The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-11-14
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
EOVTVHtY


TTyHE want OF some system by which the decisiou
4 aud Judicial opinions OF the several Court o
Law and Equity in England can he more prompt
" and cbeaply furnished 10 the legal profession in
this country, has long been seriously felt and &C.
knowledged. To meet a similar want in England
the Lam Journal Reports and 'Ths JiUist. -
which, together, report decisions in all The Courts IN
Lac and Equity, within n few weeks after their
delivery, were commenced a 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-
lation in this country, and their merits are yet
but little known among US.
The subscribers propose 10 repuhlish these re-
ports 10 fall as fast as they appear in England and
ron be received here. They will contain reports
ct 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
Grown Cases Reserved, and the Railway and Canal
C.ss
These reports will be published in numbers or
parts, commencing with the decisions of Michael
Iras (November) term, 1864, and will be carefully
edited by member of the bar, with notes and re-
iorences 10 analogous American decisions.
Each number will Ct insist of over three hundred
pages closely printed octave, on the beet paper and
in clear, fair pc, and will contain table of cases.
and full table OF contents, thus forming com.
urte volume by itself, as well part Of
tire series Every alternate o second number will
be paged consecutively from the number imme-
dately preceding, and will contain table Of cases.
and of contents TO both, and thus form a complete
volume ready for binding, of oUer 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.
Its designed to make this a PERMANENT PuBLI-
CATION and thus establish near series of English
Law and Equity Reports, which shall, in all re-
spects, be far in advance of any other reprint CT
English Reports in this country, and which shall
furnish 10 the American lawyer the decisions of
Westminster Hall, nearly tiro years before they
could otherwise 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 SO for
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.
Singic volume, bound, So 25.
Parts !. and H., stitched, Vol. l., bound in law
sheep, containing reports of hundred and
lightweight cases, now ready for delivery.
The following are among the opinions of this
work expressed the publication of the first mum.
Letter from Hon 1Tilard Fillmore, President of the
United States.
WAsHINeToN, April 10 1851.
JAMES BRowH, ESQ My DEAR SGR-Some DAYS
since / received by the hand of the Postmaster
General, the first number al the English Reports,
Y,
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 publications of this kind. The able
judges who have adorned the judicial tribunals of
England, have shed lustre upon the Common
Law, ano illumined its profoundest depths | con
slider no law library complete that does not contain
their principal reports in Law and Equity, and in
their Ecclesiastlcal 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 abbreyiatop of each
Gaze, but selection from the several cases, and
was often annoyed by finding a 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 som" TIME since to republish the whole
If the English Reports entire, be republished
with despatch in this country, at price SO low as
10 bring them within the reach OF the members of
the bar generally, conceive that it will confer a
great benefit upon the profession aud 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
b. equal TO your merits. | am your obedien,
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From the Ne,o York L,terary JVorid.
Mcssrs. Little < Brown, of Boston, whose law
buuks, 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 scres deserving the especia!
attention OF the profession throughout the country
The basis of this series, of which the first mum
Der is before US, the La,o Journal REPORTS and
the Jvist two English serials which communicate
10 the British Bar, within few weeks after their
delivery, the prominent decisions of all the courts
from the House Of Lords the Court of Bankrupt
cy aud other tribunals of limited but practically
iInportant jurisdctoD. This excellent arrange
might be followed with great dvanta ge in Ibis
c5lntry, for tue purpose of obviaing the delay
which necessarily attends the issuing of the regu-
lar volumes of reports of particular courts and
lad 10 af 10
lishe-s avaIng themselves OF it, to introduce the
English Reports promptly and egularly the pro-
fession. The authority OF Westminster Hall has lost
nothing vi it sanction and the permanently high
character of the English Judiciary gives TO their
adiudcations q continued weight and decisive in
hueuce 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 iurispru-
dcnce and al udicatons 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 M,ssrs. 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 adiudged
cases of the same date in own courts appear in
the regular porte in which they perpetuated.
Nearly years will thus be gained over the pre-
cent sysem, which requires delay until the large
volume of authorized reports IS published on the
other eide and b. hen been reprinted on tha
One advantags u the present series lie, that the
the deliberate judgments of the bench, aud 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. II. Bennett and
Chauncy smith, GAGS, 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 Browne other legal pubca-
tions among which are included many Of the most
conspicuous and authoritative treatises Of our iurs-
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 well as to the legal profession,
have all issued from their press; 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
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.