The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-28 00:00:00

for such registration at Washington. It may here
be remarked that, as the copyright question
stands at this moment between France and Great
Britain, it would appear that each volume, in
order to command the benefits resulting from the
international convention, requires to have upon
its title-page, or in some other conspicuous part
of the book, a distinct and formal notification
warning all publishers on the opposite side of the
Channel against pirating the production, if not by
reprint, at any rate by translation. The necessity
for any such notification should, we conceive, be
at once and permanently obviated. It sholidd be
obviated, not merely in regard to translations in
France, but also in reference to reprints in the
United States. Otherwise the rights of in-
ternational copyright, on the one hand, be-
tween this country and our continental
neighbours, and on the other between ourselves
and our brethren on the opposite shores of the
Atlantic, will be dependent upon the punctilious
regard shown by individuals to this petty and
irksome formality. A casual oversight may de-
prive any one of the products of his intellect ;
and surely any such slovenly system ought to be
guarded against by every enlightened Govern-
ment. If the treaties are to hold good, let their
influence be of universal application—upon the
simple conditions, of course, which we have al-
ready particularised. Let registration be required
in the one instance at Paris, and in the other at
London—in the one case at Stationers'-hall, and
in the other at the corresponding institution at
Washington—let it be regarded as essential that
copies of the works shall be deposited in the
British Museum, as well as in the National Repo-
sitories of France and of America; but so arrange
matters that it shall henceforth be needless to
have the volumes published in either country dis-
figured by the above-mentioned notifications.
Everything considered, however, there is in the
treaties referred to matter for very earnest and
peculiar grstulation. The boon for which Sir
Tmysas NOON TALFOURD struggled so ardently
but unavailingly years ago in the popular branch
of the English Parliament has at length been se-
cured, so far at least as our relations with France
are concerned ; and, yet more, is now on the
brink of being obtained so far as relates to the
American Republic. Yearned for so long, that it
came at last almost to be despaired of, the privileges
of international copyright are rapidly extending the
facilities for their realisation. Row enormous
the advantages will be to the authors of Great
Britain and the United States, it were as unneces-
sary to insist upon as it would be to assert that
incalculable benefits must be thereby conferred
upon English literature. We have not forgotten
the remarkable statement made a year or so since
by one of the most illustrious men of letters of
our generation certainly the most universal
genius of our living literature ; need we say that
our allusion is here made to Sir EDWARD BIILWER
LYTTON ? We have not forgotten the startling
declaration made by Sir BIILWER LYTTON on the
occasion of a large public meeting held in the
metropolis, and over which meeting he was pre-
siding at the time as chairman--a declaration to
the effect, that the absence of a reciprocal copy-
right between England and the United States had
been a loss to himself personally of no less an
amount than 60,0001. sterling, and this, more-
over, at even a moderate calculation. Neither
have we forgotten, neither would it be possible for
us for a single moment to overlook, the deteriora-
tion of native American literature, in consequence
of the wholesale piracy of the literary masterpieces
of the United Kingdom. The happy consequences
of the approaching change must very speedily be
manifest. Until the interests of British authors
can be protected by means of an international law
of copyright, the American writers must continue
to be denied an available market among their own
publishers. For it would be absurd to expect
that a New York house in the book trade would
be disposed to pay any native novelist very hand-
somely for an original romance, so long as it can
reprint gratis, at pleasure, the last story composed
by a DICKENS or a BULWER LYTTON. Once hav-
ing obtained the security of this copyright treaty
between the United States and the United King-
dom—in addition to the one already ratified be-
tween France and Great Britain—the literary
world in this country will, we confidently trust,
dedicate the whole of its energies to the removal
of the odious Taxes upon Knowledge.

"The King of France, with all his men,
Went np the hill, and down again."
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL of Ireland manifestly
approves of the Royal precedent. With all his
staff—a formidable array of Crown prosecutors
and Crown witnesses—he proceeded to Ennis, as
Special Counsel for the Crown, to bring to justice
the parties charged with the Six-Mile-Bridge
homicide. Mr. DELMERGE and the military de-
fendants were duly warned to appear to stand
their trials, and every indication was exhibited of
a determined and serious prosecution. No ex-
pense was spared on the part of the Exe-
cutive. Every witness that could by any
possibility throw light on the transaction was in
attendance. Men of the highest respectability
were, perhaps for the first time in their lives,
summoned on the petty jury ; the first law-officer
attended specially, in addition to the standing
Crown prosecutors of the Munster Circuit ; the
supernumeraries for the county of Clare were also
retained, and voluminous briefs, marked with
handsome fees, delivered to the learned gentlemen.
Everything, in fact, gave note of dreadful prepa-
ration. Under such circumstances, it was, of
course, incumbent on the accused to exhibit equal
activity in preparing for the defence. Their wit-
nesses also were in attendance ; their briefs pre-
pared and delivered with suitable honoraria to the
elite of the Circuit; and Mr. WHITESIDE, Solicitor-
General to the late Government, brought down
special as a fitting opponent to the new Attorney-
General. The forensic conflict between such men
was looked forward to with no ordinary curiosity,
and numerous spectators congregated together to
witness the collision of these doughty champions.
But alas for human hopes! The most high-wrought
expectations are but too frequently doomed to dis-
appointment !
What was the result ? Nothing more ridiculous
appeared since the tiny mouse was hailed as the
anxiously-looked-for heir of the teaming moun-
tains. The Grand Jury first ignored the bills,
determined that they, at least, would exonerate
themselves from the imputation of being promi-
nent actors in the truly national farce. The find-
ing on the Coroner's inquisition, however, remained,
and on that the parties might be arraigned—aye,
and convicted too, if good grounds could be
shown for such a decision. The Counsel for the
prosecution might have called their witnesses, and
still endeavoured to obtain a verdict, and at first
it appeared as if such had been the intention, for
immediately after the fact that the bills had been
rejected, notice was served upon the traversers,
requiring their attendance on the following day to
take their trial in pursuance of their recognisances.
The mystery was maintained to the last moment.
No hint was given that might have removed the
suspense or allayed the anxiety of the defendants.
Not even the Junior Counsel for the Crown knew
of the course about to be adopted. The same un-
certainty continued during the swearing in
of the jury, and only one of the parties impli-
cated was given in charge, lest the Jury panel
might be exhausted by the challenges to which
the defendants were entitled. It was
not, indeed, until close upon the termination
of a rather lengthy oration that the Right Hon.
Gentleman intimated his intention of not offering
any evidence in support of the indictment, and of
entering a nolle prosequi with respect to the other
defendants. And thus ended the Ennis State
Prosecutions of 1853.
Now this is all very absurd. The costs of the
transaction either to the county or the defendants
must have been very considerable. The Attorney-
General himself must be handsomely remunerated ;
and the services of Mr. WHITESIDE could not have
been obtained at a low figure. But the expenses,
although very onerous to the private parties con-
cerned, was by far the least important part of the
transaction. An excitement was fostered and
maintained very prejudicial to the district, and by
no means calculated to promote its peace and