The law has for many hundred years been the same in this country; that, subject to the rule which has been established for restraining the indefinite postponement of the enjoyment of property, called the rule against perpetnities, and also thatfor preventing the accumulation of income, to which we shall presently advert, it is competent for a person to settle his estates by entail in any manner he pleases. It is true that the entail is liable to be put an end to by any of the parties, who may become successively entitled to the property and they may by executing a particular sort of conveyance, prescribed by law for that purpose, acquire the absolute right to the property; but they are not compellel to do so and the property may be enjoyed, as is frequently the case, for a great length of time under the original entail, and as long as there are any children or issue in existence of the person or persons in whose favor the entail was created. The rule against perpetuities is one which prohibits any dispositions being made of property, which will prevent its being sold or alienated heyord the period of a life or lives in being and 24 years afterwards — We shall endeavour to illustrate this rnle by one or two instances. Lands may be devised in such a manner that the devise may or may not take effect in certain contingencies. As for instance land may be devised to ÅA, but if he dies before 214 to B. But care must be taken that the contingency shall happen within a reasonable time, and the law will not allow such a limitation of property as will render it unaiienable for a longer period than a iife or lives in being and twenty one years afterwards with the further allowance, for the gestation of a child not born, of a few months. — The reason of the rule is athat by perpetuities (or the settlement of an interest which shall go in the succession precribed without any power of alienation) estates are made incapable of answering those ends of social commerce and providing for the sudden contingencies of private life, for which property was.at first establisbed. Therefore a devise to such unborn son of a person living as shall first attain the age of 94 years is a good devise becaus2it comes within the rule we have mentioned; — the utmost length of time that can happen before the estate can vest, is the tife in being and the subsequ ntinfaney of the son. Subject to these restrictions the utmost limit of alienation and entailment still exists. In addition to the above rule against perpetuities, there is also a statute which prohibits the aceumulation of income of real or personal property beyond the life of the grantor or setiler thereof and 24 years afterwards. This law was passed in the year 1800. x o:ndly. A party is at liberty to distribute by will all his property boih real and personal to persons and in any manner he may think fit, subject to the above limitations; Exce-vti with regard to landed property which cannot be devised for charitable purposes, or to aliens, who are by our law incapacitated to bold land until they have obtained letters of denigation or been naturalised. With regard to a person dying intestate, as a general rule all his landed property will pass to his eldest son, although there are descriptions of land held by a different tenure, but these aro comparatively few in number. 3:rdly. We have made inquiries relative to the proportion of persons possessing property in this country who die intestate, to those who die having made wills; and from the best information we are able te obtain, we gather that the proportion of those whe die without a will, is rather more than one fourth of the whole number of persons who die leaving preperty. — In the last year there were 7600 wills proved in the prerogative Court of Canterbury and about 3000 Letters of administration granted to the effects of persons dying intestate. We have endeavoured to answer your questions as we have thought may be most useful to you, And have the honor te be, My Lord j Your faithful and obedient servants Keasrey Hughes Thomas Masterman.