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national question upon principles which can never be shaken. For 

 this single service he is entitled to a grateful remembrance so long 

 as any value is attached to the union of the States. 



The next of this class, in point of general interest, is the article 

 upon Curtis's Admiralty Digest, published in the American Jurist, 

 little known, probably, except to lawyers ; yet I could not point to 

 any work which contains, within the same compass, more matter 

 of permanent interest to every reader of American history, and 

 which throws more light upon the foreign policy of our government 

 from the time of Washington's declaration of neutrality, in 1793, 

 to the declaration of war, in 1812, under President Madison. 



Another dissertation, published in the Jurist, entitled " Remarks 

 on the Study of the Civil Law," is highly useful to the classical 

 scholar, and, indeed, to every educated gentleman, though designed 

 more especially for civilians and lawyers. Early impressed with 

 the importance of this study, Mr. Pickering wished to draw the 

 attention of the bar to it as among the most effectual means of 

 raising the dignity and usefulness of the profession. He regarded 

 the civil law as a wonderful repository of human reason, the source 

 of a large portion of our common law, and the basis of that inter- 

 national code which governs us and all the nations that consti- 

 tute the great community of Europe. At the close, he expresses 

 a strong desire to see this branch of jurisprudence take its proper 

 rank in our law schools, as well as among our practitioners at the 

 bar. Alluding to an illustrious example of professional liberality in 

 the donation made by our late learned countryman. Dr. Dane, to the 

 University of Cambridge, for the advancement of American law, 

 he adds : — " We earnestly hope that some benefactor of equal lib- 

 erality will soon be found who will devote a portion of the well- 

 earned fruits of an honorable life to a chair for the civil law in 

 that ever cherished institution." 



