The republic., 1852-01-07
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
E0IIITY.

ENGLISH REPORTS In LAW AND
EQUITY.
Proposals by LITTLE BRows, 10 JYashiag'on
street, Boston, for publishing by subscription
series Of Lam aud Equity Reports.
| TNHE want of some system by which the decisions
| Il and judicial opinions Of the several Courts Of
law aud Equity in England can be more prompt.
| y and cheaply furnished 10 the legal profession in
this country, has long been seriously felt and ac-
| knowlcdged To meet a similar want in England,
| the "iato Journal Reports" and "1he Jtuisi, :"
which, together, report decisions in all The Courts in
La,o and Eq'afy, within few weeks after their
| delivery, were commenced number of years
| elncc, and have met with the universal approba-
tion OF the legal profession. Their high cost how
ever, has hitherto prevented their general crcu-
lation in this country, and their merits yet
| but little known among US.
The subscribers propose to repubsh 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 Exchcquer Chamber, the
Ecclcsiastcal 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 notcs and re-
fcrences to analogous American decisions.
Each number will consist of over three hundred
pages closely printed octave, the hest paper and
in clear fair type, and will contain table OF cases
and full table of contents, thus forming a com
plete volume by itself, as well part of
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 oUer 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 best reports Of England or this
country.
-ltis designed TO make this PERMANEST PunLI-
CATION, and thus establish new 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 t,Do years before they
could oher,cse be obtained, and long before the pub
lcation of the contemporaneous 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 AID uniformly bound in law
| sheep, ~.
The parts will be sold separately il desired, at
| 81 each.
Single volume, bound, So 25.
Parts |. and H., stitched, VOL l., bound in law
sheep, containing reports of hundred and
eighty cases, now ready for delivery.
The following are among the opinions of this
work expressed on the publication Of the first num-
Letter from Hon Mllard Fillmore, President of the
United States.
WAsHrNaroN, April l3 1851.
JAMES BRowN, ESQ.,: MY DEAR SlR-Some DAYS
nnce / received, by the hand Of the Postmaster
| General, the first number of the English Reports
which you propose 10 republish in this country
comprising every case reported in England; and
now have your letter of the 9Th instant, inquiriny
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 iumined its protoundest 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 " condensed form. This condensation
however, conssted, not in an abbreviation OF each
Gaze, but a selection from the several cases and
was often annoyed by finding n reference to cases
in the Digcss, which l deemed very important,
wholly omitted in the 'conGrnsed reports" |
therefore hailed with great pleas effort which
WAS made some eiIne since to republisb the whole.
If the English Reports entire, be republished
with despatch in this country, at n price 80 low AZ
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. ! am your obedient
servant, MILLARD FILLMORE.
From sie Neio York Literary Tyorld.
Messrs. Little Brown, of Boston, whose law
books, in point of typographical execution, vie
with the bcst similar Issues of the Engish nrcss
and in point of value and importance are inferior
to none in this country, have just commenced the
publication of legal series, deserving the especia!
attention Of the profession throughout the country
The basis Of this series, Of which the first num-
Der is before US. the Lq,c Journal Reooris and
the Jtnisf two English serials which communicate
TO the British Bar within a few weeks after their
delivery, the prominent decisions Of all the coura
from the House of Lords TO the Court of Bankrupt.
cy, and other tribunals Of limited but practically
important jurisdiction. This excellent arrange.
ment mil be followed with grcntadvantage ge in this
country, for the purpose of obviadng the delay
which necessarily attends the issuing of the rcp.
lar volumes Of reports of particular courts and
are glad TO sec the enterprise of our legal pub
hshcrs availipg themselves of IT, 20 introduces the
English Reports promptly ana regularly 10 tho pro-
fesson. The authority Of Westminster Hall has Lost
nothing of its sanction and tho permanently birh
character OF the English judiciary gives to their
adjudications a continued weight aud decisive in
iuence with courts. Hitherto the difficulty bas
been that the reported there have grown old
before they could be quoted and applied here, and
there was no way in which the current jurispru-
dcnce and adiudications Of the day in the Engisf
courts could be made available by the American
bar. except at great expense and by continual vg-
lance. inis Officially Nossrs. Little & Browns
Reports will remove; the decided i'm the
Queens Bench, the Common Pleas, and the E1.
chequer Chamber in January viii be ready Tor de-
livery here in April or May, long before adjudgcd
cases Of the came date in own cOurts appcar IN
tho regular reports in which they are pcrputuated
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 Tho
other side and has then been reprinted on this
One advantage OF the present scrics il, that the
decisions which IL gives those Of courts in bqac
the deliberate judgments Of the bench and not the
less reliable decisions at MAJ Prius, which, how
ever interesting in many INSTANCES DO not carry
with them the same authority and force.
The Reports edited 6y f.. II Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, csqs., Of the Boston bar. and their
systematic arrangement, and the care with which
the notes, index, &c, arc prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in whicirthc proposed series will
be carried out.
In this conncxion VIC take pleasure in advcrtug
To Mcssrs. Little and Browns other legal publica
tons, among which arc included many of the most
conspicuous and authoritative treatscs of our urs
prudence. Judge story'B works, fJg ming library
almost Oi themselves, and familiar for ihcir high
value and extensive reputation 60 Ans rican read
ers in general, as well as TO the legal profession
have all issued from their press; as have al.o The
several works OF Professor Grcculcaf TUo,,r
valuable and extensive annual publications are aI4o
issued by them, the Lnifed States Disesf aud the
STATUTES al Large the latter being the authorized
edition Of the Acts Of Congress, got 10 in much
I.tf IL -.