The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-02-18
EDtFIuN

series Of Lao and Equity Reports.
1l'HE want of some system by which the decision
d and judicial opinions OF the several Courts {
Law and Equity in England be more prompt
Iy and cheaply furnished TO the legal profession il
this country, has long been seriously felt and nc
kuowcdgcd. To meet a similar want in En- gland
the Lac Journal Reports" and "Ihe Jtlrist,
which, together report decisions in all the Courts
Ldlc aud Equity, within few weeks after thei
delivery, were commenced number of year
since, and have met with the universal approba
ton OF the legal profession. Their hi Oh cost, how
ever, has hitherto prevented their general circu
taton IN this country, and their merits ye
let little known among us.
Inc subscribers propose to repubish these re
port5 IN full as fast as they appear in England anC
Gao be received here. They will contain report
Ol cases decided in the House of Lords, the Privy
Council, the several Courts of Equity, the Court o
Queens Bench, the Court of Common Pleas, tn,
Court Of Exchequer and Exchequer Chamber, the
ECCleslaslcal aud Admiralty Courts, the Court o.
Bankruptcy including also the Election cases, the
Crown Cases Reserved, and the Railway and Cana
Cases.
These reports will be published in numbers or
parts, commencing with the decisions of Michael
mas (November) term, 1880, and will be carefully
edited by a member of the bar, with notes and re-
.erences TO analogous American decisions.
Each number will consist Of over three hundred
pages closely printed octave, the best paper, and
Il. clear fair type, and will contain table Of cases,
end foil table of contents, thus forming com
plete volume by itself, as well part of an
tire series, Every alternate or second number viii
be PACED consecutively from the number imme-
dlatey preceding, and Will contain table OF cases,
aud OF contents 10 both, and thus form Il complete
volume ready for binding, of ouer hundred pages.
In each volume the of the several courts will
&c found arranged together, and, in point Of style
and typographical execution this series Will be
fully equal TO the best reports OF England this
country.
Ills designed TO make this a PERMANENT PUBL
cArloN, 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
Englsh RepOrta ~ This country, and which shall
furnish to the american lawyer the decisions Of
Westminster Hall nearly t,co years before They
could otherwise be obtained and long before the pub
LEGATION Of the conteinporaneous decisions OF most
OF cur own tribunals.
The price of this publication will be $40 for
twelve numbers, payable in advance, or for the elk
volumes, handsomely aad uniformly bound in law
sheep, s r.
The parts will be sold separately, il desired, at
5 each
Sings volume, bound, 50 25
Parts L. and H.. stitched, or Vol. l., bound in law
sheep, containing reports of hundred and
e,ghiy eight CAGES, now ready for delivery.
The following among the opinions of this
work expressed the publication OF the frs num-
Ger;
Lriter pom Hon, siR>- Fillmore, President of the
Jnitsd States.
WAsHINeToS, April l3 1851.
JAMES BaowS, ESQ. My DEAR SrR-Some DAYS
since | received, by the hand Of the Postmaster
bcucral the flrSt nuInJer OF the English Reports,
which you propose 10 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 deep in.
tcrest in publications of this kind. The able
Judges who have adorned the judicial tribunals of
England have shed lu5tre upon the Common
Law, and illumined its profoundest depths. | con-
slider no law library complete that does contain
their principal reports in Law and Equity, and in
iheIr Ecclesiastical Courts, and in Admiralty. For
F0me years bad been in the habit OF receiving
thcae in "A condensed" form. This condemnation
however consisted not in an Authorization of each
rose, but Il sclection from the several cases. and
was often annoyed by finding a reference 10 cases
m the Digests, which deemed very important,
wholly omitted IN the ''oODdsilsod reports" I
therefore hailed with great pleasure effort which
wac made ume since to republish the whole
lf1be English Reports entire, be republished
with despatch in this country, at price so low "a
10 bring them within the reach of the members of
the bar generally, conceive that il will confer A
great benefit upon the profession and the judiciary
md consequently upon the country at large. Know
ing your enterprise anticipate your success, and
] eau only express the hope that your reward NAV
be equal 10 your merits. ! your obedient
soryant. WILLARD FILLMORE
From she Ne,r York Literary Irorld.
Alcssrs. Little Brosn, Of Boston, whose law
books, in point OF typographical execution, vie
With the best similar ssues Of the English press,
and Ia point OF value and importance arc inferior
10 none IA this country, have Just commenced The
publication Of legal series, deserving the especial
attention # the profession throughout The country
tie basis Of this series, Of which the FIRST num-
lcf IL before ", arc the Lar Journal Reports and
the Jaist two English serials which communicate
90 the British Bar. within few weeks after their
delivery, the prominent decisions Of all the cslrts
from the House Of Lords 10 the Court OF Baukrupt-
~, and other tribunals Of limited bot practically
inportaut jurisdiction. This excellent arrange
meut might be followed with great advantage ia this
country, for the purpose OF obviating the DELAY
no ,TtI,.
lar volumes Of reports OF particular courts aud
glad 10 sec the enterprise OF our legal pub.
liahc-s availing Themselves of r. TO introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly 10 the pro-
ic8siou. The authority Of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing Of its sanction and the permanently high
character Of the English judiciary gives 10 their
eaJudioations a continued weight and decisive in
nucuce with our courts. Hitherto the difficulty has
been that the reported cases there have grown old
before they could be- quoted aud applied mere and
there wac no way in which the current iurispru-
dence and adJudica;ions Of the day ia the English
courts could be made available BY the American
bar except at great expense and BY contn ual VIII
lance. This difficulty Mcssrs. Little & Brown =
Reports viii remove; the cases decided ia the
Queen bench, the Common Pleas, and the EK-
chequer Chamber IN January, will be ready Tor de-
livery here IA April or May, long before a1iudgei
cases 81 the same date IN own courts appear IN
The regular reports In which they perpctuatcd.
Nearly two years will thus be gained over toe pre-.
-.ut system, which requires delay until the large
volume OF authorized reports IL published on the
other side and has then been reprinted on this.
one advantage Of the prcsent series is, that the
decisions which IL gvcs are those Of courts in banc
she deliberate judgments Of the bench and not the
lcss reliable decisions az Nisi Prius, which how
ever interesting IN many instances, do not carry
with them the same authority and force.
The Reports arc edited Oy r. n Bennett and
Chauucy Smith, esqs., u the Boston bar. aud thc.r
systematic arrangement, aud the care with whict
the notcs, index, &c, are prepared, evidence IN,
thorough manner in which the proposed series all
&c carried out.
IN this cOnuexiou VIC take pleasure in advoriiuf
% Messrs Little and Browns other legal publica
tons, among which arc included many ofthc mos
conspicuous and authoritative trcatiscs Of our juris
prutcurc. Judge Storys w0rks, Tor ming lbrary
almost Oi ihCinEcyCs and familiar for their higi
value and extensive reputation 10 American read
ora boz general, A. well % the legal profession
have al issued from their prcss; have also tht
several works Of Professor Crccnlcaf Two vcrj
valuable and extensive annual publications arc ale.
l.sIod by them, the Jniisd States Digest and ~,
SlrtHts ~ Large; the latter being the authorize,
edition II the Arts q Congress, got up ia Iuuci
..Hlr -tyle, both fpr reference and preservation
than undgr tlc old regime Of public printing 81
Washington, which included the annual statutes
and sent hefn forth TO the world thin paper an,
In bad type.