Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-09-04
LOMAX on REAL PROPERTY.


Judge Lomax, in this second cd;;., . .; Lss work,
has in fact, performed III i..oe Il IL his title page
would :.;,tusle. lie hus brought Down his wors to
the prcseu; time, brrcns rc:ersc~. 10 The statutes
subsequent 70 the {pdl Vi ialO and also embracing
dccisiuls iuund III the 10Th volume ii Grat,nn.
The plan Uf the work is based upon Cruises Di-
gest; und the author designed that b., volumes should
fill the piace in American L,r@T!c:, 50 iar as
the law OF real property c,'cc:nei that Cruise had
filled in The English Courts. II, i.as most happily
succeeded. The former edition u ris work at Once
rnSe rapidly into pgoie-aonal favo:, and legal Ii.
hrury was considered complete wi;huu, it. The pre-
sent edition necessitated by ts great changes e.
fected in the law Of real property by recent se.ctcs
and the author hns, with I. corneu,,alt inaustry,
brought his grcut carnir 6r4 ge experience to t!e
tack Of mekips EiEin ;u the pottsaiuu the tangled
web OF Legislative eractlncno and the decisions of
the Court which, in uu little measure, had ulade pro-
foundy dark what before wa clear as MONDAY. The
lubors of the writer, while onc.ous aud impur.4nt
enough in the first two volumes ,rn,erly published,
has been increased luaarc,! fold in the third vo-
lume WHICH uow lies before lis.
This volume s especially devoted "a tho subject OF
devseS. and the professional Ge,tlen,an will not need
to be told that the late chaGgcs in the statute Of
Wills have necesstated the emre rcrnodelling and
rewriting Of this part of the work. Not to mention
other instances of the additional labor attendant up
ON the preparation Of this edition. and its additional
value on that account. we may ca attention t. the
fact that pages III to ljaarc devoted c TIC conscra
tion of one single seclicn i, Gl, new Code, and to
the Illustration OF the etl,'" that section will have
Upon previously well established doctrines concern.
ing the revocation Of Wills. Examples of this kind
ar. abundant Indeed, from n somewhat minute ex
animation of the prescn. vnir:e and az, comparison
of its contents with tha: "f tie third volume Of The
FIRST edition, we are enabled Ia say that lha present
is almost new work from ts beginning to ts end.
That i. will ba deemed useful TO the profession, is
beyond question. Those who have possessed the
former law writings of this eminent Judge and an.
thor, will doubtless place in this their implicit conf
dence in itr accuracy and reliability as legal author'
ty.
We quote lie following criticism Of the merits of
this edition from late number of the Examiner:
Judge Lomaxs two treati-es, the work on Execu-
tors and Administrators aud his Digest Of the Laws
of Real Property, have already occurred high place
in legal literature and are now regarded by Amerl-
In the first edition of his Digest of Real Property,
Judge Lomax stated the plan he had pursued in the
compilation of the work, and the motives which IN
duced him to undertake it, Il WAS modelled upon the
basis of Cruises Digest of the laws of England re-
.pecting real property, aud its design originated III
the wait which the author felt of such digest do
ring course of legal instruction inr several years at
the University of Virginia. and afterwards at pri'
yate law school in fredericksburg. The intention to
prepare such work for publication was then UNI
yersay encouraged and rs the publication
was made, the pressing necessity which the legal pro-
fession had felt for such treatlse and the confidence
which they entertained in the accuracy and complete
ness uf the abors Of this author werp evced III the
early and rapid sale Of the copies OF that edi!nn-
No legul library In Virginia was considered complete
without the Digest and in other States of the Union
the work passed into favor, and was spoken 0l Ill
terms of high commendaton by such writers as Kent
and areenleaf-hoth Of whom enjoy national rep'l.,
tation BY their labors in other departments OF Legal
literature. Story, we believe also mentions the work
with acomplneut to the industry and ability OF the
author. ,,,,o ..o.
lima nnortapl changes have been made in the sta
,ntes of several States of the Union. Many OF them
had sngrafted ON their legislation novel features I'D
some Instances, entirely abrogating the doctrines
which had previously governed the statutes ana
,enures Of real property. Meanwhile new ana ,nl
purlaut decisions had been made, aernS' ale,ut"s'
or entirely reversing the doctrines "hcii hau &c
been deemed settled by decisions ot ,he courts VI
last resort In Virginia alone some fifteen volumes
OF new reports had accumulated, aud tne nalte. =,
these volumes all bearing upon the suOectS VI tu's
work, It was important that the lawyer sh"ulu nave
them IN ready, accessible shape. new coue VI
laws also had been promulgated. To meet these Be-
vera wants, the present edition has heen compiled