say that it is right-I do not know what the state of my noble friend's (Redesdale's) mind is, as to the question of intention; but if he finds as much difficulty in it as I do, I feel for him.” Volume IV. begins with a curious misprint, as we find Sir William Alexander stated to have been chief baron for no less a period than from 1724-1831. There are also a few more misprints in this volume; which would seem to have been less carefully revised than the others. There are some important Scotch cases such as Ker v. Wauchope, Queensberry Leases, which Lord Eldon declared to be 66 unquestionably the most weighty and important cause, which, in the course of my professional life, either at the Bar or in a judicial situation, I had ever had occasion to consider," and Stirling v. Forrester. Other important cases are Jesson v. Wright; Rowe v. Young which necessitated the passing of an Act of Parliament; Cholmondeley v. Clinton; A. G. v. Dublin (Mayor of), and Hullett v. King of Spain. It is curious to notice how Zachary Macaulay's exertions on behalf of the abolition of Slavery involved him in a libel suit in Macaulay v. Shackell. In Volume V. Rothchild v. Brookman, Cadell v. Palmer, and Lyme Regis v. Henley are important cases, it also contains the Devon Peerage Claim; Birtwhistle v. Vardill and Warrender v. Warrender, both leading cases on questions of domicile, and two cases connected with the frauds committed by the notorious Fauntleroy. In the Sixth Volume we may call attention to Oakely v. Pasheller; another case of Hullett v. King of Spain; R. v. Yarborough (Lord), and Islington Market Bill. The Seventh Volume contains the important cases of Don v. Lippmann; Attwood v. Small, and Duncan v. Findlater. There are also a number of interesting Peerage cases, including the Vaur Peerage; the Earl of Roscommon's Claim, and the Braye Peerage. There is a curious case Phillips v. Innes, as to whether a barber's apprentice in Scotland could be lawfully required to shave customers on Sunday; and it is rather surprising to find that it was considered and distinguished as lately as last year. The most important cases in the Eighth Volume are the O'Connell case and R. v. Millis; there are also a number of Peerage cases of which the best known are the Sussex and the Hastings cases. We may also call attention to the cases of Purves v. Landell, Brown v. Boorman, and Ferguson v. Kinnoull (Earl of). The volumes have been most carefully and judiciously edited, and the learning and research required for this work must have been very great indeed. A Century of Law Reform. London: Macmillan and Co. 1901. Real and Personal Property. By J. E. R. DE VILLIERS, LL.M. 1901. Both these works treat of the history of the changes in the Law; the first during the past century and the second during the reign of Queen Victoria. Their styles are very different, as will at once be understood, when we point out that the former contains the substance of a series of twelve lectures delivered at the request of the Council of Legal Education; while the latter is the Yorke Prize Essay for 1900. The lectures are a pleasure to read, excellently set out by paper and type, and delivered by such masters of their subjects as, among others, Messrs. Blake Odgers, K.C., Augustine Birrell, K.C., A. H. Ruegg, K.C., and Sir Harry Poland, K.C. They combine amusement with instruction in an unusual degree; and a list of the subjects of the lectures will show over how wide a range they extend. The first lecture was on Changes in the Common Law and in the Law of Persons, in the Legal Profession, and in Legal Education. Then come Changes in Criminal Law and Procedure; International Law, Private and Public; Changes in the Constitution, etc.; Changes in Domestic Legislation; Changes in Equity, Procedure, and Principles; Changes in Procedure and in the Law of Evidence; Changes in the Law of England affecting Labour; Changes in the Law of Real Property (two); Changes in the Law affecting the Rights, Status, and Liabilities of Married Women; and last of all the History of Joint Stock and Limited Liability Companies. It is nice to compare the title deeds which were once spoken of by Lord Westbury as being "difficult to read impossible to understand and disgusting to touch," with the present substitute the land certificate, and think of the future landowner in the sympathetic view of Mr. Underhill. "The bulky and imposing sheepskin so familiar to us all, on which in the pompous metaphor of legal writers, a landowner is entitled to sit, will gradually give place to this single attenuated document; so that apparently in the fulness of time, the English land-owner will become a kind of territorial cherub." Mr. de Villiers has not limited his studies to law books, but has delved among the "Reports of Royal Commissions and Select Committees, and the evidence of witnesses examined by them," the pages of Hansard, and treatises on political economy and jurisprudence. The result is that he has given us a very clear account of the history of the various branches of law on which he treats, the grievances complained of, the arguments for and against changes, and the remedies applied. His subjects are: Land Transfer and Title; Tenures and their Incidents; Testaments and Intestacy; Monopolies; Commercial Law; and Debts and Securities. He does not deal only with changes accomplished, attempted, and probable; he is a keen reformer and believes in the abolishment of settlements, and future compulsory division of inheritances. His chapter on Monopolies is specially interesting, as the different views on Patents and Copyrights are clearly and vigorously set out. There can be no doubt as to the ability and knowledge expended on this Essay. Poor Law Statutes. VOL. 1. By JAMES BROOKE LITTLE, B.A. London: Shaw and Sons. 1901. This important work will be complete in three volumes, and is intended to 66 serve as a complete book of reference upon all questions arising upon the Statutes relating to or connected with the Poor Law." More