42Q, 
ISLE of M A N. 
official, the biffiop and his twci yicftrs-general, and the 
collector. In order to endfue controverfy, a ftatemcnt 
of their refpeftive claims was fent to England about ten 
years ago for his majeily’s determination. 
The twenty-four keys are the laft branch of the Manks 
Jegiflature. The content of a majority of them is necef- 
iary to the paffing of a law ; and a bill ufually originates 
in this houfe. They are confidered the guardians of the 
people, particularly fo of the landed intereft, and their 
power is as well judicial as legiflative. An appeal may be 
made to them from the inferior courts. In all aft ions 
real, and in appeals, their decifion is conclufive between 
the parties, unlefs the caufe be carried before the king in 
council. They determine in all cafes by a majority; and 
herein differ effentially from a jury, whole ve'rdift mult 
be, or rather mult be faid to be, unanimous. In intri¬ 
cate law-cafes they are required to determine what the law 
of the land is; every determination forming a precedent 
for future cafes. Bilhop Wilfon derives their name from 
their office of unlocking the difficulties of the law. So lit¬ 
tle was the conftitution fettled, that it is Hill a doubtful 
point whether the governor had power to prorogue them, 
or whether they might continue fitting till they thought 
proper to feparate. Their election of a fpeaker is fub¬ 
jeft to the approbation of the king; he gives, when re¬ 
quired, the cafting vote. In their legillative capacity 
their debates are always private. When a vacancy hap¬ 
pens by the death of any one of the twenty-four keys, 
the majority of the remainder fix upon two perfons, 
either of whom they deem eligible to occupy his place. 
Their names are prefented to the governor, who makes 
choice of one. The fituation is for lift, except in cafes 
of criminal conduct, refignation, or the acceptance of any 
place entitling him to a feat in the council. It brings 
with it conliderable honour, much trouble, but no emo¬ 
lument. Foreigners as well as natives, not excluding the 
clergy, are eligible to feats in this houfe, the only requi- 
fite qualification being the poffeffion of land, and the age 
of twenty-one years. 
Laws palled by the legillature of this ifland are called 
Ails of Tinwald. Before they become binding upon the 
people, they mult, according to long ufage, be promul¬ 
gated from a certain artificial mount, near the fpot where 
the high-road from Rulhen to Ramfay, and that from 
Douglas to Peel, crofs each other, called the Tinwald-hill, 
the day of the nativity of John the Baptift being formerly 
the only ufual time of fuch promulgation. Hence it is, 
that the afts derive their name. 
The Ille of Man was not affefted by any other than its 
own laws till the reign of Henry VIII. when an aft paffed 
the Engliffi legillature, and was extended to this illand, 
for vetting in the crown all the monafteries and abbey- 
lands. The fecond aft, relative to this country, paffed 
in the fame reign, difievered the diocefes of Chelter and 
of the Ille of Man from the archbilhopric of Canterbury, 
and united them to the province and archbilhopric of 
York. The third, paffed in the fifth year of the reign of 
Elizabeth, reftrifted the quantity of French wine, to he 
imported annually into the Ille of Man, to one hundred 
tons; and it appears, that the illand paid much more de¬ 
ference at that time, than it did afterwards,. to the En- 
glilh government. Between this period and the fifth year 
of his prefent majefty, no aft was paffed immediately re¬ 
lative to the illand. Wherever we find the place men¬ 
tioned at all, reference is made to its commerce with 
Great Britain and Ireland, the regulations taking place 
upon our own coalls. 
The Manks legillature .feem to have imagined that, with 
the royalties of the lord, were fold (in 1765) all the rights 
and privileges polfelfed by themfelves ; and that thefe laft 
were retained merely by the courtefy of the king of Eng¬ 
land. The firft ait of Tinwald after the file was paffed 
in 1776. It recites the title of the aft of re-veftment; and 
we learn by the preamble that his majefty had been molt 
gracioufly pleafed to grant his royal leave and permiffion 
to the cuftomary legillature of the illand (himfelf being 
now the lord) to enaft what laws might be found necef- 
lary for the interior good government and police of the 
ille. 
