B I L 



B I L 



/hould aftenrards come into the pofTeffjon of any perfon, 

 who pays a full and valuable confideration for it, without 

 knowledge of its having been lof;, the drawer and acceptor, 

 if the bill was accepted, mull pay it when due to fuch fair 

 poffelTor, fo that the provifions of the ftatute may, in many 

 cafes, be ufeltrfs to the lofer of the bill. But againft the per- 

 fon who finds the bill, the real owner may maintain an ac- 

 tion of trover. Stealing bills of exchange, notes, &c. is 

 felony in the fame degree as if the offender had robbed the 

 owner of fo much money, &c. And the forging of bills of 

 exchange, or notes of money, indoriements, &c. is felony, 

 by (tat. 2 Geo. II. c. 2j, 9 Geo. II. c. i8. See alfo ftat. 

 31 Geo. II. c. 22. ^.78. Blackft. Con:i. vol. ii. p. 466. 

 Jacob's Law Diftionar)-, by Tomlins, vol. i. art. Bill. 



Bill of Indiffment. See Bill above, and Indict- 

 ment. 



Bill of Interpleader. See Interpleader, and Suit 

 in Equity. 



Bill of MiJuUefex, which was formerly always founded 

 on a "plaint" of tvefpafs quare claiij'am /regit, txtX-ertA on the 

 records of the court, is a kind of " capias," direftcd to the 

 fheriff of that county, and commanding him to take the de- 

 fendant, and have him before our lord the king, at Weft- 

 miiifter, on a dav prefixed, to anfwer to the plaintiff of a 

 plea of trefpafs. This bill of Middlefex mufl be ferved on 

 the defendant by the iheritf, if he finds him in that county ; 

 but if he leturns " non cil inventus," then tiiere ifTues out 

 a writ of " latitat" to the flierifF of another county, as 

 Berks ; which, in the court of king's bench, is fimilar to 

 the " tetlatum capias" in the common pleas, and recites the 

 writ of Middlefex, and the proceedings thereon ; and that 

 it is teftified, that the defendant " latitat et difcurrit," 

 lurks and wanders about in Berks ; and therefore commands 

 the fheriff to take him, and have his body in court on the 

 day of the return. But, as in the common pleas, the " tef- 

 tatum capias" may be fued out upon only a fuppofed, and 

 not an atlual, preceding " capias ;" fo, in the king's 

 bench, a " latitat" is ufually fued out upon only a fup- 

 pofed, and not an adual, " Isill of Middlefex :" fo that, in 

 faft, a " latitat" may be called the firll procefs in the court 

 of king's bench, as the " tcftatum capias" is in the common 

 pleas. Yet, as in the common pleas, if the defendant lives 

 i.i the county wherein the aftion is laid, a common " capias" 

 hiffices ; fo, in the king's bench likewife, if he lives in 

 r.IiJdlelex, the procefs muft flill be by « bill of Middlefex" 

 only. 



Bill, Nnvy. See Navy. 



Bill, in Parliament, denotes a paper containing propofi- 

 tions offered to the houfes, to be paifed by them, and then 

 fo be prefented to the king to pals into an aft or law ; for 

 the mode of prefenting and condufting of which, fee Par- 



LIAMENT. 



Bills, Liimlaril, are inftmments of an uncommon kind 

 and figure, ufed in Italy and Flanders, and alfo in France ; 

 confining of a piece of parchment, cut to an acute angle 

 about an inch broad at top, and terminating in a point at 

 bottom ; chiefly given where private perfons are concerned 

 in the fitting out a fhip for any long voyage. 



