legal studies in New York, and was admitted to the bar in 1852. He spent some years in active practice, and then devoted himself to legal writing, chiefly reports and digests of State and national laws. Among some of the more prominent of his works are a "Digest of Corporations," "Treatise on United States Courts and their Practice," "Dictionary of Terms in English and American Jurisprudence," " United States Digest," and the "National Digest," the latter in five volumes. Mr. Abbott was appointed secretary of the New York Code Commissioners, and personally drafted the report of a penal code submitted to the Legisla ture in 1865, which afterward became the basis of the present penal code. In 1869 he was ap pointed by President Grant one of the commis sioners to revise the statutes of the United States, a work which occupied three years. Prof. Johnson T. Platt, of the Yale Law School, and a member of the law firm of Platt, Tyler & Moran, died January 23. He was born at Newtown, Conn., in 1845, and graduated from the Harvard Law School in 1865. He was ap pointed professor in the Yale Law School in 1869.
REVIEWS. The Juridical Review for January, 1890. This admirable magazine maintains the high standard which has thus far characterized it, and it is cer tainly one of the most welcome of our transatlantic exchanges. The leading articles in the current number are " The Science of Politics, its Methods and its Use," by ^Eneas J. G. Mackay; "The New Code for the German Empire," by Prof. Felix Dahn; " Land Reform in Scotland," by R. B. Haldane, M. P.; " Insanity in its relation to the Criminal Law," III., by Charles Scott A fine por trait of the late Professor Muirhead is used as a frontispiece, and there are sketches of his life and work by Professors Rankine and Carle.
The American Law Review, January-Febru ary, contains an extract from James C. Carter's Address on "The Provinces of the Written and the Unwritten Law," delivered before the Virginia State Bar Association. Charles A. Culbertson
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contributes an article on " The Supreme Court and Interstate Commerce," and Augustus H. Fenn discusses " Conditional Sales." A timely article on " The Business of the Federal Courts and the Salaries of the Judges," is written by Albert Dickerman; and we sincerely join with the author in the hope that these two things may receive the prompt attention of Congress. The other paper, which completes the contents, is an account of "The Michigan Central Railroad Conspiracy Trial of 1851," by B. S. Ladd. In the "Notes" a kindly word is said for the " Green Bag " : — "The Editor of the 'Green Bag' has succeeded in presenting, in the course of the year, a great deal of 'entertaining ' matter; but we cannot agree with his titlepage that it is ' useless.' Entertainment to a tired lawyer is not useless."
The Law Student's Monthly for January, 1890, contains two essays, — one upon " The Requisites of a good Law School Text- Book," by Demus R. Gale; and the other upon " International Copy right," by W. P. Holcombe. Both these essays show careful thought and diligent research on the part of the authors, and are valuable additions to legal literature. Messrs. T. & J. W. Johnson, the publishers, have done a most excellent work in reproducing these prize essays, written by the brightest minds in our Law Schools.
Johns Hopkins University Studies. Eighth Series, I.—II. "The Beginnings of American Nationality," by Albion W. Small, Ph. D. In this paper the author exhibits the constitutional rela tions between the Continental Congress and the Colonies and States from 1774 to 1789. After a brief account of the legal characters of the com munities, extracts from the records are arranged to show ( 1 ) the character of the bodies that assumed to act for the colonies; (2) the powers which these colonial bodies gave to representatives in the continental body; (3 ) the character of the conti nental body so composed; (4) the acts of the continental body; (5) the corresponding acts of the colonial bodies.
The opening article of the Atlantic for March is a paper upon the " Trial, Opinions, and Death of Giordano Bruno," by William R. Thayer;
