The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-05-10
ENGLISH REPORTS IN Law AND

ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
EQUITY.
Proposals. by LITTLE d BaowN, liz Warrington
street, Boston, for publishing By subscription
series Of Lau and Equity Reports.
THE want of some system by which the decisions
i 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
knowledged. To meet a similar want IN England,
the "L0lo Journal Reports." and "Ine J"ssf,
which, together report decisions in al the Courts IN
Lav 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 republsh these re.
ports in full 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
Cases.
parts commencing with the decisions Of Michael
mas (November) term, 1850, and will be carefully
edited by a member of the bar, with notes and re-
ferences to analogous American decis,ons.
Each number will consist of over three hundred
pa Res closely printed octave the best paper and
In clear fair type and will contain table Of cases,
and full table Of contents, thus forming CON-
plete volume by itself, as well as part OF an en-
tire SERIES Every alternate or second number will
be PACED consecutively from the number imme-
daely preceding and will contain table Of cases,
and Of contents TO both, and thus form complete
volume, ready for binding, Of ocr sir hu~dved 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
Its designed to make this PERMANENT Pu1LI-
CATION, and thus establish ner 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
Westminster Hall, nearly ftc0 years before they
could o,cise be obtained, and long before the pub
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, Sl2.
The parts will be sold separately. if desired, at
s Il 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 this
work expressed on the publication OF the rst num-
Der:
United States.
WAsHIseroN, April 10, 1851.
JAMES BRowN, ESQ.,: My Dean SlR-Some days
since / received, by the hand of the Postmaster
General, the FIRST number Of the English Reports,
which you propose to rcpublish In this country
comprising every case reported In England; and
now have your letter of the 9th instant, inquirng
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 lumined its profoundest depths con-
slider 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 q =" condemned" form. This condensation.
however. consisted not in an abbreyiation of each
case, but q 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 " condemned reports."
therefore hailed with great pleasure an effort which
was made some time since to republish tho whole.
If the English Reports entire, can be republished
to bring them within the reach of the members OF
the bar generally, conceive that it will confer n
great benefit upon the profession and the judiciary,
and consequently upon the country at large Know.
can only express the hope that your reward may
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From the Ne,s York Literary World
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 us, 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
might be followed with great advantagein 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 eptsrprise Of our legal pub
fishers avaing themselves Of it. 10 introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly to the pro-
fesson. Tho authority Of Westminster Hall has ost
nothing of its sanction and the permanently high
character OF the English Judiciary gives to their
adjudications q continued weight and decisive In
hucnce with our courts. Hitherto the difficulty has
been that the reported cases thcre 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 ut great expense and by continual vigil
lance. This difficulty Messrs. Little 4 Browns
Reports will remove; tho 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.