THIS WORK IS DEDICATED ΤΟ THE HONORABLE EDMUND HAYES, One of the Justices of Her Majesty's Court of Queen's Bench in Ireland, WITH SINCERE FEELINGS OF REGARD, BY THE EDITOR. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION. THE former Edition of this work was published in the year 1860, since which period many changes have been effected in the law brought under the consideration of the reader. The Criminal Law Consolidation Statutes have made a material alteration in the catalogue of offences, as well as in the provisions of the Summary Jurisdiction Act. It is not the editor's province to state whether those changes are improvements or not, but he considers that it was mistaken legislation to touch the every day code of reference so properly classified in one statute. The volume now produced to the reader contains nearly double the quantity of new matter, although the number of its pages closely corresponds with that of the former edition. This is accounted for by the omission of the side notes, the use of smaller type throughout the work, and the re-arrangement of the Index. By these means a greater amount of useful information is presented to the Magistrates and practitioners, while the size of the volume is not increased. The Editor has been given to understand that it is the intention of the government to introduce a bill into parliament this session, to alter the clause in the new acts which cause a distinction between the jurisdiction of the stipendiary and local magistrates; but as any such change will so slightly affect the subject of this treatise, it is not considered necessary longer to withhold its publication. 78, Leeson Street. E. P. L. |