The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-03-08
ENGLIsu REpoRls IN LAW AND
EQIITY.


EQUITY.
PT0posais by LITTLE & BRowH, III WdshngtO
street, Boston, for publishing by subscription
= series Of Law and Equity Reports.
VIE want of some system by which the decision
and judicial opinions of the several Courts q
law and Equity in England can be more prompt
| ~ and cheaply furnished 10 the legal profession il
this country, has long been seriously felt and ac
| knowledged. To meet similar want in En- gland
| the 'Laio Journal Reports" and 'sIhe Jtuist,
| Lao and 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 high cost, how
aver, has hitherto prevented their general circu-
lauon IN this country, and their merits are as YET
| but little known among
The subscribers propose to republish these re-
ports in full fast they appear in England and
| can 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
| 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
| Casea.
Thee 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
'erences to analogous American decisions.
Each number will consist of over three hundred
pages closely printed octave, the best paper and
IN clear fair type, and will contain table Of cases.
and full table of contents, thus forming
plete volume by itself, as well part of
TIRE series. Every alternate or second number will
be PACED consecutivey from the number imme
diatey preceding, and will contain table of cases
and OF contents to both, and thus form a complete
volume, ready for binding, of orer sir hundred 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.
tits 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 ttoo years before then
could otherwise bo obtained and long before the pub
location OF the contemporaneous decisions of most
Of our own tribunals.
The price of this publication will be $40 for
twelve numbers, payable in advance, for the six
volumes, handsomely AID uniformly bound in law
sheep, SIP
The parts will be sold separately, il desired at
: each.
Sing,a volume, bound, So %.
Parts l. and H., stitched or Vol l., bound in law
sheep, containing reports of hundred and
aghty eight cases, now ready for delivery.
The following are among the opinions of this
york expressed on the publication Of the first num-
Der:
FtiiNpOTe, PTssiUe,lt he
United States.
WAsHTSGToN, Aprill3 1851.
JAMES BRowN, ESQ: My DEAR SR-Some davs
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
terest IN publications of this kind. The able
Judges who have adorned the dicialtribunals of
England, have shed lustre upon the Common
Law. and illumined It's profoundest depths. con-
slider no law library complete that does not contain
their principal reports in Law and Equity, and in
their Ecclesiastical 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 selection from the several cases and
was often annoyed by finding u reference to cases
IN the Dlgcsts, which ! deemed very important
wholly omitted in the ''condsnsed reports" |
therefore hailed with great pleasure an effort which
was made some tune since to republish the whole
II the English Reports entire, can be republished
with despatch in this country, at price so low as
20 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
De equal TO your merlts. i am your obedient
servant. WILLARD FILLMORE.
From Sac Neto York Literary World.
Messrs. Little s Brown, of Boston, whose law
books, in point of typographical execution, vie
with the beet similar Issues Of the English press
and in point Of value and importance arc inferior
10 none in this country, have just commenced the
publication Of legal scries deserving the cspecia
attention Of the profession throughout the country
The basis Of this series, Of which the first num-
Der IL before Us, the LdIC Journal Reporfs and
the JuTist, two English serials which communicate
20 the British Bar, within few weeks after their
delivery, the prominent decisions OF all the cslrts
from the House Of Lords TO the Court Of Bankrupt
q, and other tribunals Of limited bat practically
important jurisdiction. This excellent arrange
ment might be followed with great advanta rc in this
country, for the purpose OF obyiating the delay
which necessarily attends the issuing of the rcpt-
lar volumes of reports of particular courts and
we are glad 10 see the enterprise of our legal pub
she-s availing themselves Of it, 20 Introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly TO the pro-
iesson, The authority Of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing Of its sanction and the permanently high
character Of the English judiciary gives TO their
adJudiCatOus continued weight and decisive in
hucncc with our 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 iurisnru-
dence and adJudications Of the day in the Engli1h
courts could be made available by the American
BAR except at great expense and by continual vigil
lance. This difficulty MeBsrs. Little & Browns
Reports viii remove; tho decided In the
RuccnE Bench, the Common Pleas, and the tx.
chcquer Chamber in January. will be ready for de-
livery here ia April or May. long before adjudeed
cases Of the same date in own courts appear in
the regular reports i'm which they are pcrpctuatod
Nearly t~o years will thus be gained over 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 seriee IT, that the
decisions which IL gives those Of courts in bauc
TIC deliberate judgments Of the bench, and not the
Ices reliable decisions az Nisi Pyius, which, how
ever interesting ia many instances do not carry
with them the same authority and force.
The Reports edited by r. n Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, esqs., Of the Boston bar and their
systematic arrangement, and the care with which
the notes, index. &c, arc prepared, evidence the
thorough manner in which the proposed series will
be carried out.
In this connection VIC take pleasure in advertng
20 Mcssrs. Little and Browns other legal publica.
tons, among which arc included many oftnc most
conspicuous and authoritative treatscs Of our uris-
prudence. Judge Story's works, Tor ming library
almost Of Themselves and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation to American read
ers in general, az well 70 the legal profession