judicial consideration during that period, and the result has necessarily been that the present edition has been largely re-written, and all the recent decisions included. As regards the effect of legislation also, when we remember that since the last edition among other Acts passed are the Settled Land Act, 1882; the Lunacy Act, 1890; the Trustee Act, 1893; the Coal Mines Regulation Act, 1887; the Quarries Act, 1894; and last, but not least, the Employers' Liability Act, 1880; and the Workmen's Compensation Act, 1897, it is easy to see how numerous the alterations and additions have been, and how heavy the labours of the editor in making the present edition a complete epitome, as far as space would permit, of the whole law of "mines and minerals." The very important questions of "Subsidence" and "Support" have been fully treated. There are two other features which deserve special notice. One is the glossary of English mining terms, and the other the very valuable collection of mining precedents. All through the work special care has been devoted to what may be called the conveyancing of the subject, and we think that even more precedents might have been given with advantage. We find in more than one place that, after a reference to the care with which provision should be made for a certain state of circumstances, we have not been able to find a precedent for the condition, etc., suggested. Of course space is a very serious consideration, but in a book on a special subject one hopes to find a large number of special clauses, etc., which are not to be found elsewhere in general works on conveyancing.

Fifth Edition. Elphinstone's Introduction to Conveyancing. By SIR HOWARD WARBURTON ELPHINSTONE, BART., M.A., JAMES W. CLARK, M.A., and ARTHUR DICKSON, LL.B. London: Sweet & Maxwell, Limited.

1900.

Another edition of this excellent work is most welcome, and has been rendered imperative by the passing of the Land Transfer Act, 1897. The clearness of its style, and its combination of legal accuracy with practical common sense and "sweet reasonableness," render it invaluable as an introduction to the difficult science of conveyancing. By its references to the two other well-known conveyancing works for which its authors are responsible, it illustrates, in a complete and satisfactory manner, the maxims it inculcates. The chapter on Wills strikes us as particularly interesting and instructive. Although the work is, we suppose, primarily intended for students and young practitioners, there can be but few of the most advanced conveyancers who would not find reference to its pages useful.

Sixth Edition. A Digest of the Law of Easements. By L. C. INNES. London: Stevens & Sons, Limited. 1900.

Mr. Innes has reduced the Law of Easements to about a hundred and sixty propositions with appropriate illustrations. The work was originally undertaken "as a preliminary step towards the preparation of a Chapter of the Indian Code on the same subject." The propositions are clearly, and, as far as we have been able to judge, correctly laid down, and the authorities and illustrations have been well selected. It is undoubtedly an able résumé of the main principles of the law, and should prove useful either to the student or the practitioner, and perhaps not least to the draftsmen of a future code.

Seventh Edition. Shaws' Manual of the Vaccination Law. London: Butterworth & Co. 1899.

There are two very good reasons for the issue of this useful little work, although the last edition was published as lately as 1898. In the first place the sixth edition is out of print, and in the second place new and important orders, circulars, and memoranda have been issued since the Act of 1898, which it is absolutely necessary to include in any book on the subject. This has been done in this edition, the work has been revised, and the recent cases included. A full report is also given of the very important case of Bramble v. Low; and the work seems to be invaluable to all those who are charged with the duties connected with the Vaccination Acts.

Eighth Edition. Company Precedents. Part II. Winding-Up. Forms and Practice. By FRANCIS BEAUFORT PALMER. Assisted by FRANK EVANS. Part III. Debentures and Debenture Stock. By FRANCIS BEAUFORT PALMER. London: Stevens & Sons. 1900.

Second Edition. Concise Precedents under the Companies Acts. By F. GORE-BROWNE, M.A. London: Jordan & Sons, Limited. 1900. New editions of Mr. Palmer's invaluable work come in quick succession, and now the various parts are in a rather curious position. Part I. is still in the seventh edition; Part II. is in the eighth edition; and Part III., which is concerned with debentures, and was formerly included in Part II., is also described as being in the eighth edition. However, it does not much matter what the edition is called, as long as it contains the most recent information and law, and that these volumes certainly do, as Part III. contains the alteration of practice in debenture actions agreed on by the Judges of the Chancery Division, and announced as recently as

the 7th of March. With the great increase of company business has come an increased number of cases involving new and difficult principles; and the result has been a large addition to the numbers of the precedents in both volumes, and a large amount of labour expended in recasting and rewriting the numerous and instructive notes. One of the most valuable features of the work is the fact that a large number of the precedents and forms are taken from actual Judgments and Orders of the Court, and thereby possess an authority which no draftsman, however eminent, could alone command. Another is the large amount of useful information obtained from official sources, and not easily to be obtained elsewhere. When Mr. Palmer does not approve of a decision he does not hesitate to say so, and to express his hope that the rule laid down may be disregarded, as in the case of the rule laid down in Herbert Standring & Co. A very useful addition to Part II. is the Companies Act, 1878 (drafted by the author), with forms and valuable notes. A good deal of learning and argument, which was in the earlier edition devoted to the question of the negotiability of debentures to bearer, has been rendered unnecessary by the recent decision of Kennedy, J., in Bechuanaland Exploration Co. v. London Trading Bank, with which decision the learned author cordially agrees. In some places there is rather a waste of space by the statements of law in the earlier chapters being reproduced almost verbatim as notes to the precedents; but this is probably done for convenience of reference. It is rather unfortunate that the perfection of Part III. is somewhat marred by an unusual number of misprints, such as refuted, instead of reputed, ownership, on p. 167; and it requires a moment's reflection to discover that omnia vite æta esse, on p. 103, is meant for omnia rite acta esse; but, of course, these slips in no way detract from the real merits of the work, which cannot well be exaggerated. We might call attention to the suggestion made as to the possibility of excluding the operation of the Directors Liability Act, 1890, by means of a waiver clause in the prospectus. The suggestion is supported by an ingenious argument, but we cannot help having considerable doubt as to whether the Courts would allow such an attempt to succeed.

