150
The Green Bag
sical theories of the past—for Korkunov has assigned Kantand Hegel, for instance, their proper place in the history of juristic thought — still, it is up-to-date in spirit,
animated by the moral earnestness of a man who set a high value on his personal
and recognizes the trend of modern legal science by its sympathy with
recent juristic developments in Germany, where the nicht positivisches rack! is rightly being eliminated from the defi
defects of Hamilton's impulsive tem perament. His zeal to expose falsehood and corruption, for example, was some times so great as to prevent him from doing justice to the motives of his
nition of law.
adversaries, and as an orator be some
Prof. Gray's general
definition of law is carefully framed, moreover, so as not to invade the special
province of morality. It is impossible to do full justice to
honor, excite great admiration.
The
book is truthful in exhibiting some of the
times went too far in the support of a good cause. But these weaknesses can easily trinsic be worth condoned, and nobility in view of his of the nature in~
this learned writer in a short review, and
and his uncompromising fidelity to his
we commend his discussion of the nature of rights and duties, his definition of
own notions of right. Dr. Hamilton has done his work so
the state, his treatment of the various sources of the law, his observations on custom, and his study of the fiction of
well as to provide a most readable book.
the artificial legal person, to all students of theoretical jurisprudence as meriting attentive study.
The private letters are so well fitted into the text as to swell an unbroken current of fascinating narrative, and
it is not often that a biography of such rare human interest is set before a
ALEXANDER HAMILTON The Intimate Life of Alexander Hamilton; based chiefly upon original family letters and other docu ments. many of which have never been published. By Allan McLane Hamilton. With illustrations and facsimiles. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Pp. xii + 431 +44 (appendices) + 7 (index). ($3.50 net.)
book-ridden American public. The reason for this happy result is found, doubtless, largely in the skill of the biographer, but it is due in no small part to the engaging qualities of his subject, for it would be hard to find a personality of the eighteenth century more attrac tive and more richly endowed than that of Alexander Hamilton.
N THIS biography, as the title should suggest, we have a sketch, not of Hamilton's public career, or of the
opinions and policies of the chief author of the Federalist, but of his private life, and it reveals a character of attractive and fine qualities, permitting us to see,
in place of Hamilton the statesman to whom we have been accustomed, Hamil ton the accomplished orator, the viva
cious gentleman of cultivated tastes and charming manners, the afiectionate
husband and generous friend.
His
high-spirited devotion to the public weal, and his resolute, unselfish nature.
TOPHAM'S COMPANY LAW Principles of Company Law. By Alfred F. Topham. LL.M., of Lincoln's Inn, Barrister-at Law, Reader in the Law of Real Property and Con veyancing to the Council of Legal Education. 3d edition. 272 pages. Butterworth 8: Co., London. Pp. miv, 251 + 20 (appendix and questions). 43 (index). (65.)
OPHAM'S
Company
Law
is
a
short treatise designed primarily for English students of law, setting forth leading principles in good-sized type with abundant illustrative material less prominently displayed. The third edi
