The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-02-14
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
EQUITY.

and judicial opinions of the several Courts Of
law and Equity in England can be more prompt
iy and cheapy furnished to the legal profession Ia
this country has long been seriously lelt and &C
knowledged. To meet similar want IN England,
the "Laio Journal Reports and " Inc Juist,
which, together, report decisions IN az! me Courts ~
LAIR and Eo,lifu within few weeks after their
delivery, were commenced a number oil years
snce. and have met with the universal approba-
ton Of the legal profession Their high cost how
aver has hitherto prevented their general circu-
lation in tins country; and their merits are yet
but little known among US.
fhe subscribers propose to republlsh these re-
Gan 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
queen 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
purts commencing with the decisions OF Michael
mas (November) term, 1880, and will be carefully
edited by member OF the bar, with notes and re-
terences 10 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 a com
pleie volume by ilseli, we'll as part OF an en-
are series. Every alternate second number will
be PACED eonseeutivey from the number lnme-
diaely preceding, and will contain table OF cases,
and OF contents 10 both and thus form complete
Volume, ready for binding, of ocer hundred pages
In each volume the OF the several courts viii
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.
ltis designed TO make this a PERMANENT PUBL
,-Iov, and thus establish series of English
Law and Equity Reports, which shall, in all
spects, be far in advance OF any other reprint OF
English Reports IN this country, and which shall
furnish 90 the American lawyer the decisions of
Westminster Hall, nearly t,po years before they
could OTHERWISE be obtained and long before the pub
location Of the contcmporaneou5 decisions ui most
oil own tribunals.
The price OF this publication will be so for
twelve numbers, payable in advance, or for the SIX
volumes, ma ndsomely sad uniformly bound in law
sheep, sl2.
The parts will be sold separately, il desired, al
5 each
Single volume bound, So IS.
Parts l. and II, stitched or Vol. J., bound IN law
sheep containing reports oil hundred aud
eaghiY eight cases, now readyior delivery.
The following among the opinions OF this
work expressed on the publication Of the first num-
Letter from Hon Milard Fillmore, President Of the
United States.
WAsHIsGToS, April 10 1851.
JAMES BRows 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 To republish in this country,
comprising every case 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
tersst 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 its prooundest depths con-
sider Law library complete that does not contain
their principal reports in Law and Equity, and in
the Eccesascal Courts, and in Admiralty. For
years had been IN the habit OF receiving
these ia a condensed' form. This condemnation,
however, consisted, not in an Authorization of each
rsse, but selection from the several cases and l
was often annoyed by finding a reference TO cases
in the Digests, which deemed very important,
wholly omitted in the - condensed reports
th, reore hailed with great pleasure effort which
made tam. since 10 republish the whole.
II the English Reports e1tpe, can be repubshed
with despatch in this country, at price 30 low
10 bring them within the reach OF the members of
the bar generally, conceive that II 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
1 can only express tho hope that your reward may
be equal 10 your merits. ! am your Obedient
servant. WILLARD FILLMORE.
From BE Netp York Literary JVorld
Meesr. Little & Brown, of Boston, whose Law
books, in point OF typographical execution, vie
with the beat similsr issues OF the English press,
and in point of value and importance are inferior
20 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-
Der il before us, the Lar Journal Report, and
the yarisl, two En- rish serials which communicate
20 the British Bar, within few weeks after their
delivery, the 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
nent might be follow ed with great ad vant &c in THE
country. for the purpose OF Obyiating the delay /.
which necessarily attends the issuing Of tho regu-
lar volumes Of reports Of particular courts aud
are glad 90 ace the enterprise Of our legal pub
fishers availing themselves OF It, TO introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly 90 the pro-
fcssion The authority of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing of it, sanction and the permanently high
character OF the English judiciary gives TO their
adudica tions a continued weight and decisive in
huence with cOsrts. Hitherto the difficulty has
been that the reported cases there have grown old
before they could be quoted and applied mere and
there no way in which the current jurispru-
dence and authorizations Of the day in the English
courts could be made available by the American
tar. except at great expense and by continual vigil
lance. This difficulty Messrs. Little & Brovn's
Reports will remove; the cases decided in the
Queens Bench. the Common Pleas, and the Er.
chequer Chamber in January, will be ready for de-
livery here in April or May, long before adjudged
asses OF the same date in our own courts appear in
the regular reports in which they perpetuated.
Nearly two years will thus be gained over the pre-
cent system, which requires a delay until the large
volume Of authorized reports is published on the
other side and has then been reprinted on THE.
one advantage Of the present series j., that the
decisions which II gives are thosc Of courts in bdnr,
tie deliberate judgments Of the bench. and not the
ics- reliable decisions at Nisi Prite, which, how
ever interesting in many instances, do not carry
with them the same authority aud force.
The Reports arc edited by r. H. Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, esqs., Of the Boston bar, aud 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.
ia this cOnucrion We take pleasure ia adyerting
o. Messrs Little and Browns other legal puhica.
uons, among which are included many Of the most
,onrpic and authoritative troatiscs Of lurs.
prudence Judge Story's works, Tor uing a library
almost of themseves, aud familiar for their high
Il fn Am rtf a.
ere ~ general, well az 10 the legal profession,
nave all issued from their prcss; have alsO the
s.vsral works Of Professor Greenleai. Two very
valuable and cxtsnsive annual publications are Alec
,.sued by them, the Li,ifed States Digesf aud the
Ntafpfis al Large; the latter being the authorized
edition Of the Acts 81 Congress, got up ~ much
better style, both To- reference aud preservation.
than under the old regime Of public printing at
W Arlington, which included the annual statutes,