The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-10-14
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
E0IJITY.


Law and Equity in England can be more prompt
ly and cheapy 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 "Ths Jtirist,"
which, together report decisions III all The Courts i
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 coat, 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 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 ot 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 (Noyember) term, 1850 and will be carefully
edited by member of the bar, with notes and re-
| ierence5 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 con tain table OF cases,
and full table of contents, thus forming com
pete volume by itself, as we'll as part of an en-
tire series Every alternate OF second number will
| be PACED consecutiycly from the number lmme-
djaely preceding, and will contain table oil cases,
and of contents TO both, and thus form complete
volume, ready for binding Of ouer s1 hundred pages
In each volume the of the several courts viii
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 PERMANENr PUBL
CATION, and thus establish a 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 of
| Xpap ninai or Ia
could othetose be obtaned, and long before the pub
catiomof the contemporaneous decisions OF most
! of our own tribunals.
The price of this publication will be IS 10 for
4 twelve numbers payable in advance, or for the six
volumes, handsomely and uniformly bound i'll law
sheep, $l2.
The parts will be sold separately, il desired, at
J s. each.
/ Single volume, bound 81 25.
Parts |. 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 among the opinions of this
work expressed on the publication of the first num-
Der:
Letter from Hon. Willard Fillmore, President of the
United States.
WAsHNGToS, April - 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 republish in this country,
comprising every case reported in England; and
my opinion of the enterprise
While pursuing my profession, took deep in
terest in publications of this kind The able
iudges 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 abbreviation of each
case, 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 &c condensed reports" |
therefore hailed with great pleasure effort which
was made some time since to republish the whole.
If tho English Reports entire, be republished
with despatch in this country, at price 30 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
l can only express the hope that your reward may
be equal to your merits. l am your obedent
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From tie NetD York Literary World.
Messrs Little & Brown, of Boston, who:e law
books in point Of typographical execution, vie
with the best similar issues of the English press
and in point of value and importance 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 Juist two English serials which communicate
to the British Bar, within q 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 advantagei 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 are glad to see the enterprise of our legal pub
fishers avaiing 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
authorizations a continued weight and decisive in
luence 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 iurispru-
dcnce and adjudications 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 decided in the
Queens Bench, the Common Pleas, and the Ex-
chequer Chamber in January, will be ready for de-
livery here in April May, long before adjudged
cases of the 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 the
other side and he hen been reprinted on this.
One advantages the present series is that the
decisions which IL gives those of courts in 6dnc,
less reliable decisions at Nisi PritS, 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 connexion take pleasure in advorting
TO Mcssrs. Little and Browns other legal pubca-
tons, among which are included many the most
prudence. Jadgc Story's works, for ming u 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 Grcenleaf Two very
valuable and extensive annual publications arc also
issued by them, the United States Digest and the
Statutes al 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.
Elror, fLe Meas VorE El,sp;py T)oey