regulation varied with the court and the period. There is support for this belief 
in the fact that Dr. Marriot, King's Advocate in 1775, prepared a bill for Parliament 
in which it was provided that appeals from colonial vice-admiralty courts 
to the High Court of Admiralty should be allowed only from definitive sentences 
or from interlocutory decrees having the force of a definitive sentence, 
that all appeals should be interposed within fourteen days after sentence, and 
that appellant should give good security to prosecute the appeal within twelve 
calendar months and to pay treble costs in case of affirmance. 207 Obviously 
the Admiralty still entertained the opinion expressed years earlier to Dummer, 
for if there were uniformity in appellate procedure there would be no point 
in projecting such a bill. 
NON-AMERICAN JURISDICTIONS 
Lastly, we come to consideration of appellate regulations for non-American 
jurisdictions. Minorca came into the orbit of Great Britain in 1708. When the 
first appeal therefrom was admitted, in 1718/9, no objection appears to have 
been raised as to the jurisdictional basis. 298 Since it was found that appeals to 
England were demanded to delay execution, the local government, at some 
date prior to 1731, promulgated certain regulations. No appeals were to be 
allowed unless the subject matter amounted to $500 (_£ioo). When an appeal 
was admitted, appellant was to have eight months to obtain inhibitory letters 
in England and produce them in Minorca. Within thirty days after admission 
of the appeal appellant was to give security to the Royal Court to prosecute the 
appeal and to make good all costs and damages if the appeal was rejected or 
the sentence affirmed. 299 No instructional regulation of appeals from Minorca 
took place until 1753, when the Committee reported that some doubts had 
arisen with regard to appeals in civil causes from the island courts. It was advised 
that the governor should be instructed to admit appeals from the Supreme 
Court of the Royal Government to the King in Council in all civil causes 
where the sum involved exceeded $800 (_£i6o). Appeals for lesser value were 
to be admitted in cases relating to duties payable to the crown, fees of office, 
annual rents, or other instances in which in juturo rights might be bound. 
Appeals were to be taken within fourteen days of sentence, and security was 
to be given by appellant effectually to prosecute, to answer the condemnation, 
and to pay costs and damages awarded in case of affirmance. Execution was to 
297 SP, 37/n. 
2SB Fornaris v. Rex (PC 2/86/175, 203, 218). 
The appeal was from a sentence whereby petitioner 
was condemned in the penalty of .£l9O 
and sentenced to have his ears cut off and 
to be banished from the island. The basis of 
the sentence was the navigation of a vessel 
with non-British subjects as crew members, 
contrary to an oath taken and obligation 
entered into. 
299 Add. MS, 36,142/247-50.