The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-02-06
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND


street, Boston for publishing by subscription He'o
series Of La,o and Eqraty Reports
F[NHE want OF some system by which the decisions
4 and Judicial opinions OF the several Courts oil
Law and Equity in England can be more prompt
Iy and cheaply furnished to the legal profession III
this country, has long been seriously telt and &C
knowledged To meet similar want in England,
the Lam Journal Reports,' and The Jnisf,"
which, together report decisions IN on me Courts m
ia,o and Equity, within lew 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
-ver, has hitherto prevented their general circu
iaton in this country, and their merits are as yet
bat little known among US
The subscribers propose to republish these re-
ports in full iast as they appear In England and
can be received here. They will contain reports
OF cases decided in the House oil Lords, the Prlvy
Council, the several Courts OF Equity, the Court OF
Queens Bench the Court of Common Pleas, the
Court OF Exchequer and Excbequer Chamber, the
Ecclesiastical and Admiralty Courts the Court OF
Bankruptcy, including alec 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 notes and re-
ierences to analogous American decisions.
Each number will consist OF over three hundred
pages closely printed octave, the bestpaper and
III clear fair type, and will contain table of cases
and full table of contents, thus forming com
p!ete volume by itself, well part of an en-
8.
be PACED cutivey from the number immc-
diatey preceding, and will contain table OF cases.
and of contents TO both, and thus form a complete
volume, ready for binding, o pre- srhundred 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.
It's designed to make this PERMANENT PUBLi-
CATION, and thus establish series of English
Law and Equity Reports, which shall, III all re-
spects, be far in advance Of any other reprint OF
English Reports ~ this country, and which shall
furnish To the American lawyer the decisions Of
Westminster Hall, nearly f,Do years before they
could otheciss 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 3 10 for
twelve numbers, ayable in advance, for the six
volumes, handsomely and uniformly bound in law
sheep, s H.
The parts will be sold separately, il desired, at
: each.
Single volume, bound, So %.
Parts l. and H., stitched, or Vol /. bound in law
sheep, containing reports OF one hundred and
sghty- eight cases, now ready for delivery.
The following among the opinions Of this
work expressed on the publication OF the fret num-
Der:
Letter from Hon pfilard Fillmore, President of the
United States.
WAsHIsGToN, April - 1851.
JAMES Blows ESQ: My DEAR SIR-Some days
since received, by the hand Of the Postmaster
General. the first number of the English Reports,
which you propose 10 republlsh In this country,
comprising every case reported in England and
have your letter OF the 9th instant, inquiring
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 a lustre upon the Common
Law and ilumned it's proioundest depths. | con-
slider law library complete that does not contain
their principal reports in Law and Equity and in
q hrtr eli. ain teal md mi
come years bad been IN the habit Of receiving
these in - condensed" form The condensation,
however, consulted not III an abbreviation OF each
case, but a selection from the several cascs and
was often annoyed by finding a reference to cases
in the Digests, which | deemed very important,
wholly omitted in the ''coudenSed reports" !
therefore hailed with great pleasure effort which
made some time since TO rcpublish the whole
II the English Reports sltre, can be repuhlshcd
with despatch in this country, al price so 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, aud
! can only express the hope that your reward may
be equal to your merits. | am your obedient
servant, WILLARD FILLMORE.
From, ne Nc,c York Literary World
Messrs. Little & Brown, Of Boston, whose law
books, in point of typographical execution, vic
with the beet similar issues OF the English press,
and in point Of value and importance inferior
y
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 il before US are the Lar Journal RepoTfs and
the Jt1ist, EnTlish serials which communicate
TO the British Bar within few weeks after their
delisery, the prominent decisions Of all the crts
from the House Of Lords 10 the Court Of Bankrupt
cy, and other tribunals OF limited but practically
important Jurisdiction. This excellent arrange.
ment ght be follow ed with great advantaf c i'm thia
country, for the purpose Of ooviating the delay
which necessarily attends the issuing Of the rcg-
lar volumes Of reports Of particular courts and
glad 10 zee the cntcrpri5c Of our legal pub.
fishers avaiing Themselves 81 Il, 70 introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly 10 the pro-
fession. The authority OF Westminster Hall has lOst
nothing Of its sanction and the permanently high
character VI the English judiciary gives 10 their
rdjudiCatiOns a continued weight and decisive in
tiucnce with courts. Hitherto the difficulty has
been that the reported cascs there have grown old
before they could be quoted and applied here, and
there 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 continual vigi.
lance This difficulty Mcssrs Little X Browne
Reports will remove; the cases decided in the
Queens Bench, the Common Pleas, and tho Ex-
ohCgucr Chamber in January, will BE- ready for de.
livery here in a pri or May, long before adiudgcd
cascs oi the same date in Our courts appear IN
the regular reports in which they pcrpctuatcd.
Nearly two years VIII thus b gained over the pre-
scut ByBtcm, which require delay until the large
volume u authorized reports is published on The
other side and has then been reprinted on this
One advantage Of the prescnt scrics H., that tho
decisions which Il gives are those Of courts in banc
the deliberate judgments Of tle bench and not the
lcss reliable decisiOns at Nisi PriUs, which, how.
ever intcrcsting IN many Instance, DO not carry
with them the same authority and force.
The Reports arc edited Oy y. " Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, csqs., Il the Boston bar and their
Systematic arrangement, and the with which
the notes, index, &c, arc prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in which the proposed series viu
be- carried out.
In this connection VIC take pleasure in advortirr
10 Messrs Little ard Browns othcr legal pubhea
tons among which are included many ofthc iuost
spcsous and authoritative treatiscs Of our 1ris
prudence Judge StOry's works, FOR sluR library
almost oi thcfnselvcs and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation CO. Am ricau road
crs ~ general, well ne 90 the legal protection
have all issued from their press; a. hty, ale, tho
several wOrks Of Professor Grccncai Two very
valuable and extensive annual publications arc also
lssucd by them. the limited Nfaf,s Dicfsf aud ths
STATUTES AZ LGrge the latter bring the authorized
edition Of the Acts Of Congress, got up 10 mach
bcrer style, both for reference and preservation,
th1u under the old rcRiHr ~ public printing no
Washington, which included the annual statutes
and sent them forth 10 the world on thin paper and
m tad type