Highly regarded when first published, this treatise has retained its value and is often cited today. Reprint of the first edition. Chitty addresses the body of customary authority, privileges and immunities belonging to the Crown. An intricate, vaguely defined field with medieval roots, it has entailed a wide range of matters, from the regulation of the civil service to the supervision of resident aliens and the granting of honors. Joseph Chitty [1796-1838] was one of the greatest legal authors of the nineteenth centuries. His treatises on contracts and criminal law were standard works in Great Britain and the United States.