A COMPENDIUM

OF

The Law

OF

EVIDENCE.

STOR LIBRARY

NEW-YORK

BY THOMAS PEAKE, Esq.

OF LINCOLN'S-INN, BARRISTER AT LAW.

THE SECOND AMERICAN, FROM THE SECOND LONDON EDITION;

WITH VERY CONSIDERABLE ADDITIONS.

PHILADELPHIA:

PRINTED FOR P. BYRNE.

1806.

NEW YORK

PREFACE

TO

THE SECOND EDITION,

THE favourable reception which the first impression of the following work met with from the profession, has encouraged me to publish a second, and I hope an improved, edition of it. If at all useful in the form wherein it originally appeared, I trust that it will be found much more so in its present The whole has been carefully revised, corrections both in matter and arrangemany ment have been made, and some subjects have been introduced which had before escaped my attention.

state.

Amongst the additional matter which is contained in the present edition, will be found some observations on the question how far verdicts in criminal cases can be evidence in civil actions*. These observations were committed to paper before the publica, tion of the first edition; but thinking that Mr. East might, in his promised work on the Crown Law, have thrown some light on the

subject,

* See page, 41, &c.