must not be employed against the Crown without special licence, which is, however, never refused. Queen's or King's Evidence.-An accomplice to whom a hope is held out, that if he will fairly disclose the truth as a witness on the trial, and bring the other offenders to justice, he shall escape punishment. Quo warranto.-A writ formerly proceeding from the Queen's Bench against him who claims or usurps any office, franchise or liberty, to inquire "by what authority" he supports his claim in order to determine the right. A more expeditious mode of proceeding is now adopted. An information by the Attorney General can be filed in the nature of a quo warranto, in which the person usurping is considered as an offender, and punishable by fine. Railways.-Several statutes have been passed for the general regulation of railroads. The conveyance of mails by railroad was regulated by 1 & 2 Vict. c. 98 (Aug. 14, 1838). Companies were compelled to provide proper gates and gatekeepers at places where railroads and public highways cross by 2 & 3 Vict. c. 45 (Aug. 17, 1839), and railways were placed under the supervision of the Board of Trade by 3 & 4 Vict. c. 97 (Aug. 10, 1840). The phraseology of railway bills was much simplified by the Railway Clauses Consolidation Act 8 & 9 Vict. c. 20 (May 8, 1845), and the gauge was regulated by 9 & 10 Vict. c. 57 (Aug. 18, 1846). The jurisdiction of the Board of Trade was transferred to a body of railway commissioners by 9 & 10 Vict. c. 105 (Aug. 28, 1846). This Act was repealed by 14 & 15 Vict. c. 64 (Aug. 7, 1851), which restored the authority of the board. Malicious acts upon railways are punished by 14 & 15 Vict. c. 19 (July 3, 1851), and further measures for the regulation of the railroad system were made by 17 & 18 Vict. c. 31 (July 10, 1854). See also 21 & 22 Vict. c. 95; 22 & 23 Vict. c. 59; 23 & 24 Vict. c. 41; 24 & 25 Vict. c. 97; and 26 & 27 Vict. c. 92. Ranger, a sworn officer of the forests and parks, appointed by the queen's letters patent; whose business is to walk through his charge, to drive back the deer out of the purlieus, &c., and to present all trespasses within his jurisdiction at the next forest court. Rank.-See TABLE OF PRECEDENCE. Rape. The ancient Jewish laws punished this crime with death when the woman was betrothed to another man; and in other cases compelled the ravisher to marry her, and pay a fine of 50 shekels to her father. The Roman codes made it in every case a capital offence; and it was treated with the same severity by the laws of the Goths and the Anglo-Saxons. William the Conqueror commuted the penalty to mutilation and blinding, and by 3 Edw. I. c. 13 (1275), it was reduced to a mere misdemeanour, punished by two years' imprisonment and a fine, unless the offender were prosecuted within forty days after the commission of the crime. In consequence of the inefficacy of this law, rape was made a capital felony by 13 Edw. I. c. 34 (1285); and by 18 Eliz. c. 8 (1576), persons convicted of this crime were deprived of benefit of clergy. laws on the subject were consolidated by 9 Geo. IV. c. 31 (June 27, 1828), which made the carnal abuse of a girl under ten years of age a capital felony, and of females of greater age a misdemeanour, punishable by imprisonment at the pleasure of the Court. Transportation for life was substituted for the capital penalty by 4 & 5 Vict. c. 56 (June 22, 1841). By 24 & 25 Vict. c. 100, whoever shall be convicted of rape shall be guilty of felony, and shall be kept in penal servitude for life, or for not less than three years, or to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding two years with or without hard labour. The Reading in.-The title of a person admitted to a benefice will be void if, within two months after actual possession, he does not read in the church of the benefice upon some Sunday the morning and evening service, and the thirty-nine articles, and declare his assent thereto. He must also within three months of his admission read publicly before his congregation, in the time of divine service, a declaration by him subscribed before the ordinary of conformity to the liturgy, together with the certificate of the ordinary of its having been so subscribed. Receipt. Is an acquittance for a sum of money. It cannot be demanded by law. By 16 & 17 Vict. c. 59, a penny stamp duty is imposed on a receipt given for the payment of money amounting to two pounds or upwards, except receipts given for money deposited in any bank. Receipts not stamped or improperly stamped cannot be given in evidence, nor can they be re-stamped to render them valid as evidence of payment. Receiving Stolen Goods, knowing the same to have been stolen, is felony punishable by penal servitude for not more than fourteen years or not less than three; or to be imprisoned for two years with or without hard labour, or with or without whipping. If viewed as a misdemeanour, the receiving stolen goods is punished by penal servitude for not less than three or not more than seven years, or imprisonment not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour. Record, Trial by.