The Sun.
London, England, 1823-03-12 00:00:00

SALE OF BIBLEN AND PRAYER BOOKS.

Er/Mut:Rolf. MARCII 7.
COURT OF SESSION—FIRST DIVISION.
THE XING'S PRINTER FOR SCOTIA so versus MANNERS
MILLER, AND (mums, 'ECIOXSELLEttS IN EDINIIURLIII
AND GLASGOW.
This case, which involves the highest interests to, the King's
Printer in England anti the Bookselling trade here, has at last
been decided by the Court of Session, after a hearing fur several
days. The point to he tried was, whether the King's Printers
here had a right to interdict the Sale of Such editions of the
Sacred Writings and standards of the Church, as were lawfully
printed in Englarul ? The filets were theso:—
: By the Patent of Appointment to the oflice of King's Printer
for Scotland, there is the folloWing clause of monopoly
speciatim !Ant , uet unicorn privdeg i ium impriMendi, in Scotia,
Iliblia sacra, No.va Testamenta, Psalntoritin Libros, Libros
Prectun Commit nium, ( knifessiones Fidel, majors:* et mimes
Catechisnms in lingua Anglicans," &c. There is also sprat-
bition directed against the lieges front printing or reprinting, or
importing beyond seas, Any of these Sacred works. The opera-
tion of the Patent commenced in IPA; and heavy expellees were
soon incurred by the patentees in forminiethe requisite apparatus
for furnishing the public with an adequate supply of the privi-
leged books, on the faith of their title rto enjoy the accruing
emoluments. This exclusive right, however, was not carried into
immediate effect. It would appear that the King's Printer in
England and the Delegates of Oxford and Cambridge (who en.
joy with him a concurrent monopoly), had long been in the prac-
tice of importing their Bibles into Scotland ; and by a parity
of right, the sale of Scottish Bibles was permitted in .England.
As long as this reciprocity continued, the Scottish. patentees
hail no right to stir their pretensions, . especially as their
sales in the South were fully equipollent to those of the
English printers in Scotland. This mutual tolerance was, how.
ever, checked in 11104, by the result of a suit in Chancery which
the Universities had brought againsta London bookseller (Rich-
ardson), by which an injunction was granted against the sale 'of,
all Bibles printed in or imported from Scotland. Against this
decision an appeal was entered in the flOuse of Lords, but the
order was confirmed. This process bore hard on the pursuers.
The English patentees still continued to import their Bibles into
Scotland,- while they shut the market against their neighbours.
The loss experienced by the latter, naturally determined them
to try the weight of the converse right of exclusion, which
they considered to hsve by their.patents. With this intent,
they in June 11111 presented a Bill of Suspension and Interdict
sgainst the defenders, craving an embargo on the future sale or
itmesrtation of all English Bibles, without their sanction or au-
thority. 'After some procedure in the Outer House, which it is
unnecessary to detail, full intbrmations were at last ordered to
the Inner House, that the rights of the parties might be solemnly
and deliberately canvassed.
The Soliciter-Sleneral (Hoots) was heard for two days on
half of the Scottish patentees,. and Air. Cranstoun replied for
tits booksellers. .The argument of the former went to esta-
blish the prerogative of his Illajestysits King of Scotland, to
the exclusive right of printing and distributing among his peo-
ple the Sacred Scriptures, in order to secure correctness and
purity of text ; that this right had been communicated 'to' its
delegates for a limited period, under the obligation of furnish-
ing the .public with a competent supply of these religious works,
at a reasonable price, of suitable elegance and neatness, and
with an accurate text ; and that the patent granted to the Far-
suers, while it secured these great purposes, also prohibited the
sale or importation of all such works within Scotland.
It was answered for thedefenders, that the prerogative was
never vested in the King of Scotland, because the -Scriptures
were translited in England, and thereby became the copy-right
of that Crown. That the pursuers' commission gave merely an
exclusive right of printing (irnprittendi), not of selling Bibles;
and that a continued tolerance on the part of the patentees had
so explained their right, were there any doubts as to the moan-
in{ofthe terms in which it was expressed.
Lords Il Eitstastp and &MORAY, with the PRESIDENT,
SplotLe
k,exins
for. ftwttilirat of theoftheptrefersnuderser's..Plea ; Lords SuccoTtt and
C
The Couire then pronounced judgmentinterdicting the
sale and importation of Bibles, or the Other standards of the
Church printed in England, without the sanction of the Scotch
Patentees.

