WHEN A TRADE'S A TRADE

1. The Offer.-An offer, or proposal to do a thing, may be made either by words or signs, either orally or in writing, but in law it is not regarded as an offer until it comes to the knowledge of the person to whom it is made.

Offer by Mail.-In commercial transactions when an offer is made by mail, the general rule is that the offerer is entitled to an answer by return mail; but this will not apply in all cases,

for example, where there are several mails each day. In transactions which are not commercial, much less promptitude in answering is required.

When Revokable.-An offer which contains no stipulation as to how long it shall continue is revokable at any time. When an offer is made for a time limited in the offer, no acceptance afterwards will make it binding.

2. The Acceptance.-An offer can only be accepted in the terms in which it is made; an acceptance, therefore, which modifies the offer in any particular goes for nothing.

When the Trade's Complete -The rule that a contract is complete at the instant when the minds of the parties meet is subject to modification where the negotiation is carried on by letter, for here it is impossible that both parties should have knowledge of the moment it becomes complete.

Where an Offer is Made by Letter, the mailing of a letter containing an acceptance of the offer completes the contract, although the letter containing the acceptance may be delayed or may not be received through fault of the mail.

Offers of Reward for the return of lost property, or for information leading to the arrest and conviction of offenders, become obligatory as soon as any one inspired to action by the offer complies with its terms. Where the offer is for information, the whole of which is furnished in fragments by different persons, the reward may be equitably proportioned; and so as to the recovery of property.

NAVIGATION LAWS

No vessel is deemed American and entitled to the protection of the American flag unless she is wholly built in this country and wholly owned and officered by Americans. Foreign vessels cannot engage in our coasting trade, which is held to include voyages from Atlantic to Pacific ports. American vessels cease to be such if even a part owner (except in a few instances) resides abroad for a short time. An American vessel once transferred by any process to foreigners, can never sail under our flag again. Duty must be paid on the value of all repairs which an American vessel makes in foreign ports on her return to this country. Restrictions are placed on the repairing of foreign vessels in our ports with imported materials. Vessels

engaged in trade to ports not in North or Central America, and a few specified adjacent places (except fishing and pleasure vessels), pay a tax on entry of six cents per ton of their burden, but the maximum aggregate tax in any one year does not exceed thirty cents. This is called a tonnage tax. Foreign vessels pay the

TURBINE STEAMSHIP MAURETANIA

Length 790 feet-horse power 70,000-displacement 43,000 tons. Leaving Liverpool Sept 10th, 1910 for New York, she made the trip in 4 days, 10 hours, 41 minutes breaking all records.

same tax, but an American vessel is forced to pay an additional tax of fifty cents per ton if one of her officers is an alien. Materials for the construction of vessels for foreign trade may be imported free of duty, but the duty must be paid if the vessel engages for more than two months a year in the coasting trade. POINTS ON CRIMINAL LAW

Ignorance No Excuse.-Every person is presumed to know what the law is, and ignorance is no excuse for crime.

Arrests.-No one can be legally arrested without a warrant unless the person making the arrest has personal knowledge that the one he arrests has committed a crime. Any one without a warrant may arrest a person committing a felony in his presence, and any peace officer may arrest a person while committing a breach of the peace or immediately afterwards.

The rule, "Every man's house is his castle," does not hold good in criminal cases, and an officer may break open doors of the criminal's house to execute a warrant; and he may do so without a warrant, as also may a private person, in fresh pursuit, under circumstances which authorize him to make an arrest.

Warrants.-No warrant shall be issued but upon probable cause, supported by oath, or affirmation.

Innocence Presumed.—Every one is presumed to be innocent until the contrary is proved.

Bound to Aid the Sheriff.-Every man is bound to obey the call of a sheriff for assistance in making an arrest.

An Accident is not a crime, unless criminal carelessness can be shown.

Arson is the malicious burning of another's house. In some States by statute it is an indictable offense to burn one's own house to defraud insurers.

"Settling" an Offense.-It is an indictable offense for the party immediately aggrieved to agree with a thief or other felon that he will not prosecute him, on condition that he return the stolen goods, or to take a reward not to prosecute.

Embezzlement is the wrongful appropriation of the money or goods of another by one entrusted therewith. It was not indictable at common law, but has been made a felony by vari ous statutes. Public officers, bank cashiers, clerks, and others acting in a fiduciary capacity are peculiary liable to be charged with this offense.

Drunkenness is not a legal excuse for crime, but sometimes is evidence of the absence of malice.

Self-Accusation.-No one ought to accuse himself except be

fore God.

A Married Woman who commits a crime in the presence of her husband, unless it is of a very aggravated character, is presumed to act by his coercion, and, unless the contrary is proved, she is not responsible. Under other circumstances she is liable, criminally, as if she were a single woman.

Insane Persons and others who are incapable of judging between right and wrong are usually absolved from criminal responsibility, though they may be liable civilly for damage done by their wrongful acts.

MINES AND MINING

Laws Governing.-The laws governing mines and mining vary in the different States, and a person intending to engage in the mining business should consult the statutes of the particular State in which he desires to operate.

HOW TO LOCATE A MINE

Who May Locate.-All valuable mineral deposits in lands belonging to the United States, whether surveyed or unsurveyed, are "free and open to exploration and purchase by citizens of the United States, or those who have declared their intention to become such."'

Requisites of Location.-To stake off a claim so as to entitle a prospector to a patent requires considerable care. Unless the boundaries are given correctly, and the claim located strictly in accordance with the statutory provisions, the application for a patent will be refused.

For existing regulations governing the requisition of mineral lands, the title to which is in the government, see Revised Statutes of the United States, Sections 2318-2352, and Supplement of Revised Statutes, pp. 166-67; 276, 324, 948, 950. An examination of these regulations is absolutely essential to the successful location of a claim, for it is not priority of discovery, but priority of compliance with the various requirements of the statutes that gives the right to the mine. As laws and regulations for the location, development and working of mines may be made by the different States, as well as by the general government, the statutes of the particular State where the mine is to be located should also be consulted.

BUREAU OF MINES.

From an exhaustive and carefully prepared report of the Committee on mines and mining submitted to the House of Representatives in March, 1910, the following is manifest; that among the industries of the country, in magnitude and importance, mining ranks second. Agriculture being first. The former contributes $2,000,000,000, annually to our national wealth. It contributes 65 per cent of the freight traffic of the country. In 1910, the wages paid men engaged in mining amounted to $864,158,487. It employs more than 3,000,000