The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-03-05
ENGLISH REPORTS In LAW AND
EOVIIpY

ENGLisn REPORTS IN LAW AND
EQUITY.
Proposals. by LIrTLK & BRows, lI2 JVashisgio
street, Bosfon, for publishing by subscription a nel
series ef Law and Equity reports.
| INiE want of some system by which the decision
l. and judicial opinions of the several Courts o
Law and Equity in England can be more prompt
~ and cheapy furnished to the legal profession il
THIS country, has long been seriously felt and nc
knowledged To meet a similar want in En- Gland
the Lao Journal Reports" and "7he Jrist,
which, together, report decisions in all the Courts /,
Lao and Equity, within few weeks after THEN
dehVcry, were commenced number of years
| since' and nave met with the universal approba
uon oil the legal profession. Their high cost, how
ever, has hitherto prevented their general circu-
ation IN this country, and their merits as yet
| out little known among us.
Inc subscribers propose to republish these re-
! 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
Cases.
These reports will be published in numbers or
parts, commencing with the decisions OF Michael l.
mas (Novcmber) term, 1850, and will be carefully
edited by member of the bar, with notes and re-
tcrunces 10 analogous American decisions.
Each number Will consist of over three hundred
pages closely printed octave, on the best pa per md
In clear, fair type, and will contain table Of cases
and iull table OF contents, thus forming u COM
pietc volume by ITSELF as well part of an eli
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 bindlng Of hundr ed pages
In each volume the cases Of the several courts will
be found arranged together, and in point of style
md
fully equal to the best reports Of England or this
country.
Iii designed TO make this PERMANENT PUBL
CATION, and thus establish neig 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 10 the American lawyer the decisions of
Westminster Hall, nearly t,rO years before fhey
could otherwise be obtained and long before the pub
LEGATION OF the contcmporancous 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, el2.
The parts will be sold separately, il desired, at
s each.
Singic volume, bound, 50 %.
Parts !. and H., stitched or Vol. l., bound in law
sheep, containing reports of one hundred and
ighty eight cases, now ready for delivery.
The following arc among the opinions of this
work expressed on the publication OF the frat mum
Letter from Hon. DTillard Fillmore, President of the
United States
WAsHINoToN, April Is 1851.
JAMES BRowH, ESQ: My DEAR Sia-Somc 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 reported in England; and
now have your letter of the 9Th instant inquiring
my opinion OF the enterprise.
While pursuing my profession, took decp in
tcrest in publications OF this kind. The able
judges who have adorned the judicial tribunals of
England, have shed lustrc upon the Common
Law, and illumined it's 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 i'll the habit of receiving
these in =. condensed form. This condemnation
however, consisted, not in ahbreviation of each
case, but a selection from the several cases and
often annoyed by finding a reference 10 cascs
in the Digests, which | deemed very important
wholly omitted in the "o0ndersed reports" /
therefore hailed with great pleasure an effort which
was made some Tune since TO rcpublish the whole
II the English Reports entire, can be republished
with despatch in this country, at price so low as
Ia bring them within the reach of the members of
tho bar generally, conceive that il 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. | arn your obodient
servant. WILLARD FILLMORE
From sse Neto York Literary U-orld
Messrs. Little Brown, of Boston, whose law
books, IN point Of typographical execution, vie
with the best similar Issues Of the English pres-
and IN point of value and importance arc inferior
10 none IN this country, have just commenced the
publication Of legal series deserving the cspccia
attention Of tho profession throughout the country
The basis Of this series, Of which the first num-
-. a. Iaf.. q. 4
the JuTiSt, two English serials which communicate
90 the British Bar, within few weeks after their
delivery, the prominent decisions OF all the c,irs
from the House Of Lords 10 the Court Of BANKRUPT.
~, and other tribunals Of limited hut practically
important jurisdiction. This excellent arrange
mcnt might be followed with great al yanta in this
country, for the purpose Of obyiating the delay
which necessarily attends the issuing of the regi-
lar volumes Of reports of particular courts and
are glad to zee the enterprise of our legal pub
hghc-s ayailng themselves Of II, TO Introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly To the pro-
fcssiUn The authority Of WcstmInstcr hall has lost
nothing of ia sanction aud the permanently high
character Of the English Judiciary gives TO their
adjudicaions a continued weight and decisive in
luence with 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 iurisuru-
dcncc and adjudicati0ns Of the day IN the Englisb
courts could be made available by the American
bar except al great expense and by continual yig-
lance This difficulty Mcssrs. Little & browne
Reports will remove; the cases decided in the
Queens Bench, the Common Pleas, and the FL.
choJucr Chamber IN January, will be ready Tor dc
livery here IN April or May, long before adjudgcd
caHcs OF tho date IN our own courts appear in
the regular reports in which they arc pcrpctuatcd
Nearly two years will thus bc gained over the pre-.
cent system, 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 Of the present series BE-, that the
decisions which u giycs thosc Of courts in banc
the deliberate judgments Of the bench and not the
Lose reliable decisions NJ Nisi Pritu, which how
ever interesting in many Instance, DO not carry
with them the same authority and force.
The Reports are edited by r. H. Bennett and
Cnauucy Smith, esqs., 81 the Boston bar and their
systematic arrangement, aud the care with which
the notcs, index. &c, arc prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in which the proposed series will
DC carried out.
IN this conncIiOn We taRc pleasure in advcrting
O. Mcssrs. Lutte and Browne other legal pubica.
tons. among which are included many Of the most
conspicuous aud authoritative trcatscs If our iurs
prudence. Judge StOry's wOfis, Tor ming a library
almost Of Themselves, aud familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation to American read
cr5 ia general, az well AZ 10 the legal profession