without any favour or partiality, as you would wish to answer before God to the acquittal and discharge of your conscience. Vraic, collecting of.-The right of the Royal Court to fix the time for collecting the Vraic was fully confirmed by the Royal Commissioners Gardiner and Hussey in 1607. "We doe therefore order, That the saide Bayliffe and Justices only, being in our opinions men of the best understanding and experience to deal in a matter of that nature, which soe much concerneth the common good, shall, from henceforth, as formerly they have done yearly, and at all times needful make and sett downe all orders whatsoever, they finde to be moste convenient both for the places where, the times and seasons, when the saide vracke shall perform the same. And that it shall not be lawful for any particular Lord, or for any other persons, upon his fee, or fees, to grante any licence, or sette downe any course concerninge the same, to the impeachinge of this our Order in any wise." The vraic is allowed to be gathered by an Order of the Royal Court, called l'abandon des Vraics, formerly for three spring tides early in the spring, but now only for two spring tides. The Summer vraic is allowed but for only one week. The time is fixed according to the voices of the majority of the Constables, who make a report to the Court of the sense of their parochial assemblies. The decision of the Court is then proclaimed to the people by the proper officer for that purpose.-[Durell.]

Wards in Chancery. The privileges of our exempt jurisdictions offer peculiar advantages for Wards in Chancery, especially those who seek the altar of Hymen. Take the following case for example: A rich Ward in Chancery eloped from Ramsgate in 1838, and fled "upon the wings of love," pursued by her guardian "on the wings of vengeance." The happy couple eluded the pursuit, by taking a Cowes pilot boat, which landed them at Alderney, attended by another lady and gentleman, where they were married the following day. There is it seems no difficulty respecting the licence, as the worthy Minister keeps a batch of blank forms, issued by the Surrogate of Guernsey, which may be had at a moment's notice; parties however should be prepared with a ring, for on the above occasion, they were obliged to borrow one, as there was not a ring to be purchased in the Island. They left Alderney the following day for Weymouth.

Warrant from the Admiralty.-In the case of the Swedish brig Victory which on her passage from Gottenburgh to Guernsey, had run foul of and damaged a vessel at anchor in Dover roads, belonging to the Irish Shipping Company, an Ad.

miralty Warrant was transmitted to the Governor of Guernsey, in 1834, and by him referred to the Court, for execution, to seize the said brig in Guerusey harbour. The warrant was addressed to all bailiffs and other officers whom it might concern, and they were directed to affix the warrant against the mainmast and detain the vessel, until they received further orders from the Admiralty Court. Application having been made to the Guernsey Court to allow one of its officers to execute the warrant, or if they refused this, to authorize one of the Constables to accom. pany the party who held the warrant, whilst he did it himself, extracts were read from several Orders in Council with a View of showing that the Court had on other occasions, been requested to aid and assist in enforcing orders issued by the Admiralty Court. A long and desultory conversation ensued, the object of which was to ascertain how far the Guernsey Court had or had not received orders to enforce Admiralty Warrants. The Advocate's indexes or notes of decisions were had recourse to, from which it appeared, that orders from the Admiralty Court had at various times during the last two centuries and a half been enforced-that others had not been allowed to be enforced, and that so late as 1819, Sir John Scott, a Judge of the Admiralty Court had stated that the jurisdiction of that Court did not extend to these Islands. The King's Procureur maintained that the Orders in Council cited, referred to prizes, captured by pri. vateers, in which the Admiralty had a direct interest, and that they ordered that the Court should not abstract but assist the Agents of the Admiralty. The cases in fact were public ones in which the government was interested, but the present one was purely of a private nature, it being nothing more than an action to recover the amount of the damage caused by one vessel to another on the high seas. The Court declined interfering, leaving it to the bearer of the warrant to do as he pleased, either by arresting the vessel or otherwise. The vessel sailed the following morning, before the warrant could be executed.

Water Courses, Regulations for.-Conformably to many ancient regulations and particularly to a certain judgment of His Majesty and of His Privy Council, dated the 15th day of December, 1709, it is forbidden to all persons to turn the waters which serve for the use of the Mills, contrary to their usual courses in time of scarcity, on pain of 20 livres penalty; and it is ordered on the same penalty, that all persons who in times of abundance, and when the Mills can without prejudice permit it, shall make use of part of the water for their meadows, shall be bound to put it back in its proper course: and as to the currents which do not serve for the Mills, the water

The Ecclesiastical Court will grant probate of a will of personalty, when ascertained to be testamentary according to the law of the foreign domicile, though it be invalid as an english will. Re De Vera Maraver, 1. Hagg. 498.

