that he has written. He brings into full relief the slight changes in the law made by the Joint Committee of both Houses to whom the Bill was referred. This book should be useful both to the layman and the lawyer.

The third edition of the A. B. C. Guide has been considerably amplified, and some useful "Reminders for Secretaries" added as an Appendix. This work was originally compiled for laymen, and as a reliable guide for Directors, Secretaries and other Company Officials. We see, however, that the Author congratulates himself upon the fact that it has met with considerable success in the ranks of the Legal Profession.

Mr. Eustace Smith is well known, not only on account of his Summary of the Law Companies, but as a writer in other branches of law, such as Admiralty and Ecclesiastical Practice. As he states in the Preface, the new Act has called forth the eleventh edition, and it is to be hoped that the same success will be met with in this as in the former editions.

Forty-first Edition. Stone's Justices' Manual. Edited by J. R. ROBERTS. London: Butterworth & Co.

1909.

The

The present edition of Stone is a very important one, as no less than twenty-eight of the statutes passed in 1908 have required notice. Some of these have been very important and complicated, such as the Children Act, the Prevention of Crime Act, etc. first of these specially affects Justices, and in addition they, or their clerks, will have to consider and interpret as best they can the Costs in Criminal Cases Act, in the opinion of Mr. Roberts "an ill-drawn and complicated measure, exceedingly difficult to interpret." Of the cases decided in the year, Ex parte Bottomley will be fresh in everybody's recollection, whatever opinion may be formed of the merits of that decision. Harriman v. Harriman decides the point on which Bucknill, J., and Gorell Barnes, P., differed in Failes v. Failes and Dodd v. Dodd respectively, in favour of the view expressed in the latter case. A case of considerable practical importance is Burton v. Nicholson, as it has, it is understood, had the effect of causing the Local Government Board to rescind two paragraphs of the Motor Cars Order 1904. We may point out in connection with the reference to this case that it is erroneously dated 1904 in the Table of Cases. It would hardly be worth pointing out if an error were not so rare in this well-edited work. Instead of

commenting on the value of this standard work, we think it better to give a much weightier testimony to its value, namely, that of the present Lord Chief Justice, who in the very recent case of R. v. Thompson and others, in quoting from the present edition, describes it as "a book of great authority."

The Law of Private Railway Sidings and Private Traders' Traffic. By J. H. COCKBURN. London: Stevens & Sons. 1909.— Mr. Cockburn has, we think, touched virgin ground in his choice of a subject. The law affecting it, is, however, of some importance and will be of interest to many. The Author states that "siding" and "branch railway" are in his work interchangeable terms, and that the subject-matter of his book is sidings or branch railways not belonging to railway companies but owned, held or controlled by traders, landowners and persons corporate or incorporate, not constituting a railway company. It also deals with traffic to and from private sidings, and of the service, rates and charges connected with these. The book is divided into three Parts :-Part I treating of Private Railway Sidings; Part II of Private Traders' Traffic; while in Part III are chapters on Private Owners' Wagons, Agreements as to sidings and traffic, and the Railway and Canal Commissioners. The relevant cases appear to be included, but the Table of Cases would be more useful were the references given.

The Law affecting Dogs and their Owners. By W. M. FREEMAN. London: Jordan & Sons. 1909.-It was recently recorded that an offer of £5,000 had been refused for a Pekinese dog, and other signs are not wanting that dog-breeding has become an industry of considerable importance. There is ample justification, therefore, for the publication of a book on the law affecting dogs by one who has clearly the requisite technical knowledge. As the Author observes, many branches of the law are involved, but he has confined his treatment of them within the limits of his subject. As far as we can judge, every question that can arise in connection with dogs is dealt with. There are chapters on the functions of the Kennel Club, Warranties, Dog Stealing, Rabies, the Game Laws, Licences, Cruelty to Animals and Shows. Appendices are given with the Kennel Club Rules, the Dogs Act 1906, the Dogs Act 1871, &c. The book is unquestionably useful, not only to breeders, but to the legal profession, and we feel therefore less hesitation in criticising

two points. The first of these is the rather loose style which, pardonable perhaps in articles in a weekly paper, might have been corrected when the articles attained the dignity of a text-book. Our second criticism is that the Author does not sufficiently quote the authorities.

The Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908. By A. J. SPENCER. London: Stevens & Sons. 1909. This consolidated Act has already produced several text-books. The one under notice seems thoroughly adequate. The Act is divided into three parts-(1) Small Holdings; (2) Allotments; (3) General Provisions. This order the author has retained, setting out the sections with excellent notes underneath. In a short Introduction a good epitome of the Act is given. Appendices with Rules, Circular Letters, &c., and a sufficient Table of Cases, together with an Index, complete a textbook which no doubt will prove serviceable.

