The republic., 1851-12-11
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND


series of IsdtC ana Eqauy f1tDV'S
TIME want Of some system by which the decisions
Il and judicial opinions of the several Courts of
law and Equity in England can be more prompt
iy and cheapy furnished TO the legal profession in
this country, has long been seriously felt and ac-
knowledged. To meet a snilar want in England,
the LaIc Journal Reports" and "Ihe Jiirist,'
which, together, report decisions in all the Courts i
Lao and Eqtiity, within few weeks after their
delivery, we're commenced number of years
since, and nave met with the universal approba-
tion of the legal profession. Their high cost how
sver, has hitherto prevented their general circu-
iation in this country, and their merits yet
but little known among
The subscribers propose to republsh 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 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-
ferenccs to 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 Of cases,
and full table OF contents, thus forming COM
pete volume by itself, as well q part of an en-
tire series Every alternate or second number will
be PACED consecutively from the number imme-
daely preceding, and will contain table Of cases,
and of contents to both, and thus form complete
volume, ready for binding, of oUer SirhuHdred pages
In each volume the of the several courts will
DC found arranged together, and, In point of style
and typographical execution, this series will be
fully equal 10 the best reports Of England or this
country.
ltis designed TO make this a PERMANENT puBLI.
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 Hail. nearly tto0 years before Mey
could oterpise be obtained and long before the pub
lication of the contemporaneous decisions of most
of 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 be sold separately, il desired, at
5 each.
Sings volume bound, 50 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 are among the opinions OF this
work expressed on the publication OF the first num-
Der
Letter from Hon NIiiGrd Fillmore, President of The
United States.
WAsHISoToS, April l3 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,
comprising every reported in England; and
have your letter of the 9th instant, iuquiring
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 ustre 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 50 condensed form. This condensation,
however, consisted, not In an abbreviaion of each
case, but a selection from the several cases, and
was often annoyed by finding reference 90 cases
in the Digests, which deemed very important
wholly omitted in the CONDENSED reports" |
therefore hailed with great pleasure effort which
made some eme since to republish the whole.
If the English Reports entire, can be repubhahed
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 a
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. l am your obedient
servant MILLARD FILLMORE.
From The Ne,c 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 poiut OF value and importance inferior
10 none in this country, have Just commenced the
publication of legal SERIES deserving the especial
attention of the profession throughout the country.
Der is before u.s. are the LG,c Journal ReporIs and
the Jnist, 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
rnent might be followed with great advantage 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
glad W see the enterprise of our legal pub
lshers availng 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
adudications n continued weight and decisive in
duence 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 jurspru-
dence and adjudicatons Of the day in the English
courts could be made available by the American
bar except at great expense and by continual yigi
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 April or May, long before ajjudgcd
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-
sent system, which requires delay until the large
volume of authorized reports is published the
other side and has then been reprnte5 on this.
One advantage OF the present series ia, that the
decisions which il gives are those of courts in banc
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 E. II. Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, esqs., of thes8oston 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 connexion we take pleasure in advcrting
to Messrs. Little and Browns other legal publca-
tions among which are included many ofthe most
conspicuous and authoritative treases Of our urs-
prudence. Judge Story's works, for ming library
almost OF themselves, and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation to American read
ors in general, well to the legal profession
have all iseucd from their press; have also the
several works OF Professor Greeneaf. Two very
valuable and extensive annual publications are also
lssued 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.
From. the Neto York EUeling Post.