BILL, a written or printed paper con taining a statement of any particulars. In common use a tradesman's account, or a printed proclamation or advertise ment, is thus called a bill. In legisla tion a bill is a draft of a proposed statute submitted to a legislative assem bly for approval, but not yet enacted or passed and made law. When the bill has passed and received the necessary as it becomes an act.
Bill of Adventure.—A writing signed by a merchant, in which he states that certain goods shipped in his name really belong to another person, at whose risk the adventure is made.
Bill of Atteinder.—A bill declaring that the person named in it is attained and his property confiscated. The Con stitution of the United States declares that no State shall pass any bill of at tainder.
Bill of Costs.—A statement of the items which form the total amount of the costs of a suit or action. This is demandable as a matter of right before the payment of the costs.
Bill of Credit.—A letter sent by an agent or other person to a merchant, de siring him to give the bearer credit for goods or money. It is frequently given to one about to travel abroad, and em powers him to take up money from the foreign correspondents of the person from whom the bill or letter of credit was received.
Bill of Entry.—A written account of goods entered at the custom-house, whether imported or designed for ex portation.
Bill of Exceptions.—A bill of the na ture of an appeal from a judge who is held to have misstated the law, whether by ignorance, by inadvertence, or by de sign. This the judge is bound to seal if he be requested by the counsel on either side so to do. The exceptions noted are reviewed by the court to which appeal is taken, and if the objections made to the rulings of the trial judge are well founded, the finding in the case is reversed, and usually the cause is re manded for a new trial.
Bill of Exehange.—A bill or security originally introduced for enabling a merchant in one country to remit money to a correspondent in the other. It is an Open letter of request from one man to another desiring him to pay to a third party a specified sum and put it to the account of the first. In such a transac
tion, B., the person who writes the bill of exchange, is called the drawer; A., to whom it is written, is termed up to ;he time that he accepts it, the drawee, and after he has done so, the acceptor; and C., his order, or the bearer—in short, whoever is entitled to receive the money—the payee. The bill may be as signed to another by simple indorse ment; the person who thus transfers it is named the indorser, and the one to whom it is assigned the indorsee or holder. Every one whose name is on the back of a bill is responsible if the person on whom payment should legiti mately fall fails to meet his engagement. The first bills known in commerce were about A. D. 1328. Bills of exchange are also called drafts.
Bill of Health.—A certificate given to the master of a ship clearing out of a port in which contagious disease is epi demic, or is suspected to be so, certify ing to the state of health of the crew and passengers on board.
Bill of Indictment.—A written accusa tion made against one or more persons of having committed a specified crime or misdemeanor. It is preferred to and presented on oath by a grand jury. If the grand jury find the allegations un proved, they ignore the bill, giving as their verdict, "Not a true bill"; if, on the contrary, they consider the indict ment proved, their verdict is a "True bill." Bill of Lading.—A document by which the master of a ship acknowledges to have received on board his vessel, in good order and condition, certain speci fied goods consigned to him by some particular shipper, and binds himself to deliver them in similarly good order and condition—unless the dangers of the sea, fire, or enemies prevent him—to the as signees of the shipper at the point of destination, on their paying him the stipulated freight. Usually two or three copies of a bill of lading are made, worded thus: "One of which bills be ing accomplished, the others stand void." A bill of lading may be transferred by indorsement like a bill of exchange.