'feoTE:RNShcriffs.
ratular'mi, o f »keeper .of the rolls, produces them -at' thé quarter feffións,
where the juftices meet örice.in thrëè rüonths : raid inqueft, o r ju ry
of the county, is here fiimmq'hed, which ■ .én^uifes1_concerning crimes,
and orders the guilty to jail till the next circuit or affixes. ' „
Thé office of iheriff, or pratfefl: of the county, is to-execute the
royal mandates, to impannel juries, to. bring pehfona‘tó;trial,:?ahidf,t!0<;fee
the fentences executed,‘tö;è'èlleét>finesi iarid remit? fhern^§,fth’e{exdh.equef,
ancf’to* preférve the tranquillhy-dftfh'eifhirei.-. l OnSthe;»eifeia:its he-W.;eets
and Wends the 'judges, with Wgallant-; train' ‘dT officers jM'd'.-ferVants.
'T h e Sheriffs are annually prióked with W golden irie ia lh by the - king
out of a lift of fix gentlemen of the county,' draWti up by6 th e ‘itinerant
judges.
Ï Anciently there’Was a bailiff in hveiy'hundred^'btitr--the office te n ew
rare, or fallen intodifufè. The-cqnflfalilesfpërfénally affift in ,th e p r e -
fervation o f the peace, and execute the warrants' o f the j üftifeesnnïSB&é coroner
was originally a Wan of_ high-rank,-who fhared the' »pcMèikofj|ilie
ffierifls, parti.culsrly -in what regarded th é pleas? OÏ. the.efojrih; atprefeot
his duty is to e n q u ire , .by a .jfriy j f f neighbours, i a to »cafes *ofviolent
death. —T h e clerk o f the market fuperintends the weights.and .meafit^es,
-and it were to be wifhed, for the benefit of th e poor, that the office were
multiplied, and ft'riölyenförcëd. g
Such are the chief magistrates in the country. \ Cities arid town&are
generally ruled by a mayor and. aldermen, ctinby" fimilar -itrider
different appellations*, whofejjuridieat p ow e r Jittfè ê^oeeés ^hat o f the
juftices o f peace.; I f a town fend members to parUamentfjit^ is denogii-
nated a borough. The villages are ©hiefi-y? underwrite a u tW fi^ ©f^thS-
lord of the manor, who.holds courts, .and je ta ip s manyjteljcs^éjé feudal
jurifdiftion . and, in.tthe words, .o f a welhinformCd ^w r ite ^ “ ^Eyery
‘‘ Mtóë hath ^moft an epitome of monarchical, garërnment j^qf
“ civil and ecdefia$ical polity, w ithin itfelf; which,' if d u ly Stained,
“ would render ris a veryhappy p e o p le \” .
-To enumerate the -various punifhraents inflicted by the . laws, jof
England, would be an ünnecèffary talk, ' Itth a s bëen juftty obferved
mm Üjiinbërl. £29,* fe ‘
that
ia.t|epdedipriJ^ie:fe’?,of iuxpreffihg|^rr orif■ I f d e a th y?erqtóp}yj'ififii£ted in M£“T*
caftkAf -hi-n’iiddrvthe relaxation vyöüld;b,e found. beneft’ciadto, the community*
A s|ro ||p .i§vW‘. Wi™ wjjpj$' cjjri^,def able? difficqkyy' and
may »generally heg:e^ïd'e'ïed_ufeful, i||y ^ ö ld ceitaiply'bg .Rtefêrahléfto fend
crimiAai sffi°r 'lil"eéi|^V't,h e ^ ^ iarid diftapt AhMih^ltlemerit^^tjhanj by the
wafte ofhloW^ttt hffenlfi^bnig^faad/pe^ulatipriij^ i
Thë^ffê'puilaiibn' ó f Englataddwa^ generally been »eftimateA at "eight Population,
railllbitó;. butWdthïe-writers- raiïfe*i| tö h gfetÉ®E''amoutit. ftThWrqtf the
capital*alone ÖJriM^eeil'l^elljed"to ai imi!j^mpiïliöugh?ï reduced byi more
pfecif^balWlStiopSt to»1 abóut ffevèd pSSdrfedi 'thoilfarïd *. It* ‘is1 to^ be
hoped» that*%I^bÉè¥vfeys» óWlKbi<fei^fal^'cörititïes),4 by the
board iöf; a^'cMt-ure, and'the' recent“parliamthhé^eh^uiries,>wiM''fp’eed’ii'' ■'
, ly beftow1 m®fC' 'precifiort5 up o tf th e ' ftatiffi© i ëfe&nom^df^riie’ » gW titry.
Sufficient m a iè la h ^ d è to o ty 'e t arifeforiexa.ffe enumeration öjf 4kp va-
» riauslcjallès qfünhkbitants, a moft »important barometenidfjthe^pplitical
’S SM i^ le to n t s Middlcfex, p. 45 iv 1
' f Towardsvthe beginning" o f the lalf century, :Qr£gory drew
up the following table o f the ranks o f perfons in England. I t rauft be preraifedj that be has followed
an -exceptionable »mode, in including th& domellics in the families o f each rank, ■ w'n^as^ibate:
-and female .fervants/bug^yto^MYeTo^ne^^ a Glafs apart^ "
Ranks. I 1H ' ■ N^mberof J ' f
I 'Families., ■ jg.% each. * U
- I f e i
Temporal Lords ^ 1 * ' - .' - - ^0%é'Q^
• s s t t e J ' f r * - » *■ % -
IBaroneTs . •' -A • • 16 -
clergy m e ri ■ - 2,000 . f f ! ' ÏVfiT c - i-i-,@ocp
Eminent merchants . - 2,;0QO. • 1j - - - , -f&'.j* -
E%mres_, . f ' ft -
Gentlemen ' ;? 1 1 12 fhèoJ^pH H H -
^Military officerè»1 .» . ■ ■ 4,©ö# I -Ï v4i ' " -
Naval .oïheers'. : - ' . , - . 5,000‘v 4 i -
Perforfs'in lefTer offices 1 _
iPérfoh 8;t nvhigh er bifices _ ■ 19 f - »* -
•X.vefTer clergymen - B M B M I _
- i. - ;'\v:^8|Sob,\:
Gattriedp^er
6 -Eerfpas