The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-05-15


Proposal. BY LITTLE Baows. liz wsshingtoa
street, Bosion psbIishing BY subscription n<sD
series Of Lao and Equity Reports.
VNHE want Of some system by which the decisions
y 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
knowiedgcd. To meet similar want in England,
the "Law Journal Reports and "1Ke Jurist,"
which, together report decisions in all he Courts IA
LaU and Equity, within few weeks after their
bdelivery, 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-
lation in this country, and their merits yet
but little known among
The subscribers propose to republish these
ports in full 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
Eccesastical and Admiralty Courts. the Court Of
Bankruptcy, including also tine 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-
fcrences to analogous American decisions,
Each number will consist of over three hundred
pages closey printed octave, on the best paper and
in clear fair type. and will containa table Of 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 consecutvely from the number imme-
e hus
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.
| tits designed to make this PERMANENT pusII-
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
could othsroiss be obtained, and long before thapub
| LEGATION Of the contemporancous decisions host
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
Tie parts will be sold separately, if desired, at
81 each.
Single volume, bound, 50 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 among the opinions of this
work expressed on the publication Of the first num-
| ber
Letter from Hon. MillaYd Fillmore, President of the
United States.
WAsHINeroN, April l3, 1851.
JAMES BnowN, 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 republish in this country,
comprising every case reported in England; and
now have your letter of the 9th instant, nquiring
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 abbreviation of each
cnse, 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 "c0ndensed reports"
therefore hailed with great pleasure effort which
was made some time since to republish the whole.
| If the English Reports entire, can be republishcd
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. am your obedient
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From the Nc,o York Literary World.
| Messrs. Little & Brown, of Boston, whose law
books, in point Of typographical execution, vic
|
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 Ldto Journal Reports and
the Juria, 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 advanagein 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
fishers awaiting themselves of it, to introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly to the pro-
fesson. The authority of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing of its sanction and the permanently high
character OF the English judiciary gives to their
adjudications'a continued weight and decisive in
fiuencc 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 adjudications Of the day in the English
courts could be made available by the American
bar. except at great expense and by continual vig
Reports will remove; the decided in the
Queens Bench, the Common Pleas, and the Ex-
chequer Chamber in January, will be ready for de-
livery here in April or May, long before adjudgcd
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 has then been reprinted on this.
| One advantage of the present series ia that the
decisions which it 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. IL. Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, csqs., of the Boston BAR and their
Systematic arrangement, and the with which
the notes, index &C., prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in which the proposed series will
/ be carried out.
In this conncxion we take pleasure in adverting
to Mcssrs. Little and Browns other legal publica.
tons, among which are included many Of the most
conspicuous and authoritative treatses of uris
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, as well as to the legal profession
have all issued from their press; have also the