264 CORRESPONDENCE. [1814. 



an Act extending to that court a statute of Henry VIIL, 

 which gives the Crown pre-audience of all suits ; which 

 can have no meaning unless other suits were triable 

 there besides those where the Crown is a party. How- 

 ever, it was clear that one page of an Act declaratory of 

 this would be sufficient, and check the laziness of the 

 Barons, who have wilfully prevented, in my opinion, 

 all such causes from ever getting into their court. 



" Is it not clear that the making those sinecure 

 judges work, is of itself, independently of their court 

 being the fit place, by far the best thing you can do ? 

 In truth, there are too many even of the common 

 judges in Scotland ; they sit three days a- week, and are 

 up at twelve or one ; and half the year is mere holiday 

 by law, besides a month at Christmas. I speak of the 

 Court of Session. As for the Exchequer, they can't 

 possibly have a good fortnight's work in the year. Is 

 it less than scandalous to increase the numbers of 

 judges in such circumstances ? I always thought, 

 even in 1807, your bill objectionable by adding one 

 judge. England had twelve and a Chancellor and 

 Master of Kolls ; Scotland has twenty, and it seemed 

 quite absurd to add one. But the hard work of the 

 Court of Session, and its arrears, from the size of the 

 court and other bad arrangements, might then be urged 

 against me. Now, when the new arrangement has 

 brought down the whole arrears, and left half the 

 court idle, surely the proposition of a new judge is 

 monstrous. 



"If Adam must be provided for, why not arrange with 

 Norton (English baron), and let him retire and Adam 

 succeed him? But to have a new court made under 

 such circumstances is quite dreadful as a job. Indeed, 



