The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-05-27
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND

Proposals by LITTLE BRowr, liz Washington
street, Boston, for publishing by subscription
series Of Law and Equity Reports.
VVHE 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 cheaply furnished to the legal profession in
this country, has long been seriously felt and &C
knowledged. To meet similar want in England.
the "Lalo Journal Reports" and 1.-The Jurist,"
which, together, report decisions in all the Courts in
Lalo and Equity, within few weeks after their
delivery, commenced q 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 yet
but little known among US.
The Subscribers propose to republish these re-
ports in full fast as they appear in England and
can be received <bere. 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
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-
ferences to analogous American decision6.
Each number will consist Of over three hundred
pages closely printed octave, the beat paper and
in clear, fair type and will contain table Of cases,
ana q Iull taDlc OF contents, tnu5 forming o COM
plete volume by itself, well part Of an
tire series. Every alternate or second number will
be PACED consecutively from the number imme-
djately preceding, and will contain table of cases,
and of contents to both, and thus form complete
volumes ready for binding of sir hundred pages.
In each volume the caseb 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 beat reports of England or this
country.
tits designed to make this a PERMANENT PUBL
CATION, and thus establish series of English
Law and Equity Reports, which shall, in all re-
speets, 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 otherwise be obtained and long before the pub
LEGATION of the contcmporaneous 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 AID uniformly bound in law
The parts will be sold separately, if desired, at
s. each.
Single volume, bound, So 25.
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 fret num-
ber
Letter from Hon. Milard Fillmore, president of the
United States.
WAsHISGror, April 10, 1861.
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 repubish In this country,
comprising every reported in England; and
now have your letter OF the 9Th instant, inquiriug
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 iumincd its profoundest depths. con-
slider no law library complete that does not contain
their principal reports in Law and Equity: and in
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 a selection from the several cnses and
was often annoyed by finding q reference to cases
in the Digcsts. which deemed very important,
wholly omitted in the 'condsnsed reports"
therefore hailed with great Pleasure an effort which
made some time since to republish the whole.
If the English Reports entire, can be republished
with despatch in this country, at price go low as
to bring them within the reach of the members of
the bar generally, conceive that it will confer a
great benefit upon tho 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; am your obedient
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From the NetU York Literary World.
Mcasrs Little & Brown, of Boston. whose law
with the best similar ssues 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 Laip 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
ment 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
glad to see the enterprise of our legal pub
lisheys 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 its sanction and the permanently high
character OF the English judiciary gives to their
ndjudications continued weight and decisive in
f'ucnce with courts. Hitherto the difficulty has
been that the reported cases thore 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 vigi
lance. This difficulty Messrs. Little & Browns
Queens Bench, the Common Pleas, and tho Elk
chequer Chamber in January, will be ready for de-
livery here in April or May, long before adjudged
cases of the same date in our 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 ia published on 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 edited by f. II. Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, csqs, 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
tons, among which are included many the most
conspicuous and authoritative treatses Of uris
prudence. Judge Storys works, for. ming library
almost Of themselves, and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation to American read
in general, well to the legal profession,
have all issued from their press as have also the
several works of Professor Grecnleaf. Two very
nd x lei nj notifications ais