The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-02-04
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
EQUITY.

ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
EQUITY.
Proposals by LITTLE BRows, ll2 Washington
street Bosfon publishing by subscription neio
series Of Lato and Equity Reports.
TNHE want of some systcm by which the decisions
l. and judicial opinions of the several Courts OF
Law and Equity in England can be more prompt
ly and cheaply furnished to the legal profession in
this country, has long been seriously felt and ac-
knowledged. To meet similar want in ngland
the "Lao Journal Reports" and "Ihe JTiSt"
which, together, report decisions in alth Courts il"
Lao and Equity, within 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 clrcu-
ation in this country and their merits are as yet
but little known among US.
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 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 Exchcquer 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
Cuses.
These reports will be published in numbers
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 on inc DeSt paper,
in clear, fair type and will contain table OF cases,
and full table Of contents, thus forming com
plete volume by tsclf, well part of an en-.
tire series. Every alternate or second number will
| be PACED consecutivey from the number imme-
djately preceding and will contain table Of cases,
| and of contents to bot and thus form a complete
volume ready for binding, sir hundred pages.
In each volume the 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 best reports of England or this
country.
tits designed to make this PERMANENT PUBL
CATION, and thus establish a 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 tcO years before they
could oterciss be obtained, and long before the pub
lication of the contemporancous decisions of most
of our own tribunals
The price of this publication will be $40 for
twelve numbers, payable in advance, or for the elk
volumes, handsomely and uniformly bound in law
sheep, Sl2.
The parts will be sold separately, il desired at
! 81 each.
Single volume, bound, So 25.
Parts |. and H., stitched, Vol !. 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
/ oer
Letter from Hon. Milard Fillmore, President of the
United States.
WAsHINGToN, April Is 1851
JAMES BRowN ESQ.,: MY DEAR SR-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, inquirng
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 iumned 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 80 condensed form. This condensation,
however, consisted, not In an abbreviation of each
Gaze, but selection from the several cases. and
was often annoyed by finding reference to
in the Digests, which | deemed very important,
wholly omitted in the " condsrsed 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 at price 30 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 ne NetD York Literary World
Messrs. Little Brown, of Boston, whose law
books, in point Of geographical execution, vic
With the best similar issues Of the En- glish 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 num- /
bcr is before US, ARE TIE Jd,o Journal Reports and
the ytHist, two English serials which communicate
10 tho 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 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 TO see the enterprise of our legal pub
fishers awaiting themselves Of it, to introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly to the pro-
fession. The authority Of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing of ts sanction and the permanently high
character OF the English judiciary gives 10 their
ndjudications a 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 he quoted and applied mere and
there was no way la which the current iurispru.
dcncc 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 Mcssrs. Little & Browns
Reports will remove; the decided in the
Queens Bench the Common Pleas, and the En-
chcqucr Chamber n January, will be ready for dc.
livery here in April or May long before adjudged
cases OF the same date in courts appear in
the regular reports in which they are perpctuatcd.
Nearly two years will thus be gained over the pre-.
sent system, which requires n delay until the large
volume of authorized reports is published on the
other side and has then been reprinted on this
Ono advantage Of the present series il, that the
decisions which IL gives those OF courts in bdnc
the deliberate judgments Of the bench and not the
less reliable decisions a. Nisi Prius, which, how
ever interesting in many instances, do not carry
with them the same authority and force.
The Reports are edited by r. II. Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, csqs., of tho 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 carried out.
/ In this connerion VIC take pleasure in advorting
to Messrs Little and Browns other legal pubhca-
/ tons, among which are included many Of the most
conspicuous and authoritative trcatises Of our uris
prudence. Judge Story's works, for ming library
/ almost OF thcnscvcB, and familiar for their higl
1 value and extensive reputation 10 American read
ers in general, ss well "a 20 the legal profession,
have all Issued from their prosa; have also the
| several wOrks Of Professor Grccnlcaf. Two very
valuable and extensive annual publications arc also
issued by them, the United States Digest and the