5 June 1804

Evidence

Ch. Basis

[...?] 5. Rejection Causes

History

Judges, judicial Clerk officers, r[...?] [...?] officers called Sheriffs Advocates and Attornies of different descriptions and determinations: all consulted by habitual intercourse, all brought together by professional sympathy and bound together by mutual interest - all joined hands, made common cause and occupied themselves on plundering the suitors. The suitor being that one of course and all personal responsibility along with him, no lie too independent for the Attorney, or Advocate to utter - no[?] so too ulterior for the Judge to accept, and take for the warrants of his practice. At first useless writings were manufactured /false importance commonly by Judges committed to papers/ that the suitor might be /for/ charged: is security and with it [...?] encreased. The gibberish /jargon/ was not so much as written, but the suitor was charged for it at the same justice. Money was thus regularly obtained as false premises under the eye and to the profit, /found and [...?]/with/reduced to a system/ and with the approbation, and more that the approbation of the Judges. As to the suitor whose [...?], ignorance through [...?] - or if honesty had been known through honesty, should have omitted /or mismatched by truth/[...?]/ any established lie. In a case like these Judges were inexcusable: the miserable suitor lost his cause.