The Express.
London, England, 1852-05-18 00:00:00

fluently, a great saerifice of feeling; e could conscientiously
say he had dotal his duty firmly, unselfishly, sad to the
very best of his ability. (Hear, hear.) He, and the other
book merchants, hesitated a long time before they com-
mitted themselves to this course. The book merchants de-
manded of the retail booksellers, who were wishing to revi-
vify the booksellers association, that they should show
' them that it was the general yeah of the trade that this
association should exist ; and it was not until the others
were convinced of this fact that they consented to move in
the matter. After this explanation he trusted they should
hear no more of the charges brought against the publishers
and book'utercbants of having united together to dictate
terms to the retail trade. But it bad been stated that the
met of forming the association was not the act of the general
body of the trade. I can only say that the promoters of the
iummoition did all in their power to prevent its being the
I act of • mere clique, to give every opportunity. for discuss-
ing the puotion, and for the expression of opiainn thereon.
' With this view a public meeting of the bookselling trade
took place at Exeter Uall. Invitations to attend were is-
sued to every bookseller' of any curet of business, in Lon-
don—an advertisement to the same effect was very pro-
minently inserted in the booksellers' paper—the Pub/se/Pei s'
Circular—no London bookseller would have been
refused admittance. Above a hundred booksellers
attended. He confessed be expected that more
would have been present, but it appeared to him
that those who did not trouble themselves to attend as op-
posing parties might fairly he considered as not averse to
the associ ition. 'the only opposition that the asso-
ciation met with at the meeting was on the ground
that its rules were not sufficiently stringent—that they
allowed too much liberty of action. In supporting
the llookselling Association its members were aware
that they were putting its merits or defects to the
severest possible testa The system could not succeed with-
out the co-operation of all, including authors as well as pub-
lishers, and they conceived that the time had arrived for
putting it to that tel. The promoters of the association
might have produced a revoluti m iu the trade by seceding
from the association, but, conscious that the system could
not last unless it was founded on meted principles, and that
his would. be best tested by the thorough and com-
plete carrying out of the system, they pretense' the
milder course of strenuously supporting the association.
lie believed there never existed a more enterprising
list of publishers than those of the present day, or a body
more willing or more in the practice of remunerating authors
highly. lie Leld hi his hand a list of fourteen volumes, pub•
lished by his house within a few years, the first editions of
which cost the firm upwards of 6,0001., those editions vary-
ing in number from 1,000 to 4,000 copies. The author-
ship of them fourteen volumes coot between 16,000/. and
17,000/. Ile would now turn to a more pleating sub-
into-viz., the Prospect held out to them by various
eminent men of the prosperity of the bookseliing trade if
this association wore given up. (A laugh.) If those gen-
tlemen were correct,there was a perfect paradise of prosperity
in store for them. lie sincerely hoped it might be so, but
he doubted whether a beneficial change to that extraor-
dinary extent would take place. He doubted whether new
books of general literature would Over have & very much more
extended sale than at Fitment in this country unless they
were published as reprints of English books were in Arno-
rim, at so low a price that the purchaser could afford to
throw them in the fire when he had read them, and at such
prices he believed it would not be /possible sufficiently to
remunerate the author. The public in general had not
room in their houses to keep one tenth part of the new
books that appeared, end many books, though interesting,
and, iudeed, important at the time were only of temporary
value. Circulating libraries and book societies have always
existed, because by their means the public could, at a com-
paratively small cost, obtain the reading of books which they
would not care permanently to poems". Bat with respect
to the bouliselling of the future, he would offer a few ob-
servations. If this association should cease to exist, what
was the course they were to adopt ? lie believed it would
be necessary for a time to let events take their natural
course. The river mast flow in the channel it made or
found for itself ; and any attempt to force it into an artificial
bed would only aggravate the evil it was intended to pre-
vent. It was clear that the publisher must have a fixed
price at which he sold. Now it had been recommended
that this price should not be advertised. It appeared to him
that this would bo throwing away one of the peculiar advan-
tages of their trade, viz., the power of filing •ma x imum price
at which a book should be sold. Others had recommended
that the price bird should be the one at which a book should
be sold, either to the pablic, or to a bookseller. This system
would, be believed, tend to concentrate the trade in the
hands of the publisher, and thus limit the sale. Others had
advised a complicated system of selling books 6 as 4, 12
as 7, and so on. This, it appeared to him, would be only
a very cumbrous form of the present system, and if not
evaded, would encourage monopoly. Others again bad
suggested a reduction of the trade allowance. This certainly
appeared the best suggestion, but it would be attended with
very great technical difficulties, which he would not now
occupy the' time of the meeting by explaining, and in
conclusion would only express his opinion that for the
present it would be the wisest plan to leave events to take
their natural comae. With these opinions, and thanking
his lordship and his talented colleagues for the patient
manner in which they had listened to his remarks, be would
leave the case in their hands, with the greatest confidence in
their impartiality and in the correctness of their judgment.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. MURRAY said that the fact was, that although the
point was a delicate one, the number of insolvencies among
underselling booksellers, had reduced the association neces-
sary as a defensive measure.
Lord CAMPBELL asked were not those Wogs common
in all branches of trade ? . _

Mr. MURRAY admitted that to be the fact, but said
that if some measure were not established, the undersellers
would neither live themselves nor let other people live.
Mr. J. 11. PARKER said that formerly the university
allowed only 20 pee cent. to the trade, but had latterly in-
creased the allownsee to 25, and the consequence had been
• great increaser their seise, as the booksellers now kept
their publications ia
Lord CAD/PULL did act think that that touched the
question.
Mr. IX)COLASS use merely to verify the statement he
had made at the horse meeting. Ile believed there were
no men tileSugengsd Mailers in Edinburigh than he had
stated at the Met leasties.
Mr. SRILLZY defended the publishers against the charge
of oppressive dealing. He was for free trader well u
the dinentnnts. If, when he allowed 26 per cent., the
retailer took 17, he could do so, but if he (Mr. Seeley)
thought his interest injured by sack a tonne he was enti-
tled to decline dealing with such • retailer when be came
again. The question of high price or low price had
nothing to do with this question. The competition among
the publishen would keep the price down for the public,
sad Ms. Chambers's statement would show how close
they went to the wind. With respect to the opinions of
authors, of which there were about 90, he contended that
they were all in his favour ; and even if net, reason would
have its sway. It was but a month since the Crystal Pa.
lace was backed by all the power of the Mires to stead,
and now it was gone—he might add, rightly goes.
Lord CAMPBELL—Mr. Seeley, I hope you don't mean
to corrupt me by touching my feelings on this matter.'
(Laughter.)
Mr. SEELEY oontinued—The question was put in the
majority of instances to authors whose works were of slow
sale. They wen asked, would they like their works sold,
and of course they answered, " Sell by all means ;" and
others disapproved of the association because they were of
opinion that nine-tenths of the retailers might be swept
away with advantage to the public. He trusted that his
lordship would not confine hinuell to giving an opinion
on this question, but would put it in some train of settle-
ment for the future. _

Lord CAMPBELL said that to•lay down any rules for
the &tun would be quite beyond what he had under-
taken to do.

ifsedWtatients then claimed the right of reply, hut
Lord Campbell ruled that they had already been heard,
end smionneed hie intention of giving his opinion at two
o'clock on Wednesday next.