The Battle of Waterloo took place on June 18. Four days earlier, June 14, was exactly the fifteenth anniversary of the Battle of Marengo.
"Professor!"
Georgiana came to, looking at Padma.
"What is it?"
"What does this mean?"
Padma pointed at a line of text.
Any person taking part in the test shall be fined 200 pounds sterling, imprisoned without hard labor for no more than one year, or both.
Provided that no one is summoned as a witness to prove that, as stated above, they should be regarded as an accomplice, or that this may be established on the grounds that they were all present at the aforementioned test.
"How much do you know about the law of evidence?" Georgiana asked Padma.
"How do you know all this?" Padma asked suspiciously.
Georgiana ignored her and continued.
"There is a very clear difference between British and continental rules of evidence. Under continental law, the admission and evaluation of evidence are reflected through its probative force. In Britain, evidence is examined in terms of materiality, relevance, admissibility, and weight. In other words, relevant evidence is any evidence that can affect the outcome of litigation. With that evidence, a fact becomes more or less likely than it would be without it."
Padma frowned deeply.
"Take William Coke's case, for example. Without the medium's testimony, no one would have suspected him of murdering his two wives. People saw a white ghost by the window of his house and believed it was a wronged spirit demanding vengeance. The medium's testimony tended to prove his guilt, so it was admitted. But under the continental legal system, evidence supplied through séances did not meet the required standard of probative force. Especially after the French Revolution, accusations of witchcraft were classified as imaginary crimes."
Understanding dawned on