The ille is divided in two diftrifts, each having a deem- 
fter, or chief-juftice; into fix Iheadiugs or counties, with 
their refpeftive coroners or Iheriffs ; and into- feventeeu 
parilhes. 
The Ille of Man cannot boaft of any Magna Charts, any 
Bill of Rights, any Habeas-Corpus Aft, or any written 
promife of the fovereign relative to the liberty of the 
fubjeft. 
It is amufrng and inftruftive to obferve the arbitrary 
and moll tyrannical laws madeagalnlt the lower orders of 
the people, and to mark their confequences. All per¬ 
fons, having no regular occupation, or not being in a 
farm, were formerly liable to be taken for fervants, and 
have only fuch wages as the law allowed. A ploughman, 
was entitled to 13s. q.d. a-year, befides meat and drink; 
a driver to 10s. and a horfeman to 8s. a mafon, carpenter, 
or Ihipwright, to ^.d, a-day, and other workmen in pro¬ 
portion. Employers giving more were liable to forfeit to 
the lord a ftim equal to the whole wages. The lord and 
his officers had the firft choice of fervants; and might, at the 
beginning of a half year, even take them away from any 
of the inhabitants, except the twenty four keys. Chil¬ 
dren, not brought up or put apprentice to any trade, were 
liable to be ordered into fervice, unlefs the parent was 
old or decrepid, and required affiftance. In this cafe one 
child mightbe kept at home, but the parents were obliged 
to give public notice of their intention, in order that no 
“deemfter, moare, coroner, or farmer, might expeft fuch 
choice child, and be difappointed.” In 1691, the laws 
were rendered (till more fevere, and fervants refufing to 
work on the legal terms were to be imprifoned till they 
confented. And, in order to encourage foreign artificers, 
thefe laws were made relative to Manks work-people only. 
The children of the poorer clafs being thus, by various 
unjuft laws, reduced to a fituation, much worfe than that 
of their neighbours, were induced by their own choice, 
and that of their parents, to leave the ifland; and fo fre¬ 
quent was their emigration, that the legillature judged it 
neceflary to -interfere once more refpefting them. Thus, 
does it often happen, that one unjult proceeding neceffa- 
rily brings on another. We learn, by the aft of Tin¬ 
wald, that all the induftrious people and the good fervants 
had gone abroad for the lake of higher wages, and that 
none were left but the drunken, the idle, and the diffo- 
lute, who were rather a clog upon the community than 
any advantage to it. “By the praftice of fuch emigra¬ 
tion was expefted inevitably to enfue the utter decay, not 
only of hufbandry and tillage, but alfo of all kind of 
trade, being thus drained of its ufeful ftrength and fub- 
ftance.” It was therefore enacted, that all natives, who 
had ever done any work for money, clothes, food, or other 
confideration, fliould not be permitted to leave the illand 
till they had attained the age of twenty-five years ; and 
had either been feven years in fervice, or had ferved an 
apprenticefhip of five years; the governor,, neverthelefs, 
being authorized to grant his licence or pafs to any one, 
on a fpecial caufe, deemed by him fufficient. This was 
the laft of the vain attempts of government to overturn 
the natural courfe'of things; for the purpole of the next 
aft upon the fubjeft, palled in the year 1777, was to re¬ 
peal all former laws refpefting fervants and their wages, 
at length found worfe than ufelefs, and at that time nearly 
oblolete. The fame aft fets afide feveral old laws and 
feudal cuftoms. 
A houfe-fervant is fuppofed to be hired for half a year, 
when no fpecial agreement is made between the employer 
and the employed. The contraft is mutual; either party 
may be punilhed for breaking it ; the mailer by the pay¬ 
ment of the damages, the fervant by imprifonment. 
The laws were nearly filent refpefting marriages till 
the year J757. Perfons of any age might intermarry, 
without 
