_Tally Court in the_ EXCHEQUER. In order to give a more perfect idea of this office, it will be proper to say something of the nature of tallies. The word tally is derived from the French word _tailler_, to cut, a tally being a piece of wood wrote upon on both sides, containing an acquittance for money received, which being cloven asunder by the Deputy Chamberlains, one part, called the stock, is delivered to the person who pays or lends any money to the government; and the other part, called the counter-stock or counter-foil, remains in the office, to be kept till called for, and joined with the stock. This method of striking tallies is very ancient, and has been found by long experience to be the best way of preventing frauds that ever was invented; for it is morrally impossible so to counterfeit a tally, but upon rejoining it with the counter-foil, the intended fraud will be obvious to every eye, either in the notches or the cleaving, in the length or in the breadth, in the natural growth, or in the shape of the counter-foil. To the tally court belong the two Chamberlains of the Exchequer, in whose custody are many ancient records, leagues, and treaties with foreign princes, the standards of money, weights, and measures, those ancient books called the Black Book of the Exchequer, and Doomsday Book, which last contains an account of all the cities, towns, villages and families in the reign of William the Conqueror. This book is kept under three locks and keys, and cannot be examined for less than 6_s._ 8_d_. and for every line transcribed is paid 4_d_. Under these officers are four Deputy Chamberlains, in whose office are preserved all the counter-foils of the above tallies, so exactly ranked by months or years, that they may be easily found out, in order to be joined with their respective tallies, which being done and proved true, they deliver it attested for a lawful tally to the Clerk of the Pipe, to be allowed in the great roll. The other officers of this court, are the Usher of the Exchequer, his deputy and clerk; three Paymasters of Exchequer bills, their deputy, and a Comptroller of Exchequer bills; a tally writer for the Auditor, who has two assistant clerks, and a tally cutter. _Chamberlain’s Present State._ There are several other offices belonging to the Exchequer, as the pipe office in Gray’s Inn; Foreign Apposer’s office, and King’s Remembrancer’s office, in the Temple; Clerk of the pleas office, in Lincoln’s Inn, &c. See the articles PIPE OFFICE, FOREIGN APPOSER’S OFFICE, &c. See also the article TREASURER. EXECUTION _dock_, Wapping; thus named from its being the place where pirates and others who have committed capital crimes at sea, are executed on a gallows which leans over the water.