hind, without his licence, subjects the party to a penalty of 31.; one half to the Lord, and one half to the informer: the shooting of a pigeon, partridge, or grouse, to a penalty of 11. Thus a pigeon is accounted game; but a hare is not so. A licence for a year may generally be obtained by application to the proper officer, and the payment of the fee of half-a-crown, The former penalties were 71. to the Lord for every animal, accounted game, that was killed; for every tame. deer, killed or taken, 107. besides a discretionary imprisonment; for every hawk or heron, 37.; and for their eggs, 31, each. The game laws are now nearly obsolete.

A widow becomes entitled, on the death of her husband, to half the real and personal estate, entails excepted, possessed by them, whether he has made a will or not.* If he dies intestate, the children, or their representatives, inherit the other half in equal portions; and if there are no children, or their representatives, the next of kindred, in equal degree, representatives among collaterals, after brothers and sisters. If there is no widow, children being excluded; the whole is

• Statute-book, 1777,

divided as the half would otherwise be. A will should be proved within three months of the death of the party; and the legacies are to be paid, or the estate divided, within fourteen days of the probation of the will, or the granting of letters of administration. For some cause, apparently very adverse to the public good, the executors are not obliged, by law, to pay the debts of the deceased, before the expiration of three years from the time of his death.

All civil actions, except on accounts current, must be brought within three years of the cause of action, unless the Plaintiff is a minor, non compos mentis, beyond seas, or has any other legal imperfection. In these cases it must be brought within three years of the removal of the imperfection. Thus a title by occupancy is sometimes obtained.*

If a tenant quits the farm on the May half year day he is entitled to the standing crops.

Marriage is a sort of partnership, and does not afford an exclusive title to estates, either real or personal.

Right by custom is now nearly obsolete, except that of some clerical fees. Certain articles

* Anno 1738.

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were formerly heir-looms; but in the year 1747, it was enacted that a man's firelock should be the only one so taken.

The goods which are taken in distress or execution, must remain one month as a pawn, redeemable by the tenant or defendant, on payment of the rent, or of money recovered in an action at law. If not redeemed, they are to be sold by public auction. Should goods be fraudulently removed, the landlord may, within a fortnight of his rent's becoming due, seize them wherever they are to be found; and no sale, assignment, or other agreement, can set aside the landlord's just claim, in the first instance, to one year's rent. Whatever relates to a distress, or execution, is the business of the Coroner; and he is entitled to one shilling in the pound for his trouble, chargeable on the tenant or defendant.

If the sentence of a court of law is not in due time attended to, or an appeal made, execution against the defendant's goods is granted as a matter of course.

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CHAPTER V.

On private Wrongs, and their Redress, THE distinction between private and public wrongs is thus defined by Blackstone: private wrongs, or civil injuries are an infringement or privation of the civil rights which belong to individuals, considered merely as individuals: public wrongs are a breach and violation of the public rights or duties due to the whole community in its social, aggregate capacity. The difference between them, though founded, perhaps, upon the law of nature, is generally the consequence of positive law. Wrongs, the redress of which is intended as a compensation to the individual injured, I term, private: and those for which the criminal is more severely punished, chiefly as an example to others, and with little or no benefit to the injured man, I term, public.

Any person cutting his neighbour's grass or corn, breaking fences, or putting cattle into his fields at night for pasture, might formerly be fined and punished at the discretion of the

Y

Governor or Deemster. The party aggrieved might also recover damages at the court of common law; and the evidence taken before the Governor or Deemster was to be sufficient for the jury. But this method was abolished in 1665 a complaint of trespass is to be made to the Coroner or other proper officer, who must, without delay, nominate, charge, and swear four honest neighbours, to view the trespass and estimate the damage. Upon their verdict being given, which is to be four times the actual damage, the defendant is to pay the amount to the plaintiff. If he refuses payment, the Deemster, on application made to him, will immediately issue an order to the Coroner, to take a sufficient quantity of his goods in execution,

The trespass jury is, properly speaking, composed of four arbitrators, who, if they cannot agree, sometimes choose a fifth person, or umpire, and herein they differ from other Manks juries, who are obliged to give an unanimous verdict.

Dogs worrying sheep or lambs, the fact being proved before the Deemster, are to be hanged; and the owner is to pay certain damages to the injured party.