The Sun.
London, England, 1852-05-21 00:00:00

[PRICE

THE FRENCH REPUISLIC,

We have received the Pads journals of yesterday.
The following answer to M. MOLE'S letter bas
been addressed: to the editor of the Assemblie Na-
tionale, and will appear in the CopstiNtionne/ of to-
morrow

" Sir,—lei the letter of Count MoM, which you pub-
lish in your number of to-day, there are insults and a
denial of facts. As to insults, they are not allowed to
anybody. As to the denial of facts, in order to make it
justly appreciated, it would suffite to cite the name of
the person to whom COIII.IC Mole- narrated the incidents
of the meeting at the Tuileries. The country would
soon decide between the two contrary affirmations which
was the true one. GRANIER DE CASSAGNAC."
A decree of the PRINCE-PRESIDENT of the Repub-
lic, dated the 27th March, but only just inserted in
the Bulletin des Lois, opens an extraordinary credit of
250,000 f. to the Minister of- the Interior for the pay-
ment of the expenses caused by the arrest.; effected
after the events of December.

The Journal du Havri states that a new Bill is now
in preparation by the Minister of Marine, according
to which the present conditions for advancement and
promotion in the navy will be very materially modi-
fied. The• term of service now required before pro-
motion can
.be obtained will be reduced ; the propor-
tion of advancements from selection will be increased,
and !officers will arrive at the superior ranks at a
much younger age than by the existing regulations.
We read in the Patrie— .

Commission appointed to examine the question
of the right of the poor to a poifibtflif the receipts of
the theatres has, it is said, completed its task, and its
opinion is stated to be entirely in favour of the managers
of the theatres, who have solicited a change in the .egu-
Wiens on this subject." _
The same journal says—
" Some journals, in publishing their letter from Con-
stantinople, relate, as an extraordinary fact, if not as
one insultieg to France, the refusal of the Ottoman
Porte to open the passage of the Dardanelles to the
French line-of-battle ship the Charlemagne. Our cor-
respondent had also related to us the eircumitance,
which we did not think it our duty to raise to the im-
portance of a political incident. Tho Porte recently
eponteueously authorised the entrance of the steamer, on
board of which Admiral Remain Deslosses went to Con-
stantinople, and it was thought, in the Council of the
Sultan, that to open the passage to several French ves-
sels would bo td create a precedent which wculd compel
the Turkish Government to be as gracious for other
flags which are not regarded so favourably as ours.
France has a greater interest than any other nation in
the observance of the treaties which secure the inviola-
bility of the Dardanelles. These treaties, if they were
not' rieorously observed, might become the cause of
serious political difficulties. Our relations with the
Sultan are, insides, too friendly for it to be allowed to.
giie an unfavourable intergretation to an incident which
hat, no real importance."
On Tuesday morning the Republican Guard, in
full dress uniform, were drawn up in several lines in
the Salle des Pas Perdus at the Palais de Justice, to
take the oath. individually, to the PIIINCB ERZEIDENT
and to the constitution. The President of the Court
of Appeal and the Procureur of the Republic placed
themselves in the centre, and the oath having been
read ahead,. each solclier, on hit name being called,
advanced, and raising his right hand, said, " 3e le
ure."

The last refusals of the oath by councillors general

include the names of the Marquis de Mornay, Count
H. de l'Aigle, and M. Viet, qc-mayor of Compiegne,
in the Oise ; Viscount Henry de Treveneuc, ex-
Representative, in the Cote..-au-Nord; Walckenaer,
Duboie, Lignier, Piiiard.L.rin, and de Vendenvre, in
the Aube; and the Prince de Liergbes and M. Urbain
Puntons, in the Haute.Gxrpne. The number of
refusals in the municipal councils goes on increasing.
M. Gomez, President of th.t Tribunal of Commerce
of St. Omer, haS refused ; de la Pierre, a
sublieutenant chasseurs, has refused the oath,
and has given his reasons in the following lan-

