The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-08-20
ENGLISH REPORTS In LAW AND
EQUITY.

ENGLISH REPORTS In LAW AND
EQUITY.
| Proposals by LITTLE & BRowN, lI2 Washington
street, Boston, for publishing by subscription
series of Lato and Equity Reports.
TINE want Of some system by which the decisions
! n and judicial opinions of the several Courts of
Law and Equity in England can be more prompt
y and cheaply furnished TO the legal profession in
this country, has long been seriously felt and ac-
knowledged. To meet similar want in England,
the "Lalo Journal Reports" and ''Ihe Jirist,'
which, together, report decisions in all The Courts IN
Lalo and Eqlity, within few weeks alter their
delivery, were commenced number OF years
since, and have met with the uniwWsal approba-
ton Of the legal profession. Their high cost, how
ever, has hitherto prevented their general circu-
lation in this country, and their merits yet
! but little known among US.
The Subscribers propose to republish these re-
ports In full as fast they appear in England and
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 (Noyember) 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, the best paper, and
in clear, fair type, and will contain table Of cases.
and full table of contents, thus forming COM
plete volume by itself, as well as part Of an en-
tire series. Every alternate or second number will
be PACED consecutively from the number imme-
djately preceding, and will contain table of cases.
and OF contents to both, and thus form complete
volume, ready for binding, of ove sir hundred pages
In each volume the cases 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 this
country.
tits designed to make this a 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 tioo years before they
could othe,oise be obtained and long before the pub
LEGATION Of the conemporaneous 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 and uniformly bound in law
sheep, $l2.
The parts will be sold separately il desired at
S each
Single volume, bound, So 25.
Parts l. and H., stitched, or VOL |. 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 hum
Der:
Letter from Hon lIlard Fillmore, President of The
United STATES.
WAsHiNdToN, April IL, 1851.
JAMES BRowN, Esq: MY DEAR SlR-Some DAYS
since | received, by the hand of the Postmaster
General, the lirst 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 inquiring
my opinion of the enterprise.
While pursuing my profession, took deep in
terest in publications OF this kind. The able
judges who have adorned the judicial tribunals of
England, have shed a lustre upon the Common
Law, and llumined itsproioundest depths. con-
slider 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,
however, consisted not in an Authorization of each
case, but selection from the several cases. and
was often annoyed by finding reference to cases
in the Digests, 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 republishcd
with despatch in this country at price 80 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 Me Nete York Literary IVorld.
Messrs. Little Brown, of Boston, whose law |
books, in point of typographical execution vic |
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, are the Laio Journal Reports and
the JtTist, two English serials which communicate
to the British Bar, within a few weeks after their
delivery, the prominent decisions of all the courts
from the House of Lords to the Court of Bankrupt
" tTih n tod h,f liz
important jurisdiction. This excellent arrange
ment might be followed with greatadvantage in this
country, for the purpose of obviating the delay
which necessarily attends the issuing of the repu
lar volumes of reports of particular courts and
we are glad to see the enterprise of our legal pub
fishers availing themselves OF it, to introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly to the pro-
esson. The authority of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing of its sanction and the permanently high
character of the English judiciary gives to their
continued weight and decisive in
iuence 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 iurispru-
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 vig
lance. This difficulty Mcssrs. Little & Browns
Reports will remove; the decided in the
Queens Bench, the Common Pleas and the Ex |
chequer Chamber in January, will be ready for de-
livery here in April or May long before adiudged
cases of the same date in own courts appear in
the regular reports In which they are 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
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 E. II. Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, esqs, of the Boston bar, and their
systematic arrangement and the care with which
the notes, index, &c, prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in which the proposed series will
be carried out
In this connexion we take pleasure in advcrting
to Messrs. Little and Browns other legal publca.
tons, among which are included many of the most
and authoritative reases of our iuris
prudence. Judge Storys works, for ming a library
almost OF themselves, and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation to American read
crs in general, as well as 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 publications are also
Issued by them, the United States Digest and the
f.g.s