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second article, that he has been forced to deal with some unsavoury subjects. Sir Walter Phillimore has written an article on Affreightment, interesting in its character, but rather too verbose; the same may be said of an article on Absolute Privilege by Mr. W. Blake Odgers, Q.C., which is remarkable so far as the preliminary text is concerned for its omission of all the earlier authorities upon which it is founded, and for a rather full verbatim adoption of an extract from the judgment of Lopes, L.J., in a modern case decided in 1892 (The Royal Aquarium v. Parkinson), which, however, was not one of absolute privilege, but of qualified privilege, depending on the absence of malice. Further, we regret to notice that in his reference to Parliamentary proceedings, he puts forward, after a quotation from the Bill of Rights, as his leading authority, a case decided in 1887 in the Irish Courts (Dillon v. Balfour); whereas, privilege is founded on the Statute 4 Henry VIII., c. 8, reference to which is entirely omitted, as also the leading cases on the subject, viz.:-R. v. Lord Abingdon and R. v. Creecy. Mr. Barclay has written on Ambassador and Alliance in a fairly creditable manner; and the other writers have done their part as a rule well. The work should commend itself to the profession as a useful epitome of the Law of England, up to date, and for ready reference. Perhaps the most unfortunate step taken by the publishers was in asking Sir F. Pollock, Bart., to write what he terms a "General Introduction" to this volume. Such an introduction was unneeded, for "good wine needs no bush." The so-called General Introduction is not calculated to bring additional credit on the work, and it would have been better to have omitted it.

Select Cases in Chancery. A.D. 1364 to 1471. Edited for the Selden Society by WILLIAM PALEY BAILDON. London: Bernard Quaritch.

1896.

The first part of this volume contains a selection of early Chancery petitions, while the second part deals with selected petitions, French petitions of various dates, or undated, and English petitions of various dates. The Petition or Bill varies little from those known in the Courts of Chancery before the Judicature Act, 1873. They are almost invariably in French until the reign of Henry V., when English forms became

customary. As a rule, each Bill is addressed to the Chancellor or Keeper by name, or by the name of his See, if he be a Bishop. The remedy asked for is frequently in very general terms; sometimes the plaintiff does not know what remedy to ask for, but leaves it to the Chancellor's superior wisdom and good graces. A not uncommon reason is that the power of the Common Law is not sufficient. Case 129 is very interesting; one Provost was condemned to pay Lowaryn a sum, for certain wine, by the (Foreign) Admiralty Court in the town of Bordeaux, by certain instruments executed in that town, and then being in the (English) Admirals' Court. Provost had delayed the execution of the judgment by pleading a protection from the king. Lowaryn prays that this protection may be disallowed, and that he may have a writ directed to the Lord Admiral of England and to his lieutenants to go on with the plea, notwithstanding the said protection which he alleges has been purchased by fraud. The instance of a foreign judgment being executed in this country, by our Court of Admiralty is well illustrated and explained in Jurado v. Gregory (1 Vent. 32), referred to in the November number (1896) of this Magazine, at p. 27. Our thanks are due to Mr. W. P. Baildon for his exhaustive and erudite compilation.

The Indian Evidence Act, with Notes. By SIR WILLIAM MARKBY, K.C.I.E., late a Judge of the High Court of Judicature at Calcutta. London: Henry Frowde. 1897.

This books contains the Indian Evidence Act, 1872, as modified up to the 1st May, 1891, and the Editor has annotated the Act for the use of students preparing for their examination. He acknowledges his use of Field's Law of Evidence in India, of Stokes' Anglo-Indian Codes, and of Thayer's Select Cases on Evidence. We think that some of his remarks require qualification. Thus concerning sect. 6 of the Act, he says, "A is accused of the murder of B, by beating him. Whatever was said or done by

A or B, or the by-standers at the beating, or so shortly before or after it as to form part of the transaction, is a relevant fact." But he quite omits to tell us that the proposition is very arguable, and in the case of R. v. Bedingfield (1879), although the late Mr. Pitt Taylor maintained it, it was sternly denied by the late Lord Chief Justice, Sir Alexander Cockburn.

The Yearly Abridgment of Reports, being a full Analysis of all Cases Decided in the Superior Courts, during the legal year 1895-6. By ARTHUR TURNOUR MURRAY, B.A., of Lincoln's Inn, Barrister-at-Law. London: Butterworth and Co. 1897.

This is not a mere compilation of existing head-notes, but consists of an analysis of every reported case contained in The Law Reports, The Justice of the Peace, The Law Journal Reports, The Law Times Reports, The Weekly Reporter, The Times Law Reports, Aspinall's Maritime Law Cases, Commercial Cases, Cox's Criminal Law Cases, Manson's Bankruptcy and Winding-up of Companies Reports, Reports of Patent Cases, and Smith's Registration Cases. A new feature of this compilation consists of a Subject Index, arranged alphabetically on the same plan as an index to a text-book. In these days of work at extremely high pressure, the value of such a book is obvious. It is the best compilation of the kind that we know of.

