THE COMPILED LAWS OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN. TITLE I. THE STATUTES AND THE LEGISLATURE. CHAPTER I. The Statutes. CHAPTER II. The Legislature. CHAPTER I. THE STATUTES. Chapter I. of Revised Statutes of 1846. where deposited. 3 Mich. Rep. 144 (1.) SECTION 1. The original acts of the Legislature shall be Original actsdeposited with, and kept by the Secretary of State.' SEC. 2.2 struction of (2.) SEC. 3. In the construction of the statutes of this State, the Rules of confollowing rules shall be observed, unless such construction would statutes. be inconsistent with the manifest intent of the Legislature, that is to say: 1 As amended by Act 46 of 1847, p. 55. Superseded by Sec. 20, Art. 4, of Constitution. It related to the time when statutes should take effect. Rules of construction of statutes. 1. All words and phrases shall be construed and understood 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; 2. Every word importing the singular number only, may extend to and embrace the plural number, and every word importing the plural number, may be applied and limited to the singular number; and every word importing the masculine gender only, may extend and be applied to females as well as males; 3. All words purporting to give a joint authority to three or more public officers or other persons, shall be construed as giving such authority to a majority of such officers or other persons, unless it shall be otherwise expressly declared in the law giving the authority; 4. The words "annual meeting," when applied to townships, shall be construed to mean the annual meeting required by law to be held in the month of April; 5. The word "grantor" may be construed as including every person from or by whom any estate in lands passes, in or by any deed; and the word "grantee,” as including every person to whom any such interest or estate passes in like manner; 6. The word "inhabitant," may be construed to mean a resident of a city, township, village, district, or county; 7. The words "insane person," shall be construed to include an idiot, a non compos, lunatic, and distracted person; 8. The word "issue," as applied to the descent of estates, shall be construed to include all the lawful lineal descendants of the ancestor; 9. The word "land," or "lands," and the words "real estate," shall be construed to include lands, tenements, and real estate, and all rights thereto, and interests therein; 10. The word "month" shall be construed to mean a calendar month; and the word "year," a calendar year; and the word "year" alone, shall be equivalent to the words "year of our Lord;" 11. The word "oath" shall be construed to include the word "affirmation," in all cases where by law an affirmation may be substituted for an oath; and in like cases the word "sworn" shall be construed to include the word "affirmed;" 12. The word "person" may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, as well as to individuals; 13. The words "preceding," and "following," when used by way of reference to any title, chapter, or section of these Revised Statutes, |