PRIVY SEAL. 418 PRIZE. Edward III. he was a member of the King's Coumil and a responsible minister of the Crown. The allLxing of the privy seal was for centuries by tlic authority of the I^ord Chancellor. Until the reign of Victoria, all letters patent, patents of inventions, charters, naturalizations, pensions, creations of honors, pardons, and so on, were re(]uired to pass from the signet otiiee to the privy seal ollice, the signet seal being the war- rant for the privy seal, as the latter was for the great seal. ISy the Great Seal Act, 1884 (47 and 48 Viet., c. 30, s. 3), it was provided that all instruments required to pass the great sen] need only liave a warrant un(k>r the sign maiuial. countersigned by the Lord Chancellor, Secretary of State, or a high olKcial of the Treas- ury, and that thereafter no instrument need be passed under the privy seal. The Lord Privy Seal still ranks as fifth great olhcer of State, usually with a seat in the Cabinet, but there is no salary and no definite functions are now at- tached to the olfice. A jjcer above the rank of a baron is usiuilly appointed ; but a commoner is eligible. See Great Seal. PRIX DE ROME, pre dc rom (Fr., prize of Eomc). The Graml Prix de Rome is a prize given by the Frcncli (iovernment to a certain number of painters, sculptors, architects, musi- cians, and engravers, who have passed a rigid ex- amination in their respective departments of art. The winner of the Prix has four years at the Villa Medici, the Academic de France rt Rome, and the annual sum of al)out 4000 francs for his expenses: he is also exempt from military service. The competition for the Prix is open to any Frenchman between the ages of fifteen and thirty, who has fulfilled certain conditions in the Eeole des Beaux-Arts ( q. v. ), or elsewhere. A scheduled lengtli of time is allowed the student in which to make drawings or models of a given subject, for the completed design, and ten pupils from each section are selected to enter the tinal com- petition. They have three months in which to prepare their work. The awards are made every year to painters, sculptors, musicians, and architects; every two years to line engrav- ers ; and every three years to engravers on fine stones and medalists. The Academie des Beaux-Arts, a section of the French Institute, has charge of the school at Rome, and the 'con- cours' for the Grand Prix. The director of the Academy at Rome is always a French painter chosen from among the members of the Academie des Beaux-Arts. A series of 'envois,' or speci- mens of work, are sent each year from Rome to the Salon, to show the pupils' progress. In the case of a musician, the 'envoi' goes to the Con- .servatory, which possesses autographs of all the prize cantatas since the establishment of the Prix. The Prix de Rome was founded by Louis XIV. in IfiOO. Its purpose was to educate promising young painters and sculptors, at the cost of the State, by study of the antique in Rome. The fir.st director of the school was Charles Errard (q.v.). In 1720 architects were also allowed to compete for the Prix. During the Revnlutinn the school was inactive, but Napoleon enlarged it, and after 1803 musicians, medalists, line engravers, and engravers of precious stones were added to the list of 'pensionnaires.' At this date also the school was removed to the Villa Medici, the pres- ent site of the Academie de France a Rome. The artistic value of the Prix de Rome is a disputed question. W hat was perhaps a necessity in the time of Louis XIV. is now said to have outgrown its use, but, on the other hand, the list of prize- winners in every department during the last cen- tury embraces many of the great names of France. Consult Baltard, iUa Medicis a Home (Paris, 1847). PRIZE (OF., Fr. prise, fem. sg. of pri.s, p.p. of prendre, from Lat. prcuderc, prcheiidere, to seize, take). Ln international law, a term ap- plied to all captures of property made during the course of war upon the high .seas or in tlic ter- ritorial waters of a belligerent. The right to capture both the ])ublic pro|)erty of an enemy on the sea and even the private property of his sub- jects is recognized by the rules of international law, although the right to capture private prop- erty on land has been generally abandoned. The capture of enemy's ])roperty cannot be lawfully made in neutral waters, and prizes thus taken must be restored to their owners with such repa- ration as the neutral Government may demand for the violation of its neutrality. ithout authority the act of capture must be regarded as piracy and punishable as such. Since the authority to cap- ture enemy's property is derived from the bellig- erent Government, it follows that the title of the captor to the prize which he has taken is subject to the disposition of his Government according to law. The Ciovernment ma.v therefore vest the title in .the captor, or it may appropriate the prize to its own use, or destroy it, or sell it. dis- tributing the proceeds among the captors in such manner as the laws of the State may prescribe. A question of some importance in the law of prizes is the determination of the exact dale when the title passes from the original owner to the captor. The riglit of the captor to that which undoubtedly belongs to his enemy is complete as between him and his enemy so soon as the cap- ture is complete ; but as between him and a neu- tral State which may lay claim to a whole or part of the prize, further evidence of the lawful- ness of the capture must be forthcoming. Ac- cording to one view, the title passes at the mo- ment at which the capture is definitely etl'eeted and all resistance has ceased, as is evidenced by striking the flag or voluntarily surrendering. Others claim that the title vests in the captor after twenty-four hours of secure possession. Still others insist that the capture is complete, only when the prize has been carried infra prce- sidin and is thus secure against the possibility of recapture. Whatever may be the correct rule, it would seem that the (Jovernment to which the captor belongs has an inchoate title at least from the moment the act of seizure has been accom- plished. This title may be contested by a neutral Government on the ground that the capture was made in its waters, or by its subjects, or for other reasons. The inchoate title, therefore, is made complete by having the prize sent in to a port of the captor and the question of the law- fulness of the cajiture authoritatively determined by a judicial tribunal. (See Prize Coirt.) To tills end it is the first duty of the captor to bring in his prize for adjudication if it is capable of making the voyage, otherwise he should destroy it as enemy's property if there be no doubt as to its character, or sell it and turn over the pro- ceeds to the jurisdiction of the proper court for distribution. Formerly the usages of war per-
