464 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF FACTS. 



Call. A privilege to buy at a certain time for an 

 agreed price, called the " call price," which Is always 

 a little above market price. 



Call Loans. Money loaned subject to the call or 

 demaud of lender. It must be returned the day it is 

 called for before the close of banking hours. 



Capital. Money or other property invested in busi- 

 ness. 



Cashier. The clerk who has charge of the cash ; the 

 second executive officer in a bank. 



Carat. Weight showing the degree of fineness of 

 gold. 



Cargo. A ship's lading or freight. 



Carte Blanche. Signature ot an individual or in- 

 dividuals on blank paper with space aboveto write a 

 note; full power. 



Certiorari. A writ for the removal of a cause from 

 an inferior to a superior court. This writ always lies, 

 unless where expressly taken away by statute, and here- 

 in it differs from an appeal, which can never be had 

 unless expressly given. 



Certificate. A written voucher attesting a fact. 



Certified Check. A check to which the cashier of 

 a bank certifies in writing as to the genuineness of the 

 signature of the drawer, and that he has funds on de- 

 posit sufficient to meet it, the bank reserving the 

 amount certified and regarding it as having been al- 

 ready paid, and therefore unavailable for other use. 



Challenge. An exception taken by a prisoner 

 against one or more jurors, who, when challenged, are 

 set aside, if the challenge be allowed, and new ones put 

 in their places. 



Chancellor. An officer of the highest dignity and 

 authority in various departments. 



Chancery. The highest court of judicature next to 

 the Parliament, and of very ancient institution. The 

 .Court of Chancery is called a Court of Equity, because 

 it was instituted for the purpose of proceeding by the 

 rules of equity and conscience, and of moderating the 

 rigor of the common law; equity being the correction of 

 that wherein the law, by reason of its universality, is 

 deficient. Yet the Court of Chancery is not intended to 

 act in opposition to, but in assistance of, the common 

 law, supplying its deficiencies, not contradicting its 

 rules ; no judgment of law being reversible by a decree 

 in Chancery. 



Charter. A royal grant or privilege, granted to cor- 

 porations, companies, etc. 



Charter-Party. An instrument between merchants 

 and owners or masters of '-ships, containing the partic- 

 ulars of the contract for the hire of the ship. It is in 

 fact a mercantile lease of the ship. 



Chattels. There are two kinds, chattels real and 

 chattels personal ; the former are leasehold property, and 

 the latter personal goods or chattels, as furniture or 

 money. 



Chose. A thing. Chose-en-action is a thing of which 

 a man has not the possession, and which he can only 

 claim by action, as, for instance, a debt owing to him 

 by another. 



Chattel Mortgage. A mortgage of personal prop- 

 erty. 



Check. An order upon a bank, or banker, to pay on 

 demand to the person named in the check, or to his 

 order, the sum of money specified in the body of the 

 check in writing. 



Choses in Possession. Things of which one has the 

 possession. 



Citation. The first step in an ecclesiastical cause, 

 analogous to the writ of summons in an action. 



Civil Law. The Roman law is comprised in the in- 

 stitutes, code, and digest of the Emperor Justinian. 



Cipher Code. An arrangement of words to stand for 

 phrases, numbers, or quotations, so that telegrams may 

 oe thus sent in a private and condensed form. 



Client. Anciently, a Roman citizen, taken under the 

 protection of some great man, who was styled his 

 patron. The term is now applied to a party who em- 

 ploys a solicitor or counsel in any legal proceeding. 



Clear. To exchange checks and bills, and to settle 

 balances as is done in a clearing house. 



Clearing House. An organization for the settle- 

 ment of balances between members. Usually applied to 

 banks. 



Clearing House Certificates. Certificates issued 

 by a clearing house against collateral approved by the 

 loan committee, and used in the settlement of the 

 daily balances between its members. 



Clearance. Certificate from the custom authorities 

 permitting a vetwl to leave port. 



