Statute Law Revision. 241 



of a compiler, for defining his powers, for regulating the 

 course of procedure generally, and for giving legal sanc- 

 tion to the new edition when ready for issue. To take 

 the former of the two courses will be to incur a con- 

 siderable expenditure of time and money, and to make a 

 serious call upon the energy and patience of the members 

 of the Legislature. But, on the other hand, the result 

 would more than compensate for these sacrifices, and 

 would redound very greatly to the credit of the Legisla- 

 ture. We should then indeed have a Statute Book of 

 which we might well be proud, and instead of occupying 

 the rearmost or almost the rearmost position among 

 British possessions in this regard— it is only two or 

 three months since I had a letter from the Librarian 

 of the Colonial Office drawing my attention to this 

 fa6l — we should go per saltum into the front or almost 

 the front place. I fail to see why the Legislature of 

 British Guiana should not achieve what has been done 

 by the Legislatures of the United States and Canada and 

 has been in part accomplished by the extin6l Legislature 

 of Tobago. 



But if our legislators should shrink from entering upon 

 what must in candour be described as a formidable under- 

 taking, it is sincerely to be hoped that they will san6lion 

 the lesser work of the preparation and publication of a new 

 and revised edition of the statute laws of the Colony. 

 For this purpose the compiler should be furnished, by 

 the special Ordinance making provision for the inception 

 and carrying out of the work, with large but care- 

 fully defined powers of simplifying the language of 

 ena6lments and of consolidating all Ordinances in part 

 materia. By way of showing the terms in which such 



