Volume 1

Letters to the Right Honourable Lord Mansfield. From Andrew Stuart, esq. [On the Douglas Peerage Cause.] / [Andrew Stuart].

  • Andrew Stuart
Date:
[1773]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Letters to the Right Honourable Lord Mansfield. From Andrew Stuart, esq. [On the Douglas Peerage Cause.] / [Andrew Stuart]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    169/208 (page 13)
    \ . [ 13 ] WHEN you heard the conduct of the Duke of Ha¬ milton’s guardians arraigned, it might have occurred to your Lordihip, that they could notpoflibly have had any other motive, but a fenle of duty, and a ftrong convic¬ tion that truth and juftice were on their fide; for you muff have felt that a conteft carried on by guardians ought to be viewed under a very different afpedl from that carried on by a man in the management of his own affairs, where he is perfonally concerned in the event. ♦ In this lad; cale it is natural to view, with a more jealous eye, every Hep of condu& : A perfon, deeply intereiled in his own caufe, may be fuppofed under the influence of paflion or prejudice. He is not fo likely to form a cool and unbiafled judgment, and, if his prin¬ ciples are not thole of the pureft nature, his paflions and his views of intereft may poflibly tempt him to depart from the paths of integrity, and even fuggeft to him the wicked and infamous expedient of rearing up a falfe proof by the corruption of witnefles. But the fame motives, which in that cafe authorife fuch fufpicions, could not in this have any exiftence. The guardians of the Duke of Hamilton could not reap any profit to themfelves by the fuccefs of their pupil, had t^ey aflifted him to attain all the wealth of the late Duke of Douglas. t Thefe guardians gave their time and attention to the Duke of Hamilton’s affairs, without either falary, ap¬ pointment, or emolument of any fort : They had fuf- ficient merit with the Duke of Hamilton’s family, on account of the trouble they took, and the attention they gave, to the management of his concerns, and of the eftates left to him by his anceftors, without having any occalion to leek for additional merit, by endeavour- ing, without juft caufe, to acquire for him other eftates. They