PREFACE.

A WORK upon the Practice of the Crown Side of the Court of Queen's Bench, has not until lately been much wanted, the whole of the business being hitherto transacted by Clerks in Court, who were intimately acquainted with the Practice. The kindness and readiness of the Officers of the Crown-Office, in answering all questions of practice put to them by Gentlemen at the Bar, left the Bar little to wish upon the subject; and the Attornies, practising on the Crown side of the Court, were not interested in having a published Practice of the Crown-Office, as the Clerks in Court rendered any interference upon their part unnecessary. The recent Act of Parliament, 6 & 7 Vict. c. 20, however, by throwing open the practice of the Crown side of the Court to the Profession generally, and doing away with the Clerks in Court, has rendered it of the last importance to the Profession, and particularly to Attornies, that there should be a work upon the subject,- simplifying it, rendering it easily intelligible,-on the correctness of which they can safely depend. The Attornies, and particularly the London Agents, are placed in circumstances of some difficulty: they are now called upon to exercise their Profession, in a department