of one Island has no cognizance of a crime committed in the other, nor has it the power to remove a prisoner for trial to the place where the offence was committed.

Duties and Taxes.-Whereas there was this day read at the Board, a report from the Right Honourable the Lords of the Committee of Council, for the affairs of Jersey and Guernsey, dated the 19th of this inst., in the words following, viz., "Your Majesty having been pleased to refer unto this Committee several papers from the Island of Jersey complaining of certain acts passed by the States of that Island on the 9th and 17th of Oct., 1771, and on the 14th of January, 1772, for laying the duties mentioned in the said acts upon Rum and Gin imported into the said Island-the Lords of the Committee have met several times and taken the said papers into consideration and on the 16th of March, 1773, thought proper to refer the same to Your Majesty's Advocate and Attorney General, who have thereupon reported to this Committee that they are of opinion, the States of the Island of Jersey have no authority to pass any act or laws imposing the several duties and taxes mentioned in the said acts for laying a duty on Rum and Gin imported into the Island of Jersey, without application having been made to Your Majesty for that purpose, and Your Majesty's consent and approbation being first had and obtained-and the Lords of the Committee having on the 15th of June, 1773, resumed the consideration of this matter agreed to postpone their determination and decision upon the legality of the said acts for three months, in order to give the said States time to be heard, thereupon, if they thought proper and recommended it to the Right Honourable the Earl of Rochford one of Your Majesty principal Secretaries of State to write to the Lieutenant Governor of the Island of Jersey, directing him to signify the said resolution of this Committee to the States of the said Island; In consequence whereof the States of the said Island have made a return, and therewith transmitted several papers in support of their said Acts. And the Lords of the Committee having this day met and maturely weighed and considered the whole matter, and seeing no ground from what is set forth in the said return from the States of Jersey, to differ in opinion from Your Majesty's Advocate and Attorney General respecting the legality of the said Acts imposing duties on Rum and Gin imported into the Island of Jersey, do therefore agree humbly to report to Your Majesty, that the States of the said Island have no authority to pass any Act or Law, imposing the several duties and taxes mentioned in the said Acts, for laying a duty on Rum and Gin

imported into the Island of Jersey without application having been made to Your Majesty for that purpose, and Your Majesty's consent and approbation being first had and obtained and therefore that it may be advisable for Your Majesty to declare the said acts imposing the several duties and taxes therein mentioned upon Rum and Gin imported into the Island of Jersey to be null and void in themselves, and to order the Royal Court to cause the said Acts to be erased out of the records of the said Island." His Majesty taking the said report into consideration, was pleased with the advice of His Privy Council to approve thereof, and accordingly to declare that the States of the said Island of Jersey, have no authority to pass any act or law imposing the several duties and taxes mentioned in the said acts for laying on Rum and Gin imported into the said Island, without application having been made to His Majesty for that purpose, and his Majesty's consent and approbation being first had and obtained-and His Majesty is hereby pleased to declare the said acts imposing the several duties and taxes therein mentioned upon Rum and Gin imported into the said Island of Jersey to be null and void in themselves and to Order that the Bailiff and Jurats of the Royal Court of the Is land of Jersey do cause the said Acts to be erased out of the records of the said Island-and that none may pretend ignorance of His Majesty's pleasure hereby signified, the said Bailiff and Jurats are to cause this order to be forthwith registered and published in due form in the said Island. STEPH. COTRELL. [Order in Council, April 20, 1774.]

Elections for Jurat, Constable and Centenier, are usually held on a Tuesday, and the votes are taken in the towns of St. Helier, and St. Aubin, at the Market-place, and in the other parishes at the Military shed. Either the Bailiff, a Jurat, or Crown officer presides the poll on those occasions.

Elections.-The following extracts from the Law enacted by the States, 14th January, 1833, and confirmed by Council the 15th July 1835, regulates the qualification of the Electors, and the mode of contesting the returns:

ART. VI.-Every subject of His Majesty, aged 20 years, whose name or that of his wife, not separated from him as to property, shall be inscribed on the last rate list, and who shall have neither guardian nor curateur, shall have a right to vote in all the elections for Jurats, and in those for Constable or a Centenier in his parish.

ART. VII.-Every subject of His Majesty, 20 vears of age, who shall have neither guardian nor curateur, who shall become, either in his name or in the name of his wife, not

separated from him as to property, principal heir to a person whose name is inscribed on the rate list, shall have right to vote in the said elections, by virtue of his right to the succes. sion to the deceased person's property, provided he be not already an elector.

ART. VIII.-Every candidate shall be bound, if he be required by another candidate, to declare upon oath, before the Royal Court, that he has not made use, directly or indirectly, of any bribe, promise or threat, to engage one or several electors to give him their suffrage, or to abstain giving it to one of the other candidates, and in case of refusal he shall be debarred from his candidateship, and if he has obtained the majority of suffrages a new election shall be ordered.

ART. IX.—Every person who shall have made use of bribe, promise or threat, to engage one or more electors to vote or abstain from voting in favor of a candidate in one of the said elections, shall be subject to a fine of fifty pounds sterling, and shall be deprived of the right to vote in elections, or of being elected to one of the said offices during five years.

ART. X.-Every person who shall have accepted directly or indirectly some bribe or promise to vote or abstain from voting in favour of a candidate, shall be fined twenty-five pounds sterling, and shall be deprived of the right of voting in elections during the period of five years.

