The Sun.
London, England, 1838-03-23 00:00:00

EPIRIT OF THEPUBLIC JOURNALS.

We elsewhere insert, under the Lead of " Orange Con-
spiracy against Mr. O'Connell," some documents affording
a curious illustration of what the Orangemen understand
by freedom of election. The Times in a leading article
yes'erdey tells us that under the league between the Irish
priesthood and Whig Radicalism " the freedom of election
became worse than a farce. Its forms were the means by
which all free election was overturned, and the consti-
tuency of Ireland openly robbed of the fruits of their lawful
franchise." Now, we pray our readers to observe the
manner in which the Orangemen wish to secure to the
constituency of Ireland the fruits of their lawful franchise.
Mr. E. Cottingham, one of the petitioners against the re-
turn of Mr.O'Connell, dispatcheecireulare to all the Orange-
men of any influence throughout Ireland, calling on them to
procure subscriptions amongst their Conservative friend,
and grand juro. s (mark. grand jurors !I) fur the
purpose expressed in the said circular. And what is this
purpose? To bring the resources of all the Orangemen of
Ireland to bear against Mr. O'Connell. "It is confidently
boped,",we arc modestly told in this circular, " that there
is energy and spirit enough amongst the Conservatives of
Ireland, and especially in places where there have not been
any contests. !o wake the unseating of Mr. O'Connell
,from
its metropolis a naiL"al object." The grand jurors of the
different counties are even to 1.24 applied to, to further this
tionel object. We wonder that an F ar_Tlication. was not
commended to the Orange judges to further tile acted
-Stork in their addresses to the different grand juries. The
constituency of Dublin are to be robbed of the fruits
of their lauful franchise by a petition, the means
for conducting which are the purses of all the
Orangemen throughout Ireland I Was there ever
a more wanton invasion of the rights of con-
stiteencies ? What representative, what constituency,
can be supposed able to make head against an or-
ganisation of this nature? A national object. The resolu-
tions referred to in the circular contain the names of the
Committee appointed " to superintend and direct the con-
duct and management of the petition, to collect and lodge
the sums already subscribed, awl to procure such further
funds as may be requisite for the prosecution of the peti-
tion ;" and among these names are Cottingham, one of the
petitioners, and Colonel Sankey and Mr. Shirley Ball, the
two sureties to the petition, This same Mr. Shirley Ball
plays only second fiddle in the Dublin else, but he was first
in the Longford case, being the petitioner there. In this
joint-stock concern the shareholders arrange among
themselves the different characters. A. is a peti-
tioner in one case, and a surety in another. B.
in like manner performs the round of sharacters.
At the Old Bailey nothing is more common
than to sea individuals of the same gang regularly alter-
nating as prisoners and witnesses for the defence. The
Spottiswoode subscription, for the alleged purpose of af-
fording aid to petitioners against returns, unable to defray
the expense before Committees, was going very far in the
way of impudence. But to levy subscriptions throughout
Ireland, to apply even to the grand juries of the different
counties and boroughs in order to obtain the resources of a
nation for carrying into effect the national (Orange) object
of rendering it impossible for Mr. O'Connell to defend his
teat, is the most flagitious invasion of the right of election
on record. If this be suffered to escape with impunity—if
Parliament do not resent this—the rights of constituencies
are indeed a mere farce. Who can stand against such a
conspiracy ? A national object, forsooth !—Morning
Chronicle.
Being ourselves of the class devoted to intellectual exer-
tion, we must of course be desirous, as well from self-inte-
rest as principle, to support to the utmost of our ability
every proposition calculated to secure to authors a full equi-
valent for their labours, and to protect, to the utmost possi-
ble extent, the property of their creation from every spe-
cies of aggression. Thus situated we cannot be supposed
to be influenced by any motive but the most strong convic-
tion of the means not being adapted to the end, in ex-
pressing our doubts as to the utility of the measure proposed
by Mr. Talfourd for alterations in the law of copyright, with
a view to promote the advancement of literature, and to
protect the interests of literary men. Anxious as we
are to obtain the most ample remuneration for literary la-
bour, we should be very adverse to see impediments opposed
to the extension of knowledge, which without securing
any additional advantage to authors, would operate
most injuriously against the interests of the general
public. By the present law, authors, or their representa-
tives, have a right to the exclusive publication of their works
for twenty-eight years, or until their death, if they outlive
that time. Mr. Talfourd proposes to extend this time to
sixty years after the author's demise. Now, as it appears
from the evidence of the most extensive publishers, that
scarcely one work in one hundred possesses any inter,st, or
would be worth republishing after twenty-eight years, and
that not one in one thousand would be found eligible for a
reprint after sixty years, the authors affseted by the pro-
pored alteration would be a very limited number indeed.
A pamphlet, entitled Observations on tie Law of
Copyright, addressed to Lord John Russell, is now
in progress of publication, and gives a very fair and
lucid exposition of the effects of the existing law, and
the probable consequences of the proposed alterations.
We would strongly recommend the perusal and im-
partial consideration of this pamphlet to those inte-
rested in the question. It appears that the extension of
the time of copyright is so little regarded by publishers
and authors, that f)r the most part they would prefer being
relieved from the tax at present imposed on them of deli-
vering six copies of every work to the British Museum
and other libraries, to the establishment of a permanent
proprietorship. We do not, however, agree in the justice
of the argument, that because the noblest monuments or
British genius were produced when authorship was least
protected, as the words of Spenser, Shakspeare, Bacon,
Milton, Locke, Hume, Gibbon, and others testify, therefore
authors need not Legislative protection and encourage-
ment. The same argument might be alleged in de-
fence of every abuse which deforms, or has deformed,
the British Constitution ; and the greatness and the
glory which England has achieved, notwithstanding
these obstructions, might be adduced in refutation
of the supposition that any amelioration was needed
in our general system of policy. No process of
reasoning could be more deceptive and dangerous than
this. Genius, it is true, has struggled with, and tri-
umphed over, circumstances the most hostile to its action.
But what has been endured in the contest ? How
many have succumbed under the buffeting of fortune ?
And who will presume to estimate how much has been
lost to literature, science, and the general amount
of human intelligence and happiness, by allowing the
empyrean fire to be extinguished in " a sea of troubles,"
and minds, destined, perhaps, to enliehten and renovate
worlds, to be stunted or destroyed by the pressure of
misfortune, or the want of the commcn necessaries of
life ? Great and glorious, too, as England has made
herself, how much of human calamity has contributed to
the consummation, and who will presume to say how much
greater and more glorious she might have been but for the
canker at the core—the abuses which, by excluding the
people from a due participation in their Government, pre-
vented the perfect deveiopement of their faculties, and
shackled their exertions. Therefore we protest against the
intellectual eminence attained by individuals being pointed
at as an evidence that authors require no further protection ;
but we wish any alterations that may be made to be guided
by ajudicious hand ; and we do not consider that to secure
to authors, or the proprietors of existing copyrights and
their descendants, a perpetuity of possession, would tend
either to the promotion of their own or the public interests.
—Morning Adve user.
The Marquis of Sligo declared in the House of Lords,
lest night, his intention to emancipate all the neero ap-
prentices on his West Indian estates on the Ist of August.
The declaration has already (as may be seen by an adver-
tisement in our paper to-day), called forth an expression
of gratitude from a most respectable body of men. That
the Marquis of Sligo has. by this prompt declaration, en-
titled himself, in the circumstances of the ree..e, to thanks,
we most willingly admit ; yet it does aprear old, that other
persons, situated as the Marquis of Sligo is, should be
found disposed to pursue a different lice of action I Twenty
millions of money have been paid by the people of this
country for the conversion, in the first instance, of the state
of slavery into the state of apprenticeship—and, in the
second, for the abolition of the state of apprenticeship on
the let of August next I 0.1 what pretext can any honest
man amongst the owners of West India estates, refuse to
fuail his engagement with this country ?—Morning Her dd.

