The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-10-13
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
EnVTETV

Law and Equity in England can be more prompt
I ly and cheaply furnished to the legal profession in
this country, has long been seriously felt and &C
knowledged. To meet similar want in England,
/ the ''LGlU Journal Reports" and ''Ihe JtTIst,"
which, together, report decisions in all The Courts IN
LaLo and Equity within few weeks after their
delivery, were commenced number of years
since, and have met with the universal approba-
ton of the legal profession. Their high cost, how
ever, has hitherto prevented their general circu-
ation in this country and their merits are as yet
but little known among US.
The subscribers propose to republish these re-
ports in full fast as they appear in England and
can be received here. They will contain reports
of cases decided in the House of Lords, the Prvy
Council, the several Courts of Equity, the Court of
! Queens Bench, the Court of Common Pleas, the
Court of Exchequer and Exchequer Chamber, the
Ecclesiastical and Admiralty Courts, the Court of
Bankruptcy, including also the Election cases, the
Crown Cases Reserved, and the Railway and Canal
CAses.
These reports will be published in numbers
parts, commencing with the decisions OF Michael
| mas (Noycnbcr) term, 1850, and Will be carefully
edited by member Of the bar, with notes and re-
ferences to analogous American decisions.
Each number will consist of over three hundred
pages closely printed octave, on the best paper and
in clear fair type, and will contain table OF cases,
and full table of contents, thus forming a COM
plete volume by itself, well part OF an en-
tire series. Every alternate or second number VIII
he PACED consecutiyely from the number lmme-
diately preceding, and will contain table OF cases,
and of contents 70 both, and thus form complete
volume ready for binding, of ouer sic hundred pages
In each volume the OF the several courts VIII
be found arranged together, and III point OF style
and typographical execution, this series will be
fully equal to the best reports of England or this
country.
Itis designed to make this PERMANENT
CATION, and thus establish series OF English
Law and Equity Reports, which shall, in all re-
spects, be far in advance of any other reprint of
English Reports in this country, and which shall
furnish TO the American lawyer the decisions OF
II.lt hpfn thou
could oterciSe be obtained, and long before the pub
LEGATION of the contemporaneous decisions of most
of our own tribunals
The price of this publication will be $40 for
twelve numbers, payable in advance, or for the six
volumes, handsomely a.id uniformly bound in law
sheep, y H.
The parts will be sold separately, il desired, at
Is each.
Single volume, bound, 80 25
Parts l. and H., stitched, or Vol. l., bound in law
sheep containing reports of one hundred and
eighty eight cases, now ready for delivery.
The following among the opinions OF this
work expressed on the publication of the first num-
Letter from Hon Hiilard Fillmore, President Of the
United States.
WAsHINGToN, April - 1851.
JAMES BaowN, ESQ: My DEAR StR-Some days
since | received, by the hand of the Postmaster
General, the first number of the English Reports,
which you propose to republish in this country,
comprising every reported in England; and
now have your letter of the 9th instant, inquring
my opinion OF the enterprise.
While pursuing my profession, took deep in
! tcrest in publications of this kind. The able
judges who have adorned the Judicial tribunals of
England, have shed lustre upon the Common
Law, and llumined its profoundest depths. | con-
slider no law library complete that does not contain
their principal reports in Law and Equity, and in
their Ecclesiastical Courts, and in Admiralty. For
some years had been in the habit of receiving
these in - condensed form. This condensation,
| m "A N Authorization Df
case, but selection from the several cases. and
was often annoyed by finding reference to cases
in the Dgests, which | deemed very important,
wholly omitted in the condensed reports"
therefore hailed with great pleasure effort which
was made some time since to republish the whole.
If the English Reports entire, be republished
with despatch in this country, at price so low as
to bring them within the reach of the members Of
the bar generally, conceive that il will confer
great benefit upon the profession and the judiciary,
and consequently upon the country at large. Know
ing your enterprise, anticipate your success, and
/ can only express the hope that your reward may
be equal to your merits. am your obodient
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From the Nttp York Literary World.
Messrs. Little & Brown, of Boston, whose law
books, in point Of typographical execution, vie
with the best similar issues of the English press,
and in point of value and importance are inferior
! to none in this country, have just commenced the
publication of legal series deserving the especial
attention of the profession throughout the country.
The basis of this series, Of which the first num-
Der ia before US, the {dtC Journal RepOrtS and
the Jl.rist, two English serials which communicate
| to the British Bar, within few weeks after their
delivery, the prominent decisions OF all the courts,
from the House OF Lords TO the Court OF bankrupt
cy, and other tribunals OF limited but practically
! important jurisdiction, This excellent arrange
ment might be followed with great advantage in this
country, for the purpose of obviating the delay
which necessarily attends the issuing of the regu
! lar volumes of reports OF particular courts and
we are glad to the enterprise of our legal pub
/ fishers awaiting themselves oft, to introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly to the pro-
iession. The authority of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing of its sanction and the permanently high
character OF the English judiciary gives to their
/ authorizations a continued weight and decisive in
huence with our courts Hitherto the difficulty has
been that the reported cases there have grown old
before they could be quoted and applied here, and
there was no way in which the current jurispru-
dcnce and adjudiCations Of the day in the Euglish
courts could be made available by the American
bar, except at great expense and bycontinua vigil
lance. This difficulty Messrs. Little s. Brown 3
Reports will remove; the decided in the
Queens Bench the Common Pleas, and the Elk
chcquer Chamber in January, will be ready Tor de-
livery here i'll April or May, long before adjudged
cases of the same date in own courts appear in
the regular reports in which they perpetuated.
Nearly two years will thus be gained over the pre-
sent system, which requires delay until the large
volume of authoriad reports is published the
other side and he hen been reprinted on this.
One advantage 4 the present series is, thai the
decisions which IL gives those of courts in bGRc,
4 the deliberate judgments Of the BENCH and not the
less reliable decisions at Nisi Prius, which, how
ever interesting in many instances, do not carry
with them the same authority and force.
The Reports are edited by +. II. Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, csqs., of the Boston bar, and their
systematic arrangement, and the care with which
the notes, index, &c, arc prepared, evidence the
thorough manner IN which the proposed series will
be carried out.
In this connexion VIC take pleasure in adverting
to Messrs Little and Browns other legal publica-
tons, among which are included many of the most
conspicuous and authoritative trcatisc5 of our uris
prudence. Judge Story's works, for ming library
almost OF Themselves, and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation to American read
crs in general, as we'll to the legal profession
have all issued from their press; have also the
several works of Professor Grccnleaf, Two very
valuable and extensive annual publications also
issued by them, the United SiGtcs Digest and the
Statutes at Large; the latter being the authorized
edition of the Acts of Congress, got up in much
better style, both for reference and preservation,
than under the old regime Of pubic printing az
Washington, which included the annual statutes,
aud sent them forth TO the world on thin paper and
nbad type