A Treatise on the Principles of Evidence and Practice as to Proofs in Courts of Common Law

PREFACE.

THE common law system of evidence, in its actual state the growth of the last two centuries, must ever claim the highest respect and admiration as a whole, however particular portions of it may be justly or unjustly condemned. Now the design of the present Work is not to add to the practical treatises by which the subject has been illustrated, but to examine the principles on which its rules are founded, tracing them to their sources, and shewing their connexion with each other. To this are annexed a sketch of the practice relative to the offering and receiving evidence at trials, and a few elementary precepts, founded chiefly on those of Quintilian, for the guidance of young practitioners in interrogating witnesses.

Throughout the book, particularly in the Introduction when treating of judicial evidence in the abstract, much assistance has been derived from the Roman law, the civilians, and other foreign writers; and especially from the able work published by M. Bonnier, at Paris, in 1843, entitled "Traité Théorique et Pratique des Preuves en Droit Civil et en Droit Criminel." Large use has also been made of

"Bentham's Rationale of Judicial Evidence," in five
volumes, London, 1827; in which the general prin-
ciples of evidence are ably discussed, and often hap-
pily illustrated. That book should, however, be
read with caution, as it embodies several essentially
mistaken views relative to the nature of judicial
evidence, and which may be traced to overlooking
the characteristic features whereby it is distinguished
from other kinds of evidence.

Some of these errors
will be pointed out in the Introduction.

The Author begs to express his grateful acknow-
ledgments for suggestions from many friends. The
Index has been compiled by Mr. H. Macnamara, of
the Inner Temple.

CHANCERY Lane,

July, 1849.