English Law and the American Colonies. The British government was certain that its American colonies would be governed by English law, but was uncertain about the nature of its legal institutions. The development of the legal system in the thirteen colonies, and the way English institutions were adapted to colonial conditions, is the subject of this monograph. Impressively documented, it is founded on original research based on manuscript sources in the United States and Great Britain. Reprint of a title in the Columbia University series Studies in History, Economics and Public Law. Reprint of sole edition. Originally published: New York: Columbia University Press, 1923. George Adrian Washburne [1884-1948] was a professor of history at Ohio State University. This work is based on his 1923 Ph.D thesis.