The Express.
London, England, 1866-10-08 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOCI TOPICS.

While everybody is recognising the justice of Mr.
Anthony Trollope's plea for an international copyright
with America, the Times observes that we ought in fair-
ness to remember that the opposite view of an author's
property in his works has been taken by eminent men in
our own country, and, indeed, is not absolutely exploded
at the present time. The members of Congress with whom
Mr. Trollope conversed said no more than was said from
the bench by one of our famous judges. Lord Camden'
laid it down that an author should be content with honour
alone, and that the only true reward of science was glory.
How glory was to support a wife and family, or why the
, labourer in the field of literature should, alone among all
the labourers of the world, be unworthy of his hire, the
learned judge did not think of explaining ; but it is clear
that American legislators are not without authority, though
without sufficient reason, for their opinions.
Discussing the address of Mr. Bruce at Manchester on
the subject of national education, the Post thinks the hon.
member's suggestion that our present system ought to be
maintained in those districts where it operates well, bat
that in others where the provision of education falls short
of the wants of the population the deficiency should be
supplied by an educational rate, has much ►pparently to
recommend it, but doubts if the voluntary and the
compulsory systems could be simultaneously employed
without great risk of bringing one if not both into great
odium.

The Star continues to maintain that a tory Reform Act
is not less a moral impossibility than a contradiction in
terms. Mr. Brand's readiness, it says, to believe in the
likelihood of a tory Reform Bill good enough to be made
good enough will probably be as summ►rily disregarded by
the liberal party at large as was Sir William Hayter's
intense aversion to the disfranchisement of Wells.

The Herald takes up the cudgels for Mr. Doulton, and
aasumes beforehand that should that gentleman receive a
vote of censure at the meeting he is shortly to bold, he
will value it at its proper worth as representing the judg-
ment of the least educated and least respectable portion of
his constituents.

The Times reopens the question of the sale of live
beasts in the metropolis, and urges that the time has ar-
rived when the Legislature should do what is best for the
public health, and entirely prohibit, as has been done at
Paris, intramural slaughter. The skins, horns, hoofs,
tallow, and other portions are not wanted in London.
The manufacture follows them wherever they go. They
have hitherto come to London, so the manufacture has
settled here ; but if they leave London it will leave also.
It is a mere question of carriage and other arrangements
whether a manufacture should be here or twenty miles
off ; and if it is injuriotui or offensive, that is a reason for
compelling its removal.

A French gentleman who left Vera Cruz by the
hit Royal Mail packet died before he reached St. Thomas.
On opening his baggage to ascertain who he was, in order
to communicate to his friends, despatches for the Empress
of Blextco and for several European govemmests were
found amongst his papers.