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COMPARATIVE JURISPRU DENCE. Colonial Laws and Courts, with a sketch of the legal systems of the world. By Alexander Wood Renton and George Grenville Phillimore. London. 1907. $4.00. [The Bos ton Book Company, Agents for the United States.] This book, which also forms the introduc tory volume of the new edition of Surge's "Commentaries on Colonial and Foreign Laws," is issued separately, as there is likely to be a greater demand for it than the remainder of that work. The first edition of Burge was published in 1838. The first volume contained a pre liminary treatise giving an account of the several systems of jurisprudence adopted in the colonies. At that time the government of India had not passed from the East Indian Company to the British Crown. Exterritorial jurisprudence was comparatively unknown. Self-governing colonies not included in a fed eration, and federated self-governing colonies had not been developed. In preparing a new edition, it became evident that the develop ment in the political and judical constitution of the colonies, in existence in 1838, and

DEPARTMENT

the numerous additions made to the British dominions since, required a considerable expan sion of this preliminary treatise. The result is that a sketch of 79 pages has been expanded to a volume of -nearly 500 pages. This volume is divided into three parts: Part I., treating of the different -systems of law underlying the jurisprudence of the legal world, the law of the Empire of India, and the Roman-Dutch law; Part II., treating of the juridical constitution of the British dominions, exclusive of the United Kingdom; Part III., treating of appeals to the Privy Council. The third part will likely prove of little interest to the profession in the United States. The first part distinguishes between the common, canon and civil law, and explains the various systems of law in use throughout the world and the development and progress of codifica tion. The second part treats of each possession separately, giving its political history, describ ing the law in force and the courts, with their jurisdiction. Probably no legal work of modern times has been prepared with greater care. The general editors have been assisted by able associates, who are specialists on the particular topics on which they write. In addition to this they have had the advice and assistance of the Bench and leaders at the Bar in the revision of the treatment of the legal systems of particu lar British Colonies and states. Many of the law libraries of the United States have during the last twenty years accumu lated collections of British Colonial reports, and it is necessary that the patrons of such libraries should have access to this new work in order to determine the value of such reports as precedents. Every scholar of the law should read and study this work in order to get in touch with the development and tendencies of the modern law. No student of the law can call his course ot study complete until he has carefully read and pondered on this text-book. In these modern times, when so many works of doubtful value and authority are thrust upon the legal profession, it is refreshing to find a treatise that will undoubtedly be regarded with greater favor, if anything, than the origi nal edition, which was a classic.