The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-09-01
EN0LIsH REPORTS In Law AND

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sreel bosfoH, for publishing by subscription
series Of Lao and Equity Reports
FINHE want OF some system 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 En- gland
the "Laio Journal Reports" and "Ihe Lsrist''
which, together, report decisions in all the Courts in
LGiD 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 ia this country and their merits are az yet
but little known among u.s.
The Subscribers propose to republlsh 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
Council, the several Courts of Equity the Court OF
Queens Bench, the Court of Common Pleas, the
Court of Exchequer and Excheduer 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
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-
ierences to analogous American decisions.
Each number will consist of over three hundred
pages closely printed octave, the best paper and
in clear fair type, and will contain table of cases.
and a full table OF contents, thus forming COM
pltle Dy ltseils as We'll as Ol al en-
tire series. Every alternate or second number will
be PACED consecutively from the number imme-
dately 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 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
Itis designed to make this PERMANENT PULL
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 ttro 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 WILDE sold separately, ii desired, at
s each.
Single volume, bound, So 25.
Parts /. and H., stitched, or Vol. L., bound in law
sheep, containing reports OF one hundred and
eighty weight 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. Nillard Fillmore President of the
United States
WAsmNGroN, April Is, 1851.
since l received, by the hand Of the Postmaster
General the first number of the English Reports,
which you propose to republish in this country,
every case reported in England; and I
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 pyofouhdest 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
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 'scondensed reports" I
therefore hailed with great pleasure effort which
was made some time since to republish the whole.
Ii the English Reports entire, can be republlshed |
with despatch in 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 obedent
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From The Ne,o York Literary TPorId.
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
attention of the profession throughout the country
The basis of this series, of which the first num-
Der is before u.s. the Ld,D Journal Reports and |
the Jmist, two English serials which communicate |
to the British Bar, within few weeks after their
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 mghtbe 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 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 ofits sanction and the permanently high |
character OF the English judiciary gives to their |
adjudications continued weight and decisive in |
fuence 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 no 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 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-
livery here in April or May, long before adjudged
cases of the same date in own courts appear in
the regular reports in which they are perpetuated
y
sent system, which requires delay until the large
volume of authorized reports is published the
other side and has then been reprinted on this.
One advantage of the present series is, that the
decisions which it gives are 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 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, Sc, are prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in which the proposed series will
be carried out.
In this connection we take pleasure in adverting
to Messrs Little and Browns other legal publica
tions among which are included many Of the most
and authoritative treatises of our 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
several works of Professor Greenleaf. Two very
valuable and extensive annual publications 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