The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-11-17
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND



VTNHE want of some system by which the decisions
Il and judicial opinions of the several Courts OF
Law aud Equity in England can be more prompt
ly 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 "LRID Journal Reports" and "1he JHTlsf,
which, together, report decisions in all the Courts a.
Lao and Equity, within few weeks aIler t,let
delivery, were commenced number OF years
since, and have met with the universal apPtooa
ton of the legal profession. Their hgh cost now
ever, has hitherto prevented their genera CHcu
lation in this country, and their merits arc no ~
but little known among as -, -
The subscribers propose to republish these re,
ports in full as fast as they appear IN England anu
can be received here. They will contain reports
of caaes decided in the House of Lords, the Privy
Council the several Courts OF Equity, the Court oil
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, 1850, and will be carefully
edited by a member of the bar, with notes and re-
feronces to analogous American decisions
Each number will consist Of over three hundred
pages closely printed octave on the best paper ana
in clear fair type, and will contain table oil cases,
and full table of contents, thus forming com
plete volume by itself, well as part OF an en-
tire series. Every alternate second number Will
be PACED consecutively from the number lmme-
diatey preceding, and will contain table OF cases,
and of contents to both, and thus form complete
volume ready for binding of siI hundred pages.
In each volume the 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.
tits designed to make this 4 PERMANENT PuBLr-
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 10 the American lawyer the decisions OF
Westminster Hall, nearly tico years before they
could oleytoise be obtained and long before the pub
LEGATION Of the contemporancous 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.
Sngio volume, bound, So 25.
Parts /. and H.. stitched, or Vol. L., bound in law
sheep, containing reports of hundred and
eighty eight cases, now ready for delivery
The following are among the opinions OF this
work expressed on the publication Of the first num-
Der
Letter from Hon DIillard Fillmore, President of The
United States.
WAsHINGToN, April Is 1851.
JAMES BRowx ESQ.,: My DEAR SIR-Some DAYS
since / received, by the hand of the Postmaster
General the first number of the English Reports
which you propose to repubish in this country,
comprising every case reported in England; and
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 iumined its profoundest 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
theee in sf condensed" form. This condensation,
however, consisted, not in an abbreviaton 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
II the English Reports entire, be repubshed
with despatch in this country, at price SO 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
servant, ant " WILLARD FILLMORE.
From the Ne,u 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 inferior
TO none in this country, have just commenced the
publication of legal series, deserving the especial
attention of the profession throughout the country
Der is before u.s. are the Laro Journal Reports and
the ,Jtrist 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 and
are glad TO see the enterprise of our legal pub
English Reports promptly and regularly to the pro-
fession The authority of Westminster Hall hasl lost
nothing of its sanction and the permanently high
character OF the English judiciary gives TO their
authorizations continued weight and decisive in
fiuence 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 way in which the current jurispru-
dence and adjudicatons 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 Messrs. Little & Brownie
Reports will remove; the decided in the
Queens Bench the Common Pleas, and the Elk
chequer Chamber in January, will be ready for de-
livery here in April or May long before adiudeed
cases of the same 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 hos then been reprinted on this
One advantage If the present series is, that the
decisions which II gives are those of courts in banc
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 +. H. Bennett anC
Chauncy Smith, esqs. of the Boston bar, and the
Systematic arrangement, and the care with which
the notes, index, &c, are prepared evidence thu
thorough manner in which the proposed series viii
be carried out
In this connexion we take pleasure in advertin,
TO Messrs. Little and Browns other legal publica
tions, among which are included many ofthe mos
conspic and authoritative treatses Of our jurs
prudence. Judge Story's works, for ming Hbrarl
almost Of themselves, and familiar for their bic
value and extensive reputation TO American read
era in general, well TO the legal profession
have all issued from their press; have also tn
several works of Professor Greenleaf Two yer,
valuable and extensive annual publications are ais
Issued by them, the United States Digest and tn
Statutes at Large; the latter being the authorized
edition Of the Acts Of Congress, got up in muc
better style, both for reference and preservation
than under the old regime Of public printing a
Washington, which included the annual statutes
and sent them forth 10 the world on thin paper an
IN bad type.
From nie Nep York Erening Post.