The republic., 1851-09-03
ENGLISH REPORTS In LAW AND
EQUITY.

TENHE want oil some system by which the decisions
Il and judicial opinions of the several Courts of
Law and Equity in England can be more prompt
lY and cheapy furnished TO the legal profession in
this country, has long been seriously felt and ac
knowledged. To meet similar want IN England,
the "Lato Journal Reports" and "Ihe Jurist,"
which, together report decisions in all the Courts in
Lao and Equity, within few weeks after their
delivery, were commenced a number OF years
since, and have met with the universal approba-
tion Of the legal profession. Their high cost, how
ever, has hitherto prevented their general circu-
lation in this country and their merits arc as yet
but little known among US.
The subscribers propose to republish these re.
ports in full as fast as they appear in England and
can be received here. They will contain reports
of cases decided in the House of Lords, the Priyy
Council, the several Courts of Equity, the Court OF
Queens Bench, the Court of Common Pleas, the
Court of Exchequer and Exchequer Chamber, the
Ecclesastical 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-
ierences 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, we'll part of an en-
tire SERIES Every alternate second number will
be PACED consecutively from the number imme-
diately preceding and will contain table of cases,
and of contents to both, and thus form a complete
volume, ready for binding, of 0Uer sac 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 or this
country.
It'll 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 tiDo gears before they
could oherlose be obtained, and long before the pub
lication 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 and uniformly bound in law
sheep, $l2.
The parts will be sold separately, il desired, at
81 each.
Single volume, bound, So %.
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 among the opinions of this
work expressed on the publication of the frat num-
ber
Letter from Hon. N1iard Fillmore, President of the
United States.
WAsHNaToN, April l3, 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,
every case 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
terest 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 it's 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 g CONDENSER form. This condensation,
however, consisted, not in abbreviation of each
case, but selection from the several cases, and l
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 repubish the whole.
If the English Reports entire, be republished
with despatch in this country, at price so 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
be equal to your merits. l am your obedient
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From the Ne,o York Literary Vorld.
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 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 La,D Journal Reports and
the Juvist, two English serials which communicate
10 the British Bar, within few weeks after their
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 |
men 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 |
we 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-
fession The authority of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing of it's sanction and the permanently high
character of the English judiciary gives to their
adjudications continued weight and decisive in |
uence 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 vigil
lance This difficulty Messrs. Little & Browns |
Reports will remove; the cases 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 adjudged |
cases of the same date in 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 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 edited by f. III. Bennett and !
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 take pleasure in adverting
to Messrs. Little and Browns other legal publca-
tions, among which are included many of the most
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 |
ers in general as well to the legal profession |
have all issued from their press; have also the
several works of Professor Greenlcaf. Two very |
valuable and extensive annual publications 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 thin Daner nd