historical explanations to be found in Williams on Real Property. For example, in chapter ii we are told that an estate in land is said to be either freehold, copyhold or leasehold,' from which the student may possibly infer that leasehold land cannot be the subject of freehold or copyhold tenure. A few lines further on villein tenure is explained as 'the tenure of a 66 villager "'; and in chapter iii we find 'manor' defined as follows: When several lands are held by different tenants in fee simple of the same lord, the lord is said to have a manor.' If these statements are traced back to their source in more advanced works on real property the student will understand them, but taken by themselves they are more likely to mislead than to help him. Mr. Topham is also a little careless in his definitions of technical terms, as when he tells us that 'feoffment is a granting of the fee,' or when he explains the nature of possessory title under the Land Transfer Acts by saying that 'the person in possession of the land has only to show that he is in possession, he can then be registered with a "possessory title "'. This implies that possessory titles depend on possession, which is rarely, if ever, the case. The statement that when land has once been registered there is no necessity to continue to transfer it by registered transfers ought to be qualified by a reference to s. 16 (2) of the Land Transfer Act, 1897. In a work intended for beginners accuracy in small matters is important.

In stating the rules of succession to property on intestacy, Mr. Topham has made use of some novel diagrams, which may be useful in affording mental exercise to the student.

Compendium of the Law of Torts. By HUGH FRASER.

Seventh Edition. London: Sweet & Maxwell, Lim. Sm. 8vo. xxviii and 252 pp. (88.)

LAW students in the past have shown their appreciation of Mr. Fraser's excellent short summary of the Law of Torts, and the present generation of students will welcome this new edition which brings the law up to date. We know of no book which states the elements of torts more concisely and with equal accuracy, and we believe that when it is used side by side with the more elaborate books which state and discuss principles, it is a book from which students may derive considerable assistance. We should, however, be sorry for the profession if we thought that the study of such a textbook were regarded as a sufficient qualification for practice at the bar. In the present edition Mr. Fraser has incorporated such of the recent cases and statutes as come within the scope of his work, and he wisely resists the temptation to refer to recent cases which are not of a strictly elementary character.

The treatment of the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1906, is not quite satisfactory. It is difficult to maintain that the subject of workmen's compensation under the Act belongs to the law of torts at all, and a writer for students should show clearly that the right to compensation is a statutory incident of the contract of service and is independent of any negligence or wrongful act on the part of the employer. We think also that the important subject of the law of nuisances might well be treated somewhat more fully. Apart from interference with easements only three or four pages are devoted to the law of nuisances, whilst about fifty pages are given to libel and slander. But it is difficult for a specialist to resist the temptation to treat fully the topics with which he is most familiar.

The Law of Wills. Maxwell, Lim. THIS work has been written for students primarily. It comprises a series of lectures delivered by the author at the request of the Council of Legal Education, together with certain additional matter. It is a lucid statement of the salient facts concerning the law of Wills, and both the arrangement of the topics and the outline of each topic will readily appeal to the student's comprehension.

By J. ANDREW STRAHAN. London: Sweet & 1908. 8vo. xxxiv and 182 pp. (78. 6d.)

The learned author cites In re Orlebar, Wynter v. Orlebar [1908] 1 Ch. 136, but we observe that he prefers the decision of Warrington J. in In re Dobson [1907] 1 Ch. 284 to that of Neville J. in the former case. We think that the issue between these cases might have been more clearly and emphatically stated, namely, whether property in respect of which a testator has exercised a general power of appointment passes to the ( executor as such,' and whether the testator's general personal estate, or the property appointed, must bear the estate duty.

We can readily recommend this little work to young practitioners about to begin the anxious task of taking instructions for and drafting Wills. A perusal of this book will refresh the memory on all the most important points which it is essential for the draftsman to bear in mind.

Poor Law Settlement and Removal. By HERBERT DAVEY. London: Stevens & Sons, Lim. 8vo. xxix and 364 pp. (98.)

