" Quarter Sessions. -- The Justices of the Peace in Quarter Sessions have all such powers and authorities as are granted in a commission of y' Peace in England.

'• Count// Court. -- The County Court or Common Pleas hath cognizance of Civil Accons to any value, excepting what concerns title of land and noe Accon can be removed from this court, if the damage be under €20.

" Sujireme Court. -- The Supreme Court hath powers of King's Bench, Common Pleas & Exchequer in England and noe Acc6n can be removed from this court if under £100.

"Chancery. -- The Governor & Council are a Court of Chancery and have powers of the chancery in England, from whose sentence or decree nothing can be removed under £300.

" Prerogative Court. -- The Governor discharges the place of Ordinary in granting administracOns and proveing Wills, etc. The Secretary is Register. The Governor is about to appoint Delegates in the remoter parts of the Government, with supervisors for looking after intestate's estates and provideing for orphans."

Minor criminal offenses were looked after by the Court of Sessions, and the more flagrant by the judges of the Supreme Court in their circuits through the counties. They had for this purpose "a commission of oyer and terminer and general jail delivery, in which some of the county judges were joined."'^

Smith, in his " History of New York," gives us an interesting account of the courts as they were in 1757,--

"Justices of the peace are appointed by commission from the Governors, who, to serve their purposes in elections, sometimes grant, as it is called, the administration to particular favorites in each county, which is the nomination of officers civil and military ; and by these means justices have been astcmisliingly multiplied. There are instances of some of these who can neither write nor read.