189. North Carolina. By the Revised Statutes, chapter 65, it is provided as follows, to wit:

190. 1. As to lands. 1. That no person or persons nor their heirs, which hereafter shall have any right or title to any lands, tenements, or hereditaments, shall thereunto enter or make any claim, but within seven years next after his, her, or their right or title descended or accrued, and in default thereof, such person or persons, so not entering or making claim, shall be utterly excluded and disabled from any entry or claim thereafter to be made: Provided, nevertheless, that if any person or persons, that is or hereafter shall be entitled to any right or claim of lands, tenements or hereditaments, shall be, at the time the said right or title first descended, accrued, come or fallen, within the age of twenty-one years, feme covert, non compos mentis, imprisoned or beyond seas, that then such person or persons shall and may, notwithstanding the said seven years be expired, commence his, her or their suit, or make his, her, or their entry, as he, she, or they might have done before this act, so as such person or persons shall, within three years next after full age, discoverture, coming of sound mind, enlargement out of prison, or persons beyond seas, within eight years after the title or claim becomes due, take benefit and sue for the same, and at no time after the times or limitations herein specified; but that all possessions, held without suing such claim as aforesaid, shall be a perpetual bar against all, and all manner of persons whatsoever, that the expectation of heirs may not, in a short time, leave much land unpossessed, and titles so perplexed, that no man will know of whom to take or buy land. Provided also, that if in any action of ejectment for the recovery of any lands, tenements or hereditaments, judgment be given for the plaintiff, and the same be reversed for error, or a verdict pass for the plaintiff, and, upon matter alleged in arrest of judgment, the judgment be given against the plaintiff that he take nothing by his plaint, writ or bill, or a verdict be given against the plaintiff, in all such cases the party plaintiff, his heirs or executors, as the case shall require, may commence a new action or suit from time to time, within one year after such judgment reversed, or judgment given against the plaintiff.

191. - §2. Where any person or persons, or the person or persons under whom he, she, or they claim, shall have been, or shall continue to be, in possession of any lands, tenements or hereditaments whatsoever, under titles derived from sales, made either by creditors, executors or administrators of any person deceased, or by husbands and their wives, or by endorsement of patents or other colorable title, for the space of twenty-one years, all such possessions of lands, tenements or, hereditaments, under such title, shall be and are hereby ratified, confirmed and declared to be a good and legal bar, against the entry of any person or persons, under the right or claim of the state, to all intents and purposes whatsoever; Provided, nevertheless, that the possession so set up shall have been ascertained and identified under known and visible lines or boundaries.

192. - 2. As to personal actions. §3. All actions of trespass, detinue, actions sur trover and replevin for taking away of goods and chattels, all actions of account and upon the case, all actions of debt for arrearages of rent, all actions of debt grounded upon any lending or contract without specialty, and all actions of assault, menace, battery, wounding, and imprisonment, or any of tbem, which shall be sued or brought, shall be commenced or brought within the time and limitation in this act expressed, and not after; that is to say, actions of account render, actions upon the case, ac- tions of debt for arrearages of rent, actions of debt upon simple contract, actions of detinue, replevin, and trespass either for goods and chattels or quare clausum fregit, within three years next after the cause of such action or suit, and not after; except such accounts as concern the trade of merchandise, between merchant and merchant, and their factors, or servants; and the said actions of trespass, of assault and battery, wounding, imprisonment, or any of them, within one year after the cause of such action or suit, and not after; and the said actions upon the case for words, within six months after the words spoken, and not after.

193. - §4. Provided, nevertheless, that if, on any of the said actions or suits, judgment be given for the plaintiff, and the same be reversed by error, or a verdict pass for the plaintiff, and upon matter alleged in arrest of judgment, the judgment be given against the plaintiff, that he take nothing by his plaint, writ or bill; or if any of the said actions shall be brought by original writ, and the defendant cannot be attached or legally served with process, in all such cases, the party plaintiff, his heirs, executors or administrators, as the case shall require, may commence a new action or suit, from time to time, within a year after such judgment reversed, or such judgment given against the plaintiff, or till the defendant can be attached or served with the process, so as to compel him to appear and answer. And provided further, that if any person or persons, that is or shall be entitled to any such action or trespass, detinue, action sur trover, replevin, actions of accompt and upon the case, actions of debt for arrearages of rent, actions of debt grounded upon any lending or contract without specialty, actions of assault, menace, battery, wounding, and imprisonment, actions of trespass quare clausum fregit, actions upon the case for slanderous words, be, or shall be, at the time of any such cause of action given or accrued, fallen or come, within the age of twenty-one years, feme covert, non compos mentis, imprisoned or beyond the seas, then such person or persons shall be at liberty to bring the same actions, so as they bring the same within such times as are before limited, after their coming to or being of full age, discovert, of sound memory, at large or returned from beyond seas, as other persons having no such impediment might have done. And provided further, that when any person or persons, against whom there is cause of action, shall be beyond sea at the time of such cause of action given or accrued, fallen or come, the person, who shall have such cause of action, may bring his action against them within such time or times as are hereinbefore limited, for bringing such actions after their return.

