hen wanted as witnesses. In some states, bills drawn in one state and
payable in another, are deemed foreign bills; and their protest as such
is required. Notes payable at banks are also protested for non-payment.

Sec.9. _Interest_ is a premium paid for the use of money, or a profit per
cent, received for money lent, or on an unpaid demand. Thus a person
lends $1,000 to another person, who pays for the use of it six per cent,
a year, or $6 for every hundred, as interest. The rate of interest is
fixed by a law of the state.

Sec.10. The established lawful rates of interest in the several states are
as follows: _Six_ per cent, in all but the following: In New-York,
Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, _seven_ per cent.; in Alabama and Texas
_eight_ per cent.; in Louisiana, _five_ per cent.; bank interest _six_;
in California, _ten_ per cent. But there may be taken by special
agreement, in Florida and Louisiana, _eight_ per cent.; in Mississippi,
Arkansas, Ohio, Missouri, Iowa, _ten_; in Texas and Wisconsin, _twelve_;
in Minnesota and California, any rate. In Illinois and Michigan, for
money loaned, it may be _ten_. In Mississippi, for the _bona fide_ use
of money _eight_ per cent.

Sec.11. A rate of interest beyond that which is established by law, is
_usury_. Not only can no more be collected on any contract or obligation
than the legal rate, but in most of the states there is some forfeiture
for taking usurious interest. In a few, the obligation is void, and the
payment of no part of the debt can be enforced by law; in others, twice
or thrice the excess above the lawful interest is forfeited; and in
some, only the excess paid can be recovered.

Chapter LXII.

Crimes and Misdemeanors.

Sec.1. The statutes of each state define the crimes of which its laws take
cognizance. The definitions given in this chapter, agree substantially,
it is presumed, with those of similar crimes in every state in the
union. The statutes also prescribe the penalties, which are not
precisely the same in all the states. Nor is there in any state an equal
measure of punishment inflicted in all cases for the same offense. The
laws usually declare the longest and the shortest terms of imprisonment,
and the highest and lowest fines, leaving the exact measure of
punishment, except for crimes punishable by death, to the discretion of
the judges, to be fixed according to the aggravation of the offense.

Sec.2. The laws of the several state