JB/011/251/001

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J. B. to Peel — On Manifold Paper.

1827. Jany. 22.

With or without temporary consolidation,
as far as it goes, it may be made better than nothing.
But if it supersedes or shoves off codification, it will
be worse. The Builder will find that, like the Custom
House, his work has been built upon a quicksand.
It will sink, and his reputation along with
it. For a time, he may indeed reap praise in quantity:
nor even from the Lawyer-tribe would it be
wanting: for to them, the saving of time and labour
will be considerable: loss none: while to lay gents,
law will remain incomprehensible, justice
inaccessible. This they will not be much longer
satisfied with. Already, they understand the bread tax:
they are beginning to understand the justice tax.
They will say to the consolidator, you are in league
against us with the man by whom security for every
thing dear to us, is rendered an empty name.

As to preparatory compilation in the
present mode, it must of necessity be the work of
selected hands: it may do some good, and can not do any
harm. But proposed Codes—let not these be the work of
monopolizing favoritism: good or bad, the more of them
the better; so as the proposers, and not the people, are
at the expense of printing them.

So likewise any partial improvements:
provided it be perfectly understood that whatsoever new
offices are included in them, will be all of them
extinguishable: and none of them productive of "Retired
allowances". County Courts, with narrow and ill defined
jurisdiction, accessible to lawyer's alone, unaccessible
to parties, would be worse than useless, were they to
supersede for ever, Judicatories, omnicompetent, a greater
and sufficient number with appellate Judicatories over
them, all accessible to parties, as in a great degree
the immediate Judicatories are in France, and might
and would be in a much greater degree in England,
if law were made comprehensible.

Identifier: | JB/011/251/001 "JB/" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 11.
Date_1	1827-01-22	Marginal Summary Numbering
Box	011	Main Headings	law amendment
Folio number	251	Info in main headings field	jb to peel - on manifold paper
Image	001	Titles
Category	correspondence	Number of Pages	1
Recto/Verso	recto	Page Numbering	e3
Penner	john flowerdew colls	Watermarks	j whatman turkey mill 1826
Marginals		Paper Producer	jonathan blenman
Corrections		Paper Produced in Year	1816
Notes public		ID Number	3948
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