in Law, implies a person born in a strange country, not within the king's allegiance; in contradistinction to a denizen or natural subject. An alien is incapable of inheriting lands in Britain till naturalized by an act of parliament. No alien is entitled to vote at the election of members of parliament; nor can he enjoy any office, or be returned on any jury, unless where an alien is party in a cause, when the inquest is composed of an equal number of denizens and aliens.

The act 33 Geo. III. c. 4, commonly called the Alien Bill, and which empowered the king to restrain aliens, and send them out of the kingdom, was, by 41 Geo. III. c. 24, appointed to be continued till six months after the conclusion of a general peace.

ALIEN-Duty, an impost laid on all goods imported by aliens, over and above the customs paid for such goods imported by British subjects, and on British bottoms.

ALIEN Priories, a kind of inferior monasteries, formerly very numerous in England, and so called from their belonging to foreign abbeys.