The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-10-22
ENGLISH REPORTs IN LAW AND
rnUYWqsNyt

II and judicial opinions OF the several Courb Oh
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 ac-
knowledged. To meet similar want in England,
the "LalD Journal Reports" and "Ihe Jurist,"
which, together, report decisions in a the Courts IN
Lqlo and Equity, within a few weeks after their
delivery, were commenced a 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-
ation in this country, and their merits are as 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 here. 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 ExchequeE 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, aud will be carefully
eoIIeu by a 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, on the best paper and
IN clear fair type and will contain table oil cases,
and full table Of contents, thus forming COM
plete volume by itself, as well as part vi an en-
tlfe 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 b0L, and thus form complete
volume, ready for binding of sac 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.
tits designed to make this PERMANENT PULL
CATION, and thus Establish series of English
Law and Equity Reports, which shall, i'll 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 gears before they
could other,ose 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
The parts will be sold separately, ii desired, at
81 each.
Single volume, bound, 50 %.
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 frat num-
ber
Letter from Hon. Willard Fillmore, President of the
United States
WAsHNaToN, April ID 1851.
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 republish in this country
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 lustrc upon the Common
Law, and illumined its protoundest 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 abbreviatiop of each
Gaze, but selection from the several cases, and
was often annoyed by finding a reference to cases
in the Digests, which | deemed very important,
wholly omitted in the g condensed reports"
therefore hailed with great pleasure effort which
was made some lime since to repubsh the whole.
II the English Reports entire, can be repubshed
with despatch in this country, at price so low as
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 success, and
cam only express the hope that your reward may
be equal TO your merits. i am your obedient
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From the Neto York Literary Vorld.
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
to none in this country, have just commenced the
publication ola legal series, deserving the especial
attention OF the profession throughout the country.
The basis of this series, of which the first NUN
Der s before US, are the Lato Journal Reports and
the JWist, 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 advanta &c 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
OILS IN thp IF lara
fishers awaiting themselves Oft, 30 introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly to the pro-
iession. The authority of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing of its sanction and the permanently high
character OF the English judiciary gives to their
adiudcations continued weight and decisive in
tluence with our courts. 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 jurispru-
dence and adjudications of the day in the En- glsh
courts could be made available by the American
bar, except at great expense and by continual vigil
lance. This difficulty Messrs. Little & 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 our own courts appear in
the regular reports in which they are perpetuated
Nearly two years will thus be gained over the pre-
scnt system, which requires a delay until the large
volume of authorized reports is published ON the
other side and 'hen been reprinted on this.
One advantage the present series is, that the
decisions which " gives are those of courts in bdnc
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 f. II. Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, csqs, of the Boston bar, and their
Systematic arrangement, and the care with which
the notes, index, &c, are prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in which the proposed series will
be carried out.
In this conncxion we take pleasure in advertng
TO Messrs. Little and Browns other legal publica.
tons, among which included many OF the most
conspicuous and authoritative reatses Of our iuris-
prudence. Judge Story's works, for ming a library
almost OF themselves, and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation to American read
in general, as well as to the legal profession
have all issued from their press; have also the
several works of Professor Greenleaf Two very
valuable and extensive annual publications arc also
issued by them, the United States Digest and the
Statutes al 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
in bad type