19 Feb y 1808

on L d Eldon's Bill

Letter V

vii Competition desirable

Further on, when in a list of some of the most prominent of the abuses of which the system is composed, I come to mark out those which might be given up, and the predominant /fundamental/ principles of the technical system with their baneful influence on the welfare of the people /suitor//community/ and their beneficial influence on the prosperity of the man of law still retained, I shall turn to shew /bring to view/ a variety of biddings made by different individuals in this competition, professional as well as official, unincorporate as well as corporated[?]. In a word without /but for/ this principles, nothing has been done, nothing would or could have been done: under the [...?] of it, and with the benefit of it, no assignable bounds can be set to the good which may /come to have been/ be done:

And let it not pass unobserved, that of reasons[?] as have proposed[?] or[?] called for, the subject of the competition will include not merely the arrangements themselves that are to be proposed, but the reasons of them, the reasons trusted to /brought forward/ for their support: so that the promises offered will be /a[?] promise/ not only for law but for the use of reason (a sort of unpleasant /faculty/ the use of which has [...?] been so strange /unknown/ to the field of law).