24 June 1807

(11) 16

Letter V

II. Litigation

§.6. 3. dissipatorious

IV. Particular directions for the more effectual encouragement of malâ fide wrongdoers, in the character of insolvent defendants, combating (viz. through delay) for the intermediate faculty of embezzlement, dissipation, or destruction in gratification of enmity.

1. Postpone as long as possible, or what is better, avoid and exclude altogether, the performance of every operation by which the state of his circumstances might be ascertained, and in case of necessity, the property secured against the disposition, which a friend[?] of the plaintiff, in one or other of those ways, it may be his wish and his aim to make of it: such as the taking his examination for that purpose at the outset of the cause by and in the presence of the Judge, the taking an inventory of his effects, the lodging them in case of necessity in trustworthy hands, chosen for the purpose, the impounding such of them as happen to be already in such hands, and so forth. For this purpose no special and positive arrangements or precautions will be required. All you have to do is to persevere in the fundamental and inviolable rule you have laid down to yourself, viz. never on any account to hear the parties or any of them separate or together, except at the very end of the suit, when you can not help it by which time the defendant has taken care to convey every thing out of the reach of justice.

2. In this case too, or rather for this purpose in particular, for it is what ought to be done in all cases, make the length of delay capable of being purchased as great as possible. The longer the suit can be made to last, the longer the time he has for placing his person or his property or both, out of the reach of justice. He will be the more surely able so to do, and in so doing he will do it in the most commodious manner and to the best advantage.
Similar Items
  • Title: [17 Feb y 1808 on L d Eldon's Bill]
    Description: 17 Feb y 1808

    on L d Eldon's Bill

    Letter VI

    Omissa & Facienda

    1. No reporting

    I. Directions for the encouragement of malâ fide wrongdoers against (good out-door parlance[?] and agents) in the character of malâ fide defendants of all six sorts.

    II. Directions for the more effectual encouragement of malâ fide wrongdoers in the character of solvent defendants combating for ultimate success through indigence on the other side - See below directions concerning malâ fide Plaintiffs.

    III. Directions for the encouragement of malâ fide wrongdoers in the character of solvent defendants combating for intermediate profit, arising out of delay, and proportioned to the length of it. or Particular directions concerning defendants combating for intermediate profit.

    IV. Directions for /Particular directions concerning/ the more special[?] encouragement of malâ fide wrongdoers in the character of insolvent defendants combating for the intermediate faculty of embezzlement or destitution or wilful damage in gratification of enmity.

    V. Directions for /Particular Directions concerning/ the more efficient encouragement of defendants solvent or insolvent combatting for ultimate success through casualties /delays by means of [...?] destructive[?]/.

    VI. Particular Directions concerning defendants combating for gratification of enmity - See below Directions concerning malâ fide Plaintiffs.

    VII. Particular Directions concerning solvent Defendants taking the benefit of an insolvency licence.

    In one instance /case/, and that a very exclusive one, composing the whole business of the Bill Chamber, extraordinary difficulty /difficulty/ is in a book of practice+ stated as the signal looked to by the Lord Ordinary for [...?] a cause out of his hands without decision instead of deciding in it, [...?] for reporting instead of advising. "All Bills are advised by the Lord Ordinary in the first instance, unless his Lordship thinks there is difficulty in which case he reports the same to the Court, verbally at the foot of the Table, and pronounces such interlocution[?] [...?], as is warranted by the opinions [...?] delivered[?]."

    The course they take for getting the better of /mastering/ extraordinary difficulties is truly curious. Where there is no difficulty, the case receives it decision from a single Judge, who has been keeping all the documents in his hands any number of months at pleasure, with the faculty of recurring to them any number of times and for any length of time at his leisure. When difficulty calls for proportionable examination and meditation[?], it is to be got rid of by a crowd of Judges huddled together each of them taking his conception of the case from what he can pack up from vivâ voce statement of the learned Reporter who stares[?] [...?] in [...?] in the station of a secture[?] rather than a Judge, expects in /looks[?] to/ the termination of the conference for the faculty of extracting himself from a situation thus irksome and incongruous.

    /To cover incapacity, and escaper from responsibility - yes: but is this the way to conquer difficulty, and do justice to the cause?/

    +Board 265, 279.
  • Title: [24 June 1807 (12) 17 Letter]
    Description: 24 June 1807

    (12) 17

    Letter V

    Letter V

    II. Litigat.

    §.6. 3. dissipatorious

    3. If by the restlessness of the legislator or the people the performance of any operations tending to diminish the facility of embezzlement dissipation or destruction should happen to have been forced upon you, be it your care to render them as ineffective as possible to that and other purposes of justice, and at the same time as effective as possible, in respect of expence and delay with its lawyers' profit to the purposes of judicature. For example, instead of an effectual mode, as above, for ascertaining and securing against embezzlement and dissipation the effects of the defendant himself, whereby in case of solvency Bail would be rendered unnecessary, and in case of insolvency his friends would be saved from being cheated in the character of Bail, substitute the use of Bail altogether, taking care that the scruting into their sufficiency shall be performed in a mode ineffective to that purpose, effective to the purpose of the encouragement and increase of perjury: making it at the same time as effective as possible to persons of delicacy (in particular to the female sex) that the recourse to insolvent and perjured Bail may be the more necessary and the more frequent (a). See further on this head, Directions to the legislator:

    Note

    (a) In the clause introduced by Your Lordships learned Reformer for the introducing into Scotland the diversion of Bail-baiting in the English mode, he has succeeded extremely well in the above respects as I propose to shew.
  • Title: [1821. April 28. First Lines]
    Description: 1821. April 28.

    First Lines

    Constitutional

    Distributive.

    If, at the moment in question, it be more agreeable to him to violate the oath than to keep it, he will take a distinction: all proper oaths he will assure you are sacred and inviolable, and as such ought to be fulfilled: all improper oaths are in their own nature null and void, and as such ought not to be fulfilled.

    Break into the capitol,

    Make your way into the capitol some dark night, steal into the Presidents bed Chamber through one of the windows, drag him out through it and convey him into the hut or boat you have provided for the purpose, then see what you can make of him: what power you can get possesion of by this exploit: what money, what arsenals, what fortresses you can get possession of: what change you can by this means make in the constitution to /of/ that pest of all legitimate and regular government. But no: whoever you are, you will do no such thing: if you are a thief, you will ransack his pockets - the man you will not meddle with, for no use whatever could you make of him: his free negro, if you could lay hold of him, might be of some use to you: for him you could convert into a slave.

    Under a Monarchy, accept the invitation of the wife of the Chief Magistrate, you beget a future possessor of the throne, taking your chance for keeping your head or losing it: in a Representative Democracy, accept the like invitation from the wife of a Chief Magistrate, you beget a future possessor of a farm or a Counting house: your head is not in danger: your purse is or is not, according to circumstances.