The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-11-10
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND


VTNHE want of some system by which the decisions
1 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 "LGIC Journal Reports" and "1hs JWiSf, !"
which, together report decisions in all the Courts h
Lam and Equity, within few weeks after their
delivery, were commenced number Of years
s'nce, and have met with the universal approba-
ton OF the legal profession Their high cost, how
ever has hitherto prevented their general clrcu-
laton in this country, and their merits are as yet
but little known among US
The subscribers propose To republlsh these re-
ports in full as fast they appear in England and
can be received here. They will contain reports
of CAGES 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-
ferenoes 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 full table of contents, thus forming n com
plete volume by itself, ms well as part OF an EN-.
tire series Every alternate or second number viii
be paged consec utvely from the number imne-
diately preceding, and will contain table Of cases,
and Of contents to both, and thus form a complete
volume, ready for binding OF orer sT 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.
Itsaaer igned 20 make this PERMANENT PUBL
CATION, and thus establish serirs of English
Law and Equity Reports, which SHALL in all
spects, be far in advance Of any other reprint of
rl,ah in al "A
furnish TO the American lawyer the decisions OF
Westminster Hall, nearly t,co gears before they
could otertUiSe 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 ak
volumes, Handsomely and uniformly bound in law
sheep, Sl2.
The parts will be sold separately, il desired, al
s. each.
Sings volume, bound, 81 %.
Parts |. and H., stitched or Vol. H. 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 fret mum
Der
Letter from Hon Afillard Fillmore President of The
United States.
WAsHINoToN, April 10 1851.
JAMES BRows, esq: My Dean SIR-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 III.
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 profoundest 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 abbreviaton of each
case, but selection from the several cases, and
was often annoyed by finding n reference to cases
in the Digests. which | deemed very important
wholly omitted in the condensed reports -
therefore hailed with great pi easure effort which
made some tune since to repubish the whole
If the English Reports entire, be repubished
with despatch in this country, at price so low al
TO bring them within the reach of the members Of
the bar generally, conceive that il will confer
great benefit upon the profession and the judiciary
and consequently upon the country at large. Know
ing your enterprise, anticipate your succees and
| can only express the hope that your reward may
be equal to your merits. ! am your obedient
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From the Nelp York Literary World.
AIessrs. Little Brown, of Boston, whose law
books, in point OF typographical execution, vic
with the best similar issues of the English press
and in point of value and importance are inferior
10 none in this country, have Just commenced the
publication of legal Series deserving the especia!
attention oil the pTOieeeon throughout the country
The basis of this series, of which the first mum.
Der ID before US, the Ldlo Journal Reports and
the JtDist 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 advantage in this
country for the purpose OF obviatug the delay
which necessarily attends the issuing Of the rcgu
lar volumes OF reports OF particular courts and
glad to see the enterprise Of our legal pub
Jshe~s availing themselves of it. to introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly to the pro
fession. The authority OF Westminster Hall has lost
nothing OF its sanction and the permanently high
character OF the English judiciary gives to their
adludications continued weight and decisive in
huence with our courta. Hitherto the difficulty has
been that the reported cases there have grown old
before they could be quoted and applied here, and
there no way in which the current iurspru-
dencc and authorizations 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 & Browne
Reports will remove; the decided in the
Queens Bench, the Common Pleas, and the Elk
chequer Chamber in January, will be ready for de-
livery here in April or May, long before adiudgcd
cases of the date in our own courts appear in
the regular reports in which they are perpetuated
Nearly two years will thus be gained over the pre-
sent system, which requires a delay until the large
volume OF authorized reports is published the
other side and l. hen been reprinted on this
One advantag 4 the present series ia, that the
decisions which i, 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 authority and force.
The Reports edited by f. H. Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, esqs., of the Boston bar and their
systematic arrangement, and the care with which
the notes, index, &c, arc prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in which the proposed series will
be carried out.
In this connexion we take pleasure in adverting
90 Messrs. Little and Browns other legal pubca
tions among which are included many the most
conspicuous and authoritative treatses Of our iurs-
prudence. Judge Story's works, for ming library
almost vi themselves and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation to American read
in general, as well to the legal profession,
have all issued from their press; as have also the
several works OF Professor Grcenleaf Two very
valuable aud extensive annual publications arc 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
than under the old regime Of public printing at
Washington, which included the annual statutes
and cent them forth to the world on thin paper and
in bad type.
From the Nelp York HDening Post