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its size it is the best study we have on municipal administration as a whole. In order to include municipal functions, however, in a book of approximately the same size as the present volume. Dr. Fairlie had to compress many statements and omit others, so that for an understanding of the subject the student often has to refer to Dr. Shaw's books. Dr. Munro's book combines the good points of both these writers, and in addition gives a more complete and unified statement than either of them. He has the advantage, of course^ of a more restricted field ; but his work is so good that one wishes for as competent a volume on municipal functions.
The book is divided into but four chapters, one devoted to the government of each of the three great countries of Europe, and one to the sources and bibliography. It would have been advan- tageous for the sake of younger students to have given a brief outline of the government of the municipalities of a country at the beginning of the chapter devoted to that country. For the details necessarily included — even in a work which, like the present one, makes no attempt to deal exhaustively with the subject^— are suffi- ciently numerous to prevent one's keeping in mind the whole framework of the municipal government under discussion until it has been completely developed. Thus, to cite an example, the chapter on "The Grovernment of Prussian Cities" begins on p. 109; the council, board of magistrates, and burgomaster are named as the organs of city government on p. 126. Then follows the organi- zation of the council and the method of its election (pp. 127, 128) ; but there is no statement of its duties until p. 154 is reached, and the Magistrat is not treated of until one comes to p. 163. A very brief outline of the relation of these bodies to each other and to the municipality, if given early in the chapter, would be of great value to college students. Moreover, an analytical table of con- tents, or at least a fuller table than the one given — five lines in length! — outlining the chief points in the chapters, would have served to enhance the value of the book greatly. The absence of a synopsis, however, is partly compensated for by the very good marginal headings. These are numerous, indicative, concrete, and properly placed. The paragraphs on the powers of the Magistrat (pp. 169-80) are sufficiently held together by numbering the nine main heads — in spite of the fact that explanatory instances are cited, sometimes in special paragraphs, as, e. g., pp. 174-77. The same may be said of the paragraphs on the powers of the council
