The republic., 1851-12-15
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
EQUITY.

Pr,1osals by LITTLE BaowE, ll2 paShtigfoi
street Boston for publishing by subscription Hei
series Of LaIo and Equity Reports
yT7HE want Of some system by which the decisions
and judicial opinions Of the several Courts o
Law and Equity in England can be more prompt
~ and cheapy furnished To the Iegal profession IL
this country, has long been seriously ieit and ac
knowIede eed. To meet a similar want In England
the "Laic Journal Reports" and . Iae Jt1lst, -
which together, report decisions IN all The Courts an
Latr and E,gliify, within few weeks after their
delivery, were commenced number Of years
since, and have met with the universal approba-
tun Of the legal profession. Their high cost, how
ever, has hitherto prevented their general circu
Iatcn in this country, and their merits are as yet
but little known among US.
fhe subscribers propose to republlsh these re-
ports IN full as fast they appear IN England and
can be received here. They will contain reports
OF cascs 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
Crnwu Cases Reserved, and the Railway and Canal
Cases
These reports will be published in numbers or
parts, CONNIE ncing 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 octavo on the best paper and
IN clear fair type, and will contain table of cases,
and full table of contents, thus forming a com
plete volume 10y itself, as well part Of an en-
tire series. Every alternate or second number will
be PACED consecutively from the number imme
diately preceding and will contain table of cases,
and OF contents to both, and thus form complete
volume, ready for binding, Of orer SIC hundred pages.
In each volume the cases of the several courts will
be found arranged together, and, in point of style
aud typographical execution, this series will be
fully equal to the best reports Of England or this
country.
ltis designed to make this PERMANExT puBLI-
"a of izh
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
Wrstmineter Hall nearly tirO years before they
could OtheJto'se b. obtained and long before the pub
lication OF the c2ntenporaneous decisions OF most
of our own tribunals
The price Of this publication will be SO 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
E each.
Sings volume, bound, g. 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
york expressed on the publication of the first num-
Dcr;
Letter from Hon 1THcrd Fillmore, President of tie
United States.
WAsHrHeToN, april 10 1851.
JAMES BnowN, Esa} MY DEAR SIR-SoIne 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 case reported in England; aud
now 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 vino have adorned the judicial tribunals Of
England have shed lustre upon the Common
Law, and illumined its protoundest depths. con
,lat. 4.
their principal reports in Law and Equity, and in
their Ecclesas tical Courts, and in Admiralty. For
some years had been in the habit of receiving
theee in 81 condensed" FORM This condensation,
however, consisted, rot in abbreviation Of each
caae, 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 1Ine since to republish the whole.
If the English Reports entire, can be republished
with despatch in this country, at price go low as
10 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
j can only express the hope that your reward may
be equal 10 your merits. am your obedient
servant, MlLLAkD FILLMORE.
From The Netc York Literary Urorld
Nessrs. Little & Brown, Of Boston, whose law
books in point Of typographical execution vie
aith the best similar issues OF the English press,
and in point of value and importance are inferior
10 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
her i beture US are the {.d1C Journal RepOrLs and
the Jtrist. two English serials which communicate
10 the British Bar within a few weeks after their
delivery, the prominent decisions of all the coGrts
from the House Of Lords 10 the Court OF Bankrupt
cy and other tribunals of limited but practically
iinportant jurisdiction. This excellent arrange
nent might be followed with great advantage in this
country, for the purpose OF obvlating the delay
which necessarily attends the issuing OF the regu-
lar volumes OF reports oi particular courts and
we are glad 10 see the enterprise Of our legal pub
lishe-s avaihng themselves OF II, TO introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly to the pro-
!eAslon The authority of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing of its sanction and the permanently high
character Of the English judiciary gives 10 their
adiudicatlons continued weight and decisive in
huence with our courts, Hitherto the difficulty has
been that the reported cases there have grown old
before they could bequoled and applied here, and
there way IN which the current iurispr9-
dcnce 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 vigi
lance. This difficulty Messrs Little ( Browns
Reports will remove; the cases decided la the
Queen 3 Bench, the Common Pleas, and the Ex
chequer Chamber ia January, will be ready for de-
livery here IN April or May, long before adjudged
cases of the same date In own courts appear ia
the regular reports in which they perpetuated.
Nearly two years will thus be gained over the pre-
sent systen, 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 o. the present series is that the
decisions which it gives those OF courts in 6anc,
toe deliberate judgments Of the bench, and not the
lsss reliable decisions at Nisi Prius, which, how
eser interesting in many instances, do not carry
s-iin them the same authority and force
The Repsrts are edited by e. FL Bennett and
Cnaln-y smitas escs, u the Boston bar, and their
systsLlalso rsngetaent, and the care with which
ne DOtes, index, &c, are prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in which tue proposed series will
he carried out.
Ia this cgnneTIOn We take pleasure il adgCfi!ng
20 Messrs. LATHE and Browne other legal pubCa-
tons, among hich are included many Of the most
and authoritative treati5cs Of cur iurs
prudence. Judge Story's works, f1r ming library
almost Of Themselves, and familiar for their high
yaue and extensive reputation 10 American read
ers in general, well 70 the legal profession,
have all issued from their pressJ have also the
several works of Professor Grceneaf. Two very
valuable and extensive annual publications also
lssued by them, the United Suites Digest and the
Sfqfates at Large the latter being the authorized
edition of the Acts of Congress, got up in much
bettcr style, both for reference and preservation,
than under the old regime Of public printing at
which included the annual statntes