TITLE LXXII. AN ACT TO CARRY INTO EFFECT THE GENERAL . General Statutes, feet, and former Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Assembly convened: SECTION 1. That the revised acts, reported to this general assemwhen to take ef- bly, by the committee of revision, together with the acts of the presstatutesrepealed, ent session, to be revised by said committee, and incorporated therewith, shall constitute the General Statutes of the state of Connecticut, and shall, on and after the first day of January, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-six, be the statute laws of the state; and all other public statute laws, except acts of incorporation, confirming acts, acts which, although public in form, are merely of a private nature, and all acts, which by particular provision are continued in force, shall be thereafter repealed. Vested rights not repeal. SECT. 2. The said repeal shall not impair or affect any rights, to be impaired by privileges, immunities, or offices, vested in any person, or body corporate; and all matters, civil or criminal, commenced by virtue of the statutes repealed as aforesaid, and pending unfinished, may be prosecuted to final effect, in the same manner as if this act had not been passed, unless it shall be otherwise specifically provided by law; and no act, which has been heretofore repealed, shall be revived by the repeal mentioned in this act. Penal and crimi SECT. 3. No offense committed, and no penalty or forfeiture innal liabilities, not curred, under any of the acts hereby repealed, before the time when affected, except, such repeal shall take effect, shall be affected by said repeal, except that when any punishment, penalty, or forfeiture, shall have been mitigated by the provisions of the General Statutes, such provisions shall be extended to any judgment to be pronounced after said repeal. Words and phrases, how construed. plural. SECT. 4. In the construction of these acts, words and phrases shall be construed according to the common and approved usage of the language; but technical words and phrases, and such as may have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning in the law, shall be construed and understood according to such peculiar and appropriate meaning. In the singular or SECT. 5. Words importing the singular number may extend, and be applied, to several persons or things; words importing the plural number may include the singular, and words importing the masculine gender may be applied to females. SECT. 6. Words purporting to give a joint authority to three or Giving joint aumore public officers, or other persons, shall be construed as giving thority. such authority to a majority of such officers, or persons. SECT. 7. The word "month" shall mean a calendar month, and Words "month" the word "year" a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed; and and “year.” the word "year," alone, shall be equivalent to the expression, year of our Lord. SECT. 8. The word "oath" shall include affirmations, in cases word "oath." when, by law, an affirmation may be used for an oath; and in like cases, the word "sworn" shall include the word "affirm." SECT. 9. The word "person" may extend to, and be applied, to word companies, corporations, and bodies politic. person. SECT. 10. The words "preceding" and " following," when used words "precedby way of reference to any section, shall mean the section next pre-ing" and "follow ceding, or next following, unless some other section is expressly designated in such reference. ing." how made. SECT. 11. One copy of the said General Statutes shall be depos- Record of the ited, and forever kept, in the office of the secretary of this state, to General Statutes which copy said secretary shall annex a certificate, under his hand, and the seal of the state, that the laws therein contained are the Statute Laws of the state of Connecticut, and such certified copy shall be an authentic record of such laws.* Approved, July 19th, 1865. The copy certified by Secretary of State imports absolute verity, and courts cannot permit verity of such copy to be collaterally called in question. Eld v. Gorham, 20 C. R. 8. when ground for divorce, ABANDONMENT of child, how punished, of wife, husband loses control of her property by, ABATEMENT of nuisances, of polls, of taxes, of governor's guards, of writs, process, &c., directed to indifferent persons, not to be had for alteration or amendment of process, for death of plaintiff or defendant, of co-plaintiff or co-defendant, of trustee of shakers, for marriage of female plaintiff, plea of, plaintiff may amend after judgment on, defendant appealing when liable for costs, of suit brought during settlement of insolvent estate, prompting commission of, by advertisement, &c. ABSENCE of defendant, when ground for continuance, ABSENT DEFENDANT, in suit on contract, how sued, 250 304 305 272, 603, 604 706 620, 724 2 22 22 19 21 22 2, 13 138 21 20 20 20 419 249 249 249 16, 17 43 300 7 ACCUSED, rights of, in criminal prosecutions, not to be compelled to testify against himself, right of, to challenge jurors, to be last heard in his defense, witnesses may be summoned for, at expense of the state, ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF DEEDS, how and before whom made, of land belonging to the state, omission of notarial seal not to invalidate, ACQUITTAL, when no bar to subsequent complaint, on ground of insanity or dementia, proceedings after, ACTION of account, 58; limitation of, of disseizin, 63; limitation of new action after death of defendant, of book debt, 61; limitation of, execution in, 682 xliv xl, xliv xliv, 286 288 288 298 298 223, 538 351, 400 539 290 288 297 552 552 22 65 128 553 553 553 by soldier for bounty, to be tried at the next term, against railroad for personal injuries to take precedence, when, at March term in Hartford county, undisposed of, how con- tinued, |