The Supreme Court of Louisiana. of appending to the opinions delivered by them, a syllabus showing exactly what the court proposed to decide. In 1884 the lower limit of the jurisdiction of this court was raised from one to two thousand dollars. While some of its business was thereby lightened, the cases coming under its super visory control are quite numerous. The decisions rendered and reported from
1S10 to the present time are to be found in ninety-two volumes, known as Martin's Old Series, twelve vol umes; Martin's New Series, eight volumes; Louisiana Reports, nineteen volumes; Robinson's Reports, twelve volumes; Lou isiana Annuals, fortyone bound volumes. They have all been digested in Hennen's Digest, two volumes; Louque's Digest, one volume; Taylor's Di gest, one volume; Knoblock's Criminal Digest, one volume; and Manning's unre ported cases, one vol ume. The unreported ALCIBIADES cases are quite numer ous, particularly so while the Constitution of 1868 was in force. Louisiana is governed by codified laws and by statutes. Its codes are known as the Civil Code and the Code of Practice. The Statutes in force in 1870 were revised and embodied in one volume, known as the "Revised Statutes." The acts since passed are scattered through the books. In all civil matters, where there is no express law, the court is to proceed and decide ac cording to equity, appealing to natural law and reason, or received usages. Under that authority, when the law is silent, the courts
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consult the Roman, the French, the Spanish, the Common Law, as well of England and of the other States of the Union, particularly in commercial matters. There exists no distinction for the trial of cases, at law or in chancery, in the courts of Louisiana. Whatever the features of a case be, the court will pass upon it at law or in equity, or both. The Supreme Court exercises those blended powers. In original matters, ever since 1805, except when otherwise provided by special local legisla tion, the rules of prac tice and the definition of crimes and minor offences are as at com mon law, both in Eng land and the United States. The court was pre sided over as fol lows : — Hon. George Mat thews, from 1809 to 1836, as Presiding Judge; Hon.FRANCOlsXAVlER MARTiN,from November, 1836, to March, 1846, as Presiding Judge; Hon. George Eustis, DE BLANC. from 1846 to 1853, as Chief-Justice; Hon. Thomas Slidell, from 1852 to 1855 as Chief-Justice; Hon. Edwin T. Merrick, from July, 1855, to 1865, as Chief-Justice; Hon. William B. Hyman, from November, 1865, to 1868, as Chief-Justice; Hon. John T. Ludeling, from 1868 to Decem ber, 1876, as Chief-Justice; Hon. Thomas C. Manning, from 1877 to 1880, as Chief-Justice; Hon. Edward Bermudez, from April, 1880, to the present date, as Chief-Justice. The Supreme Court room is adorned with busts and oil paintings of many
