The republic., 1852-01-06
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
EQUITY.

ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
| EQUITY.
Proposals. by LITTLE & BRowN, ll2 Washington
street, Boston, for publishing by subscription
series Of LdD and Equity Reports
rINIiE want of some system by which the decisions
l. and judicial opinions Of the several Courts of
| Law and Equity in England can be more prompt
ly and cheapy furnished to the legal profession in
this country, has long been seriously felt and nc
| knowedged To meet n similar want in England,
the "Laio Journal Reports" and "Ihe JWist,"
which, together report decisions in all the Courts in
Lao and Equity, within a 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
aver, has hitherto prevented their general circu-
lation in this country, and their merits are as yet
| but little known among
4 The subscribers propose to republlsh these re.
ports in full as fast us 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 Exchequcr 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
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-
icrences to analogous American decisions
Each number will consist Of over three hundred
pages closely printed octave, on the best paper, and
in clear fair type, and will contain table of cases,
! and full table Of contents, thus forming com
| pctc volume by itself, as well part of an
tire series Every alternate or second number will
be PACED consccutively from the number imme-
dately preceding and will contain table of cases,
and of contents to both, and thus form complete
volume ready for binding, of oper siI 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.
| Itis designed to make this u pERMANEsr 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 tco years before they
could oecise be obtained, and long before the pub
lication of the contemporaneous decisions Of most
Of our own tribunals.
The price Of this publication will be $40 for
twelve numbers, payable in advance, for the elk
volumes, handsomely and uniformly bound in law
sheep, $l2.
The parts will be sold separately il desired at
81 each.
Single volume, bound, So 25.
Parts !. and H., stitched, or VOL l., bound in law
sheep, containing reports of 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 num-
oer
n.
United States.
WAsHINGToS, April l3 1851.
JAMES BRows, ESQ. My DEAR SlR-Some days
since | received, by the hand of the Postmaster
General, the first number OF the English Reports,
which you propose TO repubsh IN this country,
comprising every case reported In England; and
now have your letter of the 9th instant inquiring
my opinion of the enterprise.
While pursuing my profession, took deep in.
tercst in publications of this kind. The able
i,,ier houp nj ltrht anf
England, have shed lustre upon the Common
Law, and illumined Its proioundest 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, consisted, not iuIan abbreviation of each
case, but selection ird the several cases and l
was often annoyed by Hhdipg reference TO cases
in the Digests, which | deemed very important,
wholly omitted in the " "condensed reports" !
therefore hailed with great pleasure effort which
was made rrme since to republish the whole.
II the English Reports entire, be republished
with despatch in this country, at price so low as
10 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 10 your merits ] am your obedient
servant, MlLLARD. FILLMORE.
Messrs. Little & Brown, of Boston, whose law
books, in point OF typOgra phical execution, vie |
with the best similar ssucs 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-
bcr Is before Us, are the Lam Journal Reports and
The JtHist, 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 to the Court Of Bankrupt
cy and other tribunals Of limited but practically
important jurisdiction. This excellent arrange
ment mi ght be follow cd 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 oil particular courts and
we glad 10 see the enterprise of our legal pub
fishers availing themselves Of H. 10 introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly TO 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
adjudcations continued weight and decisive in
1uence with our courts Hitherto the difficulty has
been that the reported cases there have grown old
before they could be quoted and applied here and
there was no way in which the current jurispru-
dcnce and adJudications Of the day in the English
courts could be made available by the American
bar. except at great expense and by Ontnual vigil
lance. This difficulty Mcssrs. Little & Browns
Reports will remove; the caGos decided n the
Queens Bench the Common Pleas, and tho Er.
chcqucr Chamber in January, will be ready for de-
livery here in April or May, long before adiudgcd
ca5cs Of tho same date in own courts appear in
the regular reports in which they pcrpctuatcd.
Nearly two years will thus be gained over the pre-
sent system, which requires delay until the large
volume Of authorized reports is published the
other side and has then been reprinted on this.
Ono advantage OF the present series ia, that the
decisions which it gives thOse Of courts in banc,
the deliberate judgments Of the bench, and not the
less reliable decisIons at Nisi Prius, which, how
| ever interesting in many instances, do not carry
with them the same authority and force.
The Reports edited by f. II. Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, osqs, Of the Boston bar, and their
Systematic arrangement, and the care with which
the nOtcs, index, &c, prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in which the proposed series will
| be carried out.
| In this connopion we take pleasure in advcrtng
10 Mcssrs Little and Browns other legal publica-
| tons, among which arc ipcludcd many Of the most
conspicuous and authoritative treatscs Of our uris
! prudence Judge Story's works, for. ming library
almost Of themselves, and familiar for their high
| value and extensive reputation TO American read
in general, as well az TO the legal profession
have all issued from their press; have also the
/ several works of Professor Greencaf Two very
valuable and extensive annual publications arc aso