Ward & Lock's descriptive and pictorial guide to the Isle of Man ...

for10 Guide to the Isle of Man.enjoy its beauties and to appreciate the character of thehosts who will entertain us and the guides who will show U3about. Let us, then, while yet the waves are beating againstthe bows of the good steamer, and occasionallysending a showeiof spray on to the deck—while yet the outlines of Snaefeldand South Barrule and the other mountains are but a thinmisty line against the western sky — pick uj) a few waifs andstrays of information about the Isle of Man and the men ofMan.First of all, our Imperial Parliament, with its dignifiedHouse of Lords and its loquacious and combative House ofCommons, has no jurisdiction in the island. Our High Courtof Justice, with its august divisions, Queen's Bencli and therest of them, is no doubt highly respected by the law-abidingManxmen ; but, in a legal sense, they have nothing to dowith it. They have a Parliament and law com-ts of theirown. Their legislative body is the Court of Tynwald, presidedover by the Lieutenant-Governor, and composed of theCouncil and the Hoiise of Keys. The Council consists ofthe bishop, attorney-general, two deemsters (the judges), theclerk of the rolls, the water bailiff, and the vicar-general,a combination which, it must be admitted, seems rather odd,but which works admirablj*. The House of Keys consists oftwenty-four members, elected since 18GG every seven years, bythe people of the island, the electoral qualification being, intlie country, tlie j^ossessiou of real estate of the annual valueof £S, or occupation of the value of ,-i'12; and in the towns,tlie occupation of property of the yearly value of £8. Womenare entitled to vote. The Council is the upper bi-anch of thelegislature ;the House of Keys the lower. As in England.a bill is separately considered by each branch ;and when ithas received the I'oyal assent, it must be formally read inthe English and Manx languages, on T_>Tiwald Hill, where theCouncil and the Keys united form a Tjmwald Court, beforeit becomes law. The House of Keys is popularly supposed toderive its name from its oSice as interpreter of common law ;but we cannot help thinking that is an unsatisfactory derivation.The House of Keys was established in 1417, as acontinuation of a more ancient assembly named " Taxi-axi,"a strange title which we cannot pretend to explain. Oneirreverent and, it must be admitted, vulgar joker, suggestedthat " perhaps it axed ' ' taxes. Parliaments always do ; ''and a youthful etymologist recognized an association withthe " taxy-waxy " of school-dinners. For many years, indeeduntil lately, the Lieutenant-Governor of the island was Sir