Act

A thing done; a thing done by an ordinary person; a thing done by or happening through the operation of a superior power, as by the law, or by God; a thing done in, or evidenced by, writing; a record or instrument, public or private; a thing done or business formally transacted by a public body, and expressed in writing; a thing done by court, and expressed in writing: a thing done in writing; the record of such a thing; the official certificate of such a thing. Act in pais: an act in the country; an act out of court Act of bankruptcy: an act, in general an act done to defraud creditors, for which a debtor may be adjudged bankrupt. Act of God: inevitable accident or casualty; an event produced by any uuesistible physical cause. In 'English law. Act of settlement: the statute of 12 & 13 Will. III., c. 2, limiting the crown to the present royal family. Act of supremacy: the statute of 1 Eliz., c. 1, establishing the supremacy of the crown in ecclesiastical matters. Act of union: the statute of 5 Anne, c. 8, ratifying the union between Scotland and England. In Scots law. An abbreviation of actor, used in old records for proctor or advocate, especially for tbe proctor of the pursuer or plaintiS. Act book: the minute book of a court. Act of contravention: the act of breaking through a restraint imposed by deed or by a court Act of curatory: the act extracted by the clerk on acceptance by a person of an appointment to the office of curator. Act of grace: the statute of 1696, c. 32, for the relief of poor debtors who were imprisoned and unable to maintain themselves.