REEVE. The name of an ancient English officer of justice, inferior in rank to an alderman.

2. He was a ministerial officer, appointed to execute process, keep the king's peace, and put the laws in execution. He witnessed all contracts and bargains; brought offenders to justice, and delivered them to punishment; took bail for such as were to appear at the county court, and presided at the court or folcmote. He was also called gerefa.

3. There were several kinds of reeves as the shire-gerefa, shire-reeve or sheriff; the heh-gerefa, or high-sheriff, tithing-reeve, burgh or borough-reeve.

RE-EXAMINATION. A second examination of a thing. A witness maybe reexamined, in a trial at law, in the discretion of the court, and this is seldom refused. In equity, it is a general rule that there can be no reexamination of a witness, after he has once signed his name to the deposition, and turned his back upon the commissioner or examiner; the reason of this is that he may be tam-pered with or induced to retract or qualify what he has sworn to. 1 Meriv. 130.

RE-EXCHANGE, contracts, commerce. The expense incurred by a bill's being dishonored in a foreign country where it is made payable, and returned to that country in which it was made or indorsed, and there taken up; the amount of this depends upon the course of exchange between the two countries, through which the bill has been negotiated. In other words, reexchange is the difference between the draft and redraft.

2. The drawer of a bill is liable for the whole amount of reexchange occasioned by the circuitous mode of returning the bill through the various countries in which it has been negotiated, as much as for that occasioned by a direct return. Maxw. L. D. ii. t.; 5 Com. Dig. 150.

3. In some states, legislative enactments have been made which regulate damages on reexchange. These damages are different in the several states, and this want of uniformity, if it does not create injustice, must be admitted to be a serious evil. 2 Amer. Jur. 79. See Chit. on Bills. (ed. of 1836,) 666. See Damages on Bills of Exchange.

REFALO. A word composed of the three initial syllables re. fa. lo., for recordari facias loquelam. (q. v.) 2 Sell. Pr 160; 8 Dowl. R. 514.

REFECTION, civil law. Reparation, reestablishment of a building. Dig. 19, 1, 6, 1.