Statutes are either public or private, general or special. A public or general Act is a universal rule applied to the whole community, which the Courts must notice judicially. But special or private Acts are rather exceptions than rules, since they only operate upon particular persons and private concerns, and the Courts are not bound to take notice of them if they are not formally pleaded, unless an express clause is inserted in them that they should be deemed public Acts. All the Acts of a Session together make properly but one statute, and therefore when two Sessions have been held in one year it is usual to mention statute 1 or 2. Acts of Parliament bind all persons within the territory to which they extend, but not the Crown unless it be specially mentioned. They do not extend to the Isle of Man or to the Channel Islands, unless expressly mentioned.

As to the Colonies, if acquired by occupancy, all Acts of Parliament passed previously to their acquisition, so far as they are suitable, extend to them upon their acquisition; but it is otherwise if they have been acquired by treaty or conquest. Colonies of both kinds are not, however, affected by Acts of Parliament passed since their acquisition unless express mention of them be made. So also an Act of Parliament does not apply to India unless expressly mentioned.

Act of Settlement, see SETTLEMENT.

It

Adjournment.-An adjournment of Parliament is a continuance of the Session from one day to another. differs from prorogation, the former being done by the Houses themselves, whilst the latter is an act of royal authority. Either House may interrupt or postpone any debate, or altogether adjourn its sittings. The adjournment of one House is no adjournment of the other. The Lords frequently adjourn during pleasure;" the Commons on the contrary always adjourn to a time specified. All unfinished proceedings during an adjournment remain in statu quo.

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Admiralty, Board of.-This office is the representative

of the Lord High Admiral of England, and is now put into commission. The Commissioners are generally members of the House of Commons, and are composed of naval officers and civilians, all of whom are styled Lords of the Admiralty, and who, together with the First Secretary, quit office on a change of Government. The other officers have permanent appointments. These Lords Commissioners exercise their supervision over all naval matters, and exclusively control the expenditure of the sums annually voted by Parliament for the naval service. Hours-11 to 5 at Whitehall; 10 to 4 at Somerset House.

Admiralty, High Court of.-A civil Court, erected in 1357, for the trial of causes relating to maritime affairs. It possesses one Judge, who is usually an eminent Doctor of Civil Law. In 1857 it was ordered that the Judge of the Probate Court should be also Judge of the Admiralty Court. The Admiralty has jurisdiction upon the high seas-that is, upon all parts of the sea which are not within and do not form a part of any country. As to offences committed on the coasts, it has exclusive jurisdiction over those committed beyond the lowwater mark, and between that and the high-water mark. It has also jurisdiction of offences done on the water when the tide is in, and the Courts of Common Law of offences committed upon the strand when the tide is out. "The Court of Admiralty* has general power to determine all matters arising upon the seas, which, had they arisen here, would have been cognisable by law; therefore, seamen's wages, batteries, collision of ships, suits for obtaining possession of a ship, restitution of goods illegally taken on the high seas, questions of possession or right between the part owners of ships, suits for pilotage, on bottomry and respondentia bonds, for officers' and seamen's wages, and for salvage, and relating to

*These matters are tried in the Instance Court of the Admiralty-the Prize Court judges cases of captures and seizures of ships and goods taken during war.

wreck, are properly brought in this Court; but, on the other hand, generally speaking, the Court of Admiralty has no jurisdiction over contracts under seal, or deeds (except bonds or instruments which hypothecate or mortgage the ship for money advanced on its credit, and for its use), or agreements which have no relation to maritime affairs, although executed and signed on shipboard, as a bond, note, or engagement to pay money in London or elsewhere in England."

The criminal jurisdiction of the Admiralty Court was abolished in 1844. It now sits at Westminster instead of at Doctors' Commons. From its decisions an appeal lies to the Privy Council.

Advocate, Lord, is the principal public prosecutor in Scotland. He occupies the same position as Attorney-General in England. This office existed in 1479, but it was not till 1540 that it became a great office of State. The Lord Advocate is virtually Secretary of State for Scotland.

