The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-02-24
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
EQUITY:

| 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 yet
but little known among us.
The subscribers propose to repubsh these re-
ports in full as fast as 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 ExcheGuer 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
Gases.
Theac 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-
ferences 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 n full table of contents, thus forming COM
plete volume by itself, as well part of en-
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 a complete
volume, ready for binding of oUer 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 Engan or this
country.
Its designed to make this PERMANENT PUBL
CATION, and thus establish series of English
Law and Equity Reports, which shall, in al! 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 Hail. nearly tico years before they
could otherwise be obtained and long before the pub
LEGATION of the contemporaneous decisions of most
of our 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 IL.
The parts will be sold separately it desired, at
s each.
Single volume, bound, So %.
Parts !. 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 among the opinions of this
work expressed on the publication of the first num-
DER:
Letter from Hon Willard Fillmore, President of the
United States.
WAsHSeToN, April 10 1851.
JAMES BRows, ESQ.,: Ny DEAN SIn-Some DAVIS
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 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
torest in publications of this kind. The able
Judges who have adorned the judicial tribunals of
England, have shed lustre upon the Common
Law, and illumined its proioundeat depths. ] con-
slider no law library complete that does not contain
their prlnClpal reports III Law and Equity, and in
their Ecclesiastical Courts, and in Admiralty. For
some ycars had been in the habit of receiving
these in 4" condensed form. This condensation
however, conssted, not in an abbreviation of each
rasc, but selection from the several cases. and
was often annoyed by finding a reference TO cases
in the Digests, which / deemed very important
wholly omitted in the 80 condensed reports"
therefore hailed with great pleasure effort which
was made some tune since to republish the whole
If the English Reports entire, can be republished
with despatch in this country, at price so low as
to bring them within the reach Of the members of
the bar generally, conceive that il 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. ! am your obodient
servant. WILLARD FILLMORE.
From ne .Ns,r York Literary ITorld
Messrs. Little s. Brown, Of 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 arc inferior
20 none in this country, have iust commenced the
publication Of legal seric5 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 Lat0 Journal Reports and
the ytGist, two Enrlish serials which communicate
70 the British Bar, within few weeks after their
delivery, the prominent decisions Of all the ctsrts
from the House OF Lords 20 the Court Of Bankrupt
cy, and other tribunals Of limited but practically
important jurisdiction. This excellent arrange
ment tho followed with great adyanta re in this
country, for the purpose OF obviatng the delay
which necessarily attends the issuing Of the rcgu-
lar volumes Of reports particular courts and
are~yad 10 sec the enterprise OF our legal pub
she~s availing themselves of IL, 70 introduce the
English RcpOrts promptly and regularly TO the pro-
icssiOni The authority Of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing OF its sanction and the permanently high
character OF tic English judiciary gives to their
ndjUdicatious a continued weight and decisive in
nucncc with our courts. Hitherto the difficulty has
been that the reported cascs there have grown old
before they could be quoted and applied here, nd
there was no way in which the current iurispru-
deuCc and authorizations Of the day in the English
courts could be made available by the American
bar, except at great expense and by continual vig
lance. This difficulty Mcssrs. Little & Brown q
Reports will remove; the cases decided in the
Queens Bench, the Common Plcas, and the Er-
chcqucr Chamber i'm January, will be ready for de-
livery here in April or May, long before adjudgcd
cases OF the same date In own courts appear in
tho regular reports In which they are pcrpctunted
Nearly two years will thus be gained over the pre-
sent systcm, which requires delay until the large
volume of authorized reports Is published on the
other side and has then been reprinted on this
Ono advantage OF the prcscnt series ia, that the
decisions which gives those Of courts in bane
the deliberate judgments Of the bench and not the
lees reliable dcclsIOns az Iltsi Prius, which, how
ever interesting IN many instances, do not carry
with them the same authority and force.
The Reports edited 10y F. VI. Bennett and
Chauncy Smith, csq5., 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 We take pleasure In adverting
90 Mcssrs Little and Browns other legal publica-
tons, among which are included many Of the most
conspicuous and authoritative troatiscs Of our urs
prudence Judge Story's wOrls for ming library
almost Of themselves, and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation to American read
ors iu general, ne well 20 the legal profession
have all Issued from their press; have also the
several works Of Professor Grcencaf Two very
valuable and extensive annual publications arc also
Iszued by them, tho United States Digssf and the
Statutes al Large; the latter being the authorized
edition Of the Acts 81 Congress, got up in much
better style, both for reference and preservation,
than under the old regime Of public printing al
Washington, which included the annual statutes
and sent them forth 20 the world on thin paper and
IN bad type.
From the NaC YORK. Ecoing Post
Z Little < Brown. Of Boston, TO whose enterprise
the reading public has often been indebted for
/ the most valuable American aud foreign books
propose 10 publish, by subscription, a new series Of
| the English Reports in Law and Equity. This Sc
rcs will contain all the authoritative decisions o.
the House Of Lords the Courts Of Equity, the Privy
Court, the Queens Bench, the Exchcqucr, Common
/ Pleas, &c.