such as those in town, and others that have a separate rent, are included? I suppose not; since for them you would have given a separate and different price in number of years’ purchase.
‘In one of your tours you guess this article at five millions. Do you abide by that guess? I think the number must have increased since then considerably; that was, I believe, about twenty years ago. London and the environs must since then have increased, I should think, at least a quarter of a million. How many years’ purchase would you reckon houses at, upon an average, old and young together? Shall we say sixteen? I should think, at the outside.
‘I am, dear Sir,
‘Your much obliged,
‘Jeremy Bentham.
‘A. Young, Esq.’