Wilhs : Anglo-American Law 
117 
Yet thruout this period other forces were at work, and tho 
they did not accomplish much in this period, in the way of 
reform, their reforms flowered in the next Period of Social- 
ization of the law. Bentham had been commenting, first, on 
the want of system and certainty in the law; and, second, 
on the extraordinary harshness of the penal laws ; and in 1827 
Parliament entered upon the work of law reform. Henry 
Brougham, afterwards lord chancellor, a devout Benthamite, 
delivered in 1827 in the House of Commons a long and bril- 
liant speech on the laws of England. 
He dwelt on the necessity of codification, especially of the criminal 
law; on the absurdity of fines and recoveries ; on the complexity of the 
methods of conveying land; on the cumbersome process of the common 
law courts; on the extraordinary technicality of writs and pleadings; 
on the fictions which had to be resorted to; and on the harshness of 
the penal laws. 
The result of his speech was the appointment of commis- 
sions, which made valuable reports and laid the foundation 
for further investigations, upon which legislative reforms 
dating from 1833 to 1873 were based. 
Equity. Lord Eldon, in the early part of this period, com- 
pleted the work begun by Lord Nottingham, and reduced 
equity to a system as fixed as the common law. After the 
time of Lord Eldon the doctrines of equity remained intact 
except for a few statutory modifications chiefly in the di- 
rection of protecting trustees. 
Public Callings. The law of public callings was distinctly 
contrary to the purpose of the law in the Period of Maturity, 
and while it was not entirely abolished it received important 
limitations. No new callings were added to the list of public 
callings, but some of the old callings were taken from the list, 
and those callings left on the list of public callings were per- 
mitted to fix their obligations by contract to a large extent 
instead of having them fixed by law. In this way common 
carriers were permitted to carry under a contract liability 
as well as a common law liability, to exempt themselves from 
all liability except for negligence, to limit the amount recov- 
erable in case of loss (in most jurisdictions in case of loss 
due to negligence), and to exempt themselves from all liabil- 
ity to a free passenger. 
Criminal Law. Various consolidation acts were passed in 
this period. The nearest approach to a criminal code in Eng- 