MR. DAVEY has made a careful and exhaustive study of the law relating to the settlement and removal of paupers. Much of the learning upon this subject is antiquated and, since the passing of the Divided Parishes Act, 1876, is of little practical importance; but none of it can be said to be wholly obsolete, and we may congratulate Mr. Davey upon his sound judgment in retaining as many of the old cases as are now useful without unduly overloading his text. He discusses the recent cases intelligently and states the law generally with accuracy. Some parts of the book might have been improved if the learned author had referred to cases not immediately concerned with the subject of settlement and removal. For instance, upon the question what deeds of apprenticeship are binding on an infant he cites no case later than R. v. Great Wigston (3 B. & C. 484). There are many recent authorities of great weight upon this subject, such as De Francesco v. Barnum (45 Ch. Div. 430), Walter v. Everard [1891] 2 Q. B. 369, Corn v. Matthews [1893] 1 Q. B. 310, and Green v. Thompson [1899] 2 Q. B. 1; and we find no references to the provisions of the Chimney Sweepers Act, 1840, and the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, in regard to apprentices. The Chimney Sweepers Act of 1787, which is referred to, has been long repealed, as also has 10 Geo. II. c. xxxi (Thames Watermen), which is referred to on the same page. Another case which has been overlooked is Woodstock Union v. Shipston-on-Stour Union (62 L. J. M. C. 43), which decides that in accordance with 31 Geo. II. c. ii. s. 1, a settlement may be acquired by an instrument of apprenticeship in writing, signed, but not sealed, by the parties. Mr. Davey, at page 113, says that the instrument need not be sealed, but must be duly executed in every other respect and stamped, 'the agreement must therefore be by deed.' This statement is unin

telligible, and the concluding words are inconsistent with the decision last referred to.

There is an appendix of 133 pages containing at length reports of a number of cases reprinted from the Law Journal Reports and of a number of statutes. Mr. Davey very properly gives the dates of all cases cited by him, and we must say that without the dates we should find some difficulty in tracing some of the cases; for instance, the reference to Reg. v. Cookham is given as 9 Q. B. 522, instead of 9 Q. B. D. 522, and a similar mistake occurs in many other cases. In other cases there is confusion between the year of the decision and the year of the report. Thus we find West Ham v. London County Council (1903) 73 L. J. Q. B. 85, A. C. 40,' instead of [1904] A. C. 40. Little mistakes of this kind are so frequent as to deserve notice. They are irritating.

The Agricultural Holdings Act, 1906. By GEORGE ARTHUR JOHNSTON. Second Edition. London: Effingham Wilson. 1908. 8vo. 198 pp. (38. 6d. net.)

THIS book is designed for the use of 'those who are connected with, or interested in land which is used for agricultural or market gardening purposes,' rather than for lawyers.

It contains a careful epitome of the Agricultural Holdings Acts, followed by the text of the Amending Act of 1906, annotated. The Appendix comprises the Agricultural Holdings Acts, 1883 to 1900, with the Rules of the Board of Agriculture and the County Court Rules issued in 1900. These rules and the forms accompanying them appear on the face of them to be inapplicable without some amendment to the present state of the law. The amending Act does not come into force till January 1, 1909, before which time new rules and forms will presumably be issued.

The author discusses freely the interpretation to be given to the new Act. Whilst we cannot agree with some of his conclusions, we commend his courage in facing unsolved problems.

The effect of the various Acts might have been shown more clearly if the amendments had been incorporated in the principal Act as they would be in a consolidating Act. An unlearned reader will make but little sense of the Act of 1906 if he has to turn to the appendix to find each of the sections of the earlier Acts which are thereby amended or repealed.

A Concise Treatise on
W. F. BEDDOES.
Ixiv and 360 pp.

the Law of Mortgage. Second Edition. By London: Stevens & Sons, Lim. 1908. 8vo. (128. 6d.)

WE welcome a second edition of this work not only because we think it will be useful to students, but also because a little book on a big subject is likely to be of service to the busy practitioner who wants to refresh his memory on some elementary or broad principle without diving into the recesses of an unwieldy volume. And the volume before us seems well fitted to answer both purposes.

In the present edition a chapter on the Land Transfer Acts has been

added, and the cases reported since the last edition, down to December 1907, have been noted. Various other additions have been made and the work has been revised throughout.

We have tested the book in many ways and have not found it wanting. It is for the most part carefully, clearly, and accurately written, and contains a good deal of matter in a small compass. On the other hand it contains some errors which might easily have been avoided, for instance, the Copyhold Act, 1887 is in several places referred to, but we have been unable to find any reference to the Copyhold Act, 1894, by which the former Act was wholly repealed.

District Councils. By H. D. CORNISH. London: Stevens & Sons, Lim. 1908. 8vo. xxiii and 412 pp. (78. 6d.)

