PRINTED BY BALLANTYNK AND COMPANY

EDINBURGH AND LONDON.

PREFACE.

Recoh, 9-30.4 as maz

The Speeches of Lord Erskine being in constant demand, on
account of their great value both to admirers of English oratory
and also to students of the law, have of late years become ex-
tremely scarce, and the few copies which have been offered for
sale have consequently increased to a price which has placed them
beyond the reach of many who would otherwise have been glad to
avail themselves of their contents.

The Publishers have, therefore, brought out a new edition of
these Speeches, in a far cheaper and more compact form than that
in which the work originally appeared. At the same time, they
have endeavoured to avoid the objection to which the majority of
modern reprints are liable, we mean that of overcrowded type.

This edition, it is hoped, will have also one additional merit, with regard to the accuracy with which it has been reprinted from the original edition, which has been followed verbatim, with the exception of a few typographical errors which had escaped the notice of the former Editor. On another ground this edition may claim superiority, as in the original the Speeches were printed without regard to the order in which they were delivered : the reader, however, will find them arranged here in strict chronological order.