the changes in Vol. VI have been fewer than in any of the other volumes, but the Criminal Appeal Act has had to be considered among other recent Acts. We have only been able to glance at much of the great mass of law contained in these volumes, but among many admirable statements of the law and practice we have noticed a few omissions and slips. The fact of a second Commissioner sitting at the Central Criminal Court is still ignored, nor is the giving in charge alluded to among the incidents of a criminal trial. We think that some allusion to that feature of increasing predominance in Parliamentary procedure, the closure, would be desirable. We have not found any reference to a jury having a view. A curious mistake occurs twice in the Index to Volume VI and that to Volume II, where Prevention of "Consumption " Act (1906) is given instead of Prevention of Corruption Act (1906). We also notice in a few instances that the work has not been brought up to date, as, for instance, in the references to the twentysecond edition of Archbold's Criminal Pleading, instead of to the twenty-third. These, however, are small criticisms on such a mass of work.

Present Day Banking. By F. E. STEELE. London: Butterworth & Co. 1909.-Mr. Steele has collected and republished in a small volume a number of notes of lectures, contributions to periodicals, and papers written on bank subjects. They are full of information and suggestions both to the general and professional reader, and although there is not much law in the book, it can be read with interest and profit by all lawyers. There is a chapter on Bankers and the custody of valuables, where, though the doctrine as to how far a banker is responsible for negligence is correctly laid down, he does not touch on the question of responsibility for wrongful conversion. To wide experience of both London and Provincial Banking the Author adds a clear and lively style.

The Companies (Consolidation) Act 1908. By F. EVANS and H. H. KING, LL.B. London: Butterworth & Co. 1909.-The Consolidation Act which came into force on the 1st April 1909 is, for the most part, a consolidation of previous Acts. There are, however, differences in language, and the above-named book comes at an opportune moment. The Authors divide their work into three parts. The first is an epitome of the later history of Company legislation down to the statute of 1908. The Act is set out at length in

Part II, with notes; while Part III is a Comparative Table of old and new Acts. The Case law is sufficiently included, but to avoid over-loading their book the Authors make frequent reference to Rawlins and Macnaghten on Companies.

A Practical Guide to the Law of Agricultural Holdings. By J. W. STANTON, M.A. London: Horace Cox. 1909.-The law on this subject has been consolidated by the Agricultural Holdings Act 1908, and, as the Author observes, a fitting opportunity is presented for producing a guide to this branch of the law. As a solicitor and agent for a landed estate Mr. Stanton is well qualified for his task, and we think that his text-book will be of use to those concerned with agricultural leases. The subject is divided into three parts. Part I contains the Act, with notes. Part II deals with the commencement of the tenancy, and contains a form of agreement for a yearly tenancy. Part III deals with the determination of the tenancy, and arbitration. A good deal of very useful incidental information is given-such as the Table of Equivalent Manurial Values on page 78, and suggestions from practical experience. The book is well produced: but typographical errors, such as "kes" for "likes" on page 85, might have been avoided by careful revision.

Butterworths' Workmen's Compensation Cases. Vol. I. (New Series.) Edited by His Honour Judge RUEGG, K.C., and F. J. COLTMAN. London: Butterworth & Co. 1909.-This is a continuation of the nine volumes of Workmen's Compensation Reports edited by the late Mr. Minton-Senhouse. Irish and Scotch decisions are now included among the cases, which run from November, 1907 to May, 1908. There is also an Appendix of Canadian Cases.

Quiet Enjoyment and Title in respect of Landlord and Tenant. By E. A. SWAN. London: Sweet & Maxwell. 1908--The Author deals with his subject under the following heads: Quiet enjoyment generally, and with respect to flats in particular; Assignments-what amount to Covenants or Agreements; Acts in derogation of Grant ; Damages for breach of Quiet enjoyment; Title; Investigation of Title; Damages for breach of Covenant or Agreement: Statutes of Limitation. The book appears to be well-written, the principles of the law being clearly set out and illustrated by the cases. A good feature is the inclusion of the references to the cases in the text instead of in foot-notes. The book, we think, can be well recommended.

The Student's Summary of the Law of Contract. By J. G. PEASE and A. M. LATTER. London: Butterworth & Co. 1909.-One might be inclined to doubt whether there is room for another students' guide to the Law of Contract; but Mr. Pease disarms the criticism in his Preface, in which he says that the aim of himself and his collaborator has been to state in concise and comprehensive propositions so much of the leading principles of the Law of Contracts as a student may reasonably be expected to master: and he also expresses the hope that the hand-book may be found useful to supplement the well-known students' books. The work is founded on Mr. Pease's lectures, but he and Mr. Latter have ably evolved it into an excellent treatise on the subject. While there is no especial originality in the treatment of the law, the Authors seem to have dealt with it very thoroughly. The book is divided into articles, with plenty of illustrations to the important principles, and it is excellently printed and produced. The Table of Cases is admirable.

