The republic., 1852-01-08

EN0LIsH REPORTS In LAW AND
+. EQUITY.
Proposals BY LITTLE & BRows. Il2 Washington
street. Boston, for publishing by subscription
series Of Lao and Equity Reports.
I'HE 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
y and cheaply furnished to the legal profession in
this country, has long been seriously felt and ac
knowledged. To meet similar want in England
the "Laio Journal Reports" and "Ihe Jurist,'
which, together, report decisions in all the Courts
Lar and Equity within 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
,ver, has hitherto prevented their general circu
iaton in this country and their merits are as yet
but little known among
Inc subscribers propose to republish these re-
ports In full as last 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 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
| 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, on the best paper, and
in clear fair type, and will contain table Of cases.
and full table of contents, thus forming com
! pete volume by itself, as well part of an
tire series. Every alternate second number will
! be PACED consecutivey from the number imme-
dIatcly preceding and will contain table of cases,
and of contents to both and thus form complete
volume ready for binding, of Thndred 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 puBLI-
CATION, and thus establish a series of English
Law and Equity Reports, which shall, in all
apects, 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 hpo years before they
could othioise be obtained, and long before the pub
liCatlon of the cOntemporaneous decisions of most
OF our own tribunals.
The price of this publication will be S 10 for
twelve numbers, payable in advance, for the six
volumes, handsomely ald uniformly bound in law
shecp, SIP
The parts will be sold separately, il desired, at
8 each
Single volume, bound, So 25.
Parts l. and H. stitched or Vol. l., 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-
United States.
WAsHIseToN, April l3 1851.
JAMES BRowS, ESQ: My DEAR SIR-Some DAYS
since | received, by the hand Of the Postmaster
General, the fret number of the English Reports,
which you propose 10 repubsh III this country
comprising every case reported in England and
now have your letter Of the 9th insan ,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 illumined its proioundest depths. | con-
slider no law library complete that does not contain
tieir principal reports in Law and Equity, and in
their Ecclesast teal Courts, and in Admiralty For
some years had been in the habit of receiving
these in a " condensed form. This condensation,
however, consisted, not in abbreviation of each
case, but a selection from the several cascs. and
was often annoyed by finding reference To cases
in the Digests, which j deemed very important,
wholly omitted in the " "condelsed reports" |
therefore hailed with great pleasure an effort which
made somG time since to republish the whole.
If 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 it will confer
great benefit upon the profession and the judiciary,
and consequently upon the country al large. Know
ing your enterprise, anticipate your success and
can only express the hope that your reward may
be equal to your merits ! am your obedient
servant. MLLARD FILLMORE.
From Ae Ne,o York Literary JgorId
Mcssrs. Little & Brown, Of Boston, whose law
books, in point Of typographical execution, vic
with the best similar issues of the English press,
and in point OF value and importance are inferior
10 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- I
Der is before us, the Lao Journal Reports and
the JUist, two English serials which communicate I
to the British Bar, within few weeks after their
delivery the prominent decisions Of all the courts
Of s,fn
cy, and other tribunals Of limited but practically
important jurisdiction. This excellent arrange
ment might be followed with great advantage in this
country, for the purpose OF obyiating the delay
which necessarily attends the issuing OF the regu-
lar volumes Of reports of particular courts and
We glad 70 zee the enterprise of our legal pub
fishers availing themselves of it, to introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly 10 the pro-
fession. The authority Of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing Of lie sanction and the permanently high
character Of the English judiciary gives 20 their
adjudcations n continued weight and decisive in.
hucucc with courts. Hitherto the difficulty has
been that the reported cases there have grown old
before they could be quoted aud applied here and
there was no way in which the current jurispru-
dcncc and adjudicatOns Of the day in the English
courts could be made available by the American
bar except at great expense and by continual vigil
lance. This difficulty Messrs. Little & Browns
Reports will remove; the cases decided in the
Queens Bench, the Common Pleas, and the EI.
chcquer Chamber in January, will be ready for de-
livery here in April or May, long before adjudgcd
d
tho regular reports in which they perpctuatcd.
Nearly two years will thus be gained the pre-
sent 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 is, that tho
decsiOns which il gives those Of courts in banc
! the deliberate judgments Of the bench and not the
less reliable decisions at Nisi PrtH, which, how
ever interesting in many instances, do not carry
/ with them the same authority and force.
The Reports edited by r. II. Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, csqs., Of the Boston bar. and their
| systematic arrangement, and the care with which
the notes, index, &c. are prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in which the proposed series will
/ be carried out.
| In this connc1ion we take pleasure in ndvcrtug
10 Mcssrs Little aud Browns other legal publica.
/ tions, among which are included many Of the most
conspicuous and authoritative trcatiscs Of our juris
prudence. Judge Story's works, for ming library
| almost of themselves, and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation to American read
/ ers in general, "a well TO the legal profession,
/ have all ssucd from their prcss; have also the
scvcral works Of Professor GtcenleaE Two very
valuable and extensive annual publications also
/ jssucd by them, the United States Digsst and the