148 HARVARD LAW REVIEW. positions taken, they are all taken skilfully, and logically developed ; and the work must be recognized as a standard upon the subjects with which it deals. j. g. p. The Law of Negotiable Instruments : Statutes, Cases, and Authori- ties. Edited by Ernest W. Huffcut, Professor of Law in Cornell University College of Law. New York : Baker, Voorhis, & Co. 1898. pp. xvi, 700. The most important result of the efforts of the American Commis- sioners on Uniformity of Laws has been the recent enactment in several of our States of the Negotiable Instruments Law, a codification of the law of negotiable paper based upon the English Bills of Exchange Act. Mr. Huffcut's volume is perhaps the most elaborate annotated edition of this statute that has yet appeared. Part I. contains the statute and the Eng- lish Bills of Exchange Act. The text of the former is accompanied by numerous annotations, including many of the notes made by the drafts- man, J. J. Crawford, Esq., as they appeared in the diaft printed by the Commissioners. Article I, of Part II. contains selections from various legal writers on such topics as codes governing negotiable paper, the construction of codifying statutes, and the history of the law merchant. In Article II. of Part II. there are about three hundred annotated cases, mostly American, illustrating the provisions of the code, to which there are cross references. The editor states that his volume is intended primarily for students, and he is undoubtedly right in saying that the importance of the Negoti- able Instruments Law, especially in view of its probable enactment in a majority of our States, renders necessary a familiarity with the statute on the part of students. A word of caution, however, might well be given to those intending to use this volume as a text-book ; for, were the student and instructor to rely primarily upon the statute, referring only incident- ally to the decisions, instead of using the act merely as supplementary to the reading and discussion of the cases, there would be the danger that the study of the subject might be robbed of its vitality and value. In certain instances, furthermore, the order in which the cases are arranged might perhaps have been improved upon, to bring out more clearly the development of the subject as a whole. While the work is designed chiefly for use by students, the practising lawyer, especially in jurisdictions where the statute has been enacted, will undoubtedly find Mr. Huffcut's book serviceable. h. d. h. A Treatise on the Military Law of the United States. By George B. Davis, U. S. A. New York : John Wiley & Sons. 1898. pp. xii, 754- Particularly interesting at this time of our military activity is a com- prehensive and clear exposition of the military law of the United States. The writer, whose experience and position well fit him for the task, deals with the sources and authority of our military law ; the constitution, com- position, and jurisdiction of courts martial and their method of pro- cedure ; the articles of war, with a full discussion of each one ; and the forms used in framing the charges and pleas in the several tribunals. The work is well done. The divisions of subjects and chapters have, as a rule, been clearly arranged ; the discussions are exhaustive, without
