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Black's Law Dictionary · Henry Campbell Black, M.A. · 1910
Black's Law Dictionary
A state paper, or other instrument of public importance or interest, issued or published by authority of congress or a state legislature. Also any document or record, evidencing or connected with the public business or the administration of public affairs, preserved in or issued by any department of the government.
See Hammatt v. Emerson, 27 Me. 335, 46 Am. Dec. 598.