Memoirs of the Life of Sir Samuel Romilly: Volume 2
Written by Himself; with a Selection from his Correspondence
Cambridge Library Collection - British & Irish History, 17th & 18th Centuries Series

A friend of Wilberforce and Bentham, Sir Samuel Romilly (1757?1818) combined considerable legal expertise with commitment to progressive political causes such as the abolition of the slave trade. During his time in Parliament - he was Solicitor General in Lord Grenville's 'Ministry of All the Talents' - he sought to lessen the archaic severity of English criminal law regarding corporal and capital punishment. Though he met with resistance, his efforts raised awareness and influenced later reforms. Compiled by his sons and published in 1840, this three-volume collection of autobiographical writings and varied correspondence illuminates the development of his outlook and the principles which guided him. Volume 2 comprises selected correspondence for the period 1792?1802, the diary of a visit to Paris in 1802, an unfinished narrative of personal events in 1805, and Romilly's diary of his parliamentary life between 1806 and 1811.

1. Correspondence; 2. Diary of a journey to Paris; 3. Narrative of events in 1805; 4. Diary of his parliamentary life; Appendix.