John Stuart Mill: A Criticism with Personal Recollections

CHAPTER II.
TWENTY YEARS OF WORK.
1820-1840.
HAVING no more documents until 1830, I propose to
make a short critical review of Mill s writings and
doings in the interval, upon the basis of the information sup
plied by himself. I will first endeavour, for the sake of
clearness, to extract the chronological sequence of the years
from 1820 to 1830, which, from his plan of writing, is not very
easy to get hold of.
1821. Returns from France (July). Beginning of Psycho
logical studies. Condillac.
1822. Reads the History of the French Revolution ; inflamed
with the subject. Studies Law with Austin. Dumont s
Bentham excites him to a pitch of enthusiasm. Locke, Helvetius,
Hartley, Berkeley, Hume, Reid, Dugald Stewart, Brown
on Cause and Effect, Bentham s Analysis of Natural Religion.
Begins intimacy with Grote. Charles Austin. His first pub
lished writings in the Traveller newspaper.
1823. Utilitarian Society at Bentham s house : Tooke, Ellis,
and Graham. Letters to the Morning Chronicle on the Richard
Carlile prosecutions (Jan. and Feb.). Frequent contributions
throughout the year to the Chronicle and Traveller. West
minster Review projected. Reads up the Edinburgh Review