The Criminal Responsibility of Lunatics. By H. OPPENHEIMER, LL.D., M.D. London: Sweet & Maxwell. 1909.-We imagine that the readers of this book will be somewhat limited in number. They will, however, obtain a very comprehensive treatise on a subject which, as the Author says, has for long been debated between doctors and lawyers. The controversy is exhaustively treated, the views on either side being given. We understand Mr. Oppenheimer to be of opinion that, when all is said and done, no grave injustice is occasioned by the English law as it stands, though it is open to improvement. He holds, for instance, that "whilst the most definite proof should be required of the existence of mental disease, when once it has been established that the prisoner is a lunatic, the present presumption of the law should be reversed; and it ought to be laid down as a rule of evidence that those proved to be of unsound mind should be assumed, till the contrary be shown, not to know the nature and quality of their acts and that that which they were doing was wrong." An interesting feature of the book is the third chapter, which gives the law affecting the subject in all other countries.

A. B. C. Guide to the Companies Acts 1862 to 1907. By H. W. JORDAN. London: Jordan & Sons. 1908.-This will no doubt prove a handy work of reference, and should admirably serve its purpose. It is arranged in alphabetical headings-a method which

to our view requires that the headings should be made with great care. So far as we can judge this has been done, and there is also an efficient Index.

The Annual Digest 1908. By JOHN MEWS. London: Sweet & Maxwell. 1909.-Valuable and indispensable as ever, Mews needs little recommendation. While there were few decisions of farreaching importance in 1908, a great many points were decided. Perhaps Osborne v. Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants, on the Parliamentary funds of a Trade Union, which has yet to be reviewed by the House of Lords, might be cited as the case likely to have the most important effects. Under "Shipping" and "Master and Servant" (Workmen's Compensation) will be found several weighty decisions. As usual, a selection of Scottish and Irish cases is included.

By

An Analysis of Williams on the Law of Real Property. A. M. WILSHERE, LL.B. London: Sweet & Maxwell. 1908.Mr. Wilshere modestly warns his public that this is merely a notebook. Note-books may be very useful introductions or epitomes, and read before, with, or after Williams, this should prove of much service to the student. In a short time it is made possible to him to grasp the outline of this difficult branch of the law. No cases are cited, though statutes are mentioned. A good feature is the Appendix of 100 apposite questions.

Local Taxation Licences. By Sir N. J. HIGH MORE. London : Stevens & Sons. 1908.-The collection of the duties on certain licences has now by the Finance Act 1908 devolved upon the County Councils, and within our knowledge, a certain amount of doubt exists in the mind of their officers as to the new position. As Solicitor for the Customs and ex-Assistant Solicitor of Inland Revenue, the Author is well qualified to write on this subject; and the law affecting the duties on Armorial Bearings, Carriages, Male Servants, Dogs, Guns, &c., will be found clearly set forth. The various sections dealing with the several matters are collected and furnished with sufficient notes which give both law and practice (e.g., the Author notes that in practice a male servant's licence has not been required in respect of a servant employed to drive a motor car which is not chargeable with licence duty as a carriage). The Index and Table of Cases seem to be well done, and the book should be useful.

By J. D. This book is

The Weights and Measures Acts 1878 to 1904. FLETCHER. London Sherratt & Hughes. 1908. very well turned out. The arrangement of types is especially good. Only those sections of the Weights and Measures Acts which regulate the use and possession of weights and measures for trade are included, the others, together with many of the other Acts referring to the subject being, as the Author observes, more suited to a book on local government. The Author has followed the order of the Act of 1878, and has conveniently attached other sections and schedules to any section upon which they bear. There are copious and useful notes. The law as it affects Ireland and Scotland is also included. The Index and Table of Cases seem to leave nothing to be desired.

Butterworths Yearly Digest for 1908. Edited by G. R. HILL and H. CLOVER. London: Butterworth & Co. 1909.-This is the first annual supplement to Messrs. Butterworth's very useful Ten Years' Digest. The same system of classification as adopted in that work is followed. The same system of cross-references has also been employed. All the Case law for 1908 is included. We are glad to see that the Times Law Reports have been included in the Digest, as we consider that these Reports are valuable; and at the same time it is very often extremely difficult to hit upon the references to cases which are reported in the Times Law Reports only. With regard to Patents, Design, Trade Mark, and other similar cases, a selection only of the cases is included.

Law relating to the Public Trustee and of the Practice in the Department. By L. J. FULTON, M.A., B.C.L. London: Butterworth & Co. 1908.-Now that the business of the Public Trustee's Department has been in operation for a complete year, it is of great practical utility to see how the wheels of the machine work. To assist solicitors and others whose duties bring them into touch with the Department, this little work has been produced by Mr. Fulton, who is fully competent to perform the task, being himself a solicitor. under the Public Trustee, whose critical eye has been cast through the proof-sheets. The main provisions of the Public Trustee Act 1906 have been carefully analysed, and in this form a lucid and concise. summary of the powers and duties of that official has been presented to the reader. In the first Appendix are gathered the powers relating to the administration of the property of a convict under the