The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-01-28
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
EQUITY.

| E-NoLlSh leEFONIS IN LA w AMI
| EQUITY.
Proposal, by LITTLE & Blows, ll2 Washington
street, Boston, for publishing by subscription nec
series ef Lap and Equity Reports.
'lNHE want of some system by which the decsit ne
l. 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 ac
! knowedged. To meet similar want in ngland
the "LalD Journal Reports" and "Ihe Jurist, ("
which, together report decisions in all the Courts IN,
La,c and Equity, within a few weeks after their
delivery, were commenced a 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
iaton in this country, and their merits are as yet
| but little known among
The subscribers propose to republish 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
Gases.
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-
! ferences to analogous American decisions.
| Each number will consist of over three hundred
pages closely printed octave, on the best paper and
i " D
and full table Of contents, thus forming com
plete volume by itself, 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 a complete
volume ready for binding, of Ouer sir hundred pages
In each volume the cases of the several courts will
be found arranged together, and, in point OF sty
and typographical execution, this series will be
fully equal to the best reports OF England or this
country.
II is designed to make this a PERMANENT PUBL
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 Hall, nearly tlDo years before they
could otherwise 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 so for
twelve numbers, payable in advance, for the six
volumes, handsomely and uniformly bound in law
sheep, Sl2.
The parts will be sold separately, il desired, at
$ each.
Singic volume, bound, So 25.
Parts /. and H., stitched, 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 on the publication of the first num-
Letter from Hon. Maiard Fillmore, President Of the
United States.
WAsHlSGTos, April Is 1851.
JAMES BRowN, ESQ.,: My DEAR SiR-Some days
since I 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, inquring
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 no law library complete that docs 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 an abbreviation of each
case, but a selection from the several cases. and
often annoyed by finding reference to cases
in the Digess, which deemed very important,
wholly omitted in the 'condsnsed reports"
therefore hailed with great pleasure effort which
made some tune since To rcpublish the whole.
If the English Reports entire, can be republlshed
with despatch in this country, at a price 80 low
to bring them within the reach Of the members OF
the bar generally, conceive that IL 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 obedient
servant. WILLARD FILLMORE
From a.e Nep York Literary IVorld
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 mum
Der is before Ne, are the Lam Journal Reports and
the Jlrid two English serials which communicate
10 the British Bar. within a few weeks after their
delivery the prominent decisions of all the courts,
from the House OF Lords 20 the Court of Bankrupt
cy and other tribunals Of limited bat practically
sts,rsg tant aurt fNg
ment mi ght be follow cd with great advantage in This
country, for the purpose OF obyiating the delay
which necessarily attends the issuing of the regu
lar volumes Of reports Of particular courts and
glad TO zee the enterprise Of our legal pub
fishers avaing themselves OF L., TO introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly 10 the pro.
fcssion. The authority Of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing of its sanction and the permanently high
character OF the English judiciary gives TO their
adiudications continued weight and decisive in
fuence with our courts Hitherto the difficulty has
been that the reported cases there have grown old
before they could be quoted and applied mere, and
there was no way in which the current jurispru-
dence and authorizations Of the day in the English
courts could be made available by the American
har, except at great expense and by continual vigil
lance. This difficulty Messrs. Little 4 Brown .
Reports will remove; the cases decided in the
Queens Bench, tho Common Pieas, and the En-.
chequer Chamber In January, will be ready for dc
livery here in April or May. long before adjudged
cases OF the same date In our courts appear ia
the regular reports in which they pcrpctuated.
Nearly two yenrs will thus bs gained over the pre-.
cent system, which requires delay until the large
volume Of authorized reports IL published on thu
other side and bas then been reprinted on this
One advantage OF the prosent series is, that the
decisions which Il gives those Of courts ia banc
the deliberate judgments Of the bench, and not The
lees reliable decisions at Nisi Priu,, which, how
ever interesting In many instances do not carry
with them the samc authority and force.
The Reports edited by r. r. Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, csqs., 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 earned out.
In this connerion we take pleasure in adverting 2
To Messrs Little aud Browns other legal publica
tons, among which included many Of the most
conRpic and authoritative reatscs Of our iurs
prudence. Judge Storys works, Tor ming a library
IL mn -