The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-06-03
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
EOVVTK-

Proposas BY Little & Bows, ll2 Washington
street. Boston, for publishing by subscription q neto
series Of LaW and Equity Reports.
THE 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
y and cheaply furnished to the legal profession in
this country, has long been seriously felt and
knowIedged. To meet n similar want in England.
the "LGlD Journal Reports" and "Ihs Jurist,"
which, together report decisions in all the Courts IN
Lao 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, how
ever, has hitherto prevented their general circu-
lation in this country, and their merits yet
but little known among US.
The subscribers propose to republish these
ports in full as 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, 1885, and will be carefully
edited by member of the bar, with notes and re-
fcrences 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 COM
plete volume by itself, well as a part Of en-
tire series. Every alternate second number will
be PACED consecutivey from the number imme-
diatey preceding, and will contain table Of cases,
and Of contents TO both, and thus form complete
volume, ready for binding Of 0uer sI hundred pages.
In each volume the cases 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 beat reports Of England or this
country.
1t designed to make this PERMANENT PUDLI-
CATION, aud 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 tioo years before they
could otercise 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 ald uniformly bound in law
sheep, $l2.
The parts will be sold separately, if desired, at
81 each.
Single volume, bound, So %.
Parts /. and H. stitched, Vol. l., bound in law
sheep, containing reports of one hundred and
lightweight cases, now ready for delivery.
The following among the opinions of this
work expressed on the publication Of the frat mum.
Der:
Letter from Hon. MHard Fillmore, President Of the
United States.
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, nquiring
my opinion Of the enterprise. a
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 illumincd 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 I" condensed'' form. This condensation,
however, consisted, not in an abbreviation Of each
case, but selection from the several cases, and
was often annoyed by finding q reference to cases
in the Digcsts. which deemed very important,
wholly omitted in the condsnsed reports" ]
therefore hailed with great pleasure an effort which
was made some time since to republish the whole.
If the English Reports entire can be republished
with despatch in this country, ut price 60 low as
to bring them within the reach of the members of
the bar generally, conceive that it 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 / am your obedient
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From the Ne,o 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 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 num-
Der is before US, the Latc Journal Reports and
the Jurist, 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
men might be followed with great advantage in this
country, for the purpose OF obviating the delay
which necessarily attends the issuing Of the rcgu
| lar volumes OF reports OF particular courts and
we glad to see 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 estminster Hall has lost
nothing of'its sanction and the permanently high
character OF the English judiciary gives to their
ndjudications continued weight and decisive in
fuence with courts. Hitherto the difficulty has
been that the reported cases thore have grown old
before they could be quoted and applied here, and
| there was no way in which the current jurispru-
dence and adjudications of the day in the English
| 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 Elk
| chequer Chambef in January, will be ready for de-
livery here in April May, long before adjudgcd
cases of the same date in 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 on the
other side and has then been reprinted ON this.
One advantage Of the present series ia, that the
decisions which it gives are those Of courts in banc
the deliberate judgments of the bench, and not thu
less reliable decisions at Nisi Pritis, which, how
ever interesting in many instances. do not carry
with them the same authority and force.
The Reports edited by +. IL. Bennett ano
Chauncy Smith, esqs., of the Boston bar, and thei
systematic arrangement, and the care with which
the notes, index, &C., are prepared, evidence til,
thorough manner in which the proposed scrics will
be carried out.
In this connexion We take pleasure in advertine
to NIessrs Little and Browns other legal publica
tons, among which are included many ofthe mos
conspicuous and authoritative treatises of urs
prudence. Judge Storys works, ming library
almost Of Themselves, and familiar for their higl
value and extensive reputation to American read
crs in general, as well to the legal profession
have all issued from their press; have also tn,
| Dot To-