[094-345v]

27 Feb y 1807

Letter V

[...?] 10.11.12.13.14.

Appeal is one out of several modes of application to a Court above, on the ground of the supposed misconduct of a Court below.

Misconduct on the part of the Court below may either be of a nature to affect[?] which affects the fate /[...?]/ of a /some/ cause instituted in the Court, or may consist in some injury or vexation inflicted indeed on the occasion of some such suit, but collateral to it, and not affecting the fate of it.

There are but two ways in which the issue of a suit brought before a Court can be affected, whether by the misconduct of the Judge, or by any other cause. One is misdecision, the other by non-decision, which is as much as to say is delay. Exclusive of the /those/ chances of ultimate mis-decision with which delay is naturally pregnant, (see the Table) the mischief of delay is in its nature the same as that of misdecision, viz.: to the prejudice of the plaintiff's side, with no other difference than that of its being temporary instead of perpetual, being co-aval[?] and more than co-aval[?], with the delay itself.
Similar Items
  • Title: [2[?] March 1807 Judicial Justice]
    Description: 2[?] March 1807

    Judicial Justice

    Letter V

    II. Sources

    II. Next as to the sources in which injustice in judicature is liable and apt to take its rise. These are enumerated:

    1. The System itself: viz: the System of procedure in force and practice at the time: whether that system be the work of the sovereign alone or of the judicial authority alone, operating whether in the way of statutory or of jurisprudential law, or, as is mostly the case, partly of the one, partly of the other.

    2. Misconduct on the part of a suitor on either side taking advantage, as a dishonest suitor is apt to do, and must always be expected and presumed to be ready to do, of whatever imperfections on the part of the system itself present themselves as favourable to his purpose. Fraud on the part of a suitor.

    3. Misconduct on the part of a Judge -

    Misconduct manifested on the occasion of a suit on the part of the Judge may either be such whereby the fate of the suit is affected, or misconduct not affecting the fate of the suit, but collateral to it.

    Misconduct affecting the fate of the suit, i.e. the lot and condition of either party in respect of the interest which he has in the suit consists in the production of injustice in one or other of those of the shapes above spoken of viz. Misdecision to the prejudice of the plaintiff's side. 2. Denial of justice. 3. Misdecision to the prejudice of the Defendant's side - and 4. Delay (which has the effect of denial of justice, which it hastens[?]).
  • Title: [4 Feb y 1807 Letter IV Resolut]
    Description: 4 Feb y 1807

    Letter IV

    Resolut. 6.7.8.9

    Juries

    4. That there are abundance of points in which in respect of security against misdecision, the natural system as compared with the technical, and under the last form /modification/ of it that can be found has eminently[?] the advantage.

     Go on with the proofs

    To put the truth of this proposition out of doubt, there needs no more than to take the mere circumstance of delay - collateral inconvenience inseparable from the technical system, and observe how frequently it can not but happen that misdecision or what is equivalent failure of justice shall flow /result/ from it as a necessary consequence.

    1. Deposition of evidence - necessary evidence: whence mis-decision on what side whichever it were plaintiff's or defendant's to which the last[?] evidence was in that degree [...?]. On the plaintiff's side if before suit and the consequence foreseen, failure of justice: if after commencement of a suit, misdecision to the prejudice of the plff's side. On the defendant's side, misdecision in every case: failure of justice being out of the question here.

    2. deposition of the matter of wealth in the character of the matter of satisfaction: the value in dispute, in whatever shape, movable or though immovable, by [...?] spent by the defendant in profusion, in bad economy, in the litigation itself: [...?] shut[?], or secreted, or sent out of the country
  • Title: [May 1807 Scotch Reform Letter]
    Description: May 1807

    Scotch Reform

    Letter VI

    Letter VI

    Recapitulation & Anticipation

    4. Prevention of ultimate misdecision: viz. by entertaining Appeals complaining of misdecision on the part of the subordinate judicatures.

    5. Prevention of superabundant delay: viz. by entertaining applications complaining of superabundant delay on the part of the Judge in any of the subordinate judicatures, and [...?] despatch accordingly.

    N.B. Delay in so far as it is the necessary result of the system can no otherwise be struck off or abridged - than by an appropriate change in the system itself: the delay here spoken of i.e. that which is supposed to be produced by misconduct on the part of the Judge, and which is liable to take place under any system.

    In the character of a remedy against delay, that faculty of recurrence in the authority of the superintending judicatures can never with propriety be withholden: but, in as much as administered in the form the remedy involves an exasperation of the disease the efficacy of the indirect remedy will be incompleat and work without the addition of │ │ other remedies of an indirect nature: viz. a set of periodical returns from the several Courts whereby /shewing/ the quantity of extra delay that took place /having place/ in each suit, and every stage of each suit with the causes to which it has been referred /[...?]/ by the Judge (in whose Court it respectively took place.) See Delay and Complication Tables

    Table │ │.

    6. Periodical collection of the documents necessary to represent the state of judicature in the several subordinate Courts: viz. under heads calculated to shew in each respective suit in what respect[?] and degree it has succeeded or failed in fulfilling the several ends of justice viz. rectitude of decision (promotion of misdecision) prevention of failure of justice prevention of superabundant delay, vexation and expense.