The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-11-22
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
EQUITY.

TIME want of some system by which the decisions
Il and judicial opinions OF the several Courts OF
Law and Equity in England can be more prompt
" and cheaply furnished TO the legal profession In
this country, has long been seriously felt and ac-
knowledged. To meet a similar want in England,
the 'LGIp Journal Reports" and "Ihe JHist, "
which together report decisions in all The Courts az
Lalo and Equity, within few weeks after their
delivery, were commenced a number OF years
since, and have met with the universal aPPfooa-
ton of the legal profession. Their hlgh oosi' 10"
ever, has hitherto prevented their genera cir ~
lation in this country and their merits are as ye'
but little known among US. 80.
The subscribers propose TO repuolIsh inese re-
ports in full as fast as they appear IN England ana
can he received here they will contain reports
of cases decided in the House oil LORDS me Fri'y
Council the several Courts OF Equity, the Court oil
OueeD's Rencb the Court of Common Pleas, the
Court of Excheouer 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 or
parts, commencing with the decisions OF Michael
mas (November) term, 1850, and will be carefully
edited by member of the bar, with notes and re-
ferences 10 analogous American decisions.
Each number will consist of over three hundred
pages closely printed octave, on the best paper ana
in clear, fair type and will contain tapo Oh cases
and full table of contents, thus forming com
plete volume by itself, well as part OF an en-
tire series Every alternate or second number VIII
be PACED consecutively from the number lniine-
and OF contents to both, and thus form complete
volume ready for binding, of oue sir hundred pages
In each volume the of the several courts VIII
be found arranged together, and, IN point OF style
and typographical execution, this series wlll be
fully equal to the best reports OF England or this
country.
tits designed to make this q PERMANENT PUBL
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
Westminster Hall, nearly tico gears before they
could otherwise be obtained and long before the pub
LEGATION of the contemporaneous decisions OF most
Of our own tribunals.
twelve numbers, payable in advance, or for the six
volumes, handsomely AID uniformly bound IN law
sheep, Sl2.
The parts will be sold separately, il desired, at
S each.
Singia volume, bound, 81 %.
Parts l. and H., stitched, 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-
Der:
Letter from Hon. AIilard Fillmore, President Of the
United States.
WAeHISeToN, April 10 1851.
JAMES BRowE, ESQ. My DEAR SIR-Some days
since / received, by the hand of the Postmaster
General, the first number of the English Reports,
which you propose to repubhsh IN this country,
comprising every case reported in England; and
now have your letter Of the 9Th instant, lnquiring
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 illumined 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 50 condensed" form. This condensation,
however consisted, not in an abbreyiation OF each
case, but selection from the several cases, and
was often annoyed by finding reference 10 cases
in the Digests. which i deemed very important,
wholly omitted in the CONDENSED reports"
therefore hailed with great Pleasure effort which
was made some lme since to repubsh the whole.
If the English Reports entire, be repubshed
with despatch in this country, at price 50 low as
to bring them within the reach of the members of
the bar generally, conceive that it 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 obedient
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From the Neto York Literary JTorld
Messrs. Little s. 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
10 none in this country, have just commenced the
publication OF legal series, deserving the especial
attention of the profession throughout the country.
Der is before u.s. are the Lar Journal Reports and
the Jlrist 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 obvlatlng the delay
which necessarily attends the issuing of the regu-
lar volumes Of reports of particular courts and
are glad TO see the enterprise of our legal pub
fishers aYailing themselves of il, to introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly to the pro-
fcason. The authority OF Westminster Hall has lost
nothing of its sanction and the permanently high
character OF the English Judiciary gives TO their
adiudications a continued weight and decisive in
fiuence with courts Hitherto the difficulty has
been that the reported cases there have grown old
before they could be quoted and applied here and
there way in which the current jurispru-
dence and adudications of the day in the nglish
courts could be made available by the American
bar, except at great expense and by continual vigil
lance. This difficulty Messrs. Little & Browns
Reports will remove; the cases decided in the
Queens Bench, the Common Pleas and the Elk
chequer Chamber in January, will be ready for de-
livery here in April or May, long before adjudgcd
cases of the same date In own courts appear in
the regular reports in which they perpetuated.
Nearly two years will thus be gained the pre-
sent system, which requires delay until the large
volume of authorized reports is published on the
other side and has then been reprinted on this.
One advantage OF the present series is, that the
decisions which it gives those of courts in banc,
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 f. H. Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, esqs., of the Boston bar, and their
Systematic arrangement, and the care with which
the notes, index, &c, are prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in which the proposed series will
be carried out.
In this connexion we take pleasure in adverting
TO Messrs. Little and Browns other legal publica-
tons among which are included many OF the most
conspicuous and authoritative treatises 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
in general, as wei! TO the legal profession,
have all issued from their press; as have also the
several works OF Professor Greenleaf. Two very
valuable and extensive annual publica tons are also
issued by them, the United States 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 public printing at
Washington, which included the annual statutes
and sent them forth TO the world on thin paper and
in bad type.
From The Neto York EDening Post.
title ~ Rroyn al Roaton "a yhose enteroriso'