profitably it may engage the attention of the general student, will scarcely be deemed a necessary appendage to a practical work; it has, therefore, on the present occasion, been omitted. To give references to early and over-ruled cases seemed preferable, in a book intended for general use, to swelling its leaves with their detail; and it may perhaps be observed, that, in the treatise alluded to, others, still continuing to be law, occupy too considerable a space. How far the compiler of the following pages has, in this respect, observed the limits which sound discretion should have imposed, and how far he has succeeded in his main object, that of expressing in the fewest possible words, consistently with clearness, the substance of what he conceived to be the law, he cannot but feel extremely doubtful, being but too well aware how often diffuseness may arise from the anxiety to be distinct, and obscurity from the fear of being prolix. Of one part, and one part alone, of this publication, is it ventured to speak with any confidence-the Collection of Precedents:which, from the acknowledged accuracy, and long professional habits of those who drew them, must be of high authority. But still it is feared that, notwithstanding the value of what it contains, the Appendix may be considered disproportionately long; the truth is that the compiler's inexperience misled him as to the space which it would occupy, or a much smaller type would have been employed. The Chancery Precedents might perhaps have been altogether omited; but as they belong to cases of considerable importance, and are to be found, printed at least, only in Mr. Kyd's publication, for which it was intended to make the present volume as complete a substitute as possible, it was judged best to insert two out of the three which that work contains. Amongst the Addenda will be found some few cases, which either occurred too late for insertion under their proper titles, or the notice of which had, through inadvertence been omitted. And here the author is anxious to express his most grateful acknowledgments to his friends, for their kind communications and assistance, and to some other gentlemen, with whom he had not the honour of being previously acquainted, for the very handsome manner in which the use of their notes and manuscripts was afforded. To the Profession of which he is a member, this volume is committed by the author with the most unfeigned diffidence; at the same time, with the hope that their usual candour and indulgence will not be refused to the imperfections of a first work: that it has many faults cannot be doubted; should it, however, upon the whole, be found moderately useful, the design of the author will be accomplished, and he never can regret the time and attention which the undertaking has required. Paper Buildings, Temple, |