The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-11-05
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND


LYME want some system by winch the deC16lOn6
IL and judicial opinions Of the several Courts of
Law and Equity in England can be more prompt
y and cheapy furnished TO the legal profession IN
this country has long been seriously felt and ac-
knowledged To meet similar want In England,
the ssLatu JolHrcl Reports" and ''Ihe Jurist,"
which, together report decisions in all the Courts IN
Lal0 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 Us.
The subscribers propose to republish these re-
ports In full 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
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.
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-
ferences TO analogous American decisions.
Each number will consist of over three hundred
pages closely printed octave on 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 we'll as part OF an en-
tire SERIES Every alternate or second number Will
be PACED consecutivey from the number lmme-
dately preceding, and will contain table OF cases,
volume, ready for binding, of 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 best reports OF England or this
country.
tits designed TO make this PERMANENT PUBL
CATION, and thus establish neto 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 oil
ootsK,f fctor Hall hpf
could otertoise be obtained and long before the pub
LEGATION OF the contemporaneous decisions oil most
OF our own tribunals.
The price of this publication will be $40 for
twelve numbers, payable in advance, for the six
volumes, handsomely and uniformly bound in law
sheep, Sl2
The parts will be sold separately, IL desired, at
81 each
Single volume, bound So %.
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 ths
work expressed on the publication Of the first num-
Der:
Letter from Hon. AIHard Fillmore, President of the
United States.
WAsHINaroN, April ID 1851.
JAMES BRowN, 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
now have your letter Of the 9Th Instant inquring
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 " 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 l deemed very important,
! wholly omitted in the &C condensed reports.'' ]
therefore hailed with great pleasure 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 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
can only express the hope that your reward may
be equal to your merits l your obedieni
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From The Neo York Literary IVorld
NIeesrs Little & Brown, of Boston, whose law
with the best similar Issues of the English press,
and in point of value and importance are inferior
10 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 La,o 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
cy, and other tribunals of limited but practically
important jurisdiction. This excellent arrange
nent might be followed with great advantagein this
country, for the purpose of obvatng 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 availing themselves of it, to introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly to the pro-
ession. 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
t iuencc with courts. Hitherto the difficulty has
4 been that the reported there have grown old
before they could be quoted and applied here and
4 there way in which the current jurispru-
dence and authorizations 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-
chequer Chamber in January, will be ready for de-
4 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 perpetaated.
Nearly two years will thus be gained over the pre-
sent system, which requires delay until the large
volume of authorized reports ia published on the
other side and h hen been reprinted on this
One advantag. u the present series is, that the
decisions which /, gives those of courts in banc
the deliberate judgments of the bench and not the
less reliable decisions at Nisi PrilS, which, how
ever interesting IN many instances, do not carry
with them the same authority and force.
The Reports are 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, are prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in which the proposed series will
be carried out.
In this conncxon take pleasure in adverting
to Messis Little and Browns other legal publica-
tons, among which are included many of the most
conspicuous and authoritative treatises of our iuris-
prudence. Judge Story's works. for ming library
almost OF themselves, and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation to American read.
ers in general, well to the legal profession,
have all issued from their press; have also the
several works Of Professor Greeneaf. Two very
valuable and extensive nnuaf publications are also
issued by them, the United States Digest and the
Statutes at Larger 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 on thin paper and
in bad type.
From TIE Nslo York EDening Post.