TO THE READER. MORE than twenty years have elapsed since the essay now submitted to the public was announced by Mr. Butler in one of his valuable notes to the octavo edition of Coke on Littleton. At that time one half only of the volume had been written, and that half was in an imperfect state.. In the interval, every authority which has occurred has been enlisted into the service of this work. Though merger be the subject, yet in truth and in effect the volume contains a Treatise on Estates, and may be considered as an essential part of the undertaking, in which the author is engaged. Though merger, in itself, is an abstruse subject, yet any one at the most early age of his studies, may safely take this volume into his hands, and peruse it as an elementary treatise; and as the means of adding to the stock of knowledge which he has to acquire in the progress of his studies. Without pursuing this mode of treating the subject, the learning of merger would not have been interesting, though highly useful. The volume now contains at least three thousand propositions, on subjects of every day's occurrence; and there is scarcely a proposition throughout the work which will not be found useful even in the earlier part of the student's career. Although some errors will no doubt be discovered in this work, yet in detailing the language of reports and of text writers an attempt has been made to caution the reader against those errors into which he might be led, by positions which are doubtful, or are supposed to be over-ruled, or not to be well founded. This is a very important part of an ele-· mentary work; and one which cannot be too generally introduced, or carefully observed. Should the reader derive as much benefit from the perusal, as the author has in the compilation, of this volume, the end which he proposed to himself will have been fully attained. There are a few verbal and literal errors of the press, and some of the author, which the reader will easily correct; in particular he should insert æquitas for æquitus, and calorem for valentiam. 7, Lincoln's Inn, New Square, 1st Sept. 1816. A general view of consequences from merger......... ib. 2d, Suspension................................... 3d, Extinguishment........................................ ib. ib. The several estates must be immediately expectant The more remote estate must be without any in- tervening vested estate, and also without any intervening contingent remainder created in the same instant of time, and by the same means as gave origin to the other estates...... ib. The determination or acquisition of an interme- diate estate may be the cause of merger as be- |