Grant's Treatise on the Law Relating to Bankers and Banking Companies. Edited by CLAUDE C. M. PLUMPTRE, of the Middle Temple, Barrister-at-Law, assisted by J. K. MACKAY, of the Middle Temple, Barrister-at-Law. Fifth Edition. London: Butterworth and Co. 1897.

It is fifteen years ago since the last edition of this work was published, and many are the changes which have occurred in the law since that time, both through decided Cases and through various Acts of Parliament. Among others, the Bills of Exchange Act, 1882; The Bankers' Books Evidence Act; The Conversion of India Stock Act, 1887; The Companies (Memorandum of Association) Act, 1890; The Companies (Winding-up) Act, 1890; The Directors Liability Act, 1890; The Stamp Act, 1891; and The Forged Transfers Act, 1891. Moreover, the famous case of Bank of England v. Vagliano [1891] A.C. 107, has proved a disturbing element to bankers since the last edition of this work. The Editors have done their work well, bringing the book quite up to date, and rendering it a serviceable manual for bankers and their legal advisers.

Seaborne's Concise Manual of the Law Relating to Vendors and Purchasers of Real Property. Edited by W. ARNOLD JOLLY,

M.A., of Lincoln's Inn, Barrister-at-Law.
London: Butterworth and Co. 1897.

Fourth Edition.

Seaborne's Vendors and Purchasers was first published in 1871, and has now attained a fourth edition. It is a work better suited for the use of solicitors than for conveyancers, being rather an abstract of the law on the above subject than an exhaustive treatise. The editor has thoroughly revised the work, and preserved its known character of a useful and trustworthy manual.

A New System of Book-keeping for Solicitors. By SYDNEY HODSOLL, Chartered Accountant. London: Gee and Co. 1897.

The object of this work is to enable solicitors to keep their accounts accurately, and to be able to show at any time the amount of cash in hand and at bank, how much of such cash belongs to clients, and how much to the business, the amounts owing to, and by, clients individually, and the amount of business done, and the resulting profit or loss. The writer appears to have successfully attained his object.

· Introduction to the Study of the Law of the Constitution. By A. V. DICEY, Q.C., B.C.L., of the Inner Temple; Vinerian Professor of English Law, Fellow of All Souls' College, Oxford, and Hon. LL.D. Glasgow and Edinburgh. Fifth Edition. London: Macmillan and Co., Ltd. 1897.

The Author tells us that the only new matter in this edition deserving of notice are two Notes, one on the Duty of Soldiers when called upon to disperse an unlawful assembly, and the other on Swiss Federation. The former is culled from a Commission (of which the late Lord Bowen was a member) appointed to report on the conduct of the troops at Ackton Colliery in 1893. The other is derived from Mr. A. L. Lowell's Governments and Parties in Continental Europe. With regard to the rest of the book, there is little to add to the eulogium with which it has in former days been received in these pages. We regret, however, that Professor Dicey has not seen his way to demonstrate with his usual authority and in a stronger manner, the error which has crept into the English law in more recent years with regard to the expulsion of foreign criminals from a State. He says (p. 215) "neither the Crown, nor any servant of the Crown,

has any right to expel a foreign criminal from the country, or to surrender him to his own Government for trial." He here states the error; and he contents himself with mentioning some Cases of the greatest moment in a foot-note, where the true law of England, as distinguished from the modern judge-made error, is laid down. Has Professor Dicey ever heard of the Droit de Renvoi ? This right is possessed by all States, and by virtue of which all foreigners may be expelled the kingdom. To this very day it is frequently put in force by the Courts of Jersey, notably in cases where French persons, convicted of small offences, are returned to France without other punishment. It is common knowledge, that all civilized States should be assisting each other in carrying out their respective civil decrees and criminal sentences. This we showed at length in the last November number of this Magazine (p. 24), in an article headed The Dynamite Plot and Extradition.

The Law of Slander and Libel, founded upon the Treatise of the late Thomas Starkie, Esq., Q.C., including the Procedure, Pleading and Evidence, Civil and Criminal, with Forms and Precedents; also Contempts of Court, Criminal Informations, etc., and an Appendix of Statutes. Sixth Edition. By HENRY COLEMAN FOLKARD, of Lincoln's Inn and the Western Circuit, Barrister-at-Law, Recorder of Bath. London : William Clowes & Sons, Limited. 1897.

We are pleased to hail the sixth edition of this important work. It is upwards of seventy-five years since the late Mr. Starkie wrote the first edition, of which, however, but a very small portion now remains. Forming as it did the basis upon which this, as well as the several preceding editions of the work have been constructed, it has, bit by bit, been cancelled to make way for newer matter supplied by the present learned Editor. At the time when Mr. Starkie wrote, only two statutes relating to the subject existed. Since then the legislature has been pleased to formulate statute upon statute extending or modifying the then law of slander and libel, to which must be added the numberless Reported Cases on those subjects, as well as notes of several cases relating to seditious libels, and libels on the Government and ministers of the day, no trace of which can be found in any of the Reports, but which have been obtained by the arduous research of the Editor among the Crown Office

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