Restrictive Covenants Affecting Land. By W. A. JOLLY, M.A. London: Stevens & Sons. 1909. This seems a useful little book. The Author grounds his work on the doctrine in Tulk v. Moxhay, and in the chapters following deals with such matters as Personal and Collateral Covenants; Deeds of Mutual Covenants in Leases; Construction of and Restrictions for enforcing Restrictive Covenants. There is not a very great deal of recent Case law in this branch of law, but such as exists (and we may quote Nalder & Collyer's Brewery Company v. Harman as an important example) will be found adequately treated. The Tables of Cases and Statutes, and the Index are all well done.

The Hague Peace Conferences of 1899 and 1907. 2 Vols. By J. B. SCOTT. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press. 1909.-This compte rendu of the work of the Hague Conferences is from the pen of the United States Technical Delegate to the gathering of 1907. Written in a popular and fluent style, Vol. I makes attractive reading, and the eminence of its compiler is a guarantee of the reliable character of its matter. Vol. II contains official documents, and is a very complete collection, including the U. S. Instructions and Official Reports, as well as all the Conventions and Resolutions of the Conferences of 1899 and 1907. The book may be confidently recommended, particularly to those who wish to get a little behind the scenes of the Hague history.

Criminal Types in Shakespeare. By A. GOLL. Translated from the Danish by Mrs. C. WEEKES. London: Methuen & Co. 1909.— This is a study of certain of the criminals portrayed by Shakespeare, and is mainly for the benefit of criminal psychologists who may, from a study of such "supreme searchers of psychology" as Shakespeare, gain light towards understanding the criminal mind. The types selected are (1) Brutus and Cassius--both are political criminals, but the former was an idealist, the latter a "prosaist" influenced by personal hatred; (2) Macbeth-a wonderful study of suggestion; (3) Lady Macbeth-a study of the female criminal; (4) Richard III-"the criminal by instinct, whose nature is greed"; (5) Iago-"the criminal by instinct, whose motive is the lust of destruction." All these studies are worked out with great subtlety and ability. We cannot say whether they help towards combating crime, but they are very interesting and suggestive studies of Shakespeare and human nature.

On the Oxford Circuit. By the Honble. Mr. Justice DARLING. London Smith, Elder & Co. 1909.-Some of these verses have appeared before in various periodicals but are now published in a somewhat different form with some others. The most important piece is the one that gives its name to the collection. "On the Oxford Circuit" is written in hexameters and has some tragic touches amongst its gaiety, ending as it does with the allusion to the sudden death of Mr. Justice Talfourd on Circuit. The rest of the volume is made up of thirteen Sonnets and some Occasional Verses. They are light, with some happy allusions and turns of speech.

Leaves of the Lower Branch. By E. B. V. CHRISTIAN, LL.B. London Smith, Elder & Co. 1909. The sub-title of this book, "The Attorney in Life and Letters," foreshadows its contents. It is mostly devoted to an account of the Attorneys in fiction, with many humourous remonstrances against the blackness of the portraiture, and an account of the literary performances of Attorneys. The first essay is a humourous attempt to vindicate Messrs. Dodson and Fogg against the strictures cast on them by Mr. Pickwick. The three principal novels of the law, Bleak House, Ten Thousand a Year, and Orley Farm are treated at some length, and kindly reference is made to Sir Walter Besant's The Ivory Gate. The

whole is written in a pleasant and lively style, shows wide literary knowledge, and well repays perusal.

The Pharmacy Acts 1851-1908. By HUGH H. L. BELLOT, M.A., D.C.L. London: Jesse Boot. 1909,-A "Foreword," in the shape of a blessing on the latest Pharmacy Act, by the Chairman of the Chemists' Association, strikes us as an odd beginning to a legal treatise, whose function should be to expound rather than to enlarge upon the merit of legislation. The book itself is quite meritorious. In turn the Author deals with the Arsenic Act 1851, the Pharmacy Acts of 1852, 1868, 1869, and 1898, and the Poisons. and Pharmacy Act 1908. The sections are set out with sufficient notes. Chapter IV gives an interesting account of the circumstances which led up to the Act of 1908, including the recommendations of he Departmental Committee of 1903, and various Private Bills which failed. There is a good Index, but the Table of Cases would be improved by the addition of references. An Appendix gives a report of The Pharmaceutical Society v. The London and Provincial Supply Association Ltd.

Encyclopædia of Forms and Precedents. Vol. XVII. General Index. By JOHN CHADWICK, M.A., LL.B., assisted by WALTER S. SCOTT. London: Butterworth & Co. 1909.-This important Encyclopædia is at last completed by this not least important volume of the series. The Index cover 750 pages and is compiled with the care which has all through characterised the production of the work. We must again congratulate Mr. Underhill and his colleagues at having reached the successful conclusion of their labours. This volume contains a few Corrigenda and Addenda, in one of which the General Editor, rather against the grain, suggests the insertion of certain words in a form of appointment given in the sixth volume, although he has been “quite unable to follow" the objection to the form given. The Corrigenda and Addenda in this volume are few, because each volume has included such references to previous volumes as the work proceeded.

An Analysis of Smith's Principles of Equity. By the Author, H. A. SMITH, M.A., LL.B. London: Stevens & Sons. 1909.Mr. Smith's parent work is well known, and we think he has done