The law of the land

"The Torrens system, a mid-nineteenth-century reform of land titles registration from distant South Australia, gradually replaced the inherited Anglo-Canadian common law system of title to land. How and why did this happen? In The Law of the Land, Greg Taylor traces the spread of the Torrens system from its arrival in the far-flung outpost of 1860s Victoria, British Columbia, to twenty-first century Ontario." "This reform of the titles registration system swept through some provinces like wildfire, but still remains completely unknown in three provinces. Examining this peculiarity, Taylor shows how the different histories of various regions in Canada continue to shape the law to the present day. In this concise and illuminating history of land title reform, he also exposes the power of lobbying by examining the influence of both moneylenders and lawyers, who were the first to introduce the Torrens system to Canada east of the Rockies." "An exact and fluent legal history of regional law reforms, The Law of the Land is a fascinating examination of commonwealth influence and ongoing regional differences in Canada."--BOOK JACKET.