DEM 



DEM 



in Greece ; but the most memorable was 

 that called the universal deluge, or Noah's 

 flood. 



DEMAIN, or DEMESNE, signifies the 

 king's lands appertaining to him in pro- 

 perty. No common person hath any de- 

 mains, simply understood, for we have no 

 land, (that of the crown only excepted,) 

 which is not holden of a superior, for all 

 depends, either mediately or immediate- 

 ly, of the crown : thus, when a man in 

 pleading would signify his land to be his 

 own, he says that he is or was seized 

 thereof icf his demain as of fee ; whereby 

 he means, that although his land be to 

 him and his heirs forever, yet it is not 

 true demain, but depending upon a supe- 

 rior lord, and holding by service, or rent 

 in lieu of service, or by both service and 

 rent. 



DEMAND, calling upon a man for any 

 sum or sums of money, or any other thing 

 due. By the several statutes of limitation, 

 debts, claims, &c. are to be demanded and 

 made in time, or they will be lost by law. 

 There are two manners of demands, the 

 one in deed, the other in law ; in deed, 

 as in every precepe, there is an express 

 demand ; in law, as in every entry in land, 

 distress for rent, taking or seizing of 

 goods, and such like acts, which may be 

 done without any words, are demands in 

 law. 



Where there is a duty which the law 

 makes payable on demand, no demand 

 need be made ; but if there be no duty 

 till demand, in such case there must be a 

 demand to make the duty. 



DEMOCRACY, the same with a popu- 

 lar government, wherein the supreme 

 power is lodged in the hands of the peo- 

 ple. 



The advantages of a democracy, where 

 the people at large, either collectively, 

 or by representation, constitute the le- 

 gislature, are, liberty, or exemption from 

 needless restrictions, equal laws, regula- 

 tions adapted to the wants and circum- 

 stances of the people, public spirit, fru- 

 gality, averseness from war, the oppor- 

 tunities which democratic assemblies af- 

 ford to men of every description, of pro- 

 ducing their abilities and councils to pub- 

 lic observation, and the exciting thereby, 

 and calling forth to the service of the 

 commonwealth, the faculties of the best 

 citizens. The evils attendant upon this 

 form of government are, dissention, tu- 

 mults, faction, the attempts of powerful 

 citizens to possess themselves of empire, 

 the confusion and clamour which are the 

 inevitable consequences of assembling 

 multitudes, and of propounding questions 



of state to the discussion of the people ; 

 the delay and disclosure of public coun- 

 cils and designs; and the imbecility of 

 measures, retarded by the necessity of 

 obtaining the consent of numbers; lastly, 

 the oppression of the provinces which 

 are not admitted to a participation in the 

 legislative power. The late excellent 

 Dr. Paley mentions other advantages of 

 a democratic constitution, which, he says, 

 ought not be forgbtten ; viz. the direc- 

 tion which it gives to the education, 

 studies, and pursuits of the superior or- 

 ders of the community. The share which, 

 this has in forming the public manners 

 and national character is very important. 

 Popular elections procure to the common 

 people courtesy from their superiors. 

 The satisfaction which the people, in free 

 governments, derive from the knowledge 

 and agitation of political subjects; such 

 as the proceedings and debates of the 

 senate, the conduct and character of mi- 

 nisters, the revolutions, intrigues, and 

 contentions of parties : and, in general, 

 from the discussion of public measures, 

 questions, and occurrences. " Subjects 

 of this sort," says the learned author of 

 the " Principles of Moral and Political 

 Philosophy," excite just enough of inter- 

 est and emotion to afford a moderate en- 

 gagement to the thoughts, without rising 

 to any painful degree of anxiety, or ever 

 leaving a fixed oppression upon the spi- 

 rits ; and what is this but the end and 

 aim of all those amusements, which com- 

 pose so much of the business of life, and 

 of the value of riches. See GOVERNMENT, 

 mixed.- CONSTITUTION, &c. 



DEMONSTRATION, in logic, a series 

 of syllogisms, all whose premises are 

 either definitions, self evident truths, or 

 propositions already established. 



DEMONSTRATIVE, in grammar, a 

 term given to such pronouns as serve to 

 indicate or point out a thing. Of this 

 number are hic,h#c, hoc, among the Latins, 

 and this, that, these, those, in English. 



DEMURRAGE, is an allowance made 

 to the master of a ship by the merchants, 

 for being detained in port longer than the 

 time appointed and agreed for his depar- 

 ture. The rate of this allowance is ge- 

 nerally settled in the charter party. It is 

 now firmly established that the claim of 

 demurrage ceases, as soon as the ship is 

 cleared out and ready for sailing. 



DEMURRER, is a kind of pause or 

 stop put to the proceeding of an action 

 upon a point of difficulty, which must be 

 determined by the court before any far- 

 ther proceedings can be had therein. 



He that demurs in law confesses the 