MR. CORNISH's handbook will doubtless be found useful by District Councillors who desire to acquire a general knowledge of their powers and duties. The subject-matters are arranged in alphabetical order, and each consists of a concise summary of the statutory provisions, with references to some of the more important decisions thereon. The law seems to be generally stated with as much accuracy and completeness as is compatible with the method and scope of the work.

We should, however, have expected to find the subject of 'Contracts' more clearly explained. There is no reference to the common law rule that contracts of corporations must be under seal. The special statutory provision in the Public Health Act with reference to Contracts of Urban Councils is referred to, and Lawford v. Billericay R. D. C. [1903] 1 K. B. 772 is stated in connexion therewith, but without any hint at the rule to which that case establishes an exception. It is much more important to warn the district councillor of the necessity for sealing the contracts of his council than to tell him how in special circumstances he can avoid the consequences of neglect.

We have no doubt the book will be appreciated by those who are interested in local government and lack either the time or the patience to study more elaborate treatises.

The Law Relating to Companies and Limited Partnerships. By JOHN R. MCILRAITH. London: George Routledge & Sons, Lim.; New York: E. P. Dutton & Co. 1908. viii and 288 pp. (18.) The Companies Acts, 1900 and 1907. By JAMES W. REID. London: Effingham Wilson. 1908. iii and 131 pp. (28. 6d. net.) Responsibilities of Directors and Working of Companies under the Companies Acts, 1862-1907. By ANTHONY PULBROOK. Second Edition, by G. F. EMERY. London: Effingham Wilson. 1908. xix and 308 pp. (38. 6d. net.)

HAVING regard to the fact that all the Companies Acts from 1862 to 1907, inclusive, will shortly-probably in the next autumn session-be consolidated into one statute, it is surprising that so much energy should be displayed in writing books on the existing but soon to be repealed Acts. Perhaps the results of these efforts are meant to assist our legislators in getting up sufficiently an important branch of law which is soon

to be brought before them-has in fact been already brought before some of them-in a concrete form. What is now occupying much of the attention of company draftsmen is the curiously drawn thirty-seventh section of the Act of 1907 (which will be in operation when this review appears in print), defining the new kind of 'private company' which is one of the offspring of the new Act. Some of the questions which arise on the section are: Must an existing company alter its articles before July 1 in order to be a private company? What is a sufficient restriction of the right to transfer shares? How is the limit of fifty shareholders (exclusive of persons who are in the employment of the Company) to be preserved ? What happens if a company whose articles prohibit invitations to the public for share or debenture capital disregards the prohibition? Whether a private company cannot turn itself into a public company by simply striking out the prohibitive clauses of its articles, and, if not, what sort of a thing does it become by such a striking out?

Mr. McIlraith's book is a useful introduction, in a small compass, to company law generally, and it also contains a useful chapter on limited partnerships, as regards which he is rather more optimistic than most lawyers.

Mr. Reid's book is written to show business men the changes effected by the Acts of 1900 and 1907, and is in many respects useful. It will, at any rate, send many of its readers who are connected with companies in haste to their lawyers. Besides giving the two recent Acts in full, it sets out the material sections in former Acts which are affected by or referred to in the new enactments.

The book edited by Mr. Emery shows the alterations in company law which have taken place since the publication of the first edition, which was written by the late Mr. Anthony Pulbrook, a solicitor who took a keen interest in the subject. He would, if alive, be quite satisfied with the reverence with which the new editor has treated his original remarks. This book contains many useful hints to directors and others, and sets out the two new Acts, with notes.

These little books are all useful in their respective ways, and many small points are suggested, which might escape persons who are well acquainted with their subject-matter.

We have also received :

International Documents: a collection of international conventions and declarations of a law-making kind. Edited, with Introduction and Notes, by E. A. WHITTUCK. London: Longmans, Green & Co. 1908. 8vo. xxxviii, 1-234 double (translation opposite text), and 235-252 pp. (108. 6d. net.)-The title of this volume is accurate, but not very informing. In fact all the documents here collected relate to war and arbitration. Part I (which is very short) contains the Declaration of Paris, the Geneva Convention with its later additions, and the Declaration of St. Petersburg; Part 2, the Acts of The Hague Conference of 1899, and the Geneva Convention of 1906; and Part 3, those of The Hague Conference of 1907. Mr. Whittuck has supervised the reprinting of all this material, both French text and English translation, in a handy form, and has added a concise and workmanlike introduction and a few brief