Mandamus

I. We command; a writ, formerly prerogative, issued out of a superior court, directing a person, a court an officer or a corporation, either public or private, to perform some duty ministerial, ofl Scial or public, or to restore the complainant to some right or privilege. The writ is termed peremptory or alternative, according as it directs the defendant to perform absolutely, or to perform or show cause.