The manner is this : the party who is defirous to be con- 

 cerned in the cargo or venture, carries his money to the 

 merchant, who fits out the fhip, where it is entered down 

 in a regifter. At the fame time, the merchant writes down 

 on a piece of parchment, upwards of an inch broad, and 

 feven or eight inches long, the name of the lender, and the 

 fum lent, which being cut diagonal-wife, or from corner to 

 comer, each party retains his half. On the return of the 

 •veffel, the lender brings his moiety to the merchant, which 



being compared with the other, he receives his dividend ac- 

 cordingly. Much the fame is praftifed in Holland by thofe 

 who lend money on pledges : the name of the borrower, and 

 the fum, are written on a like flip of parchment, which is 

 cut in two, and half given to the borrower, and the other 

 half ftitched to the pledge ; that, upon comparing them 

 together again, the bonower may receive his goods, on 

 paying the money ftipulated. 



Bill, to note a. See Note, and Bill oi Exchange. 



^ihi., to protrjl a. See Protest, and Bill oi Exchange. 



Bills, bank, are notes or obligations figned on behalf of 

 the company of the bank, by one of their cafhiers, for value 

 received. See Note, znA \jI'..j, oi Exchange. 



Bill of credit. See Credit. 



Bill of entry, an account of goods entered at the cuf- 

 tom-houfc, both inward and outward ; in which are ex- 

 preffed, the name of the merchant importing or exporting, 

 the quantity, number, and mark of the goods, and place 

 from or to which they are imported, or to be exported. 



Bill of lading, an iiiftrument figned by the mailer of a 

 fhip, acknowledging the receipt of a merchant's goods, and 

 obhging himfelt to deliver them at the place to which they 

 are configned, in good condition. Of fuch bills there are 

 ufually three : the Jir/f, kept by the merchant ; thefecond, 

 fent to the faftor to whom the goods are configned ; and 

 the third, kept by the mafter of the fhip. Sec Charter- 

 party. 



Bills of mortality, are weekly lifts compiled by the 

 parifhclerks in and about London, containing the numbers 

 of fuch as die of each difeafe, as well as of thofe that arc 

 bom ever)' week. See Mortality. 



Bin of parcels, an account of the particular forts and 

 prices of goods bought, given by the feller to the buyer. 



Bill of rights. See Rights. 



Bill of fale, is an inllrument or writir.g which a perfon, 

 wanting a fum of money, and delivering goods as a fccu- 

 rity to the lender, gives to him, impowering him to fell the 

 faid goods, in cafe the fum borrowed is not repaid, with in- 

 tereft, at the time appointed. See Sale. 



Bill of Jlore, a licence granted at the cudom-houfe to 

 merchants, to carry fuch ftores and provifions as are neceffarj- 

 for their voyage, cultom-frce. 



Bill of fuffsrance, a hceiice granted at the cuftom-houfe 

 to a merchant, to fuffer him to trade from one Lnglifh port 

 to another, vrithout paying cuftom. 



Bill, or Beak, roflrum, in Ornithology, the elongated 

 horny proceffes or mandibles c^f birds. The form of the bill 

 varies fo greatly in different kinds of birds, that they afford 

 the moft permanent charafter by which thefe creatures may 

 be arranged. In the diftribution of families, Linnsus firll 

 notices the ftrufture of the bill, the tongue, and noftrils ; 

 and thefe parts conilitute almoll exclufively (with the legs)- 

 the diftinftion of the genera likewife. See Ornithology, 

 and Anatomy o/" Birds. 



The phoenicopter's bill is a true hyperbola, pointed at 

 the end hke a fword ; and what is remarkable, the upper 

 bill of this bird moves in eating, the lower being fixed, 

 which is the contrary of what is found in all other kinds^ 

 The wood-pecker's bill is (Irong, and (liarp enough to dig 

 holes, and build in the heart of the hardell timber. See 

 Phoenicopterus and Pic us. Phil. Traiif»N°2li, p-iJJ^ 



N° 350. P- 509- 



In the ifland of Ferro, a fixed reward is given for the bills 

 of ravenous birds. All watermen are obliged to bring a 

 certain number yearly to the country courts, at the feall of 

 St. Olaus ; when they are thrown into a heap, and burnt 

 in triumph. Plott gives divers inllances of monflrous irre- 

 gularities 



