The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-09-20

ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
EQUITY.

II
a. 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 ieit ana aG
knowledged To meet a similar want IN ngland,
the "LGto Journal Reports, and "Ihe JTisf,
which, together report decisions IN all The Courts IN
Lao aud Equity, within a few weeks after their
delivery, were commenced a number OF years
SINCE and have met with the universal approoa-
ton OF the legal profession. Their hlgh COST now
ever, has hitherto prevented their general clrcu-
lation in this country, and their merits are as yet
but little known among us.
The subscribers propose to repubish these re-
ports in full as fast 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 Exchcuuer and Exchequer Chamber, the
Ecclesiastical and Admiralty Courts, the Court oil
Bankruptcy, including also the Election cases the
Crown Cases Reserved, and the Hallway anu Canal
Case6.
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 ana re-
ferences 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 Oh cases.
and full table of contents, thus forming a COM
plee volume by itself, as well asa part OF an en-,
tire series. Every alternate or second number VIII
be PACED consecutively from the number lmme-
dately preceding, and will contain table OF cases.
and Of contents to BOTH and thus form complete
volume, ready for binding, Of Oeef sr hundred pages
In each volume the case5 of the several courts VIII
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 a PERMANENT PuBLI-
CATION, and thus establish a near series OF English
Law and Equity Reports, which shall, in all re-
spects, be far In advance of any other reprint OF
En- li in which shall
furnish to the American lawyer the decisions OF
Westminster Hall, nearly tioo gears before they
could oterloise be obtained and long before the pub
LEGATION OF the oontemporaneous 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.
The parts will b sold separately, il desired, at
S each.
Single volume, bound, So 25.
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 the publication of the fret num-
Der:
Letter from Hon. lIiuard Fillmore, President Of the
United States.
WAsHINGToN, April Is 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 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 in
terest in publications of this kind. The able
judges who have adorned The judicial tribunals of
England, have shed lusre upon the Common
Law and illumned 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
had bean fhc hnhT nf IN
these in '' condensed form. This condensation
however, consisted, not in an abbreviaton of each
Gaze, but a 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 80 condensed reports"
therefore hailed with great pleasure an effort which
was made some tame since to repubish the whole
If the English Reports entire, be republshed
with despatch in this country, at price 80 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 / am your obedient
servant, MlLLARD FlLLMORE
From the Neto York Literary World
Mcssrs. Little s. 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 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 mum
Der is before US, are the La,c Journal Reports and
the JIuist, 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
lar volumes of reports of particular courts and
we are glad to 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
authorizations continued weight and decisive in
fluence 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 was no way in which the current jurspru
dence and adudications of the day in the Eugisi
courts could be made available by the American
bar, except at great expense and by continual vig
lance. This difficulty Messrs. Little & Browns
Reports will remove; the cases decided in thu
Queens Bench, the Common Pleas, and the Elk
cheuuer Chamber in January, will be ready for de
livery here in April or May long before adjudgec
cases of the date in our own courts appear il
the regular reports in which they perpetuatcd
Nearly two years will thus be gained over the pre-
sent system, which requires delay until the larg
volume of authorized reports is published on tn
other side and La, hen been reprinted on this.
One advantag. If the present series is, that tn
decisions which IL gives those of courts in banc
the deliberate judgments of the bench, and not tn
less reliable decisions at Nisi Prius, which, how
ever interesting in many instances, do not carr,
with them the same authority and force
The Reports edited by E. II. Bennett ant
Chauncy Smith, esqs., of the Boston bar, and thei
systematic arrangement, and the care with which
the notes, index, &c, prepared, evidence tn
thorough manner in which the proposed series vii
be carried out.
In thisconnexion take pleasure in advertn
to Messrs. Little and Browns other legal publica
tons among which are included many ofthe mos
conspicuous and authoritative treatses OF our juris
prudence. Judge Story's works, for ming librar
almost OF themselves and familiar for their hig
value and extensive reputation to American read
ers in general, as well as to the legal profession
have all issued from their press; as have also tn
several works of Professor Greenleaf. Two YER
valuable and extensive annual publications ais
issued by them, the United States Digest and tn
Siafutes at Large, the latter being the authorize
edition of the Acts of Congress, got up in niue
better style, both for reference and preservation
than under the old regime Of public printing a
Washington, which included the annual statute:
and sent them forth to the world on thin paper an