KFLCC Kingdom Law 2nd Ed.

MEANDER

MAUNDY THURSDAY

767

magistrate of a city. Waldo v. Wallace, 12 Ind. 577; People v. New York, 25 Wend. (N. Y.) 36; Crovatt v. Mason, 101 Ga. 246, 28 S. E. 89L —Mayor's court. A court established in some cities, in which the mayor sits with the powers of a police judge or committing magistrate in respect to offenses committed within the city, and sometimes with civil jurisdiction in small causes, or other special statutory powers.—May or's court of Iiondon. An inferior court hav ing junsdiction in civil cases where the whole cause of action arises within the city of Lon don.—Mayoralty. The office or dignity of a mayor.—Mayoress. The wife of a mayor. MAYORAZGO. In Spanish law. The right to the enjoyment of certain aggregate property, left with the condition thereon imposed that they are to pass in their in tegrity, perpetually, successively to the eldest son. Schm. Civil Law, 62 MEAD. Ground somewhat watery, not" plowed, but covered with grass and flowers. Enc. Lond. MEADOWl A tract of low or level land producing grass which is mown for hay. Webster. A tract which lies above the shore, and is overflowed by spring and extraordinary tides only, and yields grasses which are good for hay. Church v. Meeker, 34 Conn. 429. See State v. Crook, 132 N. C. 1053, 44 S. E. 32; Scott v. Willson, 3 N. H. 322; Barrows v. McDermott, 73 Me. 441. MEAL-RENT. A rent formerly paid in meal. MEAN, or MESNE. A middle between two extremes, whether applied to persons, things, or time. MEANDER. To meander means to fol low a winding or flexuous course; and when it is said, in a description of land, "thence with the meander of the river," it must mean a meandered line,—a line which follows the sinuosities of the river,—or, in other words, that the river is the boundary be tween the points indicated. Turner v. Park er, 14 Or. 341, 12 Pac. 495; Schurmeier v. St Paul & P. R. Co., 10 Minn. 100 (Gil. 75), 88 Am. Dec. 59. This term is used in some jurisdictions with the meaning of surveying and mapping a stream according to its meanderings, or windings and turnings. See Jones v. Petti bone, 2 Wis. 317. —Meander lines. Lines run in surveying particular portions of the public lands which border on navigable rivers, not as boundaries of the tract, but for the purpose of .defining the sinuosities of the banks of the stream, and as the means of ascertaining the quantity of land in the fraction subject to sale, and which is to be paid for by the purchaser. In preparing the official plat from the field notes, the mean der line is represented as the border line of the stream, and shows that the water-course, and

MAUNDY THURSDAY. The day pre ceding Good Friday, on which princes gave alms. MAXIM. An established principle or proposition. A principle of law universally admitted, as being a correct statement of the law, or as agreeable to natural reason. Coke defines a maxim to be "conclusion of reason," and says that it is so called "quia maxima ejus dignitas et certissima auctori tas, et quod maxime omnibus prooetur." Co. Litt. 11a. He says in another place: "A maxime is a proposition to be of all men confessed and granted without proofe, ar gument, or discourse." Id. 67a. The maxims of the law, in Latin, French, and English, will be found distributed through this book in their proper alphabet ical order. Maxime pact sunt contraria vis et in juria. The greatest enemies to peace are force and wrong. Co. Litt. 1616. Hazimm erroris populns magister. Bacon. The people is the greatest master of error. "MAY," In the construction of public statutes, is to be construed "must" in all cases where the legislature mean to impose a positive and absolute duty, and not mere ly to give a discretionary power. Minor v. Mechanics' Bank, 1 Pet 46, 64, 7 L. Ed. 47; New York v. Furze, 3 Hill (N. Y.) 612, 615. MAYHEM. In criminal law. The act of unlawfully and violently depriving an other of the use of such of his members as may render him less able, in fighting, either to defend himself or annoy his adversary. 4 Bl. Comm. 205. Foster v. People, 50 N. Y. 604; Terrell v. State, 86 Tenn. 523, 8 S. W. 212; Adams v. Barrett, 5 Ga. 412; Foster v. People, 1 Colo. 294. Every person who unlawfully and mali ciously deprives a human being of a member of his body, or disables, disfigures, or ren ders it useless, or cuts or disables the tongue, or puts out an eye, or slits the nose, ear, or lip, is guilty of mayhem. Pen. Code Cal. I 203. MAYHEMAVIT. Maimed. This is a term of art which cannot be supplied in pleading by any other word, as mutilavit, truncavit, etc. 3 Thorn. Co. Litt 548; Com. v. Newell, 7 Mass. 247. MAYN. L. Fr. A hand; handwriting. Britt c. 28. MAYNOVER. L. Fr. A work of the hand; a thing produced by manual labor. Yearb. M. 4 Edw. IIL 38. MAYOR. The executive head of a mu nicipal corporation; the governor ,or chief