Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-09-29
A VALUABLE Law BOOK.

SELECTION OF LEADING CASES IN CRtaIs't
LAw-wi,h notes. By Edmond Hastings benn- I
and Franklin Eiske Heard. In two volumes. BJs
ton Little & Brown, 1857.
The first volume of this admirable collection o;
eadpg criminal cases published in 1856 and 'n",
with most favorable reception from the profe-son
and the principal law journals OF this country There
il, perhaps, not criminal lawyer 10 tho Southern
States, who has not repeatedly experienced 10 COM
ties remote from our towns and cities, the want OF
etins more than the mere elementary treat'ses III
the trial important osses The leading In al the
branches of criminal law until recently scatsr
ed through hundreds Of volumes Of Enelish and
American Reports, and therefore inaccessible TO
large majority Of the profession. The country law
yer especially was forced to content himself with
the mere citation Of such cases. with tbs mea2rs
extracts from them in Archbold Russell, Chity and
| Roecoe.
The plan or design of the distinguished gentlemen
who have prepared the volumes Of lssding cr'nnsl
cases in question is precisely similar TO that pursaed
in Smiths Leading Cases, and We hazard nothing Ia
saving that the volumes before promise TO be nc
invaluable in criminal practice, a. the Smiths Lead
ing Cases have been in OWL causes.
of England in all the departments Of the criminal Ia"
piyen, but the learned editors have accompan'ei
each case with clear full and oopious ctatons FROM
and references to nnumerable other which cup
mort and enforce each leading case. Each casa
is therefore, a complete and admirable essay upon
the law relative to the punshment OF the offence
from which it sprung.
This 10 the first application Of this plan Of discas
sing legal questions, to the criminal law ts" euo'
ieca, not strictly criminal in their character such &c
the Law of Arrest, the doctrine OF Merger OF u
vii Injury, &c may be found in these volumes eu'
thew are 80 intimately connected with the Cr!mIna!
Law a. not to seem out Of place.
faw illustrations will convey to the proess.ou c
soms idea of the judcious and sensible plan OF The
| edition Of these leading cases.
The iesding case, with reference to the enects .!
"delusion" at the time Of committing an offence re-
ported In the volumes before u.s. 10 that Of the Com
mopwealth vs. Abner Rogers, Aetcaf 500. tn:
report of the case in the 6rst volume of the Lad
: iue Criminal Cases occupies Eve pages, whi 81
! rbe elaborate notes Of the editors cootinue ov-:
} more than twenty i've pages Of email and clos='j
printed matter. These notes give full and e1f'H
J sye examination Of the whole question OF 'ns .'
saots of deuson" on criminal intent, and furnish II:
orofession With brief statemeu, Of every cr1,'ns
cs,e having the slightest bearing upon the suhsc'
and With all the learning which may be found n th
nutitudinous works on Medical jurisprudence srS
Insanity.
The volumes before rs contain nearly two hundre:
English and American cases; as elaboratey and ADJ!
sdited as the case which We have cited. No c-''n-
,ase can possibly present itself to the lawyer IN ofd'
nary practice in the prosecution of which ne W.. 800
ma able to nd .imisr carefully edited 10 tnrs
,oluu,es. He will here hnd completely and lucid!
presented every case to which the siemsntsry work
m criminal law usually refer. Within the last 'e'
vssrs, the lsbors of the criminal lawyer have beef
wonderfully abridged by three or tour new ~
T hooks. With "Whsrtons Criminal Law" and Pre-
It csdspts of Indictments" "Waturman's Archb"ld
y he "American Digest OF Criminal Cnss',' and tn
LEADING Criminal Cases, Of BenneIf & Heard IL =
YER can now do without at least Fifty books which "er
! once necessary for his library