The  claim  of  the  appellant  is  based  upon  two  grounds :  First.,  that  the
appellee  is  not  entitled  to  relief  in  a  court  of  equity,  because  it  is  estopped
by  its  conduct  from  denying  the  defendant's  title  to  the  coupon  bonds  and
the  coupons  due  thereon ;  and  second,  because  if  the  said  certificates  of
stock  were  transferred  and  the  said  coupon  bonds  issued  in  their  place  were
so  transferred  and  issued  by  mistake  as  to  the  rights  of  the  parties,  that
mistake  is  one  of  law ;  and  in  equity  as  well  as  at  law  the  maxim  igno-
rantia  juris  neniinem  excusai  must  prevail.  We  will  briefly  notice  both  of
these  objections.^

The  court  is  further  of  opinion  that  the  rule  invoked  by  the  appellant,
ignorantia  Juris  rum  excusat,  does  not  apply  in  this  case.
While  it  is  a  general  rule  that  mistake  in  matter  of  law  cannot  be  ad-
mitted as  ground  of  relief,  it  is  not  a  rule  of  universal  application,  especially
in  courts  of  equity.  It  is  not  an  absolute  and  inflexible  rule,  but  has  its
exceptions,  though  such  exceptions,  in  the  language  of  Jtidge  Stort,  are

1  Only  8o  much  of  the  opinion  is  given  ns  relates  to  the  second  objection.  —  Ed.
176  WEBB  V.  CITY  COUNCIL  OF   ALEXANDRIA-  [CHAP.  IL

few,  and  generally  stand  upon  some  very  urgent  pressure  of  circumstances.
