Y. 66 or com and he names a deputy, who is a member | jects were added in 1778. It is supported of the society of writers to the signet, by an annual grant by the society, which and by usage presides at their meetings. fluctuates with the state of its funds, and In the general case the summons by which has in some years exceeded 2000l. The an ordinary action is brought into the eminent men who have successively acted Court of Session requires to be signeted, as librarians, have made praiseworthy and to be, as a preliminary, signed by a and successful efforts to obtain the most writer to the signet; although a member useful works, and to prevent the funds of one of the other privileged bodies may from being wasted in the purchase of conduct the case. Advocation [ADVO- books at random. They have kept in CATION] and some other analogous classes view in many cases the acquisition of of procedure, required formerly to have those books which are wanting to the the interposition of the signet; but this advocates' library, and as the two institustep in the procedure was abolished by 1 tions are within the same range of buildand 2 Vict. c. 86. In the various forms ings, and are both liberally laid open to of execution against person and property, those who wish to consult books for litethe signet was, until lately, a prominent rary purposes, the writers to the signet feature; but, unless in some special cases, have thus performed an essential service it has been dispensed with by the Act 1 to the literature of Edinburgh. and 2 Vict. c. 114. In these departments of legal practice the writers to the signet now possess few privileges which are not shared by the other practitioners before the supreme courts. They still retain their privileges as to summonses, and they have the exclusive right of presenting signatures in exchequer, or of presenting, through the judges acting in exchequer, the indorsed drafts of the writs passing under the great and other seals in ScotJand appended to crown charters, appointments to offices, &c. They have thus a monopoly of the business of making up the titles of the crown vassals or freeholders in Scotland, and this circumstance, added to their skill and respectability as a body, has put the greater part of the conveyancing of the country in their hands. The society require of their intrants an apprenticeship of five years, with a curriculum of university study, which includes two sessions of attendance, the one at Latin and the other at some other literary class, and four courses of attendance at law classes. The expenses connected with apprenticeship amount to about 3801., and additional fees to the extent of 140l. are incurred on entering the society. The writers to the signet possess a library, amounting, it is supposed, to between forty and fifty thousand bound volumes, distributed in two large halls. The collection was commenced in 1755, by the purchase of some law books, to which works on other subVOL. II. YEAR-BOOKS. [REPORTS.] YEOMAN, YEOMANRY CAVAL RY. Of the various derivations proposed for the word yeoman-jung man, young man; jemand, any one; gemein, common; goodman-perhaps "gemein mon" is the most probable. A yeoman is at the head of the classes beneath gentlemen; he is in legal sense a probus et legalis homo, who may dispend of his own freehold 40s. yearly. In an antient statute (20 Ric. II. c. 2, 1326) they (“ Vadlez appellez yomen") are prohibited, in common with all other persons under the rank of an esquire, from wearing any lord's livery unless they form part of the lord's household; and Fortescue (c. 29), who wrote somewhat more than half a century after the passing of that act, says that there are yeomen (valecti) who can spend out of their patrimony 600 skutes a-year, a sum equal, according to some computations, to 130l. The term yeoman is used in inferior offices about the palace; and there is a body-guard called the yeomen of the king's guard, established by Henry VII., and by some writers considered the first approach towards a standing army, which attends the king upon state occasions. It consists of 100 men habited in the costume of the sixteenth century, and commanded by a captain and other officers. The vulgar name of beef-eaters, 30 by which they are known, is a corruption | act exempts volunteers from the militia of buffetiers, from their having been it gives power to magistrates to billet the stationed in state banquets at the buffet or non-commissioned officers and drummers sideboard. During the long war conse- on tavern-keepers; and grants to comquent on the French revolution, and missioned officers a right to half-pay, and whilst this country was threatened with to non-commisioned officers the benefit of invasion, there was embodied in almost Chelsea Hospital if they are disabled every county a mounted force under the when on actual service. name of Yeomanry Cavalry. It was subject to the same regulations, when on service, as the militia, and consisted of volunteers, of whom a large proportion were gentlemen or wealthy farmers; they were mounted and in most respects equipped at their own expense; but they received pay whilst in actual service, and there was some small allowance made by the crown towards the regimental expenses, such as the permanent pay of noncommissioned officers. They were commanded by the lord-lieutenant of the county, who granted commissions to the subaltern officers. The first act for embodying corps of volunteers was passed in the spring of 1794 (34 Geo. III. c. 31). It enacts that all persons who may, during the war then raging, voluntarily enrol themselves under officers holding commissions for that purpose from the king or from the lieutenants of counties, shall be entitled to receive the pay, and shall be subject to the same discipline by courts martial, composed of volunteer officers, as troops of the line, if, on being called upon by the king in case of actual invasion or appearance of invasion, they shall march out of their own counties or assemble within it to repel such invasion; or if they shall march at the command of the king or of the lieutenant or the sheriff of the county to suppress riots or tumults within it or the adjacent counties. The In the year 1798 another act was passed (38 Geo. III. c. 51), to facilitate the training of volunteer corps of cavalry, who are called in the title to the act, though not in the body, " yeomanry cavalry." It authorizes the billeting of the privates when called out to be trained, and it exempts from taxation the horses used in the service. After the short peace in 1802, the provisions of the preceding acts were renewed (42 Geo. III. c. 66), and the existence of the volunteer corps of cavalry (called by this act for the first time "yeomanry cavalry") was revived or continued, without reference, as in the previous statutes, to the then existing war. Of late years, although many of these yeomanry regiments still exist, they are rather maintained for the purpose of amusement and good fellowship than for any practical service. According to a Parliamentary Return, there were, in 1836, 338 troops of yeomanry cavalry, including 1155 officers and 18,120 men, at a cost of about 100,000l. a-year to the nation. In 1838, the number of troops was reduced to 251, and the privates to 13,594. Between the years 1816 and 1838, the average annual expense of maintaining the yeomanry corps was 128,000l.; the greatest cost being in the years 1820, 1821, and 1822, when the annual average exceeded 192,000l. THE END. |