The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-07-18
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND


TINE want Of some stem by which the decisions
Il and judicial opinions of the several Courts of
Law and 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 ssLasc Journal Reports" and 9. The Jsrist,''
which, together, report decisions in all The Courts in
Lap and Equity, within few weeks after their
delivery, 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-
laiion in this country and their merits are as yet
but little known among US.
The Subscribers propose to repubiish 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 Privy
Counci 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 ALEC 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 (Noyember) term, 1850, and will be carefully
edited by member of the bar, with notes and
ferences TO analogous American decisions.
Each number will consist Of over three hundred
pages closely printed ocayo, 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, well part Of an en-
tire series. Every alternate second number will
djatey preceding, and will contain table of cases.
and of contents to both, and thus form complete
volume, ready for binding, Of 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.
It's designed to make this PERMANENT PUBL
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 Hall, nearly too 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 $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, ii desired, at
S. each.
Single volume, bound, So %.
Parts /. and H.. stitched, or Vol. H. bound in law
sheep, containing reports of one hundred and
eighty -eight cases, now ready for delivery.
The following among the opinions of this
work expressed on the publication of the frat num-
Der:
Letter from Hon. Millard Fillmore, President Of the
United States.
WAsHINarolS, April Is, 1851.
JAMES BRowN ESQ.,: MY DEAR Sra-Somc DAYS
since received by the hand of the Postmaster
General, the first number Of the En- gish 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 umined 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
me years beer m 10 hal If wiz
these in 4" condensed'' form. This condensation,
however, consisted, not in an abbreviauon of each
case, but selection from the several cases, and
was often annoyed by finding reference to cases
in the Dgests, which deemed very important,
wholly omitted in the "condensed reports.'' !
therefore hailed with great peas effort which
was made some t7ne since to repubsh the whole.
If the English Reports entire, can be republished
with despatch in this country, at price 30 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
/ only express the hope that your reward may
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From the Ns,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 pointof value and importance are inferior
to none in this country, have just commenced the
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 Jirist 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 jurisdictions 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
glad 10 the enterprise of our legal pub
fishers avaihng 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
adjudications continued weight and decisive in
huence with courts. Hitherto the difficulty has
been that the reported there have grown old
there was no way in which the current jurispru-
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 decided in the
Queens Bench, the Common Pleas, and the Ex-
chequer Chamber in January, will beready 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 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
One advantage of the present series ia, that the
decisions which gives those of courts in banc
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. II. Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, esqs, of the Boston bar. and their
systematic arrangement, and the care with which
the notes, index, &C., prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in which the proposed series will
be carried out
In this connection we take pleasure in advertng
to Messrs. Little and Browns other legal publica-
tons, among which are included many of the most
conspicuous and authoritative treatiscs of our uris
prudence Judge Story's works, forming library
almost OF themselves, and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation to American read
ers in general, as well to the legal profession
have all issued from their press; as have also the
several works OF Professor Grecnleaf 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 thin paper and
in bad type.