eeptions to this rule. Any perfon profccuted for a fo¬ 
reign debt, by an aftion of arreft, can be held to bail only 
for his perfonal appearance, and for the forth-coming of 
what goods'lie has upon the ifland ; his clothes and mo¬ 
ney continuing his own. Hence it is, that Grangers who, 
from misfortune or fraudulent defign, have left their cre¬ 
ditors, and brought with them the remainder of their pro¬ 
perty, find a fafe afylum here. A creditor, or his agent, 
in oyder to procure an arreft, mull make an affidavit be¬ 
fore the clerk of the rolls, or other perfon, duly aufho¬ 
nied, wherein is to be fpecified the amount of the debt, 
and in what manner it was contracted. If >a debtor is 
about to leave the ifland without fettling an account, the 
water-bailiff may, upon affidavit of the creditor, grant 
his authority to take him into cuftody, to detain him for 
the fpace of twenty-four hours, but not longer; this time 
being amply fufficient for procuring a regular arreft. 
The eccleiiaftical court takes cognizance of adultery, 
fornication, fwearing and curling, probates of wills, grant¬ 
ing letters of adminiftration and tuition, of children’s 
goods, fubtrafting of tithes, defamations, drunkennels; 
and do appeal can, in thefe cafes, be made from its deci- 
lion. The caufes, when important, are determined by ju¬ 
ries impannelled by the vicars-general. The arch-deacon 
has alternate jurifdiftion with the biffiop in inferior caufes; 
and holds his court in perfon, or by his official, as the bi- 
Ihop does by the vicars-general. The ecclefiaftichl judges 
poflefled great power over the perfon of the fubjeft, till 
the year 1737, at which time it was much diminilhed. 
They could no longer imprifon, except for a Ihort time, 
in certain cafes; and the finesand imprifonments for con¬ 
tempt of court were no longer dilcretionary. Townley 
mentions a curious prefentment delivered in at the bi- 
fliop’s court, held at Kirk-Chrilt Lezayre, during his re- 
fidence at Douglas: “ The devil take Billy Wactleworth 
for having fucli bad ale.” The offence being proved, the 
offender was lubjected to a fine. 
No perfon can aft as an attorney, or plead in any other 
than his own caufe, till he has received a licence from the 
governor; and it is- not ufual for the governor to grant 
his licence to any but a native, nor even to him till he 
has ferved an apprenticeffiip of five years to the clerk of 
the rolls. 
We cannot give the reader a better idea of the expence 
of litigation, than by furnifhing a few examples of the 
fees allowed by the courts of law in taxing colts, as co¬ 
pied from Woods. Fourteen-pence is the coft of a fum- 
mons to the court of chancery ; fix-pence to the deemfter’s 
court; and three-pence is the value of a grant of execu¬ 
tion. The entering of an aftion, or of an appeal, to be 
determined in chancery, cofts fix-pence for one fide of half 
a (beet of paper, and one halfpenny for every twenty-four 
words afterwards ; the copy of a decree, the fame. ’For 
the probate of a will is. 2d. is charged; for a grant of 
adminiftration, 3s. 4d. An attorney charges 2s. nd. for 
•a retainer ; 3s. 4-d. for receiving inftructions ; 3s. 6d. per 
fheet for a bill of chancery, written, the laft fheet except¬ 
ed, on all fides; for filing, and receiving a copy of it, 
is. 9d. for drawing a petition, 2s. nd. per fheet; for a 
motion in court, 2s. nd. for drafting an anfwer for the 
defendant, 2s. nd. for preparing and producing a brief, 
3s. 4d. per fheet; for arguing a caufe, or attending to ex¬ 
amine evidence before the chancellor, 5s. tod. before the 
deemfter, 2s. nd._ for attending any court upon bufinefs, 
12s. 3d. per day, befides profeffional fees; for travelling 
expences, is. 2d. per mile. 
Capital crimes are very rare in the Ifle of Man ; the 
laws refpefting them are confequently few and fhort. No 
diftinftion is made in any of the llatutes between princi¬ 
pal and acceffory, except in this one inllance ; that the 
hufband, if he concealed his wife’s felony, was equally 
implicated in the guilt. 
