Polynesian., 1844-08-24


No language is in itself perfect or without
idiomatic expressions. No language contains
a distinct word to convey every shade Of
thought. A learned philologist has very
justly observed,-'y the ideas Of men mere
alrays distinct, and perfectly determined; fin
order to make them known, they had only prop
err tSrns, and non but such expressions as
'eere clear, precise, and susceptible only Of one
sense, there woua nerer be any difficulty in
discovering their meaning, in the mords by
~hich they uouM cypress 1t: nothing more
,couh be necessary, than to understand the LAM
guage."
But, alas for poor human nature, meta
phors and tropes, figures of speech and tech
meal terms, from the %paucity of words, do
exist, and have existed ever since father
Adam applied a nomenclature to the beasts
in the Garden of Eden. The Lawyer must
have his; the Physician, the Metaphysician,
the Divine, the Merchant and the .Artizan
theirs. These infringe upon the dictionary
acceptation Of words, and thus, d. not mis-
lead others, but others, through ignorance,
often mislead themselves, by looking in the
wrong quarter for their interpretations.
1t has been observed by the some ines IA
cetious DR.. Watts, that the science of Logic
consists in greatest part of defining terms
to be employed in it. Acting upon this hint,
think 1t not amiss to define some terms
which have been employed in connection
with the sub ,ect of Allegiance. One of
these terms is DoMIcILIATIoN, which is de-
rived from the Latin word domus. a house.
or dom'c,lium, an abode, sicnifvirg to the
untechnical reader, the place where an ind;-
vldual has his house, or I" local habitation:"
but to the Jurist, the place where one resides
tor the time being, whether he has a house
there or not. 1t is the place of permanent
or temporary residence. To constitute the
act of domiciliation, the party's intention is
as conclusive as the length of time during
which ne may have continued in the country.
The intention to become domiciled is gath
cred from circumstances, and is not left to
depend upon the party's assertion, or to be
rebutted by mental reservations. If a stran-
ger arrives in the country, in character of a
merchant, opens a store or hires a house,
with ostensible intent to d6 commercial bust
ness, he has at once given proof of his ant
mus to become domicilod. Or, if in like
manner a physician newly arrived, invites
the professional caIls-of the rublic. or insti-
tutes an office; or the divine arrives in con-
sequence of a dcputation from abroad to
mlsslonate, or to preside over a chaplaincv
or other permanent clerical department loca-
ted III the country; or, if an aitizan or man
OF leisure arrives, and by overt acts evinces
the intention to prolong his sojourn; these
are none of them considered in it;nere in the
country; but from the moment the fact is
manifest, from the nature of the STRANGERS
avocation or otherwise, that he necessarily
must locate himself in the country, from that
moment his intention is presumed in law, to
be domlclllation. Such persons a more
hxed and imperative local allegiance than
the stranger IN i'nere, who simply owes sub
mission to the laws, and who does not ac-
qulre the rights of domiciliation, or foreeo
the temporary protection of his government.
Yet the stranger in %iinere, no less than the
other, owes that momentary allegiance,
which would render him amenable for anv
violation of the local laws; in return for
which, he receives that momentary guarantee
which will cntitIe him to be protected by