Page:William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England (3rd ed, 1768, vol I).djvu/309

 Ch. 8., in their legal acceptation, are at preent not very frequent: it rarely happening that every living creature on board perihes; and if any hould urvive, it is a very great chance, ince the improvement of commerce, navigation, and correpondence, but the owner will be able to aert his property within the year and day limited by law. And in order to preerve this property entire for him, and if poible to prevent wrecks at all, our laws have made many very humane regulations; in a pirit quite oppoite to thoe avage laws, which formerly prevailed in all the northern regions of Europe, and a few years ago were till aid to ubit on the coats of the Baltic ea, permitting the inhabitants to eize on whatever they could get as a lawful prize; or, as an author of their own exprees it, "in naufragorum mieria et calamitate tanquam vultures ad praedam currere ." For by the tatute 2 Edw. III. c. 13. if any hip be lot on the more, and the goods come to land (o as it be not legal wreck) they hall be preently delivered to the merchants, they paying only a reaonable reward to thoe that aved and preerved them, which is intitled alvage. Alo by the common law, if any perons (other than the heriff) take any goods o cat on more, which are not legal wreck, the owners might have a commiion to enquire and find them out, and compel them to make retitution. And by tatute 12 Ann. t. 2. c. 18. confirmed by 4 Geo. I. c. 12. in order to ait the ditreed, and prevent the candalous illegal practices on ome of our ea coats, (too imilar to thoe on the Baltic) it is enacted, that all head-officers and others of towns near the ea hall, upon application made to them, ummon as many hands as are neceary, and end them to the relief of any hip in ditres, on forfeiture of 100𝑙. and, in cae of aitance given, alvage hall be paid by the owners, to be aeed by three neighbouring jutices. All perons that ecrete any goods hall forfeit their treble value: and if they wilfully do any act whereby the hip is lot or detroyed, by making holes in her, tealing her pumps, or otherwie, they are guilty of felony, without benefit Rh