Reasonable Time

The English law, which in this respect, has been adopted by us, frequently requires things to be done within a reasonable time; but what a reasonable time is it does not define: quam long-um debet esse rationabile tempus, non definitur in lege, sed pendet ex discretione justiciariorum. This indefinite requisition is the source of much litigation. A bill of exchange, for example, must be presented within a reasonable time. An abandonment must be made within a reasonable time after advice received of the loss.

The commercial code of France fixes a time in both these cases, which varies in proportion to the distance.
   

This entry contains material from Bouvier's Legal Dictionary, a work published in the 1850's.