to compound, discharge, and give releases, the attorney is not thereby authorized to negotiate or indorse bills in the name of his principal, even though his doing so might be in furtherance of the objects of his appointment; but where the power authorizes the attorney to deliver seisin of premises, according to the form and effect of the deed of feoffment, the livery is good, though not made on the day of the execution of such deed.1 A general power to an attorney to receive moneys = authorizes him to receive a legacy. A party will not be entitled to receive dividends on stock under an ordinary power, but a power for that purpose must be obtained from the Bank of England. If a power is given to more than two to act jointly and severally, one only, or the whole number, must concur in any act ; but the act of two would be considered neither joint nor several, unless the power was given to "any of them." The accountant-general of the Court of Chancery, and most other public officers, themselves prepare the powers of attorney upon which they are to act; and care should be taken to follow exactly the directions given for verification of the signatures, and for the affidavits required from the attesting witnesses. Where a power of attorney is transmitted to the East Indies to recover a debt due to a person resident in London, it should be accompanied by affidavits by the creditor, and some third person verifying the debt; which affidavits should be sworn before the mayor, whose signature should be certified by a notary-public and the assistant secretary of the company;--this certifies that such notary is a public no Murray v. the East India Company, 5 B. and A. 204. Roe dem. Heale v. Rashlegh, 3 B. and A. 156. i Carr v. Eastbrook, 2 Cox, 390. * Co. Litt. 181 b. 1 Gutherie v. Armstrong, 5 Barn, and Ald. 628. tary practising in London. For these forms, see Chitty's Commercial Law, vol. iv. p. 30. In order to avoid the necessity of having more than one affidavit, the person deposing to the fact of the debt being due should be one of the attesting witnesses to the power of attorney, and should make the affidavit of its execution. Where a power is intended to be used in the United States, the person executing it should attend at the office of the Consulate, (which, in London, is near Bishopsgate Church,) where the execution will be duly authenticated; but if this be impracticable, the party should produce the power in the presence of a notary-public, and two other persons, and the notary will attest it by an act in the usual way. The papers should then be taken to the Consulate's office of the States, (at the nearest port,) where the necessary authentication of the notary's act may be obtained. If the power is to be used in the United States only, no stamp will be requisite. CHAPTER XXXI. ON THE PROTECTORATE. AFTER the able way in which the provisions of the 3d and 4th William IV., c. 74, have been handled, the editor feels that he should be guilty of little short of presumption, were he to attempt to add any thing of his own on the subject; nor is it possible, within the compass allowed in a work of this character, to give any thing like a general view of what has been written on the subject; but he trusts that the illustrative tables, and few explanatory notes which he has prepared, with a view of assisting the practitioner in the application of those provisions of the act which more immediately relate to the office of Protector, will not be found altogether unacceptable. It is important, in using the following tables, that the reader should bear in mind the definitions of the word "Settlement," as used in this act of Parliament. It is defined, in the 1st section, to be an assurance, whether by deed, will, act of Parliament, or otherwise, by which lands are or shall be entailed or agreed, or directed to be entailed;" and by the same section it is provided, that an appointment under a power shall be considered part of the settlement creating the power, and that the death of the Person who would have been tenant testator shall be considered the date of a settlement made by will, a provision which is consistent with the general law of wills, as altered by the 1st Victoria, c. 26. The person who, under the permanent provisions of the act, will be entitled to the protectorship, is pointed out in the second table; but as the act contains particular provisions, made out of respect to vested rights, which, for some years to come, will in many instances interfere with those of a permanent nature, it will be necessary, before resorting to that table, to ascertain whether any one may be in existence, who, under the temporary clauses, may be entitled to the office of protector. To facilitate this inquiry, the editor has attempted, in the first table, to point out who may be so entitled. Should the temporary provision not point out any protector, then resort must be had to the permanent provision; and it may be noticed, that, in cases where there is no protector, owing either to the death of any party, or the fact of none having ever been in existence, the tenant in tail has in himself all the powers that he would have had if a protector was in existence, and assented to his acts. TABLE I. 1st, Where an estate created by the same settlement as the estate tail was originally assigned prior to the precipe. to 1834, if the present owner of it (whether the original assignee or not) would have been the person to make a tenant to the precipe, had the act not passed, he shall be the protector, sect. 29. 2d, Where the estate tail was created prior to 1834, out of a remainder or reversion, the person who, if this act had not passed, would be entitled to make a tenant to the precipe, shall be protector, sect. 30. 3d, The person who, in respect of an estate created by a settlement made prior to 28th August 1833, would be the person to make a tenant to the precipe, shall, notwithstanding he may be a bare trustee, be protector of an estate tail created by it, sect. 31. Lands were settled, prior to 28th August 1833, Upon A. for life, upon trusts To B. for life remainder. remainder. A., prior to 1st January 1834, conveyed his estate to D. A testator who died prior to 1834 devised lands to To C. in fee. C., in 1833, settles his remainder on himself for life, remainder to D. in tail. A. is protector, sect. 30. If there should be no protector under the foregoing provisions, then it should be ascertained whether there is any one in existence having the qualifications mentioned in the following table, going through them in the order there named. TABLE II. The following are the estates to the ownership of which the office of protector is annexed by the sta tute: An estate for years determinable on a life or lives -an estate pur autre vie-an estate for life-an estate by the courtesy, in respect of the estate tail ;* but the protectorship is not annexed to those estates, unless they were created, or (in the case of a ten * From the cases of Re Blewitt, 3 M. and K. 250, and Re Wood, 3 M. and Cr. 266, it would appear that a tenant in tail in possession is not the protector of an estate tail in remainder. Estates conferring the right to protectorship. |