Letter from the Hon. John Nelson, Attorney General of the United States.
Washington, November 22, 1843.
My Dear Sir: My absence will plead my apology for this delay in expressing to you my cordial approbation of your plan for the publication of the Laws of the United States. I have no suggestions to add to those furnished by Mr. Justice Story.
"Of the importance of the proposed work, all who have occasion to consult the public laws must be aware; of its necessity, those who are charged with the performance of public duties are daily made conscious; and I regard it as matter of just congratulation, that it is to be undertaken by one upon whose professional intelligence and enlarged experience the public may so confidently rely."
Letter from the Hon. Martin Van Buren.
Lindenwald, December 16, 1843.
"Dear Sir: I have, at your request, examined the plan of your proposed edition of the Laws of the United States, and think it a very excellent one.
"Sincerely wishing you success in your undertaking, I am," &c.
Letter from the Hon. A. Ware, District Judge of Maine.
"Portland, December 12, 1843.
"Dear Sir: I am glad to learn from you that you propose to publish a new edition of the Statutes of the United States at large. It has now become difficult to obtain a complete copy of all the laws passed from the commencement of the Government; and although Story’s edition of the laws, now in common use, is the most convenient for ordinary purposes, yet it is sometimes necessary to recur to obsolete laws, not included in that edition. It is very important that the whole series of laws, from the commencement of the government, shall be preserved in a permanent form. You propose to give a complete edition, with references to the jurisprudence of the courts, which will add much to its value. It is an enterprise well worthy of the patronage of the public, and especially of the government."
Letter from the Hon. Judge McLean, Supreme Court United States.
Washington, January 20, 1844
"Dear Sir: I have read your proposals to publish 'the Statutes of the United States at large' with much interest. The arrangement, I think, is excellent, and the annexation of notes at the foot of each page, showing the construction of the statutes by the federal courts, will add much to the value of the work. This enterprise will be attended with great expense; but the great ability of the work, and an increasing demand for it, will, I trust, in a short time reimburse your expenditures. The work, as you well remark, will be national, and I hope it will receive, as it well deserves, the patronage of the legal profession and of the constituted authorities of the country."
Letter from the Hon. William Crawford, District Judge of the United States for the District of Alabama.
Mobile, January 4, 1844.
"Dear Sir: I have examined your plan for the publication of 'the Statutes of the United States at large' and am satisfied that the plan is judicious, and that the work is much needed. The chronological order in which the laws will be arranged, and your foot and marginal notes, will enable any person desirous to know what the law is at the present day readily to obtain that information.
"The work, in my opinion, merits the patronage of the public; and, as it will be a highly useful work, I cannot doubt that it will be liberally afforded."
Letter from the Hon. Judge Sprague, District Judge of Massachusetts.
Boston, December 4, 1843.
"My Dear Sir: I have examined your plan for an edition of the Statutes of the United States at large, and it meets my cordial approbation.
"Such a work is very much needed, and must be of great utility to all who may have occasion to investigate the laws of the United States."
