essentially necessary to their character as merchants. And it has been accordingly held that an alien friend, though resident abroad, is entitled to sue in the Courts at Westminster for a libel published concerning him in England (g). An alien-merchant could always take a lease of a house for his habitation, for years only; though formerly leases (but not assignments) of any dwellinghouse or shop made to an alien-artificer or handicraftman, were void by 32 Hen. 8, c. 16, s. 13. An alien could not take a lease for years of land, meadow, &c. not being necesary for his trade and traffic. But now by 7 & 8 Vict. c. 66, s. 5 (which does not extend to the colonies), an alien, now or hereafter residing in the United Kingdom, and being the subject of a friendly state, may, by grant, lease, demise, assignment, bequest, representation, or otherwise, take and hold any lands, houses, or other tenements, for the purpose of residence or of occupation by him or her, or his or her servants, or for the purpose of any business, trade or manufacture, &c, for any term of years not exceeding twenty-one years, as fully and effectually, to all intents and purposes, and with the same rights, remedies, exemptions, and privileges (except voting at elections of members of Parliament), as if he were a natural born subject of the United Kingdom (h). Denizens.]-A denizen is an alien born, but who has obtained, ex donatione Regis, letters patent to make him an English subject. A denizen is a kind of middle state between an alien and natural-born subject, and partakes of both of them. He may take lands by purchase or devise, which an alien may not, but cannot take by inheritance; for his parent, through whom he must claim, had no inheritable blood; and therefore could convey none to the son. The issue of a denizen born before denization cannot inherit to him; but his issue born after may. A denizen cannot be of the privy council, or either House of Parliament, or have any office of trust, civil or military; or be capable of any grant from the Crown. It is apprehended that denization may still take place, though it is probable that parties will, in practice, proceed to naturalisation under the 7 & 8 Vict. c. 66, the provisions of which will presently be stated (i). Naturalisation.]-Formerly an alien could be naturalised only by an act of Parliament, but now by the 7 & 8 Vict. c. 66, a new and less expensive mode of obtaining naturalisation is prescribed. The alien must first present a memorial to the Secretary of State, containing a statement of his age, profession, trade, or other occupation; the length of time he has resided in this country, and the grounds on which he seeks to obtain any of the rights of a British subject; and praying for a certificate, which must be granted before further steps can be taken. The certificate granted by the Secretary of State recites such parts of the memorial as, after due investigation, are found to be true and material; and it confers upon the applicants all the rights and privileges of a British subject, except the capacity of being a member of the privy council, or a member of either House of Parliament, and except the rights and capacities (if any) specially exempted in and by such certificate. The certificate must be enrolled in the Court of Chancery, and within sixty days from its date the memorialist must take and subscribe an oath of allegiance. The course of proceeding to be adopted by aliens wishing to become naturalised is to be NATURALISATION. 79 regulated, so far as details are concerned, by the Secretary of State, and the amount of fees is to be fixed by the Lords of the Treasury. Persons naturalised before the passing of 7 & 8 Vict. c. 66, and who have resided in this country for five successive years, are entitled to all the rights conferred by that act (j). CHAP. VIII. CLERGY. [See 1 Black. Com. ch. 11; 3 Steph. Com. Bk. IV., pt. 2, ch. 1.] We now proceed to notice the clergy as distinguished from the laity. Rights and disabilities of clergy.]-The clergy comprehend all persons in holy orders and in ecclesiastical offices. A clergyman cannot be compelled to serve on a jury, nor to appear at a court leet, or view of frank-pledge; but if a layman is summoned on a jury, and before trial takes orders, he shall notwithstanding appear and be sworn. A clergyman cannot be chosen to any temporal office, as bailiff, reeve, constable, or the like; and, during his own continual attendance on the sacred function, he is (for a reasonable time, in going, staying, and returning) privileged from arrests in civil suits (a). But clergymen are incapable of sitting in the House of Commons, and they are also prohibited from farming or trading; for by 1 & 2 Vict. c. 106, s. 28-30 (repealing some former acts on this subject), no spiritual person holding any cathedral preferment or benefice, or any curacy or lectureship, or allowed to perform the duties of any ecclesiastical office, shall take to farm for occupation, by himself, any lands exceeding eighty acres in the whole, without permission in writing from the bishop of the diocese; nor shall such spiritual person, by himself or any other to his use, carry on any trade or dealing for profit, unless it be carried on by more than six partners, or his share in it shall have devolved to him by inheritance, or other such representative title, as in the act specified; and even in these excepted cases it is illegal for him to act as director or managing partner, or to carry on the trade in person. But, notwithstanding these prohibitions, the act allows him to carry on the business of a schoolmaster, or to deal with booksellers as to the sale of books, or to be a managing director, partner, or shareholder in any benefit society, or to buy or sell to the extent necessarily incident to his lawful occupation of land, or to sell minerals, the produce of his land, provided that none of these transactions be conducted in person in any market or place of public sale (b). Archbishops. An archbishop is the chief of the clergy in a whole province, and has the inspection of the bishops of that province, as well as of the inferior clergy, and may deprive them on notorious cause. He has also his own diocese, wherein he exercises episcopal jurisdiction, as in his province he exercises archiepiscopal. As archbishop, he calls the bishops into convocation by virtue of the King's writ; receives appeals from inferior jurisdictions within his province; becomes guardian of the spiritualities of the vacant sees within his province; and is entitled to present by lapse to all ecclesiastical livings in the disposal of his diocesan bishops, if not filled in six months. He hath also a power, by 25 Hen. 8, c, 21, of granting dispensations, which is the foundation of his granting special |