194. - §5. The limitation of actions shall apply to all bonds, bills, and other securities made transferable by law, after the assignment or endorsement thereof, in the same manner as it operates against promissory notes.

195. - 3. As to penal Actions. §6. All actions and suits to be brought on any penal act of the general assembly, for the recovery of the penalty therein set forth, shall be brought within three years after the cause of such action or suit shall or may have accrued, and not after: Provided, that this act shall not affect the time of bringing suit on any penal act of the general assembly, which hath a time limited therein for bringing the same.

196. Ohio. 1. As to lands. Twenty-one years adverse possession of lands operates a bar, with a saving in favor of infants, femes covert, persons insane, imprisoned or beyond the sea, when the right of action accrues. And if a person shall have left the state, and remain out of the same at the time the cause of action accrued; or shall have left the state or county at any time during the period of limitation, (that is, after the right of action has accrued,) and remain out of the same in a place unknown to the person having the right of action, suit may be brought at any time within the period of limitation, after the return of such person to the state or county.

197. - 2. As to personal actions. 1st. Actions upon the case, covenant and debt founded upon a specialty, or any agreement, contract or promise in writing, may be brought within fifteen years after the cause of action shall have accrued.

198. - 2d. Actions upon the case and debt founded upon any simple contract, not in writing, and actions on the case for consequential damages, within six years.

199. - 3d. Actions of trespass upon property, real or personal, detinue, trover and replevin, within four years.

200. - 4th. Actions of trespass for any injury done to the person, actions of slander for words spoken, or for a libel, actions for malicious prosecution, and for false imprisonment; actions against officers for malfeasance or nonfeasance in office, and actions of debt qui tam, within one year.

201. - 5th. Actions for forcible entry and detainer, or forcible detainer only, within two years.

202. - 6th. All other actions within four years; and all penalties and forfeitures given by statute and limited by the statute, within the times so limited.

203. - 7th. Infants, femes covert, persons insane or imprisoned, entitled to an action of ejectment, may, after the twenty-one years have elapsed, bring their actions within ten years after such disability removed. They may bring all other actions, within the respective times Iimited for bringing such actions, after the disability removed.

204. - 8th. Actions, founded on contracts between persons resident at the time of the contract without this state, which are barred by the laws of the country where the contract was made, are barred in the courts of this state.

205. - 9th. In all actions on contracts express or implied, in case of payment of an part, principal or interest, acknowledgment of an existing liability, debt or claim, or any promise to pay the same, within the time herein limited, the action may be commenced within the time limited after such payment, acknowledgment or promise.

206. - 10th. If judgment be arrested or reversed, the suit abate or the plaintiff become nonsuit, and the time limited shall have expired, the plain-tiff may bring a new action within one year after such arrest, reversal, abatement or nonsuit.

207. - 11th. A person who has left the state, or resides out of it, or whose place of residence is unknown although in the state, at the time the cause of action accrues, may be sued within the time limited by the act, after his return or to removal the state, or his place of residence, if in the state, becomes known. O. Stat. vol. 29, 214; Act of Feb. 18, 1831. Took effect, June 1, 1831. Swan's Col. Laws, 553, 4, 5, 6.

208. This act only operates upon causes of action accruing after the act took effect, and all causes of action previously subsisting are governed by the statutes (and there have been several) in force when the respective causes of action accrued, none of the statutes being retrospective in their operation. 7 O. R. p. 2, 235, West's Adm'r. v. Hymer; Id. 153, Hazlett et al. v.Critchfield et al.; 6 Id. 96, Bigelow's Ex'r. v. Bigelow's Adm'r.

209. - 3. As to penal actions. Prosecutions for any forfeitures under a penal statute, must be instituted within two years, unless otherwise specially provided for.

210. Pennsylvania. 1. As to lands. From henceforth no person or persons whatsoever, shall make entry into any manors, lands, tenements or hereditaments, after the expiration of twenty-one years next after his, her or their right or title to the same first descended or accrued; nor shall any person or persons whatsoever have or maintain any writ of right, or any other real or possessory writ or action, for any manor, lands, tenements or hereditaments, of the seisin or possession of him, her or themselves, his, her, or their ancestors, or predecessors, nor declare or allege any other seisin or possession of him, her or themselves, his, her or their ancestors or predecessors, than within twenty-one years next before such writ, action, or suit so hereafter to be sued, commenced or brought. Act of March 26, 1785, s. 2, 2 Smith's Laws Pa. 299.