Advocate, Queen's.-An officer appointed by letters patent to advise and act as counsel for the Crown in questions of civil, canon, and international law. He claims precedence of the whole bar.

Advowson.-The perpetual right of presentation to an ecclesiastical benefice or cure, corresponding to the right of patronage in the canon law. All advowsons formerly belonged to some manor, whose lord, having endowed the church with a house and glebe, obtained the right to present a parson thereto; but in process of time the manor and advowson became separated; and now comparatively few advowsons remain annexed to the manors, which are generally co-extensive with the parish. Thus the distinction of an advowson appendant and an advowson in gross was created; the former being the advowson as originally annexed to the manor, and the latter in its separated and disunited state. The first disunion of the advowson from the manor was in favour of ecclesiastical corporations, and subse

quently of colleges, the annexation to which is styled an appropriation, as the acquisition of an advowson by a lay person, i.e., not in holy orders, is termed an impropriation. The right of presentation may be, and very often is, parted with for one turn only; but such an assignment must be made during the life of the present incumbent, and before a vacancy in the church, else the presentation would be void, as an encouragement of simony.

The separation of the advowson from the manor may be effected by the patron, at the present day, by conveying the manor with a reservation of the advowson, by conveying the advowson without the manor, or by presenting to an incumbent as an advowson in gross, that is, treating it or naming it as already separated.

An advowson can only pass by will or deed, and if appendant to the manor as part of the inheritance, or it may be granted for one or more turns within a limited time.

Advowsons are either vested in ordinary persons, or in a bishop, college, corporation, or in the Queen, or in any person founding a new chapel by the Queen's license; and when the patron, not being the Queen or an ecclesiastical or collegiate corporation, presents his parson to the bishop of the diocese for institution, it is termed a presentative advowson. When the advowson is lodged in the bishop, who presents by reason of the patron not presenting in six months, it is termed a collative advowson; and when the Queen or other person does, by a donation in writing, put the parson in possession, by that single act, of a chapel, prebend, or church, for the most part founded by the Queen, or by a subject with the royal licence, and exempt from ecclesiastical visitation, it is termed a donative advowson.

All persons who have ability to purchase or grant, can likewise present to vacant benefices; but a dean and chapter cannot present the dean, nor may a patron who is a clergyman present himself, though, if the bishop admit him on his solici

tation, the institution shall be good. A parson about to be admitted makes oath that he has not made any corrupt or simoniacal contract.

Ad quod damnum.-A writ addressed to the sheriff of a county to inquire by a jury whether a grant intended to be made by the sovereign will be to his damage or that of others. This writ is also employed for the turning of ancient highways, which cannot be lawfully done without the royal license obtained by this writ on the jury finding that such a change will not be detrimental to the public.

Age-in law, signifies those special times which enable persons of both sexes to do certain acts which before, through want of years and judgment, they were prohibited from. For instance, a male at twelve years of age can take the oath of allegiance to the sovereign; at fourteen he may consent to marriage, and choose his guardian for several purposes; and at twenty-one he may alien his lands, goods, and chattels. As regards a woman: at twelve she may consent to marriage; at fourteen she is at years of discretion, and may choose a guardian; and at twenty-one she may alien her property. Fourteen is the age by law to be a witness; but those of tenderer years who understand the nature of an oath are now admitted to give evidence. Persons under twenty-one are legally styled "infants under the age of twenty-one years." No one can be a Member of Parliament under the age of twenty-one. No man can be ordained priest till twenty-four, nor be a bishop till thirty years of age. He cannot be sworn on any jury or inquest till twenty-one; nor can he practise as an attorney or public notary till that age. In criminal law the discretion of infants varies according to the nature of the offence; but no infant can be guilty of felony or punishable for a capital offence under At fourteen they are presumed capable of contracting guilt. Between the ages of seven and fourteen their capacity for doing evil is measured by the strength of the culprit's

seven.