Parliament. This is the appellation, by which the Legislature of Great Britain is ordinarily designated. It is composed of the House of Lords, and House of Commons. Patent, an abbreviated expression, signifying letters-patent, or open letters, or grants of the government, under the great seal thereof, granting some right, privilege, or property, to a person, who is thence called the Patentee. Thus, the government grants the public lands, by a patent, to the purchaser. So, a copy-right in a book, or an exclusive right to an invention, is granted by a patent. When the word patent is used in conversation, it ordinarily is limited to a patent-right for an invention.

Patentee The party, who is the grantee of a patent from the govern

ment.

Peers. Peers, ordinarily, means the nobility of Great Britain, who have a seat in the House of Lords. They are called peers, from the Latin word, pares, equals. But the word is also used to signify, the pares, or jurymen, who are entitled to try questions of fact in civil and criminal cases. The trial by jury is therefore often called a trial by his (the defendant's) peers. Personal Estate. See Estate.

Plaintiff, the party, who brings a suit against another, for redress of some private wrong or breach of contract. He is so called, because he makes a plaint or complaint against the wrongdoer. Plea, the written defence of the Defendant in any suit, in denial or avoidance of the matter charged by the Plaintiff in that suit against him.

Plea, Special. It is a special justification or excuse, set forth in writing by the Defendant in a suit, which bars or destroys the Plaintiff's right in that suit. It is used in contradistinction, generally, to the general issue. A justification admits the act charged by the Plaintiff to be done or omitted, and justifies the Defendant in such act or omission. Whereas the general issue usually denies, that the act has ever been done or omitted.

Plurality of Votes. A person is said to have a plurality of votes, who has more votes than any other single candidate for the same office. A person is said to have a majority of votes, who has a larger number than all the other candidates have, adding all their votes together. Prima facie means, literally, upon the first view or appearance. is commonly applied to cases of evidence or presumption, where the meaning is, that the evidence or presumption is to be taken to be sufficient to prove certain facts, until other evidence or presumptiɔns are introduced to control it.

It

Prison Liberties, or Gaol Limits. To every public gaol or prison, there are certain limited spaces, or local limits, outside of the walls of the gaol or prison, within which persons imprisoned for debts are entitled to reside, or be, upon complying with the conditions and securities required to be given, that they will commit no escape. These limits, or liberties, are commonly called the gaol or prison limits or liberties.

Privies, in a legal sense, are those, who claim any right or property from or under another person. Thus, the heir, or devisee, of an an

cestor, is a privy under the latter. An executor is a privy under his intestate. A purchaser is a privy in estate from the seller. Process of Law. Process means the writs and other compulsive written orders, issued in any Civil or criminal case, to compel the appearance of a party or witness, or to enforce obedience to the judgement, or other order of a court of justice.

Property in Contingency, is property, to which there is no absolute right or title in a party, but its vesting in him is dependent upon a future uncertain event. Thus, a legacy to a man, who is under age, if he arrives at twenty-one years, is property in contingency. Proprietary. This phrase is equivalent to owner or proprietor. But it is usually limited to persons, who possess a right to territory, with the powers of government therein. Thus, Penn was called the Proprietary of Pennsylvania, and Lord Baltimore, of Maryland; because, by grants from the King of England, not only the territory of those Colonies, but the right of governing them, was vested in them. Pro tempore, literally, for a time. It means, that a person is not the regular officer holding an office, but one holding it for a short and uncertain period. Thus, the Vice President of the United States is the regular President of the Senate; but, in his absence, the Senate may appoint a President, pro tempore, to perform his duties. Provincial Congress, see Continental Congress. Real Estate, see Estate.

Records of a Court. These are the written memorials of the transactions of a court of justice, drawn up in form by its regular officers, and styled records, because the acts and doings of the Court are therein recorded fully and truly, so as to be received as absolutely

correct.

