LIBEL, (1) a defamation of a person, with malice expressed or implied, made public by means of writing, printing or pictures, calcu lated to provoke him to anger, or expose him to hatred, ridicule or contempt. Spoken words, however opprobrious or Injurious, do not amount to libel but are classed as slander; and, being more limited in their publicity, the of fense is not so great as in a case of libel. There may be a libel by traducing the memory of one who is dead, as well as one which at tacks the reputation of one who is living. Any publication which has a tendency to disturb the public peace or good order of society is actionable as a libel, and may usually be prose cuted by either a civil action for damages or by a criminal proceeding, and both remedies are often pursued at the same time. In the absence of some statutory provision on the sub ject, proof of the truth of the matter contained in the libel does not ordinarily furnish a good defense to the offending party. The publication may be very limited and yet amount to the offense. The malicious reading of a libel to one or more persons has been held• sufficient and the sale of each copy of a book containing a libel has been pronounced by a court as suf ficient to furnish a distinct offense. -Libels against the government consist of calumnious publications in denunciation or unwarrantable criticism of the established governmental sys tem or in censure of methods of administration, provided the allegations are of such a nature that their natural tendency or evident purpose is to promote disaffection among the citizens or to excite a spirit of revolution. But indict ments for libels of this character are very rare, and would not be resorted to except in extreme and very plain cases. Many of the States have enacted statutes upon the subject of libels, declaratory of the old common-law rules, with ancillary provisions, relating principally to forms of administration, with provisions as to punishment. A libel may be a misdemeanor
only, or a felony, according to the character of the offense. • (2) Libel in admiralty .practice denotes the complaint or pleadings by which an action is commenced, to enforce some claim or right in a marine matter, and contains a circumstantial statement of the claim. The general scope of the jurisdiction of admiralty embraces all ma rine contracts and maritime torts, including cap tures in times of war, and seizures for revenue forfeitures, and all duties appertaining to ma rine commerce and general navigation. The test of jurisdiction in torts is determined by the place where the same were committed. Such a libel is not required to be drawn with any degree of technicality, the substance being more important than the form. In the United States substantially all admiralty matters are trans acted in the Federal courts. The plaintiff, or moving party in an admiralty proceeding, is called the libellant, and the defendant, or party against whom the proceeding is brought, is termed the libelee or respondent. Sometimes a libel is directed in rem or against property only, without a respondent. Consult Bigelow, 'The Law of Torts' (7th ed., Boston 1901) ; Newell, 'The Law of Libel and Slander in Civil and Criminal Cases' (2d ed., Chicago 1898) •, Odgers, 'A Digest of the Law of Libel and Slander' (4th ed., New York 1905); Pol lock, 'The Law of Torts' (7th ed., New York 1904) ; Townshend, 'Treatise on the Wrongs Called Slander and Libel> (4th ed., New York 1890).