1 his judgment will obstruct a verb lucrative commerce
which has been for many years carried on 'between the English
printers and the Scotch booksellers. At this time large eupi.
tall have been embarked:on it, which will now be rendered to-
tally profitless.

Bftoox, Gravt FA Hamlet of Ham.
mertanith have hut a full Meeting in the Church, on the sub.
ject of this Fair, the, inhabitants having generally, coMplained
of it, and. those residing at Brook.green, in particular, repre-
senting that, far three nights before the Fair, and daring the
three nights of the Fair, they were ohliged to sit up to guard
their houscA and premisesa,hainst outrages, even such precautions
not haying, always been successful. The Meeting resolved
to address the Magistrates on the subject, they haring stated
at the-last. Court Leet that the new Police Act gave them
the power to suppress it, under- certain circumstances and
the 'Magistrates, in omsequentie of such applicathin on
behalf of the hamlet, applied to the Bishop of London, as
Lord of .the Manor, to ascertain whether - the Fair was war-
ranted by any. Charter,, or whether its suppression would inter.
fere .with-any of his privileges. It was then found that it is
only during recent- years that fees have been received by the
Bishop%.llalliff, toAhe amount of MU. for one_ spot of ground ;
that there has lately been Appointed it new lietilifl'; and that the
Bishop, in far 'from having any objection to the suppression
of -" -Brook Green -Fair," desired it. These answers -were yes..
terday communicated. to the hamlet, and the Magistrates and
district officers then issued bills announcing thediscontinuanee
of Brook Green Fair in future, and that any persons endea-
vouring to erect booths, or to make other preparations fora
Fair, will be dealt with according to the new Police Act.

A white Durham, maiden heifer the property
of Mr. Thos. Marshall, butcher, was slaughtered at Ilythe, on
Monday the 17th ultimo. This animal had excited universal
notice, and was considered by • eminent Graziers and Butchers
not to have its equal in England for perfection of symmetry
anti extraordinary fatness. it had been fattened about a year
and a half, was aged five years, •and the carcase proved that
the encomiums, passed upon the annual when alive, were
fully merited. Th e fat on the runip, loins, and ribt;, at
places exceeded .4 inches in thickness, but the evenness,
(as it is technically ternied)°with • which it was laid on, drew
forth unqualified admiration from, the numerous Graziers,
Butchers, &c. Who came-front all parts adjacent to see it. The
frauic of the animal might' be said to he that of one which
wtruld' in common circumstances -be called to weigh front 35
.to *le scores; but the weight of this heifer was 60 scores 1700.
--(Maidstone Journal.)

M ERCA NTILE SMITING.

-
REAM., W.--Arrived and sailed for the
River the Ventrora, Allen, 35 days from Charleston, with a
cargo of cotton for Bremen, all ,well. Cs re down from the

Riser and remain the St. itt:iry, Burton, tor Madeira and Ja-
maica; Warren, Snow, for St..Ubes;
,James, Postlethwaite,
for Jamaica ;' SapPho, fbr SitiYina'r the Surinam,
Hero, William, and Combennera, nil for..Cubtis ;
ship, for Havannah ; and Cape packet, South Seas.r-gbe Lord
Castlereagh, from Antwerp to Oreenock, was.on store on the
Goodwin Sands this morning, but tVai got tiff by the 4sistance
of Deal boatmen, and proceeded tollarusgate. _
y atotuTH, M A keit Io.—Wind W.—Arrived. the
,Vigi-
lant, Fox, from St. Michael's; Harmony., Bever), from Lon-
don to Teneriffe ; Charles, Fisher, from ditto teSt.Thomates.;.
the Ilamburgh brig,- Harnburgh.; Hoare, from St.,Thotnaes
to Hamburgh, with coffee, tobacco, &c. is so leaky as to be
obliged to unload. Sailed the New Volunteer, Iludstan, for
Petersburg]) ; Thetis, Tunbride, for Malta ; Vittoria, Tate,
Trinidad ; Mary Ann, Sweet, Odessa; and Bunion, Richard
-
lon,. for Bermuda.
FALMOUTII, MAUCII 10.—Wind S.W.--PORtSMOUTU;
MARCH W.--No arrivals or sailings.
HARWICH, MARCH 11.—Wind N.W.--Arrived,the Char..
lone packet, front aottenburgh ; and ,lane packet, from ditto.";

The Fanny,. Lindsay, from Wicklow to Dublin, foundered
on Tuesday night in Carnarvon Bay—crew raved.
The Minerva, Wilson, bound to New York, ran on shore on
the North'Bank. Liverpool, on Sunday, but was got of on
Monday, and carried into dock in a verylealty state.