New Acquisition--Gallison's Reports

We recently acquired a first edition of the Reports of the Cases Argued and Determined in the Circuit Court of the United States, for the First Circuit. The new acquisition consists of two beautiful volumes, published by Wells and Lilly of Boston in 1815 and 1817. At the time of publication, the court was primarily a trial-level court, and the judges rode circuit hearing cases. In 1891, our current Courts of Appeals were created and decisions were published in West’s Federal Reporter. In 1911, the original, federal circuit courts were abolished.
These lovely volumes are known as Gallison’s Reports, after John Gallison, who served as the Reporter of the First Circuit of the United States from 1812-1815. Gallison was a native of Marblehead, Massachusetts and the nephew of Chief Justice Sewall of the Supreme Judicial Court. Most opinions in these volumes were rendered by Justice Joseph Story and involved questions of admiralty and prize law.
We are excited to welcome Gallison’s Reports to our collection!