sale, under a penalty of 20. Sales by auction usually take place under certain conditions, which, it is the duty of the auctioneer to read to the bidders before the sale begins. To complete a sale by auction there must be a bidding by, or on behalf of, a person capable of making a contract, and an acceptance thereof by the auctioneer, and until the bidding is accepted both vendor and bidder are free, and may retract if they choose. If due notice is given, an agent may be employed to bid on behalf of the seller, but the employment of several bidders is improper, and if the sale is declared to be without reserve, any bidding on the behalf of the seller will vitiate the sale. Puffing, it has been said, is illegal, even if there be only one puffer. On the other hand, any hindrance to a free sale, either by a bidder deterring competitors from offering against him, or by an engagement among the competitors to refrain from bidding, in order to keep down the price of the goods and then share the profit, is a fraud upon the vendor. Two persons, however, may agree not to bid against each other. Auctioneers are entitled by their licence to act as appraisers also.
AUDÆUS, or Audius, a reformer of the 4th century,
by birth a Mesopotamian. He suffered much persecution
from the Syrian clergy for his fearless censure of their
irregular lives, and was expelled from the church. He
was afterwards banished into Scythia, where he gained
many followers and established the monastic system. He
died there at an advanced age, about 370 A.D. The
Audseans celebrated the feast of Easter on the same day
as the Jewish Passover, and they were also charged with
attributing to the Deity a human shape. They appear to
have founded this opinion on Genesis i. 26.
AUDE, a southern department of France, forming part
of the old province of Languedoc, bounded on the E. by
the Mediterranean, N. by the departments of Herault and
Tarn, N.W. by Upper Garonne, W. by Ariege, and S. by
that of Eastern Pyrenees. It lies between lat. 4.2 40 and
34 30 N., and is 80 miles in length from E. to W., and 60
miles in breadth from N. to S. Area, 2341 square miles.
The department of Aude is traversed on its western
boundary from S. to N. by a mountain range of medium
height, which unites the Pyrenees with the Southern
Cevennes ; and its northern frontier is occupied by the
Black Mountains, the most western part of the Cevennes
chain. The Corbieres, a branch of the Pyrenees, runs in
a S.W. and N.E. direction along the southern district.
The Aude, its principal river, has almost its entire course
in the department. Its principal affluents on the left are
the Fresquel, Orbiel, Argent-Double, and Cesse; on the
right, the Guette, Salse, and Orbieu. The canal of Lan
guedoc, which unites the Atlantic with the Mediterranean,
traverses the department from E. to "W. The lowness of
the coast causes a series of large lagunes, the chief of which
are those of Bages, Sigean, Narbonne, Palme, and Leucate.
The climate is variable, and often sudden in its alterations.
The wind from the N.W., known as the Cers, blows with
great violence, and the sea breeze is often laden with pesti
lential effluvia from the lagunes. Various kinds of wild
animals, as the chamois, bear, wild boar, wolf, fox, and
badger, inhabit the mountains and forests ; game of all
kinds is plentiful ; and the coast and lagunes abound in
fish. Mines of iron, copper, lead, manganese, cobalt, and
antimony exist in the department ; and, besides the beauti
ful marbles of Cascastel and Caunes, there are quarries of
lithographic stone, gypsum, limestone, and slate. The
coal mines are for the most part abandoned. The moun
tains contain many mineral springs, both cold and thermal.
The agriculture of the department is in a very flourishing
condition. The meadows are extensive and well watered,
and are pastured by numerous flocks and herds. The grain
produce, consisting mainly of wheat, oats, rye, and Indian
corn, considerably exceeds the consumption, and the vine
yards yield an abundant supply of both white and red
wines. Olives and almonds are also extensively cultivated,
and the honey of Aude is much esteemed. Besides impor
tant manufactures of woollen and cotton cloths, combs, jet
ornaments, and casks, there are paper-mills, distilleries,
tanneries, and extensive iron and salt works. The chief
town is Carcassonne, and the department is divided into
the four arrondissements of Carcassonne, Limoux, Nar
bonne, and Castelnaudary. Population in 1872, 285,927.
AUDEBERT, JEAN BAPTISTE, a distinguished French
naturalist and artist, was born at Rochefort in 1759. He
studied painting and drawing at Paris, and gained con
siderable reputation as a miniature painter. In 1787 he
was employed to make drawings of some objects in a
natural history collection, and was also a contributor in
the preparation of the plates for Olivier s Histoire des
Imectes. He thus acquired a taste for the study of natural
history, and devoted himself with great eagerness to the
new pursuit. In 1800 appeared his first original work,
L Histoire Naturelle des Singes, des Maids, et des Galeopi-
tkeques, illustrated by 62 folio plates, drawn and engraved
by himself. The colouring in these plates was unusually
beautiful, and was laid on by a method devised by the
author himself. Audebert died in 1800, but he had left
complete materials for another great work, Histoire des
Colibris, des Oiseaux-Mouches, des Jacamares, et des Pro
merops, which was published in 1802. 200 copies were
printed in folio, 100 in large quarto, and 15 were printed
with the whole text in letters of gold. Another work, left
unfinished, was also published after the author s death,
L ffi-stoire des Grimpereaux, et des Oiseaux de Paradis.
The last two works also appeared together in two volumes
with the title Oiseaux dores ou d, reflets metalliques,
1802.
AUDITOR, a person appointed to examine the accounts
kept by the financial officers of the Crown, public corpora
tions, or private persons, and to certify as to their accuracy.
The multifarious statutes regulating the audit of public
accounts have been superseded by the 29 and 30 Viet. c.
39, which gives power to the Queen to appoint a " comp
troller and auditor-general," with the requisite staff to
examine and verify the accounts prepared by the different
departments of the public service. In examining accounts
of the appropriation of the several supply grants, the comp
troller and auditor-general " shall ascertain first whether
the payments which the account department has charged
to the grant are supported by vouchers or proofs of pay
ments ; and second, whether the money expended has been
applied to the purpose or purposes for which such grant
was intended to provide." The Treasury may also submit
certain other accounts to the audit of the comptroller-
general. All public moneys payable to the Exchequer are
to be paid to the " account of Her Majesty s Exchequer "
at the Bank of England, and daily returns of such payments
must be forwarded to the comptroller. Quarterly accounts
of the income and charge of the consolidated fund are to
be prepared and transmitted to the comptroller, who, in
case of any deficiency in the consolidated fund, may certify
to the bank to make advances. The accounts of local
boards, poor-law unions, &c., must be passed in a similar
manner by an official auditor. It is the duty of the auditor
to disallow all illegal payments, and surcharge them upon
the person making or authorising them ; but such disallow
ances may be removed by ccrtiorari into the Court of
Queen s Bench, or an appeal may be made to the local
Government Board. In municipal corporations two
burgesses must be chosen annually as auditors of the
accounts.