ART. XI.-Every person who shall have taken a false oath administered to him by virtue of the present regulation, shall be condemned to pay a fine of fifty pounds sterling, and to an imprisonment of from six months to two years.

ART. XII.-When an election shall be contested, there shall be struck off from the number of electors all those who shall have made use of bribes, promises or threats, or accepted some bribe or promise to vote in favour of a candidate, or who shall have acted under the influence of a threat, or shall have been unduly inscribed on the parochial rate.

ART. XIII.-When the candidate who shall have obtained the majority of suffrages shall be convicted of having made use of means reprobated by the law; he shall lose the advantage of the said majority and another election shall be immediately ordered.

ART. XIV. When the candidate who shall have obtained the majority of suffrages shall be declared ineligible, or shall forfeit the advantage of his election, and a new eledtion shall he immediately ordered.

RT. XV.-All the abovementioned fines shall be applicable, ds to His Majesty, and the other third to the repair of

roads

Electors, qualification of.—In elections for Jurats or Constables, no person shall be permitted to vote than those who contribute to the public taxes and to the maintenance of the poor, and who shall be masters of families.-Code, 1771.

Electors are persons chosen generally from among the nearest relations to elect a Guardian, to a minor or other person disqualified to have the administration of his person or property; also persons who elect an administrator to the property of a person absent from the island. Their oath is :-"You promise and swear by the faith and oath that you owe to God, that you will elect one of the parents, neighbours or friends,present or absent that you shall believe to be the most fit and proper person to exercise the office of Guardian to

Embezzlement.-Persons embezzling the monies of their employers in England, or elsewhere, and who escape to Jersey or Guernsey, cannot be proceeded against criminally! If they are pursued, the only remedy their employers have is to action them for debt!

Entails. As early as 1617, the States presented a petition to the Royal Commissioners Conway and Bird, who were then in Jersey, and expressed themselves as follows:-"And for so much as this island is much weakened by means of continual partitions, which is made of lands and tenements among coheirs; It may please the King's Majestie, by your good meanes, to grant liberty unto such of the inhabitants, as shall sue unto his Majestie, to entayle soe much of their lands, rents, and tenements upon their heires, to remaine impartible for the better maintainance and continuance of their houses, as the parties shall be willing,or shall be thought fitt." This request was granted in 1619, and finally settled, by an Order in Council of the 17th of June 1635, which facilitated the making of entails. "Whereas the island is much weakened by partition, the lands there decending, two parts to the sons, and one to the daughters: It was though fitt, that for the remedie of the inconveniences thereby,his Majestie's Attorney General should prepare a Commission, (as hath been formerly directed, by the ordinances made in July 1619,) unto the Governor, Bailiff, and Jurats,calling to them his Majestie's Procurator there,authorising them to give Patents under the Seale of the Bailiwiche of that Isle, to all such persons as shall desire it, to entayle soe much of their lands and rents upon their heires as to remain impartible for the better maintenance and continuance of their houses, as the parties think fitt; provided that the greatest entayle exceed not One Hundred Quarters of Wheat, Jersey measure." "" It is to be observed that several of the larger estates in Jersey, were

entailed according to that Order of Council. At present new entails seldom take place. About 1760 the entailed estate of Bagot and Méléches having been renounced or bankrupted by the owner, the creditors seized it, which was resisted by the heir, when our Royal Court, decided that the creditors should enjoy the proceeds of the estate only during the life of the Bankrupt. This was afterwards reversed by an Order of Council, which awarded the full possession of the property to the creditors. It appears then that those entails are very imperfect, since they may be barred by the bankruptcy of the actual owner.-[Durell.]

Ether imported into the United Kigdom from the islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Serk, or Man, is to be charged with the duty equal to the amount of duty on two gallons and a half of British proof spirits-that being the estimated quantity requisite for the manufacture of one gallon of ether. -C. O. 8th May, 1830.

Evidence, how taken.-Examination, viva voce is resorted to only in cases of comparatively minor importance; whenever the life of a fellow creature is at stake, the examination of witnesses takes place, on written interrogatories. In criminal cases, the witnesses are examined separately at a private sitting of the Court, in the presence of the Crown Lawyers, and the prisoner's Counsel. In the Crown v. Bershon, Myers and Cohen, (1835) it was decided, that if Acts of the Court, be given in evidence, they must be read at full length. In criminal cases all articles to be produced in evidence must be deposited at the Greffe office.

Evidence, witnesses not bound to appear.-By the practice of the Courts of Jersey and Guernsey, witnesses are not required to enter into recognizances to appear to give evidence as in England, and consequently it often happens that they abscond from the Island before trial, through which many criminals escape conviction. In the Crown v. Maria Elizabeth Griffiths, indicted in 1837, for fraud, swindling, robbery and forgery, two of the principal witnesses for the prosecution having left the Island, there was not sufficient evidence to convict her, in consequence of which, she was acquitted. In the case also of the Crown v. John Alexandre, 1838, indicted for having committed a rape on the person of Mary Ann Ford, the two witnesses having left the Island, the prisoner was discharged!

Evidence, purity of.-It would appear by the following cases that Jurats, Advocates and Solicitors are competent witnesses, either for plaintiff or defendant, and although the