6 Feb y 1807

Omitt or Postpone 13

Letter IV

Resolut. 6.7.8.9.

Juries

Your Lordship sees, how necessary an implement /and instrument/ this power of investigation is, in the character of an instrument of justice /to the hand of justice/. Deprive her of it she loses sometimes a part, some times the whole of the stock of evidence which /to which/ the cause affords /the translation has given birth/. What /When part only/ she loses is the best and most unexceptionable part; what she gets is the part /remains to her is the portion/, in the production of which the partiality of the witness to the party served by it may have been a part more or less considerable.

Conceive, my Lord what in the field of criminal law would be the situation of the Country, were it bereft of the powers applied in this way by Justices of Peace to /of this description exercised by Justices of the Peace in cases of/ the bringing to light and securing the necessary evidence in the case of predatory and other felonies. In what condition would the country be in respect of natural security and peace? In the condition [...?] [...?] in the reign of Hen 8 th. which in a population perhaps not much more than half that of the present time, the mass of delinquency raised to the rank of felony not half so great as at present, afforded in │ │ years to the goodly fellowship of [...?] 70,000 patients with their[?] 90,000 fees.

 Add here or further on the reason why lawyers are content[?] to see this power applied to criminal, not to civil law.