Morning journal and courier., 1892-12-03
Is well worth any ones attention and re-

is well worth any ones attention and re.
gard.
A brave and bloody history has the lit
tie island had from King Orry's time down
to its unreserved csssion by its then reign
ing duke to the crown for a consideration
of four hundred and sixteen thousand
pounds in 1926. The system of govern
ment is interesting from its simplicity.
Electors must have a property qualifca-
tion in the sheadings of ten pounds occu-
pancy or eight pounds ownership. In
towns voters must possess a four pound
occupancy or ownership qualification, and
this sum gives all women unmarried, Wild
ows or spinsters. the same vested right; q
right which, although yexing to women
suffrsgists, Is rarely exercised.
The Island is divided into ten electoral
districts, comprising King Orry's original
six sheadings of Glsnfabs, Middle, Rushen,
Ayre, CART and Michael, each ofEwhich
returns three representatives, the city of
Douglas with thTees and the towns of Ram
sey, Peel and Castletown, the ancient cspi-
tai of Man, with one each. These twenty
four representatives constitute the House
of Keys, corresponding to our House of
Representatives at Washington.
There is an upper house called the ooun-
Gil, whose powers are similar to those of
our senate. It Is composed of the lord
bishop of the diocese C''Sodor and Man,,
who has a seat but norvote in the British
House of Peers, the attorney-gsuersl, the
receiyer-general, the two deemsters OF
judges whose offices. almost a relic of Dru-
idism, are precisely as constituted by the
Morse King 0rry, the clerk of the rolls,
the water -bailiff, the arch deacon and VI
car general, over which the lieutenant
governor, a crown appointment, presides
The deemsters or judges who have su-
thority to determine all causes, subject to
appeal to the government staff, are still re-
quired to take the same curious oath ss
when the ancient "Bresst Laws" those
not reduced TO writing until l4l7 and oral
ly handed down from one deemster to his
successor. prevailed. They swear "by this
book, and by the holy contents thereof,
and by the wonderful works that Gcd hath
mirsculously wrought in heaven above.
and in the earth beneath in six days and
seven nightB = without request OF ia
yor or friendship, love or gain, conssn-
guinity or affinity, envy or malice, to exc
cute the law of this isle. justly betwixt
our sovereign lord (or LADY, the king (or
queen) and his Tor herr subjects within
this isle, and betwixt party and party, as
iudifferently as the herring's backbone
doth lie in the midst of the fish"
Members of the House of Keys are elect
ed for seven years. The governor may at
any time dissolve the house in case of par
manent opposition to the council, when.
as in England, ian appeal to the country"
is taken. Council and Keys vote separate
ly. Concurrent msjorities of each are re-
quired to pass measures; and these meas
ures, which did not formerly go into ops-
ration until promulgated from TynwAld
hill, now 90 into effect on receiving royal
assent, which is seldom denied; as these
clever patrisrchsl folk keep a well-condi-
toned lobby in attendance on the House
of Peers at Westminster.
All Msnx laws are called Acts of Tyn-
wald, and the Tynwald court may still, as
as a thousand years ago, be held at any
time in special session at Tyn-
yearly for the promulgRtion of the laws,
though, legally, they may have already
gone into effect. This ceremonial has
now become a national holiday called
Tynwald day. 1t is held on the 5th of
Jnly, or on the 9th, if the 9th hsppeps
TO fall on Sunday. Undoubtedly forty
thousand Of the fifty thousand inhabi-
tants of Man are ugfailing in attendance,
and the ceremony always attracts thou
sands from Lancashire, Cheshire and
Cumberland, in England.
The Tynwald hill is situated just west
of the center of the island between the
cities of Douglas and Peel, and lies in
the romantic pass bstween the Cairn and
Greeba mountains. Tradiionally it is
said to have ben formed of earth brought
here in carts and creels from every parish
of the island.
Two hundred yards from the hill. called
in Manx Cronk- J -Keillown, or ST. Johns
Church hill, is the imposing church of ST.
John, the gift of the crown to the islam !.
1t is splendid edifce in the Early Deco
rated style, built of South Barrnle gran
lite. 1t was erected in 1S47 on the site of q
former church built in 1899, which wss
itself preceded by temple to Thor. At
the southwest corner of the present edi-
fee isss strange Runio monument quite q
thousand years old with an almost illegi-
BILE inscription signifyirg that "Inosruir
engraved these Rnnes;" and the level land
roundabout ia called the Currsgh- Glass,
or the gray bog or swamp"
The Tynwsld mount itself, to which q
broad graYelsd pathway leads from the
entrance to ST. Johns church, is curious
artificial construction. 1t is two hundred
and ffty-six feet in circumference at the
base, and rises by four concentric plat
forms to a height of about twelve feet.
On the uppermost of these stand the gov
ernor, lawmakers, officials and church dig
nitsries of the island during the promul-
CATION of the laws. Until quite recent
times the entire text was read both In the
English snd the Manx Languages; bat now
only the titles and side notes are read
aloud. A huge canopy shelters the mount,
held in place by seventeen ropes let into
II in ga at fh1 hOtfnrra OF
the hill, or one for each parish of the is-
land.
Proceedings are begun st eleven o'clock
in the forenoon by services in the St.
| John's When these are ended a stately
| official procession TO the mount begins in
the following order; Three policemen;
| the six coroners; the captains of the sew
| enteen parishes; the clergy; the four high
/ bsiliffs; the House of Keys; the council;
| the sword bearer, carrying the sword with
/ point upward; all followed by the lieuten-
ant-governor with his chsplsin, surgeon
i to the household and the chief constsbles.
All these officials comprise this ancient
| Tynwsld court. The court is irsi
fenced" that is, now as in the misty
days, all persons are warned upon lyf'
/ and lynn that no man make any distur
bsuce or stirringe in the time of the Tyn
| wald, moreover no rising make in the
kings presence upon pain of hanging and
drawinge." This fencing" is done by
the coroner of Glanfba sheading, who
from immemorial custom has been chic
of the six sheading coroners of Man Thi
Maux coroner is called "toshisgh iioarey,
or ''chief man of the law" and his func
| tions are similar to those of our sheriff
When a syllabus of the new statutes
have been read by the desmster or judg'
of the north the procession returns to st
Johns. The two branches of the legisla
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