A few days ago a worthy farmer, of the better
class, who sometimes indulges rather freely with the bottle,
was travelling home on horseback, accompanied by hi; man
John, also mounted on the gray mire. In fording the Annan
the truster fel!, when the fo'lowing conversation ensu; d:—
" .John, 1 think I heard a plun:re." " Di ,1 a doot; o'
that, Sir, for you've fa'en in the water !" " Weel weel,
it canna be helpit—just lift me up again." This having with
some difficulty been effected, the master complained that' he
had lost his wig, which was also picked up. On pi oceeding
to try it on, however, he cried out—" This is no my wig—it
winos keep on my head. Get me another, Jahnny, like a
decent chiel." " Gudesakc, Sir," slid John, "ye maun just
be content—theme's nae wale o' wigs in Annan water r_
Glasgow paper.
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT ROCIIDALE.—Thursday
YEWS a fire broke out in the large cotton-mill belonging to Messrs.
1 ql3FAton, of Rochdale. The building was in one entire blaze
; laetore the engines arrived, and in about an hour it was a com-
plete heap of ruins, with nothing but the walls standing. It
is not known how the fire originated, but it is supposed to have
be.gun in the scutching-room. Very little property of any
kind was saved, and the damage is estimated at 10,000/. to
12,0001., which is only partially covered by insurance. A
considerable number of hands have been thrown out of work
by this unfortunate occurrence.—Manchester Guardian.