Among the laws reduced to writing in 1424, treafon is 
thus defined: Fifing upon the lord or his lieutenant; or 
ftriking in his prelence any of his waged men, or fer- 
Vox.. XI. No. 765. 
vants ; robbing him in any court, after fence made; mur¬ 
muring and riling at a Tinwald-court; conftraining him 
to hold a Tinwald-court; relieving or concealing a rebel, 
knowing him to be one. In 1646 another crime was 
ranked under tills denomination, counterfeiting any cur¬ 
rent coin of the ifland, or bringing in, defignedly, any 
falfe money, and making payment with it. Thus treafon 
was extended to a copper coinage; and not confined, as 
in England, to that of gold and filver. The offence was 
unknown till the year in which the aft palled. 
No offender can be convifted of any capital crime ex¬ 
cept by a jury, at the court of general-goal delivery ; but 
formerly, as we learn by the laws written in 1422, he 
might be condemned without any trial, for an attack upon 
the lord or his lieutenant. At that period, it was the cul- 
tom in England to hang rebel-leaders without any form 
of trial. The puniflunent of a traitor is, to be drawn 
with wild horfes and hanged; to have his head cut off 
and ftuck upon the tower of Caftle Rufhen ; and to have 
the body quartered; one quarter to be expofed at each of 
the four chief towns. His goods became forfeited to the 
lord. 
“ That which toucheth treafon” is thus defined: Strik¬ 
ing any one within a court, and within twenty-four paces 
of the lord or his lieutenant; the punifhment for which 
offence is the forfeiture of life and goods ; if beyond this 
diftance, or in the prefence of the lord or his lieutenant 
out of court, the offender is punifhable at the lord’s plea- 
fure ; and is all'o liable to have damages awarded againft 
him in a court of law, as a fatisfaftion for the aflaulf. 
Againft the compounding of felony, a great breach of 
public juftice, there was’no law till the year 1736. The 
puniflunent of it is, Amply a fine to the lord, at the dif- 
cretion of the court, not exceeding 61 . 13s. 4d. 
An efcape, or an attempt to eicape, from prifon, does 
not fubjeft the party himfelf to any legal puniflunent, nor 
was there till 1736 any law in force to punifh fuch as al- 
fifted him. Affifting a criminal to efcape from prifon 
now fubjefts the offender to a penalty of twenty pounds ; 
affifting a debtor to efcape from prifon, or from the ifland, 
without a pafs, to a penalty of three pounds and the pay¬ 
ment of alibis debts. Should his effects be infufficient 
for the purpofe, his goods are to be feized and fold ; he i* 
to be imprifoned for three months, and publicly whipped 
at the four towns. Any one conveying another off the 
ifland, without a pafs, is liable to the payment of his debts, 
and a fine of ten pounds to the lord. An officer in each 
of the four towns has blank paffes ready figned, which 
he immediately fills up and delivers, on the payment of 
ninepence, unlefs a debt be fworn againft the party in or¬ 
der to detain him. 
Perfons fufpefted of perjury were to be tried at the fpi- 
ritual court. Fine and imprifonment, with church-cen- 
fures, were the only punifiiment, and not the pillory and 
lofs of ears, as is generally imagined. A juryman taking 
a fee, is made, ipjo faBo, guilty of perjury ; being treated 
with liquor, he is to be fined 6s. 8d. and dif'charged. A 
councilman, before hs takes his feat, is fworn not to di¬ 
vulge the fecrets of the council; ftiould he be convifted 
of fo doing, 'he is fubjeft to difmiffal, and a penalty of 
three pounds. 
The firfl limitation of intereft was made in 1649, when 
ten percent, per annum was the greatell rate allowed. A 
contraft for a higher rate was only fo far invalid as refpeft- 
ed the excefs. But, fifty years afterwards, at which time 
intereft was reduced to fix per cent, any contraft for a 
higher fum was not only declared to be ufurious and ut¬ 
terly void, but fubjefted the lender to a forfeiture of tre¬ 
ble the amount to the lord; and thus Hands the law at 
prefent. 
A perfon marrying a couple in any manner contrary to 
law, if a native, is to be tranfported for fourteen years to 
fome of his majefty’s plantations in America; if an alien, 
is to be put into the pillory for an hour, have his. ears 
cut off, be imprifoned, fined in a fum not exceeding fifty 
5 Q, pounds* 
