490 



COUP COURTS OF JUSTICE. 



County palatine, in England, is u county distin- 

 guished by particular pr.vileges ; so called a palatio 

 (Uie palace), betause the chief officer in the county 

 had originally royal powers, or (.he saint- powers, in 

 tin- ;:diniiii-trati(in of justice, as the king had in his 

 p;ilace; but these powers are now abridged. The 

 counties palatine, in England, are Lancaster, Ches- 

 ter, ami Durham. There is a court of chancery in 

 each of the counties palatine of Durham, and Lan- 

 caster. There are inany privileges attached to these 

 coinitie>. In none of them are the king's ordinary 

 \\riis of any force. 3 lilackstone, 79. (See Count.) 



(utility Corporate, in England, is a title j:iven to 

 several cities or boroughs, which have extraordinary 

 privileges, so that they form counties by themselves. 



COUP (French; a blow). This term is used in 

 viirious connexions, to convey the idea of promptness 

 auid force. Coup de main, in military language, sig- 

 nifies a prompt, vigorous, and successful attack. 

 C"'ip d'afil, in a military sense ; a r.ipid conception of 

 the advantages and weaknesses of positions and ar- 

 rangements of troops. It is also used for a quick 

 comprehension of all the points and bearings of any 

 subject. Coup tie theatre; a sudden and striking 

 change in the action. Coup d'etat is a forcible and 

 arbitrary political measure. 



COURLAND (in Russian, Koitrliandia ; in Ger- 

 man, Kurland) ; formerly a duchy, to which also 

 belonged Semigallia. At present, they form together 

 the Russian government of Mittau, containing 10,280 

 square miles, and 581,300 inhabitants. Corn-land 

 lies on the Baltic. The Dwina forms its frontier to 

 the east. It is situated between lat. 55 40' and 57 

 45' N., and Ion. 20 55' and 27 10 1 E., and is gener- 

 ally flat. Morasses and lakes are numerous. The 

 climate is cold. Though healthy in general, par- 

 ticularly on the coasts, yet fever, dysentery, and gout, 

 are not uncommon. The soil is in general sandy, in 

 some parts clayey, almost everywhere susceptible of 

 cultivation, but not remarkably fertile. The princi- 

 pal productions are grain, flax, and hemp. The 

 forests are numerous, and some almost impenetrable. 

 In some parts, the axe has never yet penetrated. 

 There is little pasturage, and the cattle are small. 

 Goats are numerous : swine and birds do not abound. 

 The forests contain wild boars, bears, wolves, elks, 

 and other game. The coasts, lakes, and rivers 

 abound with fish. The country contains mines of 

 iron, quarries of gypsum, turf-bogs, and mineral 

 waters. Yellow amber is collected on the shores of 

 the Baltic. The manufactures are few, comprising 

 only those of paper, potashes, spirit distilled from 

 grain, and bricks. The exports are grain, hemp, 

 flax, flax-seed, linseed oil, timber, planks, skins, wax, 

 honey, tallow, resin, and other raw products. The 

 principal trade is carried on at the ports of Windau 

 and Liebau. The roads are obstructed by forests 

 and morasses. The population is composed princi- 

 pally of Lettonians, Livonians, Germans, and Rus- 

 sians. There are also some Poles and Jews. The 

 greater part of the inhabitants are Lutherans ; about 

 one-fifth are Catholics. The nobility is composed of 

 Poles, Russians, and Germans, and possesses great 

 privileges. Courland was anciently a part of Li- 

 vonia, and, like the latter, was conquered in the 13th 

 century, by the knights of the Teutonic order. It 

 was subsequently united with Semigallia, and, under 

 the name of the duchy of Courland, the two provin- 

 ces became a fief of Poland. The duchy, however, 

 was governed by its hereditary dukes till 1737. The 

 sixth duke, Frederic William, espoused in 1710, 

 Anna Ivanowna, princess of Russia, who, after his 

 death, maintained possession of the duchy ; but the 

 government of it was intrusted to prince Ferdinand, 

 brother of the deceased duke. On the death of Fer- 



dinand, in 1737, the elates, in consequence of the 

 influence of the empress of Russia, elected her fa- 

 vourite and grand chamberlain, Ernest John Biren, 

 to succeed him, who was exiled to Silx-ria in 1740. 

 In 1762, the emperor Peter of Russia recalled Biren, 

 who, after some contest with prince Charles, son ot 

 the king of Poland, who had been placed over the 

 duchy in his absence, was declared by the estates the, 

 only legitimate duke. In 17o!i, he transferred the 

 duchy to his sou, at whose death the estates of Cour- 

 land solicited a union with the Russian empire. 

 Catharine consented, and, by an edict of April, 17)5 

 secured to the inhabitants all the privileges which 

 they had enjoyed under their princes, and all the 

 rights of her other subjects. Since this time, it has 

 formed a government divided into live districts. In 

 1818, the emperor Alexander confirmed the chart c.- 

 of the nobility of Courland, which declared the pea- 

 sants free, and regulated their relations to their for- 

 mer lords. 



COURT (curtis, curia, aula) ; the space enclosed 

 by the walls of a feudal residence, in which the fol- 

 lowers of a lord used to assemble, in the middle ages. 

 to administer justice, and decide respecting affairs of 

 common interest, &c. It was next used for those 

 who stood in immediate connexion with the lord and 

 master, the pares curia, the limited portion of the. 

 general assembly, to which was intrusted the pro- 

 nouncing of judgments, &c. Finally, it came to denote 

 the residence ot a prince, with his family and highest 

 officers. From this court (aula principalis), when the 

 vassals began to take less part in the management of 

 the public business, and this could no longer be trans- 

 acted, on the public court days (at Easter, Whitsun- 

 tide, and Christmas), the different permanent state 

 authorities were separated with independent powers, 

 and the actual court, the residents and daily atten- 

 dants of the prince, acquired a distinct character. 

 The etiquette of the courts has been formed, in mo- 

 dern tunes, at first on the model of the old Spanish 

 court (the Spanish fashion of wearing the cloak, 

 Spanish reverences, or bending of the knee, &c. , 

 being adopted), and, subsequently, the less formal 

 ceremonial of the French court, in the time of Francis. 

 I., Catharine of Medici, Louis XIV., which admits 

 of a dress accommodated to the existing fashion, and 

 requires a mere inclination of the neck. The obstruc- 

 tions in the way of presentation have been growing 

 fewer and fewer, especially since the time of the 

 French revolution. The court offices are, in part, 

 the old hereditary offices, derived from the times of 

 feudal services. Besides these, there are others of 

 a more modern character, which are founded, how- 

 ever, in some degree at least, on the old distribution 

 of services among such officers as the chief marshal, 

 chamberlain, master of the horse, butler, &c. The 

 modern court offices are now all personal, and have 

 become very numerous. 



Court ladies are noble ladies, composing the 

 retinue of the princess. At their head stands the 

 dame d'honneur. 



Court counril (Hofrath consilium auticum). See 

 Aulic Council.) This corresponds, in Germany, to 

 the French conseil du roi. Similar authorities, 

 called, in the smaller states, Landesregierungen, 

 were established in Germany in the 16th century 

 in imitation of the imperial council, and, like this 

 council, were, by degrees, intrusted with judicial 

 functions, till they have finally become supreme 

 courts, wherever no particular department is esta- 

 blished, with the charge of presiding over the general 

 administration of justice, and have, as in Prussia 

 resigned the name of government to the administra- 

 tive authorities. 



COURTS OF JUSTICE. [The first part of this 