than 50 Acts of Parliament on this subject have been passed since the publication of the last collection of Poor Law Statutes, many of them important. Some idea of the labour involved may be given when it is seen that there are included in this work more than 350 Acts of Parliament. These have not of course been all printed and annotated in their entirety, this would have made the work uselessly bulky; but the following method has been pursued: All Acts dealing wholly or mainly with Poor Law matters are printed in full and fully annotated; Acts relating to Local Government, as well as the Poor Law, are, for the most part, printed in full, but the annotations are mainly directed to matters connected with the Poor Law. The present volume contains the Statutes from 43 Eliz. c. 2. to 6 & 7 Will. IV. c. 96. As a good illustration of the way in which the statutes are treated we may point out that the first-named statute with the notes thereon occupies 120 pages and the next statute, 13 & 14 Car. II. c. 12, Poor Relief Act, 1662, nearly 50, while the Poor Law Amendment Act, 1834, 4 & 5 Will. IV. c. 76, takes up over 60. No unnecessary cases are cited and all obsolete matter is judiciously eliminated. There is a full index, and it is intended that there shall be an index to each volume, and a complete index the whole work in the last volume, to BOOKS ON COMPANY LAW. Second Edition. A Manual of Company Law. By WILLIAM FREDERICK HAMILTON, LL.D., K.C., assisted by PERCY 1901. Third Edition. Company Law. By Francis Beaufort Palmer. London Stevens and Sons. 1901. A Treatise on Company Lar under the Acts 1862-1900. By G. F. EMERY, LL.M. London: Effingham Wilson, 1901. The Companies Acts, 1862-1900. By WILLIAM GODDEN, LL.B., B.A., and STAMFORD HUTTON. London: Effingham Wilson. 1901. The Elements of Company Law. By F. GORE-BROWNE, M.A. London Jordan and Sons. 1901. As might be expected, the literary result of the Company Act 1900 has been, first, a number of small books treating of that Act, and later on, new editions of works on Company Law, including the same Act and bringing Company Law up to date. It has also encouraged the appearance of new works on Company Law. A number of treatises on the Act of 1900 were noticed in our last number, and we give above the names of some of the more comprehensive works embracing the whole field either of Company Law, or of the Company Acts, which is very much the same thing. These vary in their scope and method, and are adapted to the wants of various classes. Messrs. Godden and Hutton have carried out their object of reproducing "all the existing Statute law on the subject in the most portable and handy form for use in the office, and at meetings of directors or shareholders." This book contains all the Companies Acts 18621890, the Forged Transfers Acts, and the Forms and Fees prescribed by the Board of Trade for use under the Companies Act Cross references are given to other sections, but there are no other notes or references. The index is very full and good. Mr. Gore-Browne's Elements of Company Law is the publication of a series of six lectures delivered before the Institute of Secretaries. Though it only purports to treat on elements, it gives a very comprehensive view of the law in a limited space; it is very clear and readable, deals with questions from a practical point of view, and often gives authorities on points which are left 1900. untouched in more ambitious volumes. The statement of a practitioner of his experience, that the Act of 1900 has "in the judgment of many competent persons created more difficulties and dangers than it has removed," is worth noting. Mr. Emery has adopted an ingenious plan of making the Company Acts speak for themselves. The whole career of a Company from "Incorporation" to Reconstruction" is set out by judiciously selected and skilfully arranged extracts from the Company Acts, with accompanying notes. These notes are clear and useful, but the dates of the cases are in several instances given inaccurately, and the statement that a shipping company has not an implied power to borrow is not justified by the case cited, i.e., Australian Auxiliary Steam Clipper Co. v. Mounsey, which is cited, and we think more correctly, by Mr. Gore-Browne as an authority for the opposite proposition. The subject is one on which our learned authors find it difficult to agree. Mr. GoreBrowne considers that both shipping companies and colliery companies have implied powers to borrow; Mr. Emery says that neither shipping companies nor mining companies have such a power; and Mr. Hamilton decides that a shipping company has it, but that a mining company has not. Mr. Palmer unfortunately does not help us to settle this knotty point. The two other books on our list are both excellent, and though their arrangements are somewhat different they cover the whole ground in a most exhaustive and satisfactory manner. The authors, being not only sound lawyers but of great experience in company matters, they know what points of difficulty have arisen, and are likely to arise, and can give not only what the law is, or should be if the point has not yet arisen, but also give good practical advice which may prevent many a difficulty arising. A good illustration of this can. be seen by turning to the excellent advice Mr. Hamilton gives on pages 404 et seq. to all persons who are requested to become directors of new companies. Mr. Hamilton has resolved the Companies Acts into a number of propositions which make a sort of codification of the law, the notes are very full, and all cases on the subject seem to be cited. If we had to make a comparison between Mr. Hamilton's and Mr. Palmer's works, we should say that Mr. Hamilton's is the more exhaustive and Mr. Palmer's the more critical. As an illustration of this we may call attention to the long and able criticism by Mr. Palmer of the case of Bartlett v. Mayfair Property Co., of which he disapproves, but on which Mr. Hamilton makes no comment. Mr. Palmer has no hesitation |