The republic., 1851-09-12
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
EQUITY.


street. Boston, for publishing by subscription nsio
series Of Lao and Equity Reports.
VNHE want of some system by which the decisions
IL and judicial opinions OF the several Courts oil
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 ''Lato Journal Reports, and "Ihe Jt1tst "
which, together, report decisions IN all the Courts i
Lal1 and Equity, within few weeks alter their
delivery, were commenced 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 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 Prlyy
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, $780, 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, on the paper and
in clear fair type and will contain table OF cases,
and full table Of contents, thus forming com
pete volume by itself, as well as part OF an en-.
tire series. Every alternate or second number Will
be PACED consecutively from the number lmme-
dately preceding, and will contain table OF cases,
and Of contents to BOTH and thus form a complete
volume, ready for binding, of oo sic hundred pages
In each volume the of the several courts viii
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.
ltis designed to make this 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 tiro years before they
could orioise 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, if desired, at
S each.
Single volume bound, So 25.
Parts l. 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 the publication of the first num-
ber:
Letter from, Hon. lTillard Fillmore, President of the
United States.
JAMES BRowN, Esq: Mv 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 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 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 sc condensed" FORM This condensation,
however, consisted, not in an 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 "condsnsed reports.''
therefore hailed with great an 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 80 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. am your obedient
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From The Ne,c York Literary World.
Messrs Little s. 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, are the Lato 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
4 IL Nr1 n.soL L..l-u
important jurisdiction. This excellent arrange
ment ight 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 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-
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 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 was no way in which tho current jurispru-
dence and adjudcations of the day in the English
courts could be made available by the American
bar, except at great expense and by continual vg-
lance. This difficulty Messrs. Little & Brown g
Reports will remove; the cases 5ea.deu in the
Queens Deach, the Common Pleas, and the Ex-
ciequer Chamber in January, will be ready for de-
livery here in April or May, long before adjudged
cases ul inc Sdlllt ~ VuF pWH
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 b hen been reprinted on this.
One advantage If the present series is, that the
decisions which /, gives those of courts in ba,c,
the deliberate judgments of the bench, and not the
less reliable decisions at Nisi Priis, which, how
ever interesting in many instances, do not carry
with them the same authority and force.
The Reports 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, NC, 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 pubica-
! tions, among which are included many of the most
conspicuous and authoritative treatises of urs-
| prudence. Judge Story's works, for ming library
! almost OF themselves, and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation TO American read
crs in general, as we'll to the legal profession
have all issued from their press; have also the
several works of Professor Crseniea,. Two very
valuable ana e4iensiveahhb tai 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 undpr the old regime Of public printing at
/ wasbinoton which included the animal atatntas