—A species of trial which is used only in one particular instance, and that is where a matter of record is pleaded in any action, as a fine, a judgment, or the like; and the opposite party pleads, nul tiel record, that there is no such matter of record existing. Upon this, issue is tendered and joined in the following form, " and this he prays may be inquired of by the record, and the other doth the like;" and hereupon the party pleading the record has a day given him to bring it in, and proclamation is made in court for him to "bring forth the record by him in pleading alleged, or else he shall be condemned;" and on his failure, his antagonist shall have judgment to recover. The trial, therefore, of this issue, is merely by the record for, as Sir Edward Coke observes, a record or enrolment is a monument of so high a nature, and importeth in itself such absolute verity, that if it be pleaded that there is no such record, it shall not receive any trial by witness, jury, or otherwise, but only by itself. Thus titles of nobility, as whether earl or not earl, baron or not baron, shall be tried by the Sovereign's writ or patent only, which is matter of record. Also in case of an alien, whether alien friend or enemy, shall be tried by the league or treaty between his Sovereign and ours; for every league or treaty is of record. And also, whether a manor be held in ancient demesne, or nor, shall be tried by the record of Domesday. Recorder, a person whom the mayor and other magistrates of a city or corporation associate to them, for their better direction in matters of justice and proceedings in law; on which account he is generally a counsellor, or other person well skilled in the law. The recorder of London is chosen by the lord mayor and aldermen; and as he is held to be the mouth of the city, delivers the judgment of the courts therein, and records and certifies the city customs, &c. Records, Public.-Records in the legal sense are contemporaneous statements of the proceedings in those higher courts of law which are distinguished as courts of record, written upon rolls of parchment. Examined copies of the contents of public documents are received as evidence in courts of law. The greater part of records are kept as rolls written on skins of parchment and vellum, averaging from nine to fourteen inches wide, and about three feet in length. "Our stores of public records," says Nicolson, "are justly reckoned to excel in age, beauty, correctness, and authority whatever the choicest archives abroad can boast of the like sort." A very important step was taken by the Legislature at the commencement of her Majesty's reign to provide for the better custody and preservation of the public records by passing the Act 1 & 2 Vict, c. 49. By this statute the Master of the Rolls is made the guardian of the national archives, having power to appoint a deputy, and, in conjunction with the Treasury, to do all that may be necessary in the execution of the service. Under Lord Romilly, the present Master of the Rolls, and Mr. Hardy, the Deputy Keeper of the Public Records, greater facilities have been adopted for the free use of the records by the public than before existed. I give briefly a list of the most important of our national archives, arranged under their respective courts :— CHANCERY: Almain Rolls, 18 Edw. I. to 15 Edw. III. Answers. See "Bills," &c. Answers, Replications, and Decrees. See "Charitable Uses." Bills, Answers, and Depositions, 1452 to 1800. Brevia Regia, 9 Chas. I. to 24 Geo. III. Cardinal's Bundles (accounts of Wolsey's possessions), Hen. VIII. Chancery Proceedings. See "Bills, Answers," &c. Charitable Uses, Answers, Replications, and Decrees of Commis sioners of, 43 Eliz., &c. Chartæ Antiquæ, Saxon period to Hen. III. Charter Rolls, John to Hen. VIII. Close Rolls, 1204-5 to 1864. Commissions, Inquisitions, and Decrees. See "Charitable Uses." Confirmation Rolls, before Rich. III., see "Patent and Charter Rolls;" 1 Rich. III. to 12 Jas. I., see "Confirmation Rolls;" 12 Jas. I. &c., see "Patent Rolls." Coronation Rolls, 1 Edw. II. to Victoria (imperfect series). Court Rolls, 17 Edw. I. to 1687. Decrees. See "Charitable Uses." Decrees, Enrolments of, Hen. VIII. to present time. Decrees and Orders, Entries of, Reg. Lib. A., 36 Hen. VIII. to 1700. Deeds Enrolled. See "Close Rolls." Index "Indentures," Eliz. to 1864; also "Close Roll Calendars," Hen. III. to 1848. Denization, Letters Patent of. See "Patent Rolls." Disentailing Assurances, 1834 to 1863, see "Close Rolls;" before 1834, |