211. Section 4, provides, that if any person or persons having such right or title be, or shall be at the time such right or title first descended or accrued, within the age of twenty-one years, feme covert, non compos mentis, imprisoned or beyond the seas, or from and without the United States of America, then such person or persons, and the heir or heirs of such person or persons, shall and may, notwithstanding the said twenty-one years be expired, bring his or their action, or make his or their entry, as he, she or, they might have done, before the passing of this act, so as such person or persons, or the heir or heirs of such person or persons, shall within ten years next after attaining full age, discoverture, soundness of mind, enlargement out of prison, or coming into the said United States, take benefit of or sue for the same, and no time after the said ten years; and in case such person or persons shall die within the said term of ten years, under any of the disbilities aforesaid, the heir or heirs of such person or persons shall have the same benefit, that such person or persons could or might have had; by living until the disabilities should, have ceased or been removed; and if any abatement happen in any proceeding or proceedings upon such right or title, such proceeding or proceedings may be renewed and continued, within three years from the time of such abatement, but not afterward.

212. By the act of March 11, 1815, the provision above contained, so far as the same relates to persons beyond the seas, and from and without the United States of America, is repealed.

213. - 2. As to personal actions. All actions of trespass quare clausum fregit, all actions of detinue, trover and replevin, for taking away goods and cattle, all actions upon account, and upon the case, (other than such accounts as concern the trade of merchandise between merchant and merchant, their factors or servants,) all actions of debt, grounded upon any lending or con- tract without specialty, all actions of debt for arrearages of rent, except the proprietaries' quit rents, and all actions of trespass, of assault, menace, battery, wounding and imprisonment, or any of them, which shall be sued or brought at any time after the five and twentieth day of April, which shall be in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and thirteen, shall be commenced and sued within the time and limitation hereafter expressed, and not after; that is to say, the said actions upon the case, other than for slander, and the said actions for account, and the said actions for trespass, debt, detinue, and replevin for goods or chattels, and the said actions of trespass quare clausum fregit, within six years next after the cause of such actions or suit, and not after. And the said actions of trespass, of assault, menace, battery, wounding, imprisonment, or any of them, within two years next after the cause of such actions or suit, and not after. And the said actions upon the case for words, within one year next after the words spoken, and not after. Act. of March 27, 1713, s. 1.

214. If in any of the said actions or suits, judgment be given for the plaintiff and the same be reversed by error, or a verdict passed for the plaintiff, and upon matter alleged in arrest of judgment, the judgment be given against the plaintiff, that he take nothing by his plaint, writ or bill, then and in every such case, the party plaintiff, his heirs, executors, or administrators, as the case may require, may commence a new action or suit, from time to time, within a year after such judgment reversed, or given against the plaintiff, as aforesaid, and not after. Id. s. 2.

215. In all actions upon the cause, for slanderous words, to be sued or prosecuted by any person or persons, in any court within this province, after the said twenty-fifth day of April next, if the jury upon trial of the issue in such action, or the jury that shall inquire of the damages, do find or assess the damages under forty shillings, then the plaintiff or plaintiffs in such action shall have and recover only so much costs as the damages so given or assessed do amount unto without any further increase of the same. Id. s. 4.

216. Provided nevertheless, that if any person or persons who is or shall be entitled to any such action or trespass, detinue, trover, replevin, actions of account, debt, actions for trespass, for assault, menace, battery, wounding or imprisonment, actions upon the case for words, be, or, at the time of any cause of such action given or accrued, fallen, or come, shall be within the age of twenty-one years, feme covert, non compos mentis, imprisoned or beyond the sea, that then such person or persons shall be at liberty to bring the same actions, so as they take the same within such times as are hereby before limited, after their coming to or being of full age, discoverture, of sound memory, at large, or returning into this province as other persons. id. s. 5.

217.-3. As to penal actions. All actions, suits, bills, indictments or information, which shall be brought for any forfeiture upon any penal act of assembly made or to be made, whereby the forfeiture is or shall be limited to the commonwealth only, shall hereafter be brought within two years after the offence was committed, and at no time afterwards, and all actions, suits, bills, or informations which shall be brought for any forfeiture upon any penal act of assembly made or to be made, the benefit and suit whereof is or shall be by the said act limited to the commonwealth, and to any person or persons that shall prosecute in that behalf, shall be brought by any person or persons that may lawfully sue for the same, within one year next after the offence was committed; and in default of such pursuit, then the same shall be brought for the commonwealth, any time within one year after that year ended; and if any action, suit, bill, indictment or information shall be brought after the time so Iimited, the same shall be void, and where a shorter time is limited by any act of assembly, the prosecution shall be within that time. Act of March 26, 1785, s. 6.