gunge :
" The eagle has not yet acquired the right to treat
with a sort of disdain the ensigns under which the sol-
diers of France have fought for thirty-seven years.
Many hearts disposed to receive the eagle, illustrated by
the equally glorious victories and defeats of our fathers,
suffer at the mere semblance of disdain, or of insulting
forgetfulness of other misfortunes, of those lilies which
our ancestors at the price of their blood also covered with
glory, of that flag also which during twenty years we
hope we have carried not without honour."
This letter alludes to the speech of the PRESIDENT
of the 10th of May, wherein he alludes to the whole
period elapsed since the empire as one of misfortune.
The sale of the pictures of Marshal SOULT com-
menced on Wednesday afternoon. It was extremely
difficult to obtain entrance from the immense
crowd which besieged the doors, and which
was formed en queue in a line extending
up the Rue du Sentier almost to the Boulevard.
MunieLo's Conception of the Virgin, the pearl
of the collection, was knocked down to M.
DE NIEUWEEKERKE for the Louvre, at the price of
586,000 f. The St. Peter of the same master fetched
151,000 f. The Infant Jesus and St. John, by Mu-
mew, was sold for 63,000 f. ; Jesus bearing his
Cross, by SEBASTIAN DEL PIOI4BO, fetched 41,0001.
It was reported by some that the three last pictures
were purchases by Lord HERTFORD, and by others
that they were bought for the Emperor of RUSSIA,.
What is certain is that they were knocked down to
the same bidder. The price fetched by the Concep-
tion of the Virgin has surpassed all expectation-
-23,4401.1
The PRESIDENT of the Republic leas ordered M.
C. L. MuLLas to paint a picture representing the
ceremony of installation of the great bodies of the
state by LOUIS NAPOLEON, in the Salle des Mare-
chaux, at the Tuileries, which is to he placed over the
fauteuil of the President of the Legislative Body, in
the room of that by M. COURT, representing king
Lours PHILIPPE swearing to the charter of 1830.
The provincial journals contain favourable ac-
counts of the corn crops, and even the pasture lands
appear not to have suffered so much from the long
continned drought, as previous statements bad led us
th fear. In many of the departments, however, the
fruit-trees have been so much injured by blights and
by the frosts of the spring that the fruit crop will be
a total failure. The accounts respecting the vines
are various. In some parts of the wine-growing
countries not more than a quarter crop is expected;
in others an average crop is reckoned upon-
The receipts of the Orleans and Bordeaux Railway
Company for the month of April last amount to
561,969 f., being-an increase of 205,639f.'as compared
with the month of April, 1851.
This being the Feast of the AsCepsiOn, and one cf
the four great holydays kept in Paris, the Bhurse re-
mained closed.
BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK EKCHA.NGE, MAY.. 2?.
Charleroi and Erquelines, 14% —East ludian, 224... Great
Indian Peninsula, 6',a—Ditto, syi —M+,aria
.Antonia 83,.4
Namur and Liege, 6:lB—Northern of trance, 223/--Ditto.
20/. 3 per Cent. Bonds (formerly Bolougne and Ainisn,
Shales).l3Yi—Paris and Lyons. 1 Ohs—Paris and Strasbourg,
21,i/B—Rouen and Havre, 11—S-tmbre and Wass, 4%.

/fir it,( (1////-eit,

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ITALY.

The Austrian Government intend to take up a
loan of 35 raillinn franca st q per cent. per annum.
The batiking-boußes (,f RomacraL snd GzeNr-Ltris
h4ve beCn gripoiated for i:a ri on the Frank-
fort Baum.

EDWAED MIIIiiAY has been sent to Ancona, it is
supposed, for execution. -
M. Tumu reached Rome on the 12.11; nu& had an
- interview withibe Carohial ANTOXELLI. •
The Ftench fleet would‘leave Naples iminediately:-
for Sicily. :It ouchosed is the -Bay of Naplwon the
10!.•b. 'ft is compored of .some of the largest,line-of-
battle ship& of their navy, viz.:—Ville dd
.158ris Ogg
120 Jena, 90; Jupiter, 80 ; Henri LV., 90 ;
Valmy,l2o; Bayard, 80; and itsamer Caton. The
fleet is comminded by Vice-Admiral DETASA.IO. The
presence of so large a force has naturally giv'en rise
to various reports. By some it is supposed that France
has demanded the ashes of 'MITIIAT, who, it Will be
remembered, was shot and buried at Pizzo. Others,
again, w;11 :have it that Austria -and Russia
are pressing hard on Louis NAPOLEON for the with-
drawal of the French troops from Rolm,
and that
the present force has • been sent into the Mediterra-
nean to support the army, if necessary, as well as
the diplomacy of the:Paxson, PRESIDENT. ,
A supplement to the official .journal of Sicily
says We receive by telegraph the following from
Naples :—The contract with Messrs. ROTHSCHILD is
completed. : Sicilian stock is at Blessing's -en
our sire, the KING ! This is given for the accommo-
dation of commercial transactions, and that the public
may unite and bless the Prince, who ,knows so well
how to procure: the happiness- arid- prosperity of his
people.' - 1:;:-

