Note 361 — Chapter VIII

It cannot escape observation as a suspicious circumstance that this most important confession, upon which so much stress was laid, exists amongst the State Papers only in a copy.[361] Moreover, this copy has been treated as though it were an original, being officially endorsed, and it has on some occasion been used in Court.[362] If, however, this version were not genuine, but prepared for a purpose, it is clear that it could not have been produced while Bates was alive to contradict it, and there appears to be no doubt that it was not heard of till after his death.