The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-10 00:00:00

their improvement. He had already spoken of the ad-
vantages which he expected to derive from the exten-
sion of copyright. He was quite aware of the argu-
ments by which he might be met, and could only say
that when they were brought forward he should be quite
prepared to grapple with them ; and in consequence of
recent circumstances he was now in a better position to
do so than when the question was last before the House.
One of the chief objections was the timidity on the part
of several Members of the Committee lest the exten-
sion of the copyright, by giving increased value to de-
sign, should lead to increased litigation as to what
was original design and what was not ; but as
this difficulty existed under the present law, towards the
close of the Committee this and other arguments were
successively abandoned, and towards the close of its last
sitting most of the Members were content to concentrate
their opposition on one point, namely, that if for twelve-
months they prevented calico printers in this country from
copying one another's designs, and had no means of pre-
venting a foreign calico printer from copying the designs,
we should have English designs copied abroad and sent
into the market in competition to England. The impos-
sibility of this was manifest from three circum-
stances. In the first place, our designs must be
better than their owe, and ha believed that no
person would say that the designs of England were not
in every respect inferior to those of France ; but even sup-
posing that in point of execution, effect, and elegance, the
designs of,England were equal to those of France, there
would still be another consideration, viz., would they be
saleable in the English market. Every one knew that
the taste of England in these particulars was different to
the taste of Prussia and France. The fact was, that style
was so different that the prints of one country would be
quite useless in others if the copyright were open to them.
And thirdly, even supposing that these designs were suit-
able to the foreign market and taste, there still remained
the important consideration that it was impossible they could
enter into full competition with England unless the
printers in those countries could produce them cheaper.
An assertion was made in the Committee that Belgium
could produce printed calicoes, in competition with those
of England, at 20 to 25 per cent cheaper than England.
He had recently visited that country, and he had documents
to prove that, so far from this being the case, in every in-
stance they were 50 per cent. dearer than ours; and more-
over, if this assertion were true, how came it that they put
prohibitory duties on our goods ?—( Hear, hear, hear.) He
felt much indebted to the House for its patience in
listening to him. Ho felt this to be a most
important subject, connected with a most important
branch of trade. It was impossible that any country could
compete with England, so loeg as England commanded
the supply of 200 millions of our own subjects. If Eng-
land were true to herself and her own interests, she must
retain the superiority she at present enjoyed; and if, in
addition to this, she would give encouragemeet to artists,
she would increase that superiority, both in taste and in
cheapness of production, and render it morally impossible
for any other nation to enter into successful competition
with her. For these reasons he trusted the House would
assent to the prayer of the petitioners, who were so
largely connected with the trade of this country, and
assent to this proposition, which, without doing injury to
any, would confer great benefit on all. He therefore moved
resolutions to enable him to bring in a Bill to amend
the Laws affecting the Copyright of Designs.—( Hear.)
Mr. O'CONN EL L seconded the motion,
Mr. M. PHILLIPS said, that when this question was
brought before the House last Session, he had felt it to he
his duty not to oppose any inquiry into the subject, be-
cause at that time he had not full confidence in the opi-
nion he entertained as to the impolicy of an extension of
the copyright of design, But he was bound to say
that