The republic., 1852-01-15
ENGLISH HEPORTs In LAW AND
EOVTUTY-


| EQUITY.
| Proposals by LITTLE q BaowS, ll2 Washington
street, Boston, for publishing by subscription nep
series Of Lao and Equity Reports.
TNHE want of some system by which the decisions
Il and judicial opinions OF the several Courts of
law and Equity IN England can bc more prompt
iy and cheaply furnished TO the legal profession in
this country, has long been seriously felt and
knowledged. To meet a similar want in En- gland
the "Laic Journal Reports" and "1he Jirist,'
which, together, report decisions in aiih Courts IN
La,o and Equity, within few weeks after their
delivery, were commenced n number OF years
since, and have met with the universal approba
ton of the legal profession Their high cost, how
ever, has hitherto prevented their general circu
lation IN this country, and their merits are yet
but little known among
The subscribers propose to republish these
ports in full fast as they appear in England and
can be received here. They will contain reports
of cases decided in the House of Lords, the Prvy
Council, the several Courts Of Equity, the Court of
Queens Bench, the Court Of Common Pleas, the
Court of Exchcquer 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
Casea.
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-
ierences to analogous American decisions
Each number will consist of over three hundred
pages closely printed octave, the best paper, and
In clear far type, and will contain table of cases,
and a full table of contents, thus forming COM
plete volume by itself, as well part Of
tire series. Every alternate second number will
be PACED consecutively from the number imme-
diatey preceding, and will contain table Of cases,
and of contents to both, and thus form complete
volume, ready for binding of orer rhundred 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 this
country.
ltis designed to make this a PERMANENT 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 tico years before they
could otherwise be obtained and long before the pub
licaton of the contemporancous decisions of most
of our own tribunals.
The price of this publication will be $40 for
twelve numbers, payable In advance, or for the six
volumes, handsomely aad uniformly bound In law
sheep, Sl2.
The parts will be sold separately, il desired, at
s each.
Singic volume, bound, 81 25.
Parts !. and H.. stitched, or Vol !. bound in law
sheep, containing reports Of one 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-
Letter from. Hon DIiiiard Fillmore, President of the
United States.
WAsHEGToS, April I3 1851.
JAMES BRows, ESQ.,: My DEAR SIR-Some days
1ncc ! 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 case reported in England; and /
have your letter of the 9Th instant nquiring
my opinion OF the enterprise.
While pursuing my profession, took a 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 illumincd it's proioundest depths. con-
slider no law library complete that docs not contain
their principal reports in Law and Equity, and in
their Ecclesastical Courts, and in Admiralty For
some years had been in the habit of receiving
these in ' condensed" form. This condensation,
however, consisted, not in an abbreviation of each
case, but a selection from the several cases and
was often annoyed by finding a reference to cascs
in the Digests, which deemed very important,
wholly omitted in the " condensed reports" |
therefore hailed with great pleasure effort which
was made soma time since to republish the whole.
III the English Reports entire, be republished
with despatch in this country, at price low as
to bring them within the reach of the members Of
the bar generally, conceive that it 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 4 your obcdienl
servant. MILLARD FILLMORE.
From ne Nep York Literary Porld.
Messrs. Ittle q brown, ol Boston, whose law
books, in point of typographical execution, vie
with the best similar issues 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, the Lam Journal Reports and
the JtuiSt two English serials which communicate
TO the British Bar, within few weeks after their |
delivery tho prominent decisions Of all the courts
from the House OF Lords 10 the Court of Bankrupt
cy and other tribunals of limited but practically |
important jurisdiction. This excellent arrange |
men might be followed with great advantage in this
country for the purpose of obyiatug the delay |
which necessarily attends the issuing Of the regu- |
lar volumes OF reports of particular courts and |
we are glad 20 see the enterprise of our legal pub
lishcrs avaing themselves OF il, TO Introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly 10 the pro-
esion The authority Of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing OF ts sanction and the permanently high
character OF the English judiciary gives TO their
adiudicatons a continued weight and decisive in
aucnce with 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 iurispru-
dcncc and adIudicatons Of the day in the En- glish
courts could be made available by the American
bar, except AZ great expense and by continual vigi
lance. This difficulty Messrs. Little Browns
Reports will remove; the cases decided in the
Queens Bench, tho Common Pleas, and the Ex-
chequcr Chamber in January, will be ready for de-
livery here IN april or May, long before adiudged
cases Oi Tue same GATE IN our own courts appear IN
the regular reports in which they are 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 on tho
other side and has then been reprinted on this.
One advantage OF the present series is that the
decisions which il gives those of courts in barc
the deliberate judgments Of the bench, and not the
icss reliable decisions at NiSi Prius, which how
ever interesting in many instances do not carry
with them the same authority and force.
The Reports arc edited by r.. " Bennett and
Chauucy Smith, csqs., of the Boston bar and their
systematic arrangement, and the care with which
the notes, index, &c, prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in which the proposed series will
DO carried out.
In this conncxion VIC take pleasure in advcrting
10 Messrs Little aud Browns other legal pubca.
tons among which included many OF the most
ConspicuO and authoritative tTcascs Of our iuris-
prudence Judge StOry's works, for ming a library
almost Of thcmsclycs, and familiar for their high
and o. In,