The republic., 1851-09-10
ENGLISH REPORTS IS Law And
EQlfTN.


Law and Equity IN England can be more prompt
y and eheapy furnished 10 the legal profession in
this country, has long been seriously feit and ne
knowledged. To meet similar want IN England,
the "LalD Journal RspOrfs," and I" "Ths yartsf
which, together report decisions In al As COssfs ~
Lap and Equity, within few weeks after their
delivery, were commenced a number 81 ycara
since, and have met with the universal appgoha-
ton Of the legal profession. Their high cost, h0s
ever, has hitherto prevented their general oirc0-
ation in this country, and their merits are a. yet
but little known among us.
The subscribers propose 10 republish these re-
can be received here. They will contain reports
of cases decided in the House OF LOrda, the Pfixy
Council, the several Courts VI Equity, the Court ol
Queens Bench, the Court Of Common Pleas, the
Court of Exchequer and Exchequer Chamber, the
Ecclesiastical and Admiralty Courts, the Court 0f
Bankruptcy, including also the Election casea, 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-
terences to analogous American decisions.
Each number will consist of over three hundred
pages closely printed octave, on the beat paper, and
clear fair type, and will contain table Of cases,
and full table of contents, thus forming COM
plee volume by itself, as well as part Of an en-.
tire series. Every alternate or second number viii
be PACED consecutively from the number imme-
diatey preceding, and will contain table OF cases,
and Of contents to both, and thus form complete
volume, ready for binding, of oper 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 or this
country.
Itis designed to make this PERMANENT PUBLI-
CATION, and thus establish series of English
Law and Equity Reports, which shall, in all
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 Hail. nearly tIoo years befors they
could other1iss be obtained and long before the pub
iication 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
ST. 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
york expressed on the publication of the first num-
ber:
Letter from Hon. DRllard Fillmore, President of The
United States.
WAsHINeToN, April Is, 1851.
JAMES BRowN, ESQ: MY DEAN SIR-Some days
since 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 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 lustre 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
~ l,,I. IF
these in Z" condensed" form. This condensation
however, consisted, not in abbreviation 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
made some time since to republish the whole.
If the English Reports entire, be republished
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, MILLARD FILLMORE.
From the Ne,o York Literary World
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 are inferior
10 none III COuHtEJs nave just tnC
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, are the Lalc Journal Reports and
the Jurist 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 obviating the delay
which necessarily attends the issuing of the regu
lar volumes Of reports of particular courts land
glad to see the enterprise of our legal pub
fishers avalng themselves OF 1t, to introduce tho
English Reports promptly and regularly to the pro-
fession 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
luence 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 no way in which the current lurspru-
dence and adjudications of the day in the En- gsh
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 came date in 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 the
other side and has then been reprinted on this.
One advantage If the present series is, that the
decisions which IL gives those of courts in bdnc
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 edited by E. IL 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 publca-
tions among which are included many of the most
conspicuous and authoritative treatises of 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 we'll 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 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 paper and
in bad type.
From the Netc York Eeening Post