TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THOMAS LORD ERSKINE, Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, THIS WORK IS, (BY HIS LORDSHIP'S PERMISSION,) HUMBLY INSCRIBED, WITH THE HIGHEST RESPECT FOR THOSE SPLENDID TALENTS, THAT INFLEXIBLE INTEGRITY, AND THAT AMIABLE URBANITY OF MANNERS, WHICH LONG RENDERED HIM THE BRIGHTEST ORNAMENT OF THE ENGLISH BAR, AND HAVE AT LENGTH JUSTLY RAISED HIM TO THE HIGHEST HONOURS OF HIS PROFESSION. PREFACE то THE SECOND EDITION. TH HE favourable reception which the first impreffion of the following work met with from the profeffion, has encouraged me to publish a second, and I hope an improved, edition of it. If at all ufeful in the form wherein it originally appeared, I trust that it will be found much more fo in its prefent ftate. The whole has been carefully revifed, many corrections both in matter and arrangement have been made, and fome fubjects have been introduced which had before efcaped my attention. Amongst the additional matter which is contained in the prefent edition, will be found fome obfervations on the queftion how far verdicts in criminal cafes can be evidence in civil actions*, Thefe obfervations were committed to paper before the publication of the first edition; but thinking that Mr. Eaft might, in his promised work on the Crown Law, have thrown fome light on the fubject, A 2 * See page 41, &c. |