The republic., 1851-06-11
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND

Proposals by LIrrLE & Bsows, ll2 WashingiOn
street. Boston, for publishing by subscription netD
series Of Lato and Equity Reporfs
rINHE 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
y and cheapy furnished to the legal profession in
this country, has long been seriously felt and
knowledged. To meet similar want in England,
the '.La'D Journal RePorts." and "!He JUist, t"
which, together report decisions in all the Courts
Law and Equity, within few weeks after their
delivery, were commenced q 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-
aton in this country, and their merits are as yet
but little known among
The Subscribers propose to republish these re-
can be received here. they will contain reports
of cases decided in the House of Lords, the Privy
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 or
parts, commencing with the decisions of Michael
mas (November) term, 1880, and will be carefully
edited by member of the bar, with notes and re-
fcrences 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 eases,
and a full table of contents, thus forming COM
pete volume by itself, well as part Of en- en-
tire series Every alternate or second number will
be PACED consecutively from the number imme-
daely preceding, and will contain table Of cases,
and of contents to both, and thus form complete
volume, ready for binding, of sir hudred pages
In each volume the of the several courts will
be found arranged together, and, in 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 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
Westminster Hall, nearly too years before they
could otsr,cise be obtained and long before the pub
lication of the contemPoraneous decisions of most
of our own tribunals.
twelve numbers, payable in advance, for the six
volumes, handsomely and uniformly bound in law
sheep, $l2.
Tie parts will be sold separately, if desired, at
S each.
Single volume, bound, So 25.
Parts 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 are among the opinions of this
work expressed on the publication Of the first num-
Der:
Letter from Hon. Niliard Fillmore, President Of the
United States.
WAsHINGToN, April 13, 1851.
JAMES BRowN, ESQ.,: MY DEAR SIR--Some days
since l 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 case reported in England; and
now have your letter of the 9th instant, inquirng
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 lustrc upon the Common
Law, and illumined its prooundest 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 80 condensed'' form. This condensation,
however, consisted, not in abbreviation of each
case, but n selection from the several cases, and
often annoyed by finding reference to cases
in the Digests, which deemed very important
wholly omitted in the "condensed reports" l
therefore hailed with great pleasure effort which
was made some time since to republish the whole
If the English Reports entire, can be republished
with despatch in this country, at price 30 low
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
servant, MiLLARD FILLMORE.
From the Ns,c York Literary World.
Nlce6rs. Lutlc " brown, Oh 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 is before US, the Lato Journal Reports and
the J,pist, 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 advantagein 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
are glad to see the enterprise of our legal pub
fishers avaing themselves of it, to introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly to the pro-
fesson The authority of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing of its sanction and the permanently high
character OF the English judiciary gives to their
adjudicatons continued weight and decisive in
luence 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 was no way in which the current jurispru-
dence and adjudications of the day in the English
courts could be made available by the American
bar except at great expense and by continual yigi,
lance This difficulty Mcssrs. Little & Browns
Reports will remove; the cases decided in the
chequer Chamber in Jand y, will be ready for de-
livery here in April or May, long before adjudged
cases Of the same date in our 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 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
lcss 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 e. II. Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, cses., 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
tions, among which are included many of the most
conspicuous and authoritative treatses of our iuris-
prudence. Judge Story's works, for ming library
almost OF themselves, and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation to American read
ers in general, as well to the legal profession,
have all issued from their press; have also the
several works OF Professor Greenleaf Two very
valuable and xtcneye annual publications re also