The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-09-25
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND


TIME want Of some system by which the decisions
n and judicial opinions OF the several Courts OF
Law and Equity in England can be moro prompt
ly and cheaply furnished TO the legal profession In
this country, has long been seriously felt and ac-
knowledged. To meet a similar want in England
the "Laio Journal Reports" and "Ihe Jurist, +"
which, together report decisions in all the Courts
LGlo and Equity, within 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-
aton in this country, and their merits are as yet
! but little known among US.
I The Subscribers propose to repuohsh these re-
ports in full as fast they appear IN England and
can be received here. They will contain reports
of 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
! 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, 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 as well as part OF an en-
tire series. Every alternate or second number will
! be PACED consecutively from the number lmme-
diately preceding and will contain table of cases,
and of contents to both, and thus form a complete
volume ready for binding OF over siT 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 beat reports of England or this
country.
! It's designed 10 make this a PERMANENT PUBL
CATION, and thus establish net1 series OF English
Law and Equity Reports, which shall, in all re-
spects, be far in advance of any other reprint OF
/ Ener ltah lnrto IN hTa MT a
! furnish to the American lawyer the decisions OF
! Westminster Hall, nearly ttoo years before they
could othe1oise be obtained and long before the pub
LEGATION of the contemporaneous decisions OF most
of our tribunals.
The price Of this publication will be $40 for
twelve numbers, payable in advance, or for the six
volumes, handsomely AID uniformly bound In law
sheep, $l2.
The parts will be sold separately, il desired, at
s. each.
Single volume, bound, So 25.
Parts /. and H., stitched 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 on the publication Of the first num-
ber
Letter from Hon. Nillard Fillmore, President Of the
United States.
WAsHrNeToN, April Is 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 repubhsh 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 illumined its profou ndest 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 " CONDENSED form. This condemnation
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 l deemed very important
wholly omitted in the &c condensed reports.' |
therefore hailed with great pleasure effort which
made some time since to repubsh the whole
If the English Reports entire, can be repubIished
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. i am your obedent
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From the Nelo 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
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 Lao Journal Reports and
the Jlirist, 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 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
glad to see the enterprise of our legal pub
! fishers avaling 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
authorizations a continued weight and decisive in
huence 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 jurispru-
dence and adiudicatons 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-
cheuuer Chamber in January, will be ready for de-
livery here in April or May, long before adjudged
cases of the same date In our own 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 h, hen been reprinted on this.
One advantage If the present series is, that the
decisions which IL gives those of courts in banc
the deliberate judgments of the bench, and not the
less reliable decisions at Nisi Pri,s which, how
ever interesting in many instances, do not carry
with them the same authority and force.
The Reports edited by E. H. Bennett ano
Chauncy Smith, esqs. of the Boston bar, and their
Systematic arrangement, and the care with which
the notes, index, SC, prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in which the proposed series will
be carried out.
In this connexion we take pleasure in advertine
to Messrs Little and Browns other legal publica
tons among which are included many of the mos
conspicuous and authoritative treatises of uris
prudence Judge Storys works, or.ning library
almost of themselves, and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation to American read
j ers in general, as well to the legal profession
have all issued from their press; have also thu
several works OF Professor Greenleaf. Two very
valuable and extensive annual publications are alsC
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 much
better style, both for reference and preservation
than under the old regime OF public printing al
Washington, which included the annual statutes
and sent them forth 10 the world on thin paper AND
in bad type.
From the Netu York Fuening Post.
Little & Brown, of Boston, to whose enterprise