The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-08-04
ENGLIsn REPORTS AN LAW AND


street, Boston, for publishing by subscription
serics Of Lalo and Equity Reports.
FENHE want Of some system by which the decisions
a. and judicial opinions of the several Courts of
Law and Equity in England can be more prompt
y and cheaply furnished TO The legal profession in
this country, has long been seriously felt and
knowedged. To meet similar want in England,
the "LGw Journal Reports" and "Ihe Jtrist,"
which, together, report decisions in all The Courts IN
Lato aud 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 crcu-
lation in this country, and their merits yet
but little known among US.
The subscribers propose to republish these re-
ports in full as 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.
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-
ierences 10 analogous American decisions
Each number will consist of over three hundred
pages closely printed octave the best paper land
in clear fair type, and will contain 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 or second number will
be PACED consecutively from the number imme-
diatey 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 cases of the several courts will
be found ged together, and, in point of style
and Typographical execution, this series viii be
fully equal to the best reports OF England or this
country.
tits designed to make this PERMANENT puBLI-'
CATION, and thus establish 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 tioo years before they
could ooise be obtained, and long before the.pub
LEGATION of the contemporancous 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 will be sold separately, if desired, at
81 each.
Single volume, bound, $2 %.
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
Der:
Letter from Hon. DIard Fillmore, President of the
United STATES.
WAsHINeToN, April l3, 1851.
JAMES BRowN esq: MY DEAR SrR-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, inquiring
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 illulnned its profoundest depths / con-
ete hat
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
Gaze, but selection from the several cases, and
was often annoyed by finding a reference to cases
in the Digests, which l deemed very important,
wholly omitted in the "condsnsed reports''
therefore hailed with great pleasure effort which
was made some time since to repubiish the whole.
If the English Reports entire, can 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
can only express the hope that your reward may
be equal to your merits. l am your obedient
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From Ge Ne,u York Literary World
Messrs Little s. 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 III 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 mum
Der is before US, are the Lao Journal Reports and
the Jlrist 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
Ill.
ment might be 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 are glad to see the enterprise of legal pub
fishers availing themselves of it, to introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly to the pro-
fesson. The authority of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing of it's sanction and the permanently high
character OF the English Judiciary gives to their
adjudications a continued weight and decisive in
fluence 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 jurispru-
dence and adjudcations 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 81 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 adiudged
cases of the same date in own courts appear in
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 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 with which
the notes, index, &C., prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in which the proposed series will
be carried out
In this connexion we take pleasure in adverting
TO Messrs. Little and Browns other legal pubica-
tons, among which are included many ofthe most
conspicuous and authoritative treatises of urs
prudence Judge Story's works, for ming library
almost OF Themselves, and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation to American read
in general well as to the legal profession
have all issued from their press; as have also the
several works of Professor Greenleaf. Two very
valuable and extensive annual publications are also
issued by them, the United States Digest and the
Statutes at Large; the latter being the authorized
edition of the Acts of ConCresa mn in much