Mr. Gore-Browne's work, too, shows a great increase in bulk. From a handy little crown octavo it has grown to a large demy octavo, from about five hundred and fifty pages to over one thousand, and the number of forms given has increased from three hundred and thirtyone to six hundred and thirty-one. The value of so large a number of concise precedents, selected and drafted by so skilful and experienced a lawyer, may easily be conceived, and the notes, which

are also concise, strike us as very good, and cover almost the whole range of questions which are likely to arise in "conducting the affairs of a company." Mr. Gore-Browne's aim has been to produce not an exhaustive, but a thoroughly practical work, and it possesses the great advantage for reference of being all in one volume. The Forms of Rules of Clubs, though not strictly concerning companies, may prove useful.

Ninth Edition. Principles of the English Law of Contract. By SIR WILLIAM R. ANSON, BART., D.C.L. Oxford: The Clarendon Press.

1899.

It is satisfactory to see that Sir William Anson's new duties have not prevented him from bringing out, with the assistance of Mr. W. M. Harrison, another edition of his well-known work. It is deservedly one of the best known and most widely read of the elementary textbooks on this subject; in fact, its clear grasp of principle makes it useful to many who would not call themselves "students" in the ordinary sense. No very new principles of contract are likely to be started nowadays, but many doubtful points get settled, and there are always some cases to be noted up. Some useful rules as to procedure have been added for the assistance of students.

Fifteenth Edition. Smith's Manual of Equity. By E. WILLIAMS. London: Stevens & Sons, Limited. 1900.

When a work has reached its fifteenth edition, it is pretty clear that it is one of considerable value, and the principal object of examining a new edition is to see what changes or additions have been made in it. In this instance a number of important Acts have been passed since the issue of the last edition, including the Partnership Act, 1890, the Trustee Acts, 1893 and 1894, and the Land Transfer Act, 1897; there have also been many decisions on the subjects treated of. All the most important of these seem to have been considered and referred to and commented on, and the book continues to fulfil, in a satisfactory manner, the purpose for which it was originally intended, namely, “to give a succinct yet comprehensive view of the leading principles of Equity Jurisprudence."

Sixteenth Edition. Byles on Bills. By MAURICE BARNARD BYLES and WALTER JOHN BARNARD BYLES. London: Sweet and Maxwell, Limited. 1899.

Byles on Bills is in some ways unique. It possesses one of the best alliterative titles, it has for over fifty years been the standard

work on the subject of which it treats, and it is still associated with the family of the original author. The present edition does not present any very new features, nor are there many important new cases to comment on, the most important being probably the cases of Scholfield v. Londesborough and Clutton v. Attenboro; but this is not the fault of the editors, who have noted all there are. The paucity of new cases is probably a tribute to the success of the very able codification of the law relating to Bills of Exchange, Cheques, and Promissory Notes, effected by the Bills of Exchange Act, 1882. What have to be noted up in each new edition and may possibly continue to require such attention for some time, are Acts imposing increased Stamp Duties. The Finance Act of 1899 became law too late to be included in the body of the work, but is noticed in the preface. We have come across a few misprints, and on p. 177, note (r), the wrong section of the code is referred to.

Twenty-second Edition. Archbold's Pleading, Evidence, and Practice in Criminal Cases. The twenty-second edition by WILLIAM FEILDEN CRAIES, M.A., and GUY STEPHENSON, M.A. London: Sweet & Maxwell, Limited. 1900.

Seventy-eight years ago John Frederick Archbold first gave to the world his book Pleading and Evidence in Criminal Cases, and from that time to this the importance in practice of this comparatively small work has been ever on the increase. Great lawyers have from time to time brought the volume up to date-Jervis, the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas ; Welsby, the celebrated partner of Meeson in the best reports of the most learned Court which ever sat; and Bruce, the late stipendiary magistrate at Leeds. book so edited has become almost the law itself.

There are many criminal advocates in large practice who in reality know no law but that of Archbold. Any cases not cited in this book might for them just as well have never been decided.

Many a man's liberty or life has hung in the balance, only until there has been time to turn the pages of Archbold over to discover what the law applicable to his case might be.

As to the "practice of the Court," most tribunals never even question this authority. The practice lies in the great practice-book. No attempt by any Court to alter the practice will be completely successful, until it is recorded here.

The indictments which grand juries have before them are but so many adaptations of the precedents given in Archbold. And very few are the lawyers who in ordinary cases look at all beyond its

covers.