26 NOVEMBER 1864, Page 23

An Essay upon Composition Deeds and Other Modes of Arrangement

Jvith Creditors under the Statutes 24, 25, Viet., cap. 134. By Thomas Erskine Holland, M.A., Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford, and of Lin- coln's Inn, Esq., Barrister-at-Law. (London, Henry Sweet.)—This is an admirable law-book, and we can confidently recommend it to all persons who are unfortunate enough to be forced to draw up composi- tion deeds. Mr. Holland gives an accurate account of the law in regard to all deeds of arrangement, carefully annotates the section of the Bankruptcy Act which applies to his subject, and points out the rules which must be attended to by all lawyers who wish to construct deeds which will stand the scrutiny of the Courts. He has further collected together every case bearing on composition deeds, and has, as every careful writer ought to do, in all decisions of importance quoted the very words of the judge. His essay deals, it is true, with a matter which cannot be interesting to any but lawyers. But the great im- portance of it to the general public is shown by the fact that, while in 1862 there were 2,651 trust deeds of various descriptions registered under the Bankruptcy Act, their number for the year ending the 11th of October, 1863, was 8,016.