is a Chief Inspector of Food and Drugs and Weights and Measures for the County of Durham. He does not attempt to interpret any of the decisions, or indeed express any opinion about them, beyond remarking that they "are very often, apparently, contradictory to one another, and in direct conflict. with the ordinary reading of the statutes"!

The Yearly Digest of Reported Cases, 1899. Edited by G. EDWARD BEAL, B.A. London: Butterworth and Co.

1900.

THIS is not only a digest of the reported cases in the English Supreme and other Courts but also of a numerous selection of decisions in Irish and Scotch Courts. The arrangement is good, there are numerous and useful cross-references, and the digests of the cases are clear and accurate. There is a very complete list of cases affirmed, revised, etc., and lists of the Statutes, Orders, Rules, etc., referred to.

Law relating to Gas, Water, and Electric Lighting.

The Law Affecting Trustees in Bankruptcy. By LAWRENCE DUCKWORTH.

The Insurance Agents Handbook. By J. G. R. Stephens. Law of Wills for Testators. By G. F. EMERY, LL.M.

London: Effingham Wilson. 1900.

THESE little books are all carefully and well done, and likely to be useful to various sections of the public. Two of the series are intended for two different classes of business men, though there is much in them useful to others. One is for that large and unfortunate section of the public, who groan under the rule of the Gas and Water Companies, and the other is for the benefit of those foolish individuals who will make their own wills. We must do Mr. Emery the justice to say that though he gives them every assistance in their rash undertakings, he advises them most strongly not to attempt it.

Unwritten Laws and Ideals of Active Careers. Edited by E. H. PITCAIRN. London Smith, Elder and Co. 1899.

THIS is a very interesting series of essays, by men of "light and leading," on the subject of the codes of practice and ideals.

in their respective callings. They vary, as might be expected, very much in consistency, some being mere rules of practice and others dealing more or less fully with ideals.

Of the ones that concern us most, the essay on 66 The Judges," by Sir Herbert Stephen, is rather disappointing, as it deals too much with the constitution of their courts and the routine of their official duties. Mr. Birrell, in his discourse on " Barristers," dwells on at least two points on which we thoroughly agree with him. He expresses, we think most satisfactorily, the absurdity of the casuistical question which has been so much argued of "Ought an advocate to undertake the conduct of any cause he knows to be unjust?" He also calls attention to "the slackening of discipline and the wearing out of tradition at the Bar," which he rightly attributes to, amongst other causes, the decay of the old circuit system and the discipline of the mess. There are many other excellent contributions, among which we should specially like to call attention to the one on "The Medical Profession," by Mr. Brudenell Carter, and to perhaps the best of all, but one not suitable for consideration in our pages, namely, that on "The Clergy," by the Rev. W. B. Trevelyan. We do not quite see the suitability of the inclusion in the series of the essay on "Boys at Public Schools." The whole of the essays of this series are full of information and interest.

NEW EDITIONS.

Second Edition. The Law Relating to Electric Lighting and Energy. By JOHN SHIRESS WILL, Q.C. London: Butterworth & Co. 1900.

THIS new edition was necessitated by the passing of the Electric Lighting (Clauses) Act, 1899, which has embodied in one Act the clauses usually inserted in Provisional Orders, and the new Rules issued by the Board of Trade, in consequence of the passing of such Act. The book consists of a valuable introduction dealing with the legal aspects of Electric Lighting, with three very interesting and useful appendices, containing respectively (1) The questions put to and answers made by Lord Cross's Committee; (2) The evidence of Sir Courtenay Boyle, K.C.B., before a Committee of the House of Commons in 1898; (3) A collection of the points in which a County of London provisional order differs from other provisional orders. Then comes the Electric Lighting

Acts from 1889-1897, with the regulations made under them by the Board of Trade, and the clauses of other Acts incorporated with them, all fully annotated, and a form of Provisional Order. We wish specially to call attention to the excellent index, and the manner in which the book is turned out does credit to the publishers, as the accuracy and learning does to the author.

Second Edition. Contracts in Restraint of Trade. By W. ARNOLD JOLLY, M.A. London: Butterworth and Co. 1900.

MR. JOLLY has rewritten and enlarged this work, and turned it into an excellent book of reference for the profession. He traces with great care and clearness the growth of the principles on which Contracts in Restraint of Trade have been decided, and shows how they have changed with the changes and developments of modern society, and industrial life. The law on many points is not yet quite clear, but Mr. Jolly does much to point out how doubtful points are now likely to be decided, and has no hesitation in saying when he thinks a decision would not be now followed. We notice that he is particularly severe in this respect on that great Judge, the late Lord Justice James. We must call particular attention to the chapter on 'Construction of Contracts in Restraint of Trade," and to the very useful Appendix A, which contains a schedule of the principal trades and professions which have been the subject of decisions on this point.

