Excerpt from A Treatise on the Construction or Interpretation of Commercial and Trade Contracts This book is the result of an effort to state simply and clearly the principles which govern the interpretation of all mercantile contracts. As these principles are in no sense local or technical, the writer has drawn alike from American and English reports, and has endeavored to give heed to every authority which would aid in the establishment of such true rules of construction as are founded in reason. It is believed that the well-considered cases cited throughout the volume, and particularly those illustrating the aid parol evidence brings to construction, show a liberal and wise tendency on the part of many courts to depart from arbitrary rules and to strive after the real intention of parties. In the presentation of the various topics within the scope of the subject treated, the aim has always been to follow this tendency, and to insist upon the practicability and the importance of testing the authorities by reference to just principles of construction. By these means it is hoped that a systematic and consistent method for reaching the meaning of contracting parties has been disclosed, and that the rules of law set forth will be recognized as rules of justice. 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.