militia of that State, neglecting or refusing to serve, when called into actual service, in pursuance of any order or re- quisition of the President of the United States, shall be liable to the penalties defined in the act of Congress of the 28th of Fe- bruary, 1795, c. 277. or to any penalty which may have been prescribed since the date of that act, or which may hereaf- ter be prescribed by any law of the United States, and also pro- viding for the trial of such de- linquents by a State Court Mar- tial, and that a list of the delin- quents fined by such Court should be furnished to the Mar- shal of the United States, &c. and also to the Comptroller of the Treasury of the United States, in order that the fur- ther proceedings directed to be had thereon by the laws of the United States might be comple- ted,) is not repugnant to the constitution and laws of the United States. Houston v. Moore, 2. The powers granted to Con- gress are not exclusive of simi- lar powers existing in the States, unless where the constitution has expressly in terms given an exclusive power to Congress, or the exercise of a like power is prohibited to the States, or there is a direct repugnancy or incompatibility in the exercise of it by the States. Id. 3. The example of the first class is to be found in the exclusive legislation delegated to Con- gress over places purchased by the consent of the Legislature of the State in which the same shall be, for forts, arsenals, dock-yards, &c.; of the second
class, the prohibition of a State to coin money or emit bills of credit; of the third class, the power to establish an uniform rule of naturalization, and the delegation of admiralty and ma- ritime jurisdiction. Id. 49 4. In all other classes of cases, the
States retain concurrent autho- rity with Congress. Id. 49 5. But in cases of concurrent au- thority, where the laws of the States and of the Union are in direct and manifest collision on the same subject, those of the Union being the supreme law of the land, are of paramount authority, and the State laws, so far, and so far only, as such incompatibility exists, must ne- cessarily yield. Id.
49 6. The act of the 3d of March,
1819, c. 76. s. 5., referring to the law of nations for a defini- tion of the crime of piracy, is a constitutional exercise of the. power of Congress to define and punish that crime. United States v. Smith, 153.157 7. Congress has authority to im- pose a direct tax on the District of Columbia, in proportion to the census directed to be taken by the constitution. Loughbo- rough v. Blake, 317 8. The power of Congress to lay
and collect taxes, duties, &c. extends to the district of Colum bia, and to the territories of the United States, as well as to the States. Id.
318 9. But Congress are not bound to extend a direct tax to the dis- trict and territories. Id. 322 The constitutional provision, that direct taxes shall be appor- tioned among the several States, according to their respective numbers, to be ascertained by a
census, was not intended to re- strict the power of imposing di- rect taxes to States only. Lough- borough v. Blake, 319 11. The power of Congress to ex- ercise exclusive jurisdiction in all cases whatsoever within the District of Columbia, includes the power of taxing it. Id. 324 12. The present constitution of the
United Stases did not commence its operation until the first Wed- nesday in March, 1789, and the provision in the constitution, that "no State shall make any law impairing the obligation of contracts," does not extend to a State law enacted before that day, and operating upon rights of property vested before that time. Owings v. Speed, 420,
See LOCAL LAW, 1. 4. 15, 16.
1. On an indictment for piracy, the national character of a merchant vessel of the United States may be proved without the produc- tion of the certificate of regis- try, or evidence that it was seen on board. United States v. Furlong et al. 184, 199
2. Where a check was drawn by a
person who was the Cashier of an incorporated Bank, and it appeared doubtful upon the face of the instrument, whether it was an official or private act, parol evidence was admitted to show that it was a private act. Mechanics' Bank v. Bank of Co- lumbia, 326. 336 3. The acts of agents do not de- rive their validity from profess- ing on the face of them to have been done in the exercise of their agency; but the liability of the principal depends upon the facts, 1st. That the act was done in the exercise, and, 2dly. Within the limits of the power delegated: And in ascertaining these facts as connected with the execution of written instru- ments, except deeds, parol tes- timony is admissible. Id. 337 4. The books of a corporation, eş- tablished for public purposes, are evidence of its acts and pro- ceedings. Owings v. Speed, 420. 423
See BILLS OF EXCHANGE, 1.
LOCAL LAW, 11, 12. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20.
See LOCAL LAW, 4. 9, 10. 13. 15, 16, 17.
1. Under the laws of Tennessee, where lands are sold by a sum- mary proceeding for the pay- ment of taxes, it is essential to the validity of the sale and of the deed made thereon, that every fact necessary to give the Court jurisdiction should ap- pear upon the record. M'Clung v. Ross, 116. 119 2. Under the statute of limitations of Tennessee, the running of the statute can only be stopped by actual suit, if the party claiming under it has peaceable possession for seven years. But such possession cannot exist if the party having the better right. takes actual possession in pur- suance of his right. Id. 121 3. One tenant in common may oust his co-tenant, and hold in seve- ralty; but a silent possession, unaccompanied by any act a- mounting to an ouster, or giv- ing notice to the co-tenant that his possession is adverse, can- not be construed into an adverse possession. Id. 124 4. The statute of limitations of Ten- nessee does not, like other sta- tutes of limitation, protect a mere naked possession, but its operation is limited to a posses- sion acquired and held under a grant, or a deed founded on a grant. Id. Note a, 121 5. Previous to the year 1775, H. S. of Virginia, cohabited with A. W., and had by her the ap-
pellants, whom he recognised as his children. In July, 1775, he made his will, which was duly proved after his decease, in which he described them as the children of himself, and of his wife A., and devised the whole of his property to them and their mother. In June, 1776, he was appointed a Colo- nel in the Virginia line, upon the continental establishment, and died in the service, having, in July, 1776, intermarried with the mother, and died, leaving her pregnant with a child who was afterwards born, and named R. S. After the death of H. S., and the birth of his posthumous son, a warrant for a tract of military lands was granted by the State of Virginia to the post- humous son R. S., who died in 1796, in his minority, with- out wife or children, and with- out having located or disposed of the warrant. His mother also died before 1796. Held, that the children of H. S. were not entitled to the lands, as de- visees under his will, under the act of Assembly; nor did the will so far operate, as to render them capable of taking under the act, as being named his le- gal representatives in the will. Stevenson's heirs v. Sullivant, 207.255 6. The appellants were not legiti mated by the marriage of H. S. with their mother, and his re- cognition of them as his chil- dren, under the 19th sec. of the act of descents of Virginia, of 1785, which took effect on the 1st of January, 1787, and pro- vides, that "where a man, hav- ing by a woman one or more children, shall afterwards inter-
marry with such woman, such child or children, if recognised by him, shall be thereby legiti- mated." Id. 7. The appellants were not, as il- legitimate children of H. S. and A. W., capable of inheriting from R. S. under the 18th sec. of the same act of descents, which provides that, "In mak- ing title by descent, it shall be no bar to a party that any ances- tor, through whom he derives his descent from the intestate, is, or hath been, an alien. Bas- tards also shall be capable of in- heriting, or of transmitting in- heritance, on the part of their mother, as if they had been law- fully begotten of such mother."
