The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-09-30

ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
HnUTVTV.


TINE want of some system by which the decisions
/ n and judicial opinions OF the several Courts OF
Law and Equity in England can be more prompt
ly and cheapy furnished 10 the legal profession IN
this country, has long been seriously felt and &C
knowledged To meet a similar want in England,
the 'sLalD Journal Reports" and "Ihe JuTiSt,
which, together report decisions In all the Courts in
LGto aud Equity, within lew weeks alter their
delivery, were commenced number of years
since, and have met with the universal approoa-
ton of the legal profession Their high cost how
ever, has hitherto prevented their general circu-
latlon In this country, and their merits are as yet
but little known among U.s.
] The Subscribers propose to republish 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 Prlvy
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 Hallway 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 TO analogous American decisions.
Each number will consist OF over three hundred
pages closely printed octavo on the best paper and
in clear fair type, and will contain table of cases,
and full table of contents, thus forming com
plete volume by ITSELF as well as part OF an en-
tire series Every alternate or second NUMBER Will
diately preceding, and will contain table OF cases,
and of contents TO both, and thus form complete
volume, ready for binding of oUer siT hundred pages
In each volume the cases of the several courts will
be found arranged 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 PUBL
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 ttoo years before they
could othetoise 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.
I The parts will be sold separately, il desired, at
s each.
Single volume, bound, 50 25.
Parts /. and H., stitched or Vol. L., bound in law
sheep, containing reports of one hundred and
I 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. AIiard Fillmore, President Of the
United States.
WAsHINGToN, April 10 1851.
/ JAMES BRowN, ESQ: MY DEAR SIR-Some days
since l received, by the hand of the Postmaster
General, the first number of the English Reports,
! which you propose TO repubhsh In this country,
comprising every case reported in England; and
now have your letter of the 9th instant, inquripg
my opinion of the enterprise.
| While pursuing my profession, i 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 protoundest depths. con-
slider no law library complete that does not contain
I 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 90 condensed form. This condensation,
however, consisted, not in abbreviation of each
Gaze, but a selection from the several cases, and
4 was often annoyed by finding reference to
! in the Digests which deemed very important,
wholly omitted in the 80 condensed reports"
therefore hailed with great pleasure effort which
was made some time since to republish the whole.
If the English Reports entire, be republished
with despatch III this country, at price so 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. | your obedient
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE
From the Neto 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 inferior
to none in this country, have just commenced the
attention of the profession throughout the country
The basis of this series, Of which the first num-
Der is before us, the LGtu 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 ght be followed with great advantage in this
country, for the purpose of obviatng the delay
which necessarily attends the issuing of the regu
lar volumes of reports of particular courts and
we glad TO see the enterprise OF our legal pub
fishers availing themselves of it. to introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly to the pro-
fessidn. The authority of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing of its sanction and the permanently high
character OF the English judiciary gives to their
adudications n continued weight and decisive in
fiuence 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 way in which the current jurispru-
dence and adjudications of the day in the Eug lish
courts could be made available by the American
bar, except at great expense and by continual vigil
lance. This difficulty Messrs. Little s. 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 or May, long before adiudgcd
cases of the same date in our own courts appear in
the regular reports in which they arc perpetuated.
Nearly two years will thus be gained over the pre-
sent system, which requires delay until the large
volume of authoy lied reports is published the
other side and h. hen been reprinted on this
One advantag # the present series is, that the
decisions which gives 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 L. H. Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, esqs., of the Boston bar, and their
systematic arrangement, and the care with which
the notes, index, &c, 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 reatses of juris-
prudence Judge Storys works, for ming library
almost Of themselves, and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation to American read
. ers in general, we'll 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 also
Issued by them tho 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,
than under the old regime Of public printing at
Washington, which included the annual statutes,
and sent them forth TO the world on thin paper and
( laIg 1yN1