66

Third Edition. Carriage of Goods by Sea. By THOMAS GILBERT CARVER, M.A,, Q.C. London: Stevens and Sons. 1900.

THE new edition of Mr. Carver's well-known work is somewhat larger than the last one, containing about one hundred pages more, and a large number of new cases are dealt with or referred to. The most important additions that we have observed are those dealing with the important American Act of 1893, known as the Harter Act, which was passed "with two main purposes; First that of prohibiting clauses which relieve shipowners from liability for consequences of negligence, fault or failure in proper loading, storage, custody, care, or proper delivery' of cargo."-"Secondly, that of exempting shipowners from liability for consequences of faults or errors in navigation or in the management of the vessel, as well as of certain other perils, in cases where they

have exercised due diligence to make the said vessel in all respects seaworthy and properly manned, equipped, and supplied." The importance of the effect of this Act on British Trade with America is indicated by the fact, that the United States Courts, "apply these provisions without any express incorporation, not only when the carrying ship is American, but also when it is of British or other nationality." A number of cases from the Federal Courts of the United States which have been decided upon the construction of this Act are cited to explain and illustrate it. Mr. Carver criticises the decision of the Court of Appeal in the important case of Cahn v. Pockett's &c. & Co., and it must be admitted that there is considerable force in his submissions. It is interesting to notice that in spite of Mr. Carver's criticisms of the decision of the late Lord Hannen in the case of The Carron Park in his last edition, yet that decision has been approved of by Barnes J., and followed by Mathew J. There is an interesting note pointing out the law of several Foreign Countries on this point. If there is anything which might have been more fully dealt with in this work it is, we think, the very important question of what is "contraband of war," and the other questions connected with it, the references to which seem rather inadequate to the importance of the subject, and on which Mr. Carver's opinion would have been of very great value. In appendix D, there is an interesting article bearing on the changes introduced by the York-Antwerp Rules, reprinted from the "Law Quarterly Review."

Fourth Edition. Kelly's Draftsman. BY LEONARD H. WEST, LL.D., AND WILLIAM AUSTIN. London : Butterworth and Co. 1900.

THE early appearance of another edition of this useful work proves that it is thoroughly appreciated by practitioners, and we are not surprised, as both the notes and forms are, though concise, very careful and judicious, and it is especially well provided with notices, statutory declarations, and other forms which are constantly required in practice, but which are not easily found in much more voluminous works. The present edition also contains a collection of the official and other forms necessary for the registration of title of, and other dealings with land in registration districts. We think it would have been an improvement to have had a few more forms connected with arbitrations.

Fourth Edition.
By C. A.

Principles of the Law of Compensation. CRIPPS, M.A., B.C.L., Q.C. London: Stevens & Sons. 1900.

THE law of compensation is one of increasing importance. There has of late been a constant creation of new public bodies, with compulsory powers of taking the land of private individuals for the supposed public benefit; but very similar questions have sometimes to be decided between two public bodies, one of whose interests is injuriously affected by an alteration of boundaries or areas for the benefit of the other. Mr. Cripps's work is well known, and has gone through several editions, but, since the last, two important Acts-the Local Government Act, 1894, and the Light Railways' Act, 1896-have been passed, in which new principles of compensation have been laid down, and the necessity for another edition became obvious. This has been carried out with great care and industry, and the book remains an invaluable guide. on the subject it deals with. We could wish the important and interesting subject of Betterment had been more fully dealt with, asit is very cognate to "Compensation," and has, in fact, already found its way into the public, and some private lots. There is a good collection of precedents, and the appendix contains the statutes to which the author has found it necessary to refer, an addition which will undoubtedly accomplish his desire of making the book "of greater assistance to the practitioner."

Sixth Edition. Shirley's Leading Cases in the Common Law.

By RICHARD WATSON, LL.B. London: Stevens and
Sons. 1900.

THE example set by the late Mr. J. W. Smith, in his wellknown collection of "Leading Cases," has been followed in many similar collections intended to contain the important principles of the Case Law of other branches of Law; and the present is a very well-known follower of his great work. It was originally intended for the use of students in the ordinary sense of the term, and much of it was couched in rather striking language, with the laudable object of fixing the attention of the class for whom it was meant. This characteristic has been considerably modified, and the work has now more ambitious aims. It contains about 150 leading cases, about one-third of which are the same as in Smith's Leading Cases. The statements of Leading Cases and the notes are alike short and clear, and the notes contain all the most recent cases related to the Leading Cases. Most of them