County

One of the civil divisions of a Country for judicial and political purposes. l Bla. Com. 113. Etymologically, it denotes that portion of the country under the immediate government of a count.

1 Bla. Com. 116.

The states are generally divided into counties. Counties are. in many of the states, divided into townships or towns. In the New England states, however, towns are the basis of all civil divisions, and the counties are rather to be considered as aggregates of towns, so far as their origin is concerned. In Pennsylvania, the state was originally divided into three counties by William Penn. See Proud's Hist. Pa. 234: 2 id.

258.

In some states, a county is considered a corporation; Coles v. Madison County, Breese (111.) 154, 12 Am. Dec. 1G1; in others, it is held a quasi corporation; Inhabitants of County of Hampshire v. Franklin County, 10 Mass. ST; Emerson v. Washington County, 9 Greenl. (Me.) 88; Jackson v. Cory, 8 Johns. (N. Y.) 385; Boykin's Devisees v. Smith, 3 Munf. (Va.) 102. In regard to the division of counties, see Drake's Adm'r v. Vaughan, 6 J. J. Marsh. (Ky.) 147; State v. Jones, 9 N. J. L. 357, 17 Am. Dec. 4S3; Gary v. People, 9 Cow. (N. Y.) 640; Walsh v. Com..

S9 Pa. 419, 33 Am. Rep. 771; Blount County v. Loudon County, 8 Baxt. (Tenn.) 74; Stuart v. Bair, id. 141; Newton v. Commissioners, 100 U. S. 548, 25 L. Ed. 710; Eagle v. Beard, 33 Ark. 497; Cocke v. Gooch, 5 Heisk. (Tenn.) 294.

A county may he required by act of legislature to build a public work outside the county limits, where it is of special interest to the people of the county; Carter v. Bridge, KM Mass. 236; Talbot County Com'rs v. County Com'rs, 50 Mil. 245. A state has a greater latitude of control over a county, than over a town or city, as the latter had a two Cold character— public. as an agency of the state, and private, as affecting matter of local concern; State v. county" are, or may be, used Interc ably: St. Louis County Court v. Griswold, 58 Mo. 175. In the English law. this word signifies the same as shire, — county from the French, and shire from the S Both these words signify a circuit or the realm into which tin- n vided, for the better go Venuni: I i" and the more easy administration of ji There is no part of England that is not within -Mine county; and the shirereeve was the governor of the province, under the comes, earl, or count.