14 Feb y 1808

1. No Reporting

2. Ends of Justice

In that Court which though spoken of as but one Court, encloses divers judicatories, he occupies a situation on his side of the judicatory a single-seated one and a many-seated one with no fewer than fifteen seats in it. Single seated judicatories that of he Lord Ordinary sitting in the Outer House; that of [...?] on the Bill Chamber to which may be added the seldom occupied judicatory of the Lord Ordinary or rather[?] and [...?].

Many-seated judicatory, the judicatory of the Inner House.

In the single-seated judicatory, if he were /if he[?] [...?]/ bound to give /shew itself/ any [...?] of his mind /itself/, would stand exposed to detection and reproach: if for example it were under an obligation of pronouncing the decision vivâ voce to /before/ a numerous[?] and practised auditory, the decision to be accompanied with the display of considerations, which in the character of reasons gave back to it, and are trusted for its support.

But in the Court of a Lord Ordinary a man is not bound to give any such reasons; he is not bound to pronounce any such decision: he is not bound to pronounce any decision at all in any case in which thought is necessary[?]: and in the great bulk of causes much thought on the part of a Judge is necessary: [...?] the causes decided under the English branch of the technical system without so much as the pretence of thought.