same time reading in office hours about the office business, and in the evening pursuing a methodical course of study. A., however, complains that he was not fortunate enough to become acquainted with any one willing to discuss legal topics, and he was thus left to his own resources. He sought to mitigate this by attending the lectures at the Incorporated Law Society, but, like many others, he testifies that he derived no advantage therefrom, except the doubtful one of a little relief from the monotony of his ordinary studies. A. believes that he should have been successful at the examination had he been as diligent with respect to Conveyancing business as he was in regard to Common Law and Equity. He, however, thought that his knowledge of these two latter branches would have sufficed to save him from being "plucked," but this turned out to be an illusion, and, indeed, he admits that his answers in Conveyancing were not what they ought to have been, and he attributes his failure to this deficiency, and to his not having answered in the two divisions of Criminal Law and Bankruptcy. He complains bitterly of having been misled with respect to answering in these two divisions by some persons who assured him that the examiners would not take into account any answers in those divisions. If he had read and attended to our repeated remarks and advice on this matter he would not have acted so foolishly. A. admits that he was wrong in delaying his studies so long, and says if he had to go through his time again he would commence with the first day of his articles, and continue them uninterruptedly until the day of examination. He has now resolved to postpone his examination until Hilary Term next, and, in the meantime, to attend closely to business, and give his evenings to diligent study, to which we advise him to add some oral discussions and much meditation, if he would make sure of attaining success. A. has read little more than an old edition of Blackstone, with notes, and Stephen's Commentaries, Cruise's Digest, Ayckbourn's Chancery Practice, and Chitty's Archbold's Common Law Practice. It will easily be understood that this course of reading was of too limited a character, and not at all judiciously adopted. A. seems not to have given any attention to the doctrines of Equity or Common Law, though he thinks that his answers on such doctrines were not very deficient; but we think he must be labouring under a grievous mistake in this respect. We trust our readers will take warning by A.'s experience, and both commence their studies earlier and pursue them more judiciously.

GENTLEMEN, In reply to your request I beg to state that I served my articles in a country office of extensive practice, where I had the advantage of seeing not only much, but also a great variety

of business, embracing Common Law, Criminal Law, County Court Practice, and Conveyancing, with occasionally some Equity. Of course the Common Law and Equity were chiefly transacted by the town agent, but I took care to read the correspondence between my principals and their agents, and noted the progress made in the proceedings, at the same time reading appropriate portions of works upon the practice of each department. By these means I managed to pick up some information, which I found very useful when I went to the town agent, inasmuch as I was able at once to take a part in the office practice, and so make myself of service. In the other branches I made considerable progress, because I worked hard during office hours, and found my principals willing to assist me in acquiring knowledge, because they felt it would be to their own interest; and so I believe other clerks would find an equal readiness to assist them if their principals could see that their interests were in view, and that the clerks were not seeking their own benefit merely. I read several good works during my clerkship, both in the country and in town, among which were the Outlines of Law, Williams on Real and Personal Property, Common Law Practice, Common Law Principles, Smith's Action at Law, Hunter's Suit in Equity, Smith's Manual of Equity, Davidson's Concise Precedents, Smith's Real and Personal Property, Selwyn's Nisi Prius, Spence's Equity (the second volume only), Stone's Petty Sessions, Saunders's Magistrate's Practice, Archbold's Criminal Law Pleading and Evidence, Bythewood and Jarman's Conveyancing by Sweet, Cruise's Digest, &c. I was fortunate enough to have a fellow articled clerk who was as anxious as myself to learn, and we agreed to read the same works and to discuss the matters, setting aside for this latter purpose two evenings in the week, besides occasional discussions in the office. This latter course we adopted from your strong recommendations contained in the Law Chronicle, and I am certain that it was extremely useful to me, as I believe it was also to my companion. I did not attend any lectures, nor any "crammer," as I felt pretty sure there would be little profit derivable from either. With respect to the examination, I felt a little nervous on first perusing the questions; but I soon set to work, and answered those first which I found easy to me, leaving the more difficult ones for after consideration. By this means, when I had finished the easy questions, I felt more comfortable, because I found the remainder not so very formidable. I took these latter seriatim, and did my best with them,-I answered nearly all, but some I felt obliged to leave unanswered, as I was totally unacquainted with them. My answers were very brief, perhaps too much so; but really the time will not admit of lengthy answers, and I am not sure that he examiners are not better pleased with short answers,

if they are to the point. I may finish by saying that though I found some of the questions too difficult for me, yet I feel that a clerk who has made a diligent use of his five years' clerkship need not be under any great apprehension as to his success, as he ought to be able to answer the greater number of the questions, and by doing that he will be safe from being "plucked."

