t deal of business certainly introduced into these letters, so
much almost as to induce one to think there is an artificial
introduction of business, to give the appearance of reality to the
letters; however, Mr. Tahourdin certainly swears that there were such
transactions at that period. But one cannot help recollecting that Mr.
Tahourdin, towards the close of the case, appears to have been in
communication with the two last witnesses, Donithorne and Tragear, on
whose evidence I shall have to observe. He says, "I saw a very few days
after their date, a receipt for L.50. dated 20th September 1813,
received of C. Johnstone by hands of G. Tahourdin, on account of large
plans;" there is a receipt for L.200. dated the 26th of February:
"Received L.200. on account of plans and prospectus delivered, C. R. De
Berenger;" and a note of hand for L.200. more, De Berenger to C.
Johnstone, dated the 26th of February; I saw it two or three days
afterwards. So that, just after the extraordinary transaction which had
such an effect upon the funds, a communication that had taken place
between them, and these letters are produced, and which are conceived to
be material, with reference to the question now before you. He says,
"there were subordinate plans for the details of that same place." Then
he says, "I had become security for the Rules for De Berenger, some
months before I knew Mr. Cochrane Johnstone." Then he is shewn the
letter, which has been described as the Dover letter; he says, "this
certainly is not the hand-writing of De Berenger; I have received a
thousand letters from him, and this is not his hand-writing; I do not
believe it is a disguised hand of Mr. De Berenger; I have always
considered De Berenger as a man of strict honour and integrity; I have
trusted him to the extent of about L.4,000. in money, besides my
professional claims on him." Some writing in a road-book found in De
Berenger's desk, is then shewn to him; and how any person should have
writing by him like that, purporting to be his own, and it should still
not be his own hand-writing, one cannot conceive. But he says, "some of
it is more like his hand-writing than others, but I do not believe," he
says, "that all the writing is his; some of the letters" he says, (on
being shewn the pencil-writing in the book found in De Berenger's desk)
"look like his writing; the smaller parts look like his hand-writing."
He is asked, "whether he does not believe the whole of