The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-03-01
ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW AND
EQUITY.

ENGLISH REPORTS IN LAW And
EQUITY.
| PrcposaIs by LITTLE b BRows, ~ Washington
street Boston, for publishing by subscription nec
| series Of La,o and Equity Rsports
! INHE want of some system by which the decisions
| Il and judicial opinions of the several Courts Of
| law and Equity in England can be more prompt
y and chcaply furnished to the legal profession III
this country, has long been seriously felt and nc
| knowledged. To meet similar want in En- gland
the Ian Journal Reports" and THE J'"ist" "
which, together, report decisions in al the Courts m
Lac 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
ever, has hitherto prevented their general circu.
iation in this country, and their merits yet
but little known among u.s.
The subscribers propose to repuolNh 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, me
Court of Exchequer and Exchequcr Chamber, the
Ecclesiastical and Admiralty Courts, the Court OF
Bank uptcy 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
maa (November) torn, 1850, and will be carefully
edited by member of the bar, with notes and re-
icrenccs to analogous American decisions
pages closely printed octave, the beet 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 as part OF an en-.
tire series Every alternate or second number Will
be PACED consecutively from the number iinme-
daely preceding, and will contain table OF cases,
and Of contents to both, and thus form a complete
volume, ready for binding, ocer SIR hundred pases
In each volume the Of the several courts will
be found arranged together, and, in point OF stye
and typographical execution, this series will be
fully equal to the best reports Of England or this
country.
It's designed to make this n pEamANEsr PUBL
CATION, and thus establish series of English
Law and Equity Reports, which shall, in oil re-
spects, be far in advance OF any other reprint OF
English REPORTS n this country, and which shall
furnish to the American lawyer the decisions OF
Westminster Hall, nearly itco years before they
could otherwise Jo obtained, and long before the pub
LEGATION of the contemporancous decisions VI most
of our own tribunals.
The price of this publication will be BIO for
twelve numbers, payable in advance. or for tho elk
volumes, handsomely and uniformly bound in law
sheep, Sl2.
The parts will be cold 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 the publication of the first num-
Letter from Hon. Muiard Fillmore, President of the
United States.
WAsmSGTos, April l3 1851.
JAMES BRowN, ESQ: My DEAN SIn-Some days
since | received, by the hand of the Postmaster
General the first number of the English Reports,
which you propose to repubhsh In this country,
comprising every case reported in England; and
now have your letter Of the 9Th instant, inquirng
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 lusre upon the Common
Law, and iumined it's proioundest depths con-
slider no law library complete that docs not contain
their principal reports in Law and Equity, and in
tn ir 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, bat a selection from the several cases. and
vas often annoyed by finding a reference to cases
In the Digesis, which | deemed very important
wholly omitted in the 'e0ndsnsed reports"
therefore hailed with great Pleasure effort which
made some Tune since to republish the whole
III the English Reports entire, can be repubshed
with despatch in this country, at price 80 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 inertia ! your obcdent
servant, miLLAhD flILMORE.
From Re Nelc York Literary World.
Messrs Little x brown, Of Boston. whose law
books, in point OF typographical eIecution, We
with the best similar issues Of the English pres,
and in point Of value and importance are inferior
10 none in this country, have just commenced the
publication Of legal scres, deserving the especial
attention of the profession throughout the country.
The basis of this series, of which the fret num-
Der is before US the Lac Journal Reports and
the Jsrist, two English serials which communicate
70 the Briush Bar, within few weeks after their
"A - ~
from the House of Lords TO the Court Of bankrupt
cy, and other tribunals Of limited but practically
important Jurisdiction. This excellent arrange
ment mghtbe followed with grent advantage in this
country, for the purpose OF obviating the delay
which necessarily attends the issuing of the regu-
lar volumes Of reports OF particular courts ; and
we are glad TO the enterprise of our legal pub
lishcrs oyailinr themselves OF it, to introduce the
English Reports promptly and regularly 10 the pro-
fesson. The authority of Westminster Hall has lost
nothing OF its sanction and the permanently high
character OF the English judiciary gives TO their
ndiudications a continued weight and decisive in
huence with our courts. Hitherto the difficulty has
been that the reported cases there have grown old
before they could be quoted and applied mere, and
there vas way in which The current jurispru-
dence and I'D Indications 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 csses decided in the
Queens Bench, the Common Plras, and the Es-
chsquer Chamber in January, will be ready for de-
livery here in April or May long before adjudged
cases OF the date in own cOurts appear IN
the regular reports in which they pcrpetoated.
Nearly two years will thus be gained over the pre-
sent system, which requires delay until tho large
volume Of authorized reports Is published on the
other side and has then been reprinted ON this.
One advantage OF the present series IL, that the
decisions which il gives those Of courts in banc,
the deliberate judgments of the bench, and not tho
lcss reliable decisions Mt Ntsi Pritls, which, how
ever interesting in many instances, do not carry
With them the same authority and force.
The Reports are edited by T.. h 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 oonnexion take pleasure in adverting
To Nessrs. Little and browns other legal publica
tons, among which are included many Of the most
conspicuous and authoritative trcatses Of our juris-
prudence. Judge Story's works. for ming library
almost Of themselves, and familiar for their high
value and extensive reputation 20 American read
ers in general, as well as to the legal profession,
have all Issued from their press have also the