The principles of the branch of the law known as "conflict of laws," or "private international law," are those principles of law by which it is determined the laws of what state or country are to be used in the settlement of a particular controversy.

It will be thus seen that the questions, to the settlement of which these principles are applied, are of a preliminary nature. No controversy can be finally settled by any of the principles of law studied under this subject; all that these principles can determine is what system of laws shall be used in determining the real matter of controversy.