16 May 1807

Scotch Reform

Letter VI

Letter VI

V. Authoritative Plans

The Plan of the Memorialising Judges /memorialists/ at least with the help of the [...?] I have ventured to propose, clears the House of Lords of all the malä fide Appeals 3/7 /4/7/ of the whole number, and the proposition not to speak of the absolute quantity, more likely to encrease than to decrease. At least it takes the right course towards the production of that effect: and with the help of more extensions which I have ventured to propose, and which I should not despair of seeing adopted by the learned Memorialists themselves, bids fair in my view of the matter for obtaining compleat success.

The plan of the 4 Non-Memorialists (for them I take the liberty of setting down as adherents to the plan of Your Lordships learned Adviser, requiring their silence as equivalent to consent). The plan of the Non-Memorialists contributes nothing whatever towards lessening the number: by encreasing the long delay obtainable, parallel to which runs the profit by delay, it is the contrary contributions indefinitely to the encrease of that branch of the grievance.

In the part of the majority of the Judges there is it is true, nothing that is naturally incompatible with the plan of the minority. Constituting an advantage on the part of the plan, it therefore constitutes not therefore a radical objective against the other. Yet some how or other, so it happened, it was rejected one of the other. As to the cause of the rejection, my suspicions are already before Your Lordship. - what foundation if any there may be for them in fact, rests with /lies in/ Your Lordship's knowledge.