Replication is the written reply of the Plaintiff in a suit, to the plea put in by the Defendant in the same suit. Its true object is, to deny or destroy the validity of the plea, as a bar to the suit. Reprieve. When a criminal has been condemned, by the sentence of a court of justice, to suffer a particular punishment at a particular time, and the execution of that sentence is postponed, suspended, or withdrawn, for an interval of time, by the proper authority, it is cal led a reprieve; from reprendre, to take back.

Return-Day of Process. Whenever a writ or process is issued by a court of justice, to an officer, or other person, to be by him executed, according to the command therein stated, it usually contains a fixed time, when the officer is to make a return of that writ or process, with a written statement of his acts or proceedings done under it. That time is the return-day; and that written statement is technically cal led his Return.

Right, Possessory. A man, who is in possession of property, having a right to possess it, is said to have a possessory right. Thus, a man, who hires a horse and chaise for a journey, has a possessory right to the horse and chaise for that journey, although the person, who lets them, is the general owner. So a man in possession of land, as a tenant, has a possessory right in the land, although it is owned by his landlord.

Sergeant-at-Arms. The name of the officer of a legislative body, who

serves processes, and executes the orders of that body upon solem

occasions.

Socage, a word of feudal origin, and, in that system, the tenure, by which a man holds lands, is to render therefor some certain and determinate service, in contradistinction to tenure of lands by uncertain and precarious services, where the tenant was obliged to render such service as the grantor might, from time to time, require of him. Free Socage is a tenure by certain and honorable service. Stamp Act. An act or statute, which requires certain papers and enumerated documents to be stamped with a stamp by the govern¬ ment, before they have any validity; and imposes a certain tax or duty for the stamping such papers or documents. Thus, if the government should declare, that every deed or promissory note should be written on paper stamped by the government, and require the party to pay a fixed sum or tax for such stamped paper, the Act or Law, making such provisions, would be called a Stamp Act. Stand seised. A man is said to stand seised of land, who is in posses sion of it under a claim or title to it, either in fee, or, at least, for life. State Trials are trials for crimes or offences in Courts of justice. They are called State trials, because the State or Government prose cutes the suit or indictment.

Statute. An act or law, passed by a Legislature.

It is called a

Statute, from Statutum, a thing ordered or appointed by the Legislature.

Statute of Limitations. A statute or law, which limits the time with in which a suit or action may be brought in a court of justice. Such statutes exist in every State in the Union.

Suit at Law is the remedy, which a person, aggrieved by any wrong done to him, seeks, in a court of law, for redress of the wrong. Tonnage Duty is a tax or duty laid by the Legislature, or other competent authority, upon ships or vessels, in proportion to their tonnage. Tort is a wrong or injury done by one man to another, or to his property or rights. It includes all trespasses; but is a word of larger signification.

Treaty of Peace, of 1783, is the treaty made between Great Britain and the American States, by which Great Britain acknowledged our Independence, and surrendered her claims to our Territory. It closed the War for our Independence; and will be found in the Appendix to the present Volume, pp. 324-329.

Trespass is a wrong or injury done by one man to another, or to his property or rights. When the word is used, alone, it means some wrong done by violence, or force, or some illegal act. Thus, if a man unlawfully strikes another, or unlawfully takes possession of the land or goods of another, he is said to be guilty of a trespass. V. is often put for versus, or against. Thus, a suit is said to be by A versus B.

Viva Voce, literally, by the living voice, or orally. Thus, when s witness gives his testimony in open court, in the presence of the au dience, and answers, by word of mouth, we say, his testimony is vivâ voce. If his testimony is written down, and read, it is called

his Deposition.

Warrant is a written, sealed order, command, or writ, requiring and authorizing an officer or other person to do a particular act. It is usually applied to the process, by which criminals are arrested for trial or examination.

Writ of Error is a writ, which authorizes a Court of justice to bring a record before it, either of the same court, or of another court, in order to examine and decide, whether there is any error of law in the judgement, or other proceedings in that record; and, if there be, to correct the error.

Writ of Habeas Corpus, see Habeas Corpus.