Wills, in Jersey.-The law, as to real property, has so provided for the disposal of all estates, that no man can by will, deed, or otherwise, give to any of his children a greater or less share, or proportion. By deed of gift, he may dispose of one-third, but then it must not be to one, who claims a part by succession, as it will be liable to bear its proportion of the donor's debts. The widow, after the death of her husband, enjoys for her life the profits of all she brought, and has also in dower the third of all her husband's estates; that is, the third part of whatever lands or inheritance, goods, or chattels he possessed at the time of their marriage; the third of all estates purchased by him during coverture, or coming to him by deed of gift, or descent from any kindred of a collateral line; the third of whatsoever estate was to descend to him from any ancestor in the direct line, as if that ancestor had died before the day of marriage, he would have been seized or possessed; and so the husband, while his father is yet alive, the widow shall at the father's death, have in dower, one-third of whatsoever the father was possessed, while his son, her husband lived, and was to descend to that son; but not the third of what the father purchased after his son's death; nor shall she have any part of the personalty of her husband's father surviving him. At the death of the widow, if there be no children, the dowry falls to his proper heirs. If the widow find his personal estate encumbered, she may within forty days after his decease come into open Court and publicly renounce to the third of his personalty. To avoid exposure, it is practised, that the widow has hy private contract, before two Jurats, passed her third of the personal estate to the heirs, who have covenanted to let her have her paraphernalia, and acquit her of all the debts: but if the whole estate fall short of clearing them, such contract would not serve the widow to plead against the creditors, but she would still be liable : but if she renounce, then is she freed. Formerly she lost the third of all estates purchased by her husband during coverture, and the profits of such estates as had been purchased for both their lives; but notwithstanding a renunciation, she is entitled to her præter dolem, or provision de la robile; there were anciently such jewels, clothes, &c., as were at the time of her marriage reserved to her, and an inventory having, at that time, been made and signed by the husband. In the present

the widow is allowed a bed, linen, and all other household stuff, not exceeding a third. The eldest son is, after his father's death, to give evidence of the whole estate and debts wherewith it is charged, by which the youngest sons or else the daughters, are to make out bills of partage, according to their number, and out of these, the sons choose their share according to seniority. The females in the collateral succession have no share in the patrimonial estate, but they have of that purchased, together with the personalty, which always goes to the next and nearest of kin. The sister being preferred, before the son of the brother, but yet in equal degrees of proximity; so also the males and their descendants, before the females and their descendants, and the kindred on the father's side before those of the mother in parity of degree; the brother of the halfblood has equal share with the brother of the whole-blood, and the sister of the half-blood with that of the whole-blood, and the brother of the half-blood before the sister of the whole blood, contrary to the rule, paterna paternis, malerna maternis. In estates which descend in a collateral line, the eldest brother has no preference before the other brothers, unless there be a noble fief; and that, he may take to himself, and leave the rest to be put in partage. In the collateral descent, patrimonial estates are divided per stirpes; purchased estates per capita. By partrimonial estates is meant, such as are called propre; by purchased estates, acquet or conquete, which are taken indifferently for the same thing; although, strictly speaking, conquet is such an estate as is purchased by a man after marriage; acquet, such as is purchased before marriage. But were he to sell any part of his patrimonial estate, and purchase another, the one purchased is not to be accounted conquet, till all the propre is made good; after the remainder will be acquet, or conquet ; and such estate in the hands of the father will come to be propre when it descend to the sons. Of the general law of succession, it may be added, that in collateral degrees, the nearest of kin takes place; first the brother or sister before the nephew or niece; this is so in estates of inheritance purchased but not patrimonial, where the representation is both of sex and degree. The partage of patrimonial estates some have thought, should be per stirpes and not per capita, as in estates of purchase. [Bowditch's Treatise, p. 49.]

Winchester's Bishop of, Fellowships and Scholarships at Oxford.-On the 27th of June, 1635, three fellowships were founded by king Charles the First, at Oxford, for the benefit of students from Guernsey and Jersey. The following is the substance of the act of donation : 1. The donation consists of 2B

seven houses and two gardens. 2.-Also a cottage, with 123 acres of land, of which 52 are meadow, and 51 pasture, and 205 acres wood, to be enjoyed in perpetuity. 3.-The revenues are divided into equal parts between the colleges called Exeter, Jesus, and Pembroke. 4.-The fourth part of each proportion shall be appropriated to the general use of each of the colleges, and the remainder shall be applied to found three fellowships for the students of Guernsey and Jersey. 5.— After a suitable residence, the fellows shall return to their respective islands to serve God in the church, if becoming situations offer themselves. 6.-The king reserves to himself the first presentation. 7.-The mode of electing the fellows defined. 8.-The heads of the colleges shall notify to the deans and jurats of the islands every vacancy, that they may nominate a successor. Until the vacancy be filled up, the revenue of the fellowship shall belong to the college. On the 11th Dec. 1678, king Charles the Second addressed the following order to the Bailiffs, Deans, and Jurats, of the islands of Guernsey and Jersey :-Trusty and well-beloved, we greet you well. Whereas our royal father of happy memory, for the encouragement of learning in our islands of Jersey and Guernsey, did found and endow three fellowships in our university of Oxford, to be from time to time supplied by persons born in our said islands, and upon all vacancies to be nominated by you, the bailiffs, deans and jurats of the said islands, under such rules and limitations as, by his charter of foundation, it doth more at large appear. And where as the present lord bishop of Winchester, for the aforesaid end and purpose, has lately founded and endowed fire scholarships in the said university, to be,from time to time, in like manner, supplied by the nomination of you the bailiffs, deans, and jurats of the said islands, and under the like rules and limitations as above mentioned. For the rendering both foundations most subservient to their designed end, our will and pleasure is, that in the nomination of fellows into places which shall hereafter be vacant, shall be preferred as have been formerly nominated to their respective scholarships, and have, by their good carriage, and improvement in learning, fitted themselves for the employments which belong to fellows in their respective societies, and give hopes of their future proficiency. And we bid you farewell. Given at our Court of Whitehall, the eleventh of Dec. 1678, in the thirtieth year of our reign. By his Majesty's command. HENRY COVENTRY. On the 3th of May, 1678, in the reign of Charles the Second, a charter, or indenture of foundation for the scholarship, was

(Signed)