Yours, &c.,

X. Y. Z.

DEATH OF DONEE IN TAIL, 1 Vic., c. 26.-By the Wills Act, 11 Will. IV., and 1 Vic., c. 26, s. 32, it is provided that where any person to whom any real estate shall be devised for an estate tail or an estate in quasi entail, shall die in the lifetime of the testator, leaving issue who would be inheritable under such entail, and any such issue shall be living at the time of the death of the testator, such devise shall not lapse, but shall take effect as if the death of such person had happened immediately after the death of the testator, unless a contrary intention shall appear by the will. A question has been raised on the above section, whether some of the same issue who were living at the devisee's death must not also be living at the testator's death. Another question on the above enactment is as to whether a judgment obtained against the donee, and registered, is a charge on the lands in the hands of the issue in tail, either since the late Act requiring the registry of a writ of execution, or prior thereto. By the 1 & 2 Vic., c. 110, s. 13, it is enacted that a judgment in any of the superior courts at Westminster shall operate as a charge upon all lands and hereditaments of or to which such person shall, at the time of entering up such judgment, or at any time afterwards, be seised, possessed, or entitled for any estate or interest whatever, at law or in equity, whether in possession, reversion, remainder, or expectancy or over which such person shall, at the time of entering up such judgment, or any time afterwards, have any disposing power which he might, without the assent of any other person, exercise for his own benefit, and shall be binding as against the person against whom such judgment shall be so entered up, and against all persons claiming under him after such judgment, and shall also be binding as against the issue of his body, and all other persons whom he might, without the assent of any other person, cut off and debar from any remainder, reversion, or other interest in or out of any of the said lands and hereditaments. Another question raised on the above provision of the Wills Act is whether, if the donee in tail had in his lifetime executed a disentailing deed, either expressly mentioning the lands devised to him, or containing general

words large enough to comprise them, and showing a clear intention to disentail all the lands to which he was then, or might at any time thereafter become entitled, it would operate to bar the entail, and, if so, what would be the effect thereof so far as regarded the rights of his issue in the devised lands? As some of our subscribers have expressed a wish to have a subject for consideration not being a mere moot point, such as they are usually given, with a view to correspondence, we furnish the above, and shall be glad to receive communications thereon, without, however, pledging ourselves to insert any of them. If our subscribers take an interest therein we may furnish other similar points, so that from month to month there may be found in our pages something to exercise the minds of students anxious to improve themselves.

METHODS OF SELF EDUCATION.

INNS OF COURT.-Legal education in the inns of court, as it formerly existed, was to a considerable extent systematic and collegiate. But in the seventeenth century changes took place. Roger North (in a book written towards its close) speaks of the want of instruction then, and thenceforward students in the inns have been left very much to their own resources, with such varying aids as friendly suggestions or books could supply. The present system of classes, lectures, and examinations is an exception; but, in an enlarged form, it is of recent date; and private tuition has for the most part dealt more with the practice of law than the principles. During the interval between the ancient system and the present, some of our most eminent lawyers have grown up; and an inquiry into the methods which they employed seems not an idle or fruitless

one.

HALE AND ROLLE.-An early notice of one of these methods occurs in Sir Matthew Hale's preface to Rolle's Abridgment, where he tells of the author, that he was of the same society with four other eminent men, and that it was "the constant and almost daily course for many years together of these great traders in learning to bring in their several acquests therein, as it were, into a common stock by mutual communication."

ASSOCIATION.-Association in study scarcely deserves less attention on account of the occasional talk in the pupil-room on legal topics, which is found in the modern system of private tuition. There is likely to be too much attention to drawing to allow free scope for a well-weighed system of mutual study. Arrangement and selection are principally the advantages of such a plan; but the

tutor's papers have to be taken as they come, and are uncertain as to time and subject-matter. Is it not, therefore, of material consequence that a law student with any high aims should find companions beyond the limits of his chambers, and concert with them schemes of reading, cross-questioning, analysing, and discussing, which may be made preparatory or supplemental to the usual routine of work? If authority were needed for the advantages of such a plan, the instance of Sir Samuel Romilly would supply it, who used, with his friend Mr. Baynes, to compare the notes which they took in court; and in a little society, consisting only of themselves and two others, they argued and acted as judges in turn-an exercise which he describes as very useful to them all.

NORTH'S ADVICE.-Roger North, in the little book above referred to, gives advice as to legal education in his time; and it is curious, and, in part, useful still. For reading he recommends the text of Littleton's Tenures, without comment, and notices Perkins's Profitable Book, and the book known as "Terms of the Law." For a somewhat later stage, and as lighter subjects, a work on Ancient Tenures, Doctor and Student, and Fortescue de Laudibus Legum Angliæ. For more serious reading after Littleton, Plowden's Commentaries, and (to be taken along with these) Fitzherbert's Naturâ Brevium, Crompton's Jurisdiction of Courts, and Stamford's Pleas of the Crown, with the book at the end, De Prærogativâ Regis, and Manwood's Forest Law. But, with the treatises, there should be at hand some illustrative precedents-the Registrum Brevium, and some of the books of entries, as Rastall, Coke, &c. He recommends the Year Book called Henry VII., and some of Sir E. Coke's Institutionary Pieces, as his Pleas of the Crown, Jurisdiction of Courts, and Comments upon Magna Charta and the old Statutes. Afterwards the student might enter upon some of what were then the more modern reports.

NORTH AND HALE.-The diligent construction of a common-place book by the student himself North treats as a material part of his scheme, and reasons in favour of it with considerable force. Another of his expedients is reporting, the student making his own notes in court of the material points in cases-first, in a rough note-book, and afterwards in one more carefully kept. A peculiarity in this author's views is his disesteem of Coke upon Littleton, partly as being in effect a ready-made common-place book, without, therefore, the advantages of one of the student's own making. Some advice on the study of the law of about the same period, and of much greater authority, on account of the person who gave it, is to be found in Sir M. Hale's preface (before noticed) to Rolle's Abridg