Repeated references have already been made to the fact that in all early legal systems attention is paid to the form, rather than to the substance, of the law. This tendency is to be observed in the early classification (already discussed) of contracts into real, formal and consensual. This classification was in time, followed by that which divided contracts into sealed, written and oral. Both of these classifications were on the basis of the form of the contract, disregarding the character of the subject-matter of the contract.

The whole modern tendency of the law, however, is towards paying less and less attention to mere matters of form, and the important classification of contracts is based upon the nature of the contract rather than upon its form.

The important special branches of modern contract law are the following:

Sales.1

Bailments.2

Agency.3

Partnership.4

Corporations.5

Bills and notes.6

Guaranty and Suretyship.7

Insurance.8

1 See Section 95.

2 See Section 96.

3 See Section 97. 4 See Section 98.

5 See Section 99.

6 See Section 100.

7 See Section 101.

8 See Section 102.