PAR 



PAR 



closed. There is but one species, -viz. P. 

 campestris, a native of the woods in the 

 island of Cayenne. 



PARIETAR1A, in botany, pelKtory, a 

 genus of the Polygamia Monoecia class 

 and order. Natural order of Scabridx. 

 Urticje, Jussieu. Essential character : 

 two hermaphrodite flowers, and one fe- 

 male flower in a flat six-leaved involucre : 

 calyx four-cleft ; corolla none ; style one ; 

 seed one, superior, elongated: herma- 

 phrodite, stamina four : female, stamina 

 none. There are ten species. 



PARIS, in botany, a genus of the Octan- 

 dria Tetragynia class and order. Natural 

 order of Sarrnentacex. Asparagi, Jus- 

 sieu. Essential character : calyx four- 

 leaved ; petals four, narrower ; berry 

 four-celled. There is but one species, 

 viz. P. quadrifolia, herb Paris, true-love, 

 or one-berry. 



PARISH, signifies the precinct of a 

 parish church, and the particular charge 

 of a secular priest. Formerly a parish 

 was sononymous with diocese, and the 

 tythes were paid to any priest whom the 

 party chose, but it was found convenient 

 to allot a certain district for each priest, 

 that he alone might receive the tythe. It 

 is very doubtful when they originated. 

 Some place the division of parishes in 

 A. D. 630, others in 1179. A parish may 

 contain one or more vills, but it is pre- 

 sumed to contain only one, and anciently 

 was co-extenive with the manor. Money 

 given by will to a parish is given to the 

 poor. These districts are computed to 

 be nearly ten thousand in number. 



PARISH clerk. In every parish the 

 parson, vicar, &c. hath a parish clerk un- 

 der him, who is the lowest officer of the 

 church. These were formerly clerks in 

 orders, and their business at first was to 

 officiate at the altar, for which they had a 

 competent mainienance by offerings ; but 

 now they are laymen, and have certain 

 fees with the parson, on christenings, mar. 

 riages, burials, &c. besides wages for 

 their maintenance. He must be twenty 

 years of age, and of honest conversation, 

 and is generally appointed by the minis- 

 ter, unless there is a custom for the 

 churchwardens and parishoners to elect. 

 It is an office for life, and a freehold. He 

 may make a deputy without licence from 

 the bishop. 



PARISHIONER, an inhabitant of, or 

 belonging to, any parish, lawfully settled 

 there. Parishioners are a body politic to 

 many purposes; as to vote at a vestry if 

 they pay scot and lot ; and they have a 

 sole right to raise taxes for their own re- 



lief, without the interposition of any su- 

 perior court ; may make by-laws to mend 

 the highways, and to make banks to keep 

 out the sea, and for repairing the church, 

 and making a bridge ; and for making 

 and maintaining fire engines. They may 

 also purchase workhouses for the poor, 

 or any such thing for the public good. 



PARKINSON I A, in botany, so named 

 in memory of John Parkinson, a genus 

 of the Decandria Monogynia class and 

 order. Natural order of Lomentacese. 

 Leguminosae, Jussieu. Essential charac- 

 ter: calyx five-cleft; petals five, ovate, 

 the lowest kidney -form ; style none ; 

 legume necklace form. There is but 

 one species, viz. P. aculeata, prickly Par- 

 kinsonia. It is a native of Jamaica, 

 where it is called Jerusalem thorn. 



PARLIAMENT. The parliament is 

 the legislative branch of the supreme 

 power ol'Gretit Britain, consisting of the 

 King, the Lords spiritual and temporal, 

 and the Knights, citizens, and Burgesses, 

 representatives of the Commons of the 

 Realm, in Parliament assembled. 



The power and jurisdiction of Parlia- 

 ment is so transcendent and absolute, that 

 it cannot be confined, either for causes 

 or persons, within any bounds. 



The Parliament must be summoned by 

 the King, and not by authority of either 

 house, at least forty days before it sits, 

 although the Convention Parliament (the 

 House of Commons), from necessity, was 

 summoned by the Keepers of the Liber- 

 ty of England, by authority of Parlia- 

 ment. It cannot begin without the King 

 in person, or by representation. The 

 principal privileges of Parliament are the 

 privilege of speech, which is essential to 

 its existence, and to which there are no 

 exceptions, except in some precedents of 

 information filed for using free language 

 during the reign of the second Charles, 

 which it is to be hoped will never be 

 drawn into authority, and the privilege 

 of person from arrest and imprisonment 

 for debt. This privilege lasts for forty- 

 days after the prorogation of the Parlia- 

 ment, and forty days previous to its meet- 

 ing. But all other privileges, derogating 

 from the common laws and matters of 

 civil right, are abolished by several sta- 

 tutes; and by 4 George III. c. 33, a 

 trader, being" a Member of Parliament, 

 may be served with legal process for any 

 just debt to the amount of one hundred 

 pounds, and unless he makes satisfaction 

 within two months, it shall be an act of 

 bankruptcy. Vide statutes 12 Williunj III. 

 c. J ; 2 und 3 Ann, c. 18 ; 11 George U. c. 



