Page:Black's Law Dictionary (Second Edition).djvu/784

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tions for legislation, and other matters. Const U. S. art. 2, 5 3.

in old English law. A chief servant in husbandry; a bailiff.

One who said mass; In priest. Cowell.

One who bears messages or errands; a ministerial officer employed by executive officers, legislative bodies, and courts of justice, whose service consists pricnipally in carrying verbal or written com- munications or executing other orders. In Scotland there are officers attached to the courts. called "messengers at arms."

An officer attached to a bankruptcy court, whose duty consists, among other things, in seizing and taking possession of the bank- rupt's astute during the proceedings in bank- ruptcy.

Ihe messenger of the English court of chancery has the duty of atieniling on the great seai. either in person or by deputy, and must be ready to execute all such orders as he shall receive from the lord chacnellor, lord keeper, or lords commissioners. Brown

Measis sementem uaquitur. The crop belongs to [follows] the sower. A maxim in Scotch law Where a person is in possession of land vihich he has reason to believe is his own, and sows that land, he will have a rmbt to the crops, although before it is cut down it should be discovered that an- other has a preferable title to the land. BelL

MESSUAGE.'''}} This term is now synon- ymous with -‘rlu-elling-bonse." but had once a more evtcnded signification. it is fre- quently used in deeds, in descilhlng the premises Marinei Co. v. Archibald. 37 W Va 778, 17 S E. 300: Grimes V Wilson, 4 Blackf. (Ind.) 333; Derby \-. Jones. 27 Me. 360; Davis v. Lowden, 56 N. J. Eq. 126, 33 At]. 6-18.

Aitiioulzh the word "ini:ssu'ige" may, there is no I‘l9(.'l -arr that it must. import more than the word "dvieiling-house." with which word it is frequently nut in apposiiinn and used synony. mously. 2 Bing. N. C. 617.

In Scotland. ‘he principal dwelling- hnuse within a barony. Bell.

MESTIZO. A mongrel or person of mix- ed hlood: sometimes used as equivalent to "octoroon," that is, the child of a white person and a qu-idruon, sometimes as denoting a person one of Whose parents was a Spaniard and the other an American Indiam.

META. Int. A goal. bound, or turning-point. In old English law, the term wa used to denote a bound or boundary iine of

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METRE

iand; a Landmark; a material object, as a tree or a pillar. marking the position or be- ginning of a boundary line.

M]=..'I‘ACHRONISM. An error in coin- putation of time.

ZMETALLIJM. Lat. in Roman law. Met- ai: a mine. Labor in mines, as a punidu ment for crime. Dig. 40, 5, 2:1, 5; Calvin.

METATUS. in old European law. A duelling. a seat; astntion; quarters: til place where one lives or stays Spelniziii.

METAYER SYSTEM. A system of agriculturui holdings, under which the land is divided, in small farms, among single families, the landlord generally sunplilij the stock which the a.r:riculturai sysluui of the country is COIlSi(iL'i'i£(] to require, and receiving. in lieu of rent and p1'oflt., a fixed proportion of the produce This proportion. which is generally paid in kind. is usually one-half. 1 Mill, Poi. Econ. 2‘.)(‘, 30.3; iiud 2 Smith, Wealth Nat. 3, c. ii. The system prevails in some parts of France and Italy.

METECORN. A measure or portion of coin, given by 11 lord to customary tenants as a reward and encouragement for lalmr. Cowell.

METEGAVEL. A tribute or rent paid in victuals. C<.mel.l.

METER. An instrument of measurement; as a coal-meter, a gas-meter. a land-motor.

METES AND BOUNDS. In conveyancing. The boundary lines of lands, with their terminating points or angles. People v. Gutbrie, 46 Ill. App. 128: Rollins v. liiooers, 25 Me. 196.

METEWAND, or METEYARD. A sis! of a certain length wherewith measures are taken.

ME.'1‘HEL. Sax. Speech ; discourse Mnililizm, to speak; to harangue. Ant: inst. Eng.

METHOD. In patent law. "Engine" and "method" mean the same thing, and may be the subject of a patent. Metliod, Dl\')pei‘i.] speaking. Is only placing several things. or performing several operations, in the most convenient order, but it may signify a om» trlvance or device. Fessen. Pat 127; Hora- hlower v. Boulton, 8 Term R. 106.

MET!-IOMANIA. See INBANITY.

METRE. The unit of measure in the "metric system" of weights and measures It is 8 measure of length. being the ten-ml.i- llonth part of the distance from the equator