Co. Litt. 4 b. In old English law. A wood. "SHAWLS," decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to be "wearing apparel," within schedule C. of the tariff all process issuing out of the superior courts, and in this respect is considered as an officer of these courts. And as the Queen's bailiff, it is his business to preserve her rights within his bailiwick. See Id. 343344. Hale's Anal. sect. xii. Sewell's Law of Sheriff, 7-12. In the United States, the powers and duties of the sheriff, in addition to those of conservator of the peace, are chiefly ministerial, he being the officer to whom the process of the superior courts in the several states is always directed for execution. In the commencement of civil causes, he serves the writ, and in cases requiring it, arrests and takes bail; when the cause comes to trial, he summons and returns the jury; and when it is determined he sees the judgment of the court carried into execution. In criminal matters, he also arrests and imprisons, he returns the jury, he has the custody of the delinquent, and he executes the sentence of the court, though it extend to death itself. See 1 Bl. Com. 344. His judicial powers are much more limited than in England, being chiefly confined to the taking of inquisitions on writs of inquiry of damages, before a jury summoned for the purpose. See Writ of inquiry. act of 1846. 16 Howard's R. 251. In The derivation of the word sheriff, from this case, the meaning of the word shawl underwent an elaborate discussion, and the doctrine was laid down that the popular or received import of words furnishes the general rule for the interpretation of public laws, as well as of private and social transactions. Id. ibid. See opinion of Daniel, J. Id. 256. "SHEET," held to be "a book," within the meaning of the English copyright act. 8 Ann. c. 19. 11 East, 244. the Sax. scyre-gerefa, or scyre-refa, sufficiently attests the high antiquity of the office. The sheriff was, in the Saxon times, the reeve or bailiff of the shire, and during the Anglo-Norman period, acted as the deputy of the count or earl, (comes,) who had the government of the county. Hence his title, in law Latin, of vice-comes, (q. v.) and in law French, viscount, (q. v.) that is, count's or earl's deputy. The Saxon scyregerefa, or scyre-refa, gradually became the English shyre-greve, shire-greeve, shire-reeve and schireve, still further contracted to shireve and shrieve, and finally softened to shyrefe, which was the form of the word in Camden's time. Camd. Brit. 104. Shiriff is a form used in old records, which by the change of a single letter has become the modern sheriff. Blount treats of the word under the forms shirif, or shiref; Cowell, under shireve. Skene, the Scotch expositor, uses schireff.