The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-10-16
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
nd Irnnna-

| AL 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 a similar want in England,
/ the ''LGiD Journal Reports" and 1.-The Jarist,"
which, together, report decisions IN all the Courts an
/ Lalo and Equity, within few weeks after 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
The subscribers propose to republish these
ports In full as fast as they appear IN England and
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
Casea.
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 re-
ierences TO analogous American decisions.
Each number will consist OF over three hundred
pages closely printed octave, the beet 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 consecutivey from the number imme-
diately preceding, and will contain table of Cases.
I and of contents TO both and thus form a coInplete
volume ready for binding, of oUer STA 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.
tits desgned to make this PERMANENT PUBL
CATION, and thus establish u neo 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 gears 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, for the six
Volumes Handsomely aad uniformly bound in law
sheep, $l2,
The parts will be sold separately, il desired, at
s each.
Single volume, bound, So %.
Parts |. and H., stitched or Vol. L. bound in law
sheep, containing reports of one hundred and
eighty eight cases, ready for delivery.
The following among the opinions OF this
work expressed on the publication Of the first num-
ber
Letter from Hon. MillGrd Fillmore, President Of The
United States.
WASHINGTON, April - 1851.
JAMES BRowN, ESQ: My DEAR SIR--S Some days
since | 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 |
now have your letter of the 9th instant inquirin q
my opinion ofthe enterprise.
While pursuing my profession ] took deep in
forest 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 :" copdenSed'' form. This condensation
however, consisted, not in abbreviaton of each
case, but selection from the several cases, and
was often annoyed by finding u reference to cases
in the Dgests, which | deemed very important
wholly omitted in the &c condensed reports' I
therefore hailed with great % easure an effort which
was made some time since to republish the whole
If the English Reports entire, be repubshed
with despatch III 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, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From the Mem York Literary IVorld
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
The basis of this series, Of which the first mum
Der ia before US, the Ld,o Journal Reports and
the Iuist two English serials which communicate
to the British Bar within n 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 ght 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 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
adudcatiops continued weight and decisive in
1uencc with 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 the current jurispru-
dence and adjudicatious 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, tho Common Pleas, and the Ex
chequer Chamber in January, will be ready for de-
livery here i'll April or May, long before adjudged
cases of the same date In courts appear in
the regular reports in which they are perpetunted
Nearly two years will thug be gained over the pre-
sent system, which requires delay until the large
volume of authorized reports is published the
other side and hcn been reprinted on this.
decisions which IA gives are those of courts in bGnc
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 f. II. 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 connexon take pleasure in advertng
to Messrs. Little and Browns other legal publica.
tons, among which are included many of the most
conspicuous and authoritative treatses of our iuris
prudence. Judge Story's works, for ming library
almost OF themselves, and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation 10 American read
ers in general, we'll 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 are also
issued by them, It's United States Digest and the
Statutes al Large; the latter being the authorized
edition of the Acts of Congress, got up in ruuch
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 on thin paper and
in bad type.
From the NeD York Euening Post.