THE BOO(EIiromSEthLeLTII:esG.)
.TRADE.
Lora Campbell, in the name of
The bookselling controversy has
hrimeceseilvfedenitds
his
eficsot...
lweaguhich62;ililintandgeglievsetrevderayj feercaseepptLfore
Thehim
particulars of this conclusion it vrill beAnite minecto_trY,,
afdegwmgenrotuonnds,
for us to repeat, not only beastcys they.Tier6
at...length-is-our isnpression of yesterday; bet bees
purport and even the language of the decision were an-
ticipated in our own remarks of the day before. Mr.
W. Longman may, perhaps, avail himself of the occa-
sion to observe that by so carefully eschewing " all that
appears in print" he is discarding what might prove to
be useful information to him. With less self-confidence
.than our eminent publisher, Lord Campbell, Dr. Mill.
man, and Mr. Grote •" read everything which came
within their reach," and the result has been 'shown in
what- Mr. Longman himself was fain to accept as It
" very able opinion." In future he may possibly con-
sider that a good deal which " appears in print" is
worth the attention of those engaged in a publip dis-
cussion.

Of courso,thPra c9uld be but one decision in a contro-
von), so transparent. With a few conventional corapli- -
meets to-the motives and conduct of the amalgamated
publishers, Lord Campbell plainly pronounced that " the
attempt to establish the exceptional nature of the com-
merce in books" had altogether failed; that the regu-
lations of the Association were " unreasonable and
inexpedient;" that ' they ought to be maintained
no longer, and, that the 13ookiellere' Inquisition should
be forthwith dissolved. _ It scarcely needed a formal
analysis, of such . arguments as those -of. the. As-
wociation to convict them of atm. unsoundness. There
was a self-evident-abl:urdity in the allegation that the
sc.le of books qouldi be diminished by a tlimittatiod in
their price, and yet beyond this allegation the conlode-
,
rated publishers, had' really twilling to .advance. Not
only were _their. principlis'falze, but their attempt was
' ittprecticable. ,3:!):)3., did not secure any uniformity in
thc price of bock, they did net Create any rapid chstri-
Wion of new-publications, but they dici contrive •to en- t,
gender a great deal of ill-Wood, and to manufacture such
a system as insured its dim conviction as Boon as is was

