APPENDIX.

A.

Sporting upon Roads.-Sporting upon turnpike roads, and other highways entrusted to the management of trustees or other specially constituted authorities, is subject to penalties in the interest of the road authorities, independently of the game laws (807).

B.

Hawking of Rabbits.-When the game dealing laws were enacted, rabbits were not legally included in the category of game (720); and when they were subsequently (721) included with other game under the game law (757) there was no provision enacted with reference to dealing in them. Therefore, though wild rabbits are game so far as killing them is concerned (786), with certain qualifications (764), they are not game so far as dealing is concerned; hence, any person may sell rabbits, and that accounts for the freedom with which they are offered for sale by hawkers, in direct defiance of the general game-dealing law (837-8).

Hawking of Game in London.-Common observation proves that at certain seasons, especially when game is more than usually plentiful, hawking it is carried on apparently with impunity and without interruption, in the streets of the City of London. The practice alluded to is very clearly illegal (837-8), and does not appear to be permitted in like manner anywhere else. The explanation of the anomaly is that the city police, being an independent force, entirely clear of and far removed from the influence of the great country party, wink kindly at this additional means of getting an "honest" living, and never interfere with the enterprising hawkers so long as they create no obstruction and duly "move on" at the word of command. It is the nominal duty of the excise authorities to prevent such hawking; but they, like other authorities, naturally prefer avoiding duty which they are permitted to evade. Duly licensed dealers in game are entitled to call upon both the police and the excise authorities to prevent unlicensed dealing, and it seems strange, at first sight, that the apparently unfair competition is tolerated by the trade. But there is also an explanation of the placid indifference of the licensed dealers. It appears that they sometimes have game on their hands which is a trifle too high, and it is said that they get rid of such inconvenient surplus stock by selling it to those very hawkers who appear to be in competition with them. The consequence is that the knowing ones get wonderful

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bargains to take home to their astonished wives; the hawkers are kept că the rates; the dealers laugh in their sleeves and quote tip top prices fullest confidence; and all parties are abundantly satisfied. It may te s well, however, to remind those knowing ones that in the event of the moving in the matter, the purchaser as well as the hawker is liable to a late pecuniary punishment (845).

D.

Days of Grace Abolished upon Bills at Sight.-By an Act passed on the 14th of August 1871, bills and "notes at sight or "on presentation" payable when presented, excluding days of grace; so that "at sight,” *** presentation," and "on demand" (5992) are now all of the same pra cffect. As, however, nearly all commercial inland bills are drawn i definite periods of time (5993), the Act does not affect them; so far as they are concerned, days of grace operate precisely as before (5993-9).

E.

Bank Holidays Act.-The Bank Holidays Act has introduced some py rules with regard to the presentment and notice of dishonour of bills. The Act permanently appoints as regular bank holidays throughout England, Wass and Ireland,

Easter Monday,

The Monday in Whitsun week,

The first Monday in August,

The twenty-sixth day of December, if a week day.

The first three appear to be invariable, but it would appear that she Dec. 26 falls on a Sunday the holiday is to be lost. But there is a reme suggested for that, as the Act empowers the Queen to enforce a bank holast any time, and in doing so she may name any day instead of any of the ab days; for instance, she might in any year specially appoint a royal versary instead of Whit Monday, and in that case Whit Monday would n be a bank holiday.

The effect of the Act is that all presentments of bills for acceptance or Long (6020) and all notices of dishonour (6031) which should otherwise be on a bank holiday are to be made on the next day after, or when Dec. 27 on a Sunday then on Dec. 28, and not on the day before as in other ext? tional cases (5998).

It may be desirable to explain that Christmas Day and Good Friday not observed by the Scotch churches in any way, and are not estee or observed as general holidays in Scotland. It seems probable that Act will go far towards inducing the observance of those days in f there, pretty much as in England.

F.

Limitations of Set-off-With regard to limitations of set-off (6671) opinions and decisions seem to be conflicting. It appears that there have been cases where the plea of set-off of more than six years' standing has been rejected, but upon what reasonable principle is not apparent. The law with regard to limitations is statutory and specific, limiting actions (6608—10), and cannot reasonably be strained to bar the defence of a set-off, if the set-off is really. a good one (6676). Cases raising the question must necessarily be rare, but when they do occur they are probably important, and demand very careful consideration (13659).

