The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-12-10
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
OVITX.

TIME want OF some system by winch the declslons
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 ielt and ac
knowledged. To meet a similar want in England,
the 'LaIo Journal Reports" and ''Ihs JiHist
which, together report decisions in all The Courts ils
Lam and 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 now
sver, has hitherto prevented their genera clrcu,
laton in this country, and their merits are as YET
but little known among US.
ports in full fast they appear IN England and
can be received here. They VIII 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
Gases.
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 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 oil cases.
and full table of contents, thus forming com
plete volume by itself, well as part oil an en-
tire series Every alternate or second number VIII
be PACED consecutivey from the number lmme-
diately preceding, and will contain table OF cases.
volume ready for binding, OF ouer sT hundred pages
In each volume the of the several courts VIII
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 thls
country.
tits designed to make this a PERMANEsT PUBL
CATION, and thus establish nec series OF English
Law and Equity Reports, which shall, in all re-
spects, be far in advance of any other reprint Of
furnish to the 1m6fltaif 6puptry and which shall
westminster Hall, nearly tico years bef2Ts 4Ltem
could otherwise be o6tsdf nnS decisions Of most
LEGATION Of Of ttfhH f il -
The price of this publication will be $40 for
twelve numbers, payable in advance, for the six
volumes, handsomely and uniformly bound in law
sheep, $l2.
TIE parts will be sold separately, il desired, at
81 each.
Single volume bound So %.
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 first num-
Letter from Hon. Millard Fillmore, Presidentof the
United States.
WAsHINeToN, April Is 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 repubish In this country,
comprising every 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 illumined its profoundest depths | con-
slider 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 abbreviation of each
Gaze, but selection from the several cases, and
was often annoyed by finding reference to cases
in the Digests. which deemed very important,
wholly omitted in the I" condensed reports"
therefore hailed with great pleasure effort which
made some tame since to rcpublish the whole.
If the English Reports entire, can be republished
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 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 obedent
servant WILLARD FILLMORE.
From NE Ne,c York Literary World
Mcssrs. 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
70 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 ia before US, the La,o Journal Reports and
the Jmist, two English serials which communicate
20 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
men 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
we are glad ~ the enterprise of our legal pub
fishers 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
adiudicatons continued weight and decisive in
uence 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 was no way in which the current urispru-
dence and adjudications of the day in the En- gsh
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 adjudged
of the same date in our own courts appear in
the regular reports in which they perpetuated
Nearly 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 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, esqs., 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 connexion take pleasure in adverting
TO Messrs. Little and Browns other legal publica
tions, among which are included many the most
conspicuous and authoritative treascs of our uris
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, as well as to the legal profession
have all issued from their press; have also the
several works of Professor Grcenleaf Two very
valuable and extensive annual publications 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 sent them forth to the world thin paper and
in bad type.
Froun fbs Ns,p York Epe,iin1 Posi-