expot.ed.
It is hardly worth while to renew the investigation of
a. n.exploded protectionism, but we desire once more to
singleo o the ,
w he v
icih i, L
ad
t em
etecete the fellacy which we conceive to have been at
t a oonr d tha e
pmb ri a
e snd ao t ise a e•saess
sthor e
pointtf a
,omitted to „notice. This fallacy is the publisher's as-
sumptiou that the " eublicatt infact,"price of a book is
their own price—the price,
?urchaser ought properly 'which the
to
which any redaction can be. pay,msde and from
by their
indulgence only. This delusion or equivocation
per-
vaded the whole of their arguments. Mr. Murray ob-
served that if the retailers chose to take less than tire 30
per cant. profit at present " ellowed" them, it would bo
so much the better for the wholesale producers, who
would pocket the difference. Mr. W. Longman Inno-
cently suggested that perhaps a decrease of this statut-
able " allowance" would furnish the best adjustment
of taw controversy. The entire case was represented
as turning on the reduction made by one branch of the
trade in special favour of the other, and the whole ques-
tion was more than once described as a booksellers'
question eeclueively—one, in short, with which the ge-
neral public had no kind of concern. The " publication
price" of a book, according to these views, was the true
price—the price which the consumer ought to pay, the
particular rate of discount obtainable by the retailer
being clearly, therefore, of no consequence at 111. The
assumption is wholly indefensible.
Beyond doubt, the joint producers of a book—the
author and publisher—may agree to fix whatever price
they please oa their manufacture, without respect to the
costs actually incurred. If these costs amount in fair
reckoning to 153., the proprietors of the publication may
settle its market price not only at one sovereign, but at
five, or ten, if they so please. But what the reader
should understand is that this overplus chargé, the divi-
sion of which has been so controverted, is a charge
imposed after all these arrangements have been made
witkont any reference whatever to the property, so to
speak, of the publication, and with a view to its distribu-
tion only. The author has no concern or participation
in the matter at all. There is a particular price affixed.to
his work, which is so computed as to include his fair re-
muneration and all other ascertainable expenses of the
production. Author and publisher provide their respec-
tive recompenses in determining this sum, and there is
also a further and distinct provision for the publisher in
respect 'of his strict and proper capicity of issuing
or uttering the work. Now, to the "arade price"
thus constituted an addition of 33 per cent. must
be made to give the " publication price," and
for the publisher to pretend that this price pertains to
him is a monstrous wrong. He could only demand it by
a most prodigious act of extortion against the public
and an equal exercise of injustice towards the author. It
is never taken into consideration in his reckonings with
the author, bat is always represented as- an expense
inseparable from the distribution. of; the book.
To assume that ao publieher would, be bo
ok.
t..
to this price in his own proper person,
if _be did not make " a reduction in tavenir"
of the retailer, is utterly preposterous: His only justifi-
cation for at:cornicing at all a price so greatly beyond
whose mis
rtehatulnhe must ho
may have where-
ration be cared
for in addition to his
own. He makes no i° redaction in
twhietbraelm to unieartaifitfiyve those figer e
their favour at all." He retains ever .81
Xeence of the
e fit- to which ho is properly entitled,
P°
them the benefit of a nominal assessment, and merely gives
a margin for their satisfaction over which leaves
con-
sideration which they actually a and above the
clear that it will be greatly pay.
We think it qttiite
literatute when thisoverius for the: -Advantage of
from publishers' reckoningsP charge is discarded
dently the source •cf e'er altogether. It is evi-
dently
-these gentlemen great and general ill-feeling
as-appears in every page and
their " authors," who,
disgusted at the differ-- of Mr. Parker's pamphlet, are
the purchaser of their -once-between the price paid by
themselves. To Lore. works and that accounted for to
"entireof freedOm ofCampbell's plain recommendation
transactions" between the two
branches of trade
; we would simply add the suggeqier!,
that every publis. er'concern with a book shouldtermi-
nate absolutely
with its delivery, at the trade or author's
price, to the retail dealer.
h conclusion, we confidently hope that the discussion
may be Pristanentlys ativentegeous to both writers and
-readers at large. r. .auetone CP most truly said that
*the state of the bookselling trade was a disgrace to the
community. Nothing in the markets of the universe is
so extravagantly dear as a British-made book, whether
contrasted with other productions of labour at home
or with similar productions abroad. With enlarge edu-
ceded population, an ihquiiitive tone of society, and a
general desire for knowledge, the most uncommon
Article of :private purchase is a new book, and the com.
modity most certain to be procurable at a depreciated
rare is a publication of credit and renown. The
truth is that scarcely any degree of success can
maintain prices so hugely artificial. When one-
third of a book's nominal charge has been grataie
tously added to its true cost, an appendage so
preposterous is sure to be unsafe; and a collapse, which
is merely. the consequence of unnatural ieflatiou, ac-
quires the appearance of formal disparagement, to the
prejudice of readers and writers together. Readers:
only get access to a, publication when its conviction
seems to have been pronounced ; and writers, • who
see the price demanded from the public, and know the
price accounted for to themselves, are seandslised and
discouraged by the operations of an enormous charge
combined with a miserable return.
e It would scarcely be fair to quit the subject without a,
tribute of public acknowledgment to those individuals
-who, at some personal risk, encountered the unscrupu-
lous coercion of the " Association," and secured free-
doin of trade to all followers * their craft. Lord
Camp bell, we observe, confirmed, as from his own
knowledge.-the suspicions we had expressed respecting
-the alleged " unanimity "of the profession. Many felt
secretly oppressed by the restrictions of the system, but
few only ventured to protest. Is is natural enough that
consideration should be claimed for those uncertain
ventures, but it would be A wiser and more serviceable
precseding to forget the past altogether, and to place
the trade upon a., system which will give authors and
booksellers: a better source of profit n a larger sale of
- books.
Os I ------_—_ - -

VARIATION OF TT CoMPAES.—Professor Bache,
shOrintendent of the United' States COait.Survey, has com-
municated to the Secretary of the Treasury the magnetic
variations at certain positions ou the Pacific coast, which
must prove interesting to navigators. The variation at Point
Pinos, in- California, is 14 deg. 63 min. E. At San Diego,
witornis„l2 deg. .29 min. E. At Cape Hancock, or Disap-
roictment, 20 deg. 45 min. E.
Baixisa QuElax SCERW-STEAMER.—We are re-
quested to state, upon authority, that the survey and inves-
thinattiatihseveLreoillatingtermailcohjclin.e7 was not the
Ligation show
thBhe°fiwre It appears to
have originated from spontaneous oulbpstion, or other un-
di.:eo'erable cause, in the cargo

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