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examination of the legislative authority of Parliament, published in August, 1774. It contains the language, "All men are by nature equal and free," language almost identical with that of the Declaration of Inde pendence. The speech in vindication of the colonies, in January, 1775, contains much of the same matter afterwards found in the Declaration of Independence. The aim of the editorial work has been to re-enforce the text upon questions which were unsettled, by au thorities showing how the questions were settled. To show briefly the development of principles. To bring out the fundamental principles of our law. To show the present tendency in important questions which are influencing the structure of our law. The notes are universally brief. Sometimes a mere reference serves to place in the hands of the reader the means of an exhaustive examination. A feature of the original work is of especial value. Many lecturers of note omit the citation of authority. Judge Wilson constantly gives reference to authority, thus enabling the reader to judge the correctness of the conclusions and extend the research. This also shows the care and extent of the original investiga tion. We are sure this great work will receive the con sideration and approbation to which its merits en title it. The General Principles of the American Law of the Sale of Goods. In the form of Rules with Comments and Illustrations. By Reuben M. Benjamin. The Bowen- Merrill Co., In dianapolis and Kansas City, 1896. Law sheep. $3.00 net. Mr. Benjamin makes quite clear the principles governing the Law of Contracts by the means of a series of rules accompanied by illustrative cases. The book should be a useful one to law students, for whom it is designed. The Woman's Manual of Parliamentary Law, with practical illustrations. Especially adapted to Women's Organizations. By Harriette R. Shattuck, President of the Boston Political Class. Sixth Edition, Revised and Enlarged. Lee & Shepard, Boston, 1896. Cloth. 75 cents. The thousands of women who are organizing clubs, etc., will find this little book of much assist ance. Parliamentary principles and rules are made so clear that the most inexperienced person cannot fail to understand them. A Manual of Elementary Law. Being a sum mary of the well-settled principles of American

Law. By William P. Fishback, dean of the Indiana Law School. The Bowen-Merrill Co., Indianapolis. and Kansas City, 1896. Law Sheep. $3.00 net. An excellent statement of the principles of law. Multum in parvo might well be its motto, for certainly a vast amount of information is condensed into the least possible space. Students, especially, will appreciate the work. Text-Book of The Patent Laws of the United States of America. By Albert H. Walker of the Hartford Bar. Third Edition. Baker, Voorhis & Co., New York, 1895. Law sheep. S6.50 net. For a terse, lucid, and at the same time compre hensive statement of the American patent law, we know of no work that equals this treatise by Mr. Walker. This new edition is carefully revised and enlarged, and is an accurate presentment of the law at the present time. The volume is an absolute necessity to all patent lawyers. miscellaneous. The Parson's Proxy. By Kate W. Hamilton. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston and New York, 1896. Cloth. S1.25. While the plot of this story is improbable, almost to absurdity, the author has succeeded in throwing such an atmosphere of realism about it that the reader takes the extraordinary doings of the hero as matters of course. The book is exceedingly inter esting, and one is loth to lay it down until the end is reached. The characters are all strongly drawn and the story well written. Joan of Arc. By Francis C. Lowell. Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston and New York, 1896. Cloth. $2.00. The legendary accounts of Joan of Arc have so impressed the general reader, that it is difficult to think of her as a real, human woman. Her life, as the author says, affords a striking illustration of two important historical principles : first, that legends re quire the shortest possible time for their luxuriant growth : and second, that the wildest and most im probable legends may exist beside the most definite and well ascertained historical facts. The facts of the real life of the Maid of Orleans are known to a somewhat remarkable degree of certainty, and these facts Mr. Lowell presents to his readers in a very interesting manner. The real story of this re markable girl is even more absorbing than the legend ary. The book is in every way a valuable contribu tion to biographical literature.