Clearing. Act of leaving port. 



Clique. A combination of persons " to run a deal " 

 or manipulate a market. Usually applied to stocks, 

 grain, and provisions. 



Closed Policy. A policy in which the amount in- 

 sured is definitely stated. 



Codicil. A supplement to a will. 



Commission. The warrant, or letters patent, author- 

 izing any inquiry judicial or otherwise ; as the commis- 

 sion of the judges, the commission of the peace, etc. 



Commitment. The sending a person who has been 

 guilty of any crime, to prison, by warrant or order. 



Committee. Persons to whom the consideration of 

 any matter is referred ; as a Committee of the House of 

 Congress. 



Common (Rights of). These are of four sorts : viz., 

 pasture, piscary, estovers, and turbary. Common of 

 pasture is the right of feeding one's cattle on the land 

 of another ; piscary, that of fishing in waters belong- 

 ing to another ; estovers, the right of taking wood from 

 another's estate, for household use and implements in 

 husbandry ; and turbary, the right of digging turf upon 

 another's ground. 



Common Law. The law of England Is composed of 

 Acts of Parliament or statutes, and the custom of the 

 realm, the latter consisting of those rules or maxims 

 which have obtained by common consent an immemorial 

 usage. The former are designated the lex sen'///", or 

 statute law; the latter the lex non scripta, or common 

 law. This term is also applied to the superior courts of 

 Westminster, which are called Courts of Common Law, 

 as distinguished from the Court of Chancery, which is 

 the Court of Equity. 



Complainant. One who complains of the act of an- 

 other in a court of justice, more commonly called 

 plaintiff. 



Compounding Offenses. Entering into an agree- 

 ment not to prosecute an offender, for any considera- 

 tion received or to be received, constitutes a crime, for 

 which the offender may be indicted. 



Compounding with Creditors. An agreement by 

 which creditors take a portion of their claims in dis- 

 charge of the whole. 



Conditionsof Sale. The terms upon which a vendor 

 undertakes to sell to a purchaser. 



Confirmation. A deed by which a voidable estate 

 in land is made perfect. 



Conjugal Rights. Those rights of husband and 

 wife which spring out of their relationship. 



Consanguinity. Relationship by blood, in contradis- 

 tinction to affinity, which is a relationship by marriage. 



Conservator. A standing arbitrator, appointed to 

 compose and adjust differences that may rise between 

 parties, etc. 



Consideration. The price or motive of a contract, 

 without which a simple contract is void. In technical 

 language, it may be defined as " some detriment to the 

 plaintiff sustained for the sake or at the instance of the 

 defendant, or some benefit to the defendant moving 

 from the plaintiff." 



Consignee. A person to whom goods are delivered 

 either as purchaser, or more generally for sale on com- 

 mission. 



Consignor. The person by whose act or direction 

 goods are delivered to the consignee. 



Consignment. The act of making over, or deliver- 

 ing, goods to another. 



Conspiracy. A combination of two or more persons 

 to carry into effect an unlawful purpose. 



Consul. An officer appointed by government to re- 

 side abroad and watch over the interests of our country- 

 men who may happen to reside in or be passing through 

 the place where the consul is located. 



Contempt. A disobedience to the rules, orders, or 

 process of a court, which has power to punish such of- 

 fense, which it does by imprisonment. 



Contract. A covenant or agreement between two or 

 more persons with a lawful consideration. 



Contribution. Where one surety or joint contractor 

 has been obliged to satisfy the whole demand, he may 

 obtain contribution from his fellow surety or con- 

 tractor. 



Contributory. One liable to contribute to the 

 liquidation of the liabilities of a joint stock company, 

 under the Winding-up Acts. 



Conveyance. A deed which passes or conveys Isuid 

 from one person to another. 



Conveyancers. Persons who devote themielvet to 

 the preparation of formal documents concerning prop- 

 erty. 



