A bond may be good though it contains falfe Latin or falfe English, or though it be of a doubtful interpretation, as, if A binds himself to B to pay a fum of money to A (whereas it fhould be to B), here the obligation is good, and the folvendum void, 'If a bond be interlined in a place not material, it will not hurt the bond; but if it be in a material part, it will make the bond void. In fhort, all bends, obliga tions, bills, promiffory notes, &c. when any doubt arifes, are always interpreted in favour of the party to whom the money is due.

These are the principal legal precedents ufed by mercantile men, to which I shall add a power of letter of attorney, as being in moft general ufe by all defcriptions of people.

A Letter of Attorney from one, or two, to fettle Accounts and receive Money.

• Know all men by these presents, that I Edward Stokes, of the parish of St. Andrew, Holborn, London, chintaman [or Edward Smith and John James, upholsterers, of the parish of St. Luke,' Middlefex have made, ordained, conftituted, and appointed, and do by these prefents make, ordain, constitute, and appoint my friend Henry Brown, of the parish of St. James, Clerkenwell, in the faid county of Middlefex,-watchmaker, my [or our true and lawful attorney for me, in my name, and on my behalf for for us, în our names, and on our behalf], to adjuft and fettle all and every account and accounts with all and every perfon and perfons with whom I [or we] have had, or fhall or may have any tranfactions or dealings whatsoever, and to compromife, agree, and determine all difputes and differences that have or fall arife between me [or us] and any other person or perfons whomfoever, and to execute all fuch deeds, inftruments, and writings, as he the faid Henry Brown hall judge neceffary, and to ask, demand, fue for, recover, and receive, to and for my [or our] ufe, of and from all and every

pe: fon

perfon or perfons, that now is, are, or hereafter fhall or may become indebted to me [or us] by any ways or means whatsoever, alf and every the debt and debts, fum and fums of money by them refpectively due and owing, and to compound for any fuch debt or debts, and to take less than the whole for the fame, or otherwife to adjust and settle the fame in fuch manner and upon fuch terms as he the faid Henry Brown fhall in his difcretion think fit; and for non-payment thereof, or of any part thereof, to take fuch courfe for recovering the fame as to my [or our] faid attorney shall seem meet; and upon receipt of the faid debt or debts, fum or fums of money refpectively, or any part thereof, acquittances or other fufficient discharges for me, and in my name [or for us, in our names], or in his own name, to make and give for what he fhall fo receive; and generally to do, negotiate, tranfact, and perform all fuch other acts, matters, and things, for me, and in my behalf [or for us, and on our behalf], in and about the premises, as fully in every respect as I [or we] might or could do if perfonally prefent; hereby ratifying and confirming, and agreeing further to ratify and confirm all and whatfoever my [or our] faid attorney fhall lawfully do, or caufe to be done, in and about the faid premffes, by virtue of these prefents. In witnefs whereof, I [or we] have hereunto fet my hand and feal [or our hands and feals] this twentieth day of March, in the year of our Lord 1808, and in the fortyeighth year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George, the Third, &c. *

A letter of attorney may be executed by any perfon, if of full age; and a man may give a power of attorney to his wife,

The words included in crotchets belong to the power when given by Edward Smith and John James; in other refpects the power is the fame as when given by Edward Stokes.

VOL. I.

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or

or a woman to her husband, in cases that do not belong to him. The nature of it is, to give the party who is to act the full power and authority of the maker, to accomplish the act intended.

In these inftruments the authority must be strictly purfued; where the party acting does lefs than the authority mentions, the act is in moft cafes void; but where he doth more than his authority, it may be good for fo much as he had power to do, if he does nothing unlawful.

If a letter of attorney be made to three jointly, two cannot execute it; or if it be made to two jointly, one cannot execute it. The death of the maker generally determines the power.

All the foregoing precedents must be stamped according to the several rates imposed by the late acts for increasing the stamp duty, or they are void by statute.

CHAP.

OF SUPERFICIAL MEASURE, WITH THE METHOD OF MEASURING MASONS, BRICKLAYERS, CARPENTERS, SAWYERS, PLASTERERS, PLUMBERS, PAINTERS, and GLAZIERS WORK, AND THE PRICE OF EACH; ALSO THE PRICE OF EACH COMMODITY, AND THE WAGES OF JOURNEYMEN.

BEFORE the learner proceeds to menfuration, it is neceffary that he should understand duodecimals, or, as it is generally called, cross multiplication.

This rule is called duodecimals, becaufe the numbers decrease from the left hand in a twelve-fold proportion; the firft number being feet, the next number inches, and the next number the twelfth parts of an inch, &c.

By this rule workmen and artificers caft up the contents of their work, and multiply feet, inches, and parts, by feet, inches, and parts, without reducing them to one denomination, as in common arithmetic. In this rule inches are fometimes called primes, the parts are called feconds, the next divifion thirds, &c.

Rule 1. Under the multiplicand, write the correfponding denominations of the multiplier: viz, feet under feet, inches under inches, &c.

2. Multiply every term in the multiplicand, beginning at the lowest, by the feet in the multiplier, and write the refult of each under its respective term, obferving to carry 1 for every 12 in the product to the next higher denomination.

3. In the fame manner multiply every term in the multiplicand by the inches in the multiplier, and fet the product of each term one place further to the right hand of that term in the multiplicand, obferving to carry 1 to the next higher denomination for every 12 as before.

4. Proceed in the fame manner with the feconds, and the other denominations, if there be any more, and the sum of the products will be the product required.

Example 1. Multiply 10 feet 4 inches and 5 parts by 7 feet 8 inches and 6 parts.

2

In this example the 5 parts are first multiplied by 7 feet, and the product is 2 inches 11 parts; then the 4 inches are multiplied by the 7 feet, and the product is 2 feet 4 inches; then the 10 feet are multiplied by the 7 feet, and the product is 70 feet. Then I multiply by the 8 inches, faying 5 times 8 is 40, which is 3 twelves and 4 over, the 4 I fet one place further towards the right hand than the multiplicand 5, and the 3 I place under the feconds; then I multiply the 4 inches, faying 4 times 8 is 32, which is 2 twelves

and