Epitome of the Laws of Nova-Scotia

Above 70 years' legislation has accumulated a mass of provincial enactments (contained in 3 large quarto volumes, down to 1826.) Since 1826, very many acts have passed. Much inconvenience has been felt in referring to them, as it requires an intimate acquaintance with their contents, to enable any one to distinguish those directly or virtually repealed, from such as remain in force. This difficulty has been experienced by professional men as well as others, although the small Index published by Chief Justice Marshall afforded some remedy. The variety of instances in which our Provincial acts and usages have altered the laws of England, and the uncertainty as to what English acts are or are not in force here, suggested to the writer "the usefulness of a work in humble imitation of the Commentaries of Blackstone, retaining such English law as we have adopted, and adding under each head or chapter the substance of provincial enactments that belonged to it. (Under an impression of an analogous kind, an edition of Blackstone, with notes showing the changes of law in the United States, has been there published.) The author has been favored with a reading of the Commentaries of Mr. Kent on American law, and has found them of much service, in preparing this work. The materials from which he has produced this Epitome were so scattered and disjointed, that few can appreciate the fatigue attending it. He has had in constant view, to give the substance of all the provincial statute laws in the plainest terms, freed from

the technical language in which they were written, and to refer page by page and section by section-so that the original act could always be easily found when necessary.* He hopes in 4 or 5 small volumes to comprize the whole body of the provincial statutes on every subject, arranging them in a rational order, and connecting them in every chapter, with such English law as is in force here or necessary to be noticed. This first volume being chiefly statutes, has been less laborious in composition, but more so in revising and preparing for the press, than any other portion of the work. The writer has to request his readers to bear in mind, that the duties of a laborious profession have not allowed him to dedicate as much time and attention to this undertaking, as its importance deserved. He trusts it will be found useful notwithstanding, and he will publish the remaining volumes as rapidly as they can go through the press, having the manuscript of all nearly finished. He hopes at some future period, if the work in its present state is acceptable to the subscribers, to publish a more valuable and enlarged edition. He begs leave to return his thanks to the gentlemen of the Bar, the Magistrates, -the Agents for the work, and to his Subscribers in general, for their kind approbation and encouragement; which have stimulated him to persevere in his endeavors, and to several of his friends, for their liberality in the loan of law works required. The employment and improvement of mind, and the interest he has felt during these three years in this pursuit, are in themselves no small reward for his labor, and if its usefulness will bear any proportion to the exertion bestowed on it, he will have no cause to regret the occupation of so many solitary hours. HALIFAX, April 2, 1832.

*The present volume it was found would not contain as many subjects as intended to be comprized in it, though 50 pages more than the 200 promised are added to it.