G.

Investments in Debentures.-The Debenture Stock Act 1871 provides that when trustees, executors, or administrators are expressly authorized to invest trust moneys in the mortgages or bonds of any company they may legally invest in the debenture stock of such company or any company as the case may be, but this power to invest in debentures does not accrue except in the express event above referred to naming mortgages and bonds; nothing in the Act will justify a resort to debentures contrary to the letter or spirit of the will or deed (5208).

H.

The Dogs Act 1871.-Further protection against dogs is provided by the said Act (8508).

Any policeman, anywhere, may take possession of any dog that he has reason to suppose to be savage or dangerous straying on any highway, and not under the control of any person, and may detain such dog until the owner has claimed the same, and paid all expenses incurred by reason of such detention.

The police authorities, having taken possession of any dog as above, the owner of which dog is known to them, must post or deliver a letter to such owner giving notice that such dog is detained.

When a dog is detained as above for three days when the owner is not known or for five days when the owner is known, and the owner fails to claim the dog and to pay all expenses, such dog may be sold or destroyed.

The Act provides that dogs detained as above are to be fed at the expense of the local rates, and the price obtained when the dog is sold to be paid to the account of the local rates.

Any court of summary jurisdiction [local magistrates] may take cognizance of a complaint that a dog is dangerous, and may order the owner to keep such dog under proper control, subject to a penalty of £1 for every neglect.

Additional power is given to take precautions against mad dogs or suspicion thereof. The local authorities of any place are empowered to make and enforce orders that dogs must not be at large. Any dogs found at large contrary to such orders may be treated as savage or dangerous dogs which have strayed as above, and the owners are liable to an additional penalty of £1.

I. J.

Graduation of House Tax.-The house tax applies only to inhabited houses (8763), and is fully charged or qualified according to the following order :—

House tax, or inhabited house duty, is levied on the gross annual value (8379).

Houses occupied solely as dwellings are rated for house tax at ninepence in the pound.

Premises used as dwellings, but where there is also an open shop or place where a trade is openly carried on, are rated at sixpence in the pound. Where business is carried on upon premises partly occupied as a dwellinghouse, but where there is no shop or other place open to all comers, the rate is ninepence.

Hotels and inns (11195-11200), whether having an excise licence or not (temperance or otherwise), are rated at sixpence in the pound. Warehouses and other business premises, in the City of London or else where, where only a housekeeper resides to take care of the premises, are exempt, like all premises exclusively used for trade or business purposes.

K.

Rateable Values in Londen (8866).—The Valuation (Metropolis) Act introduces some new modes of proceeding to ascertain the rateable value of property within the district subject to the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Board of Works. This Act makes no alteration with reference to the provinces; but, in the metropolitan district, new valuation lists are to be made out completely afresh every five years. Supplementary lists, for the correction and revision of the principal list, are to be made out annually, and, where (by mistake or otherwise) there is ground for appeal, such appeal may be made any year on giving notice in writing to the chairman of the assessment committee of the parish, union, or vestry to which the property is subject. The Act also iatroduces variable rates of deductions from gross values (8879), as set forth in the following schedule:

Houses and buildings, or either of them, without land other than gardens, where the gross value is under £20, to be assessed at one fourth less than the gross value.

Houses and buildings, without land other then gardens and pleasure grounds valued therewith for the purpose of inhabited house duty, where the gross value is £20 and under £40, to be assessed at one fifth less that the gross value.

Ditto, ditto, ditto £40 or upwards, to be assessed at one sixth less than the gross value.

Buildings, without land, which are not liable to inhabited house duty, ani di a gross value of £20 and under £40, to be assessed at one fyti la than the gross value.

Ditto, ditto, ditto £40 or upwards, to be assessed at one sixth less than the gross value.

Land, with buildings, not houses, to be assessed at one tenth less than the gross value.

Land without buildings to be assessed at one twentieth less than the gros

value.

Mills and manufactories to be assessed at one third less than the gros value.