Id. 8. The following entry is invalid for want of that certainty and precision required by law : "William Perkins and William Hoy enter 6,714 acres of land on a treasury warrant, No. 10,692, to join Lawrence Thompson and James M Mil- lan's entry of 1,000 acres that is laid on the adjoining ridge, between Spencer's creek and Hingston's fork of Licking, on the east, and to run east and south for quantity." The en- try referred to in the foregoing was as follows: "9th of December 1782, Lawrence Thompson and James M Millan, assignee of Samuel Baker, en- ter 1,000 acres on a treasury warrant, No. 4,222, on the di- viding ridge between Hingston's fork of Licking, and Spencer's creek, a west branch of said fork, to include a large pond, in the centre of a square, and a white oak tree marked X, also an elm tree marked VS, near the side
of the pond." Perkins et al. v. Ramsey, 269 9. There are cases in which a grant
is absolutely void; as where the State has no title to the thing granted, or where the officer had no authority to issue the grant, &c. In such cases, the validity of the grant is necessa rily examinable at law. Polk's Lessee v. Wendell, 293. 303. A grant raises a presumption that every prerequisite to its issuing has been complied with, and a warrant is evidence of the existence of an entry; but where the entry has never in fact been made, and the warrant is forged, no right accrues un- der the act of North Carolina of 1777, and the grant is void. Id. Where a party, in order to prove that there were no entries to authorize the issuing of the warrants, offered to give in evi- dence certified copies of war- rants from the same office, of the same dates and numbers, but to different persons, and for different quantities of land: Held, that this was competent evidence to prove the positive fact of the existence of the en- tries specified in the copies; but that in order to have a ne- gative effect in disproving the entries alleged to be spurious, the whole abstract ought to be produced in Court, or inspected under a commission, or the keeper of the document ex- amined as a witness, from which the Court might ascertain the fact of the non-existence of the contested entries. Id. 310 12. In such a case, certificates from the secretary's office of North Carolina, introduced to prove,
that on entries of the same dates with those alleged to be spurious, other warrants issued, and other grants were obtained in the names of various indivi- duals, but none to the party claiming under the alleged spu- rious entries, is competent cir- cumstantial evidence to be left to the jury. In such a case, parol evidence that the warrants and locations had been rejected by the entry-taker as spurious, is inadmissible. Id... 311 13. It seems, that whether a grant be
absolutely void, or voidable only, a junior grantee is not, by the law of Tennessee, permitted to avail himself of its nullity as against an innocent purchaser without notice. Id. 311 14. The 17th section of the act, in- corporating the Mechanics' Bank of Alexandria, providing, "that all bills, bonds, notes, and every other contract or engagement on behalf of the corporation, shall be signed by the President, and countersigned by the ca- shier; and the funds of the cor- poration shall, in no case, be li- able for any contract or engage- ment, unless the same shall be signed and countersigned as aforesaid," does not extend to contracts, and undertakings im- plied in law. Mechanics' Bank v. Bank of Columbia, 326.
335 15. It is essential to the validity of a grant, that the thing granted should be so described as to be capable of being distinguished from other things of the same kind. But it is not necessary that the grant itself should con- tain such a description, as with- out the aid of extrinsic testi- mony to ascertain precisely what
is conveyed. Blake v. Doherty, 359.362. Natural objects called for in a grant may be proved by testi- mony, not found in the grant, but consistent with it. Id. 362 The following description, in a patent of the land granted, is not void for uncertainty, but may be made certain by extrin- sic testimony: "A tract of land in our middle district, on the west fork of Cane creek, the waters of Elk river, beginning at a hiccory, running north 1000 poles to a white oak; then east, 800 poles, to a stake; thence west 800 poles to the beginning, as per plat hereunto annexed doth appear." Id. 389 The plat and certificate of sur- vey annexed to the patent, and a copy of the entry on which the survey was made, are admissi- ble in evidence for this purpose. Id.
A general plan made by authori- ty, conformably to an act of the local legislature, may also be submitted, with other evidence, to the jury, to avail quantum va- lere potest, in ascertaining boun- dary. Id. 364
But a demarcation, or private survey, made by direction of a party interested under the grant, is inadmissible evidence, be- cause it would enable the grantee to fix a vagrant grant by his own act. Id. 365 The boundary of the State of Kentucky extends only to low water mark on the western side of the river Ohio; and does not include a peninsula, or isl- and, on the western or north western bank, separated from the main land by a channel or bayou, which is filled with water
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