Henry Smythies’ analytical digest

(1863)

In 1863, an Auckland (New Zealand) lawyer, Henry Smythies, compiled An Analytical Digest
of the Laws of New Zealand. the digest describes in outline form the laws of New
Zealand in force in 1862, comprised in: Acts of the Imperial Parliament relating
to New Zealand; ordinances of the legislative Council; Statutes of the General
Assembly; and Proclamations in the Colonial Government Gazette. Smythies
explained the need for the work in its preface:

“Men often suffer through a legal fiction-that everybody is supposed to be acquainted
with the law of the country in which he resides…. [I]n this colony it would seem hard
to disallow the plea of ignorance, as none but officials have ready access to the laws;
and many have been unable to obtain a complete copy of the ordinances and Statutes,
though willing to purchase and pay for the same…. this work will be a ready vade
mecum (1) and most useful pocket companion to colonists of every class.”

The Analytical Digest was more than an index in that it provided brief summaries
of the law on various topics as well as references to the provisions containing
the relevant law.

1. that is, a handbook or guidebook, from the latin verb vadere, meaning “to go” and mecum, meaning “with me” .

• Lawi Legal Index
• Badger’s General index
• Curnin’s Index
• Index to the 1908 NZ Consolidated Statutes
• Index volume of the 1931 NZ Reprint
• Index to Subject Matter of Victorian Legislation
• Subject Index to South Australian Legislation
• Iowa Subject Index
• United States Code Annotated
• United Kingdom Index to the Statutes
• Index to the Revised Statutes of Canada
• List of New Zealand Reports
• American Digest System
• Canadian Encyclopedic Digest: First Ontario Edition
• Canadian Encyclopedic Digest: First Western Edition
• List of Australian Reports
• U.S. Digests

Author: international

Mentioned in these Entries

American Digest System, Badger’s General index, Canadian Encyclopedic Digest: First Ontario Edition, Canadian Encyclopedic Digest: First Western Edition, Curnin’s Index, Edward Henry Carson, Index to Subject Matter of Victorian Legislation, Index to the 1908 NZ Consolidated Statutes, Index to the Revised Statutes of Canada, Index volume of the 1931 NZ Reprint, Iowa Subject Index, List of Australian Reports, List of New Zealand Reports, Subject Index to South Australian Legislation, U.S. Digests, United Kingdom Index to the Statutes, United States Code Annotated, country.