The speeches and judgement of the right honourable the Lords of Council and Session in Scotland, upon the important cause, His Grace George-James Duke of Hamilton and others, pursuers; against Archibald Douglas, defender / Accurately taken down and published by William Anderson.

  • Scotland. Court of Session.
Date:
1768
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The speeches and judgement of the right honourable the Lords of Council and Session in Scotland, upon the important cause, His Grace George-James Duke of Hamilton and others, pursuers; against Archibald Douglas, defender / Accurately taken down and published by William Anderson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    138/640 (page 124)
    124 THE SPEECH OF I think it proved, that the two children were taken under fuch circumflances, and at fuch times, as might apply to and fill up thefe very blanks in the defender’s evidence with fads which fupport the purfuers plea, if the identity of the perfons had been fixed, which was a thing next to impoffible as the feene lies, and little lefs than a miracle could have brought it about. One obfervation I muff beg leave to add on the part of the de¬ fender’s evidence, and ffiall be happy to {land convicted, if I am wrong; it is Mrs Hewit’s let¬ ters to the two maids from Paris, which fell to have been wrote frankly and limply, without any degree of affectation, or more than a nar¬ rative of the moil material facts; yet many of the material facts are omitted, fuch as would have contributed to give light to the caufe, and they feem to be crouded with a great variety of lefs material, though very probable circumflances, feveral of which ap¬ pear from other parts of the proof not to be founded in truth: This weakens the credibi¬ lity of the whole, as it fhows invention was at work. In fine, upon a general view of the whole fads brought in evidence, it does not appear to me, that there is any proof of Lady Jane’s delivery: