15 April 1805

Evidence

Securities

Ch. Procedure Techn.

''. Allegation is Evidence

What is curious, is - this sort of information /All the[?] which/ /incontinent[?]/, which is considered as not amounting to evidence - as not trustworthy enough to deserve the name of evidence - this information which is never considered as professing any /capable of acting with/ weight in the scale of evidence - which is never so much as received with the budget of evidence - to this very species /sort/ of information such a degree of power /efficiency/ - of effective power - is given - such a degree as is not /scarce/ in any case given to the most trustworthy article /lot/ of evidence. In no instance no article of evidence at least of testimonial evidence is considered as commanding the decision prayed /demanded/ for by the party by whom it is produced /sought for by the production /exhibition/ of it/. In every instance Information of this sort here in question - allegation - I mean allegation which constitutes the ground work of the cause is understood to exercise an absolute command over the decision or decisions sought for by the production /exhibition/ of it: or else, what courses exactly to the same thing, the same effect is made to take place - the same chain of burthensome obligations by some /a/ pre-established system of arrangements established either/ whether/ by the legislator, or by jurisprudential law acting in the place and during the shape of the legislator, is known /imposed/ upon the adverse /opposite/ party - the defendant, as would be thrown upon him by a corresponding chain of decisions specially adapted to each particular purpose.

To defend /of defending/ himself against the demand made upon him by the instrument of allegation by which the suit is commenced, shall cost a man for example /the expence shall amount for example under the system in question to/ a year and a half; income of an average individual: such then is the amount of the pecuniary burthen which under that system every man is empowered to impose upon any other - upon every other - by that sort of information - bare allegation - which is not understood /regarded/ to be sufficiently trustworthy to bear the name of evidence.

Note

( ) Under English jurisprudence, the expence on one side only - that of the df t for example amounts at its minimum to more than the quantum above exemplified.