Excerpt from Condensed Reports of Cases in the Superior Court of the Territory of Orleans, 1839, Vol. 1

In the first twelve volumes, which have been comprised under the name of Old Series, the pruning hook has been pretty freely employ ed: the Editor stands deferentially before the bench and the bar, while he submits to them the results of so much manifest temerity in one so inexperienced. The last eight volumes, or Martin's New Series, have admitted of less reduction: the original reports in these contained hardly any thing more than the opinions of the court; the liberty, therefore, taken with them, will not much impair their value as faithful reports Of cases, in the eye of the most scrupulous.

He solicits of his brethren the exercise of their candor and forbear ance. He prays that no critic will pass the rigid judgment, that it is impossible to build argument or judgment with entire safety, on any report of an adjudged case, except on the detailed repetition of all the facts, arguments pro and contra, and the decree balanced upon all the circumstances. Such may be indeed the truth, but in such case the literal record is your only guide: but, at least, Martin's original report is always within reach. The world, it must be cousi dered too, is becoming crowded with valuable books, and Providence permits that not Vesey and Wheaton only, but that Martin shall shrink to his essence, and make room for new aspirants to our shelves.

In respect of the notes, the Editor has sedulously avoided the temp tation to crowd the foot of the page with references to cases from other states or countries, which are so readily found in the hundred indices and manuals, French and English. He renounces all claim to a show of research; he did not choose to take this medium of exposing to his brethren the scanty results of some short years, per haps not idly spent. He meant to offer this as a faithful collection of the jurisprudence des errata Of Louisiana up to 1830: the notes, therefore, comprise only brief references to the prior or subsequent Louisiana cases, wherein the doctrine in question at any time is con firmed, contradicted Or extended, together with any changes by legis lation; and thus the work may be termed, the Louisiana cases com pared with themselves. Many errors, omissions and inadvertences, proceeding from sheer ignorance, unacquaintance with the business of book-making and haste will be perceived, and will be sincerely repented of by the Editor, the reader may well believe.

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