The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-28 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

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the most efficient manner, and that at the same time the
works are being rapidly pushed on by the contractor,
Mr. E. Smith.
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PORTSMOUTH DEFENCES.--We have pretty good autho-
rity for stating that the present saluting platform battery
is to undergo a vast alteration ; at present it is useless
as a fort or battery. The works are to be thrown back
some 30 feet, and faced with earth-works, and to be
strengthened in such manner as to mount an additional
number of guns of the heaviest calibre. It is also re-
ported that a barracks, capable of holding 1,000 men, is
to be built on the Governor's-green, in the rear of the
lines.

APPOINTMENTS.
Chaplain—Rev. John Cawston to the Bellerophon, 78,
Mediterranean.

Surgeon—E. R. Kinnear to the Rodney, 92, Ports-
mouth.
Clerk—E. B. Walker to the Vulture, steam-frigate,
Devonport.

PORTSMOUTH, JAN. 27.

Rodney, 92, Captain Charles Graham, C. 8., hauled
out of the Angle Dock into the fitting basin. To-mor-
row she will go out of the basin alongside her hulk, and,
after,cempleting.her, rattling-down and paying over her
rigging, will go to Spithead. She is to take in twelve
months' stores and four months' provisions.
Barracouta, 6, paddle-wheel• steam-sloop, Commander
George Parker, arrived early this morning from Sheer-
ness with men paid off from the Phaeton, 50. Having
sent them ashore she proceeded to the westward.
The chartered ship Marion embarked the left wing of
the 85th Regiment this morning, at half-past nine, from
the dockyard jetty (about 300 men), and a very pretty
business she made of it—a more lubberly affair could
scarcely have been conceived. She had the wind off
the land, or, as she lay, the wind abeam. There
was nothing for her to, do but to let fall her topsail,
run up her jib, and have strained upon her bow-port
warp. She would then have gone out of the har-
bour with credit. Instead of which, no allowance was
made for the set of the tide (which was about half-
flood), and when the warp was cast off, she went nearly
stem-on to the Blake, receiving hulk. When too late,
the anchor was let go, but not before a tremendous
crash was heard, and we expected to see her jibboom
and bowsprit go by the board. We are satisfied that
both must be sprung, and she ought not to be allowed
to go to sea without ascertaining the extent of mischief.
After she had drifted astern the soldiers were put to
work to weigh, and up came a " foul anchor ;" in their
fright to let go a necklace formed round the stock. No-
thing abashed, however, they made sail under fore and
main topsail, fore course, jib and spanker, the dolphin-
strike and bowsprit-rigging hanging about like a lot of
" clothes'-lines. Had this occurred/on board a man-of-
war; we should never have heard the last of it.

Fatigue parties have been busy shipping baggage on
board the Roman 'Emperor this day, and to-morrow, at
9 a.m., the head-quarters embark, and we bid farewell
to as ne and excellent a regiment as ever left the Bri-
tish shOres.

PLYMOUTH, JAN. 27.
Commodore Wyvill in the Castor, 36, arrived in Fly-
mouth Sound this day, from the Cape of Good Hope,
having had a good passage home. She has no later
news, the Lady Jocelyn having anticipated her. As she
fitted out at Chatham she will proceed thither to be paid
off. The Castor is the celebrated and successful rival of

the Pique, 36, the former having been built by Sir R.
Seppings, and the latter by Sir. W. Symonds. There is
no second Castor in the navy, for the Amphion was con-
verted into a screw-ship after being some 20 years on the
stocks ; nor have we a second Inconstant, 36, Admiral
Hayes's design, although she, too, proved superior in
every respect to the Pique ; but we have a batch of use-
less Piques, and one now actually under repair as a
mere sailing ship.

THE BOOKSELLERS AN.D MR. PANIZZL

Yesterday, at Bow-street Police-court, Mr. Henry
G. Bohn, the bookseller, of York-street, Covent-garden,
attended before Mr. Jardine upon seventeen distinct
summonses, obtained at the instance of Antonio Panizzi,
and charging him with having, neglected to taply tht _
British Museum withh—copies of works, new editions
of works, published by him.
Mr. Bodkin, who was accompanied on the bench by
Mr. Panizzi and Mr. Harding, one of the solicitors to
the British Museum, conducted the prosecution.
Many readers will remember that not very long ago a
similar series of summonses, obtained at the instance o
Mr. Panizzi against Mr. Bohn, were heard at this court,
when the defendant complained in energetic terms of the
harsh and disobliging spirit with which the rights of the
British Museum under the Copyright Act were enforced
by the complainant. Subsequently Mr. Bohn repeated,
in a letter to Mr. Panizzi, his request that in future an
opportunity might be afforded him of correcting his
omissions by a reminder from the Museum. This re-
quest was refused. Informations were laid at this court,
and a subsequent tender of the works was declined as
too late. The books in respect of which the present
proceedings were taken were one volume of Vasari's
"Lives of the Painters," Lanzi's " History, of Painting,"
in three volumes, and " Michelet's "History of the
French Revolution," in the well-known Standard Li-
brary. It was not denied on the part of the defendant,
that a failure of compliance with the statute had taken
place in respect of the books referred to.
Mr. Ballantine, who appeared for Mr. Bohn, de-
nounce the proceeding of Mr. Panizzi as harsh, vexa-
tious, and tyrannical. It was clear that these proceed-
ings were taken in a vindictive spirit towards Mr. Bohn,
because most of the summonses related to works
published by him many years ago. In the ease of
" Vassari's Lives," it was shown that the 2nd, 3rd, 4th,
and sth volumes of the work wele sent by Mr. Bohn at
the time of their publication, in 1850 ; but by some
oversight the Ist volume was omitted to be sent. This
fact was a striking illustration of the way in which Mr.
Panizzi attended to his duties in the British Museum.
If common diligence had been exercised, the discovery
that they possessed the 2nd and remaining volumes, and
not the first, would have been made atthe time. But no,
two years passed away, and then Mr. Panizzi, looking
for the means to satisfy his revenge, pounces upon these
odd volumes, and takes out his summons—not heeding
the probable opinion of the world, that in so doing he
disclosed his own palpable neglect of duty while endea-
vouring to convict Mr. Bohn. Then why were these
rigorous and expensive proceedings taken for new editions
merely for works, a dozen copies of which were already
in the library ? At any rate, then, let these proceedings
be conducted in a more courteous spirit. .He would un-
dertake to assert that Englishmen knew how to treat
each other, and by no Englishman would Mr. Bohn
have been exposed to the annoyance and trouble which
he had lately had to endure after so many years
of public utility. The publishers of London encoun-
tered no obstacles, and experienced no harshness, in
their intercourse with the other public institutions to
which they were also bound to send their books, because
they had to deal with men who understood the course of
conduct most agreeable to Englishmen, especially when
enforcing a law which operated somewhat harshly upon
the trade. It may be that the act does not require Mr.
Panizzi to make a demand ; but all men were liable to
errors, and could not secure themselves against the laches
of servants, and no Englishman, in such a case, because
armed with this authority, would wrap himself up in an
artificial importance, and use it tyrannically. It was
and the ersecution, and nothing else. The trade thought so,
epvuebr yli oc
ot
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ienr
i, thosewhoHe
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public thought so
it ; and in this instance,
as in,
on would
eventually be compelled to give way
to the force of
carrying
deem
sufficient to meet the justiceof this • • •
is case to inflict nominal
penalties only.
Mr. Bodkin had never heard such a request prefaced
by such a speech. He was not entitled to ask the pro-
secution not to press for the full
penalties.
Mr. Jardine had no doubt that Mr. Bohn was liable
to the penalties in each case, but he should consider P.
nominal penalty of ls.with the costs, sufficient. He knew
Mr. Bohn as an excellent neighbour, and every one
must value his labours for the public. He had also known
Mr. Panizzi for many years, and did not believe
there was anything really malignant in his heart, what-
ever may have been inferred by Mr. Bohn from a little
brusqucrie of manner on the last occasion. lie sin-
cerely trusted that both would go to work in a better
spirit in future ; the one, determined to do what theo act.
.e
if h
required of him, without causing unnecessaFytr
and the other, to carry out the law, not asit
were u
like
trouble
h operate
an ordinary penal enactment, but as one w
rather unfairly, perhaps, upon a certain class, ic
an d
shouldd
to make
he enforced with as much anxiety as possible,
it less onerous to those whom it affected.
occupied a long
There were several other cases, which
time in discussion. One relating to two volumes of a very
"Lord Kings borough's An-
expensive character, namely;
at 121. 125.) It was
(published
tiquities of Mexico"
was
published 20 years ago,
contended that this work
before the act of
but it was admitted that only
two copies were printed for o
d for the author, one of which
was sold at a public auction.
consider this a publication.
Mr. Jardine did not
In five other cases the summonses were withdrawn.
Mr. Bodkin applied for all the expenses, but his wor-
ed the usual court expenses, which, with
ship only allow
the penalties, amounted in all to 11/. 16s. 6d.

THE SHEFFIELD MONUMENT TO " THE CORN-LAW
RHYMER."—A monument in bronze, by Burnard, is
about to be erected in Sheffield, to the memory of Ebe-
nezer Elliott, the " Corn-law Rhymer." Through the
influence of Mr. Hadfield, M.P., for Sheffield, the coun-
cil of the Anti-Corn-law League have given a subscription
of 501. towards the cost of the monumental memorial.
Mr. Hadfield has likewise given a second subscription of
Si., and a like contribution has been received by the
monument committee from Colonel Thompson, who also
promises to canvass his friends for further subscripilaus.