Book excerpt: Excerpt from A Treatise on the Rules Which Govern the Interpretation and Construction of Statutory and Constitutional Law The treatise upon the Interpretation and Application of Stat utery and Constitutional Law, like that upon the Measure of°dam ages by the same author, has been, from the date of its publication, regarded as a legal classic. Based, in the main, ' upon the decisions of American courts, and discussing the principles of statutory con struction as they have been expounded and illustrated by those tribunals, it has been far more useful to the American lawyer, and has been more readily accepted as a guide and helper by American judges, than any work upon the same subject founded chiefly upon English precedents and drawing its materials from English sources. Originally published in the year 1857, the first impression was long ago exhausted, and a new edition has long been demanded. This want is now supplied, and a new edition is offered to the profession. It is proper for the editor to explain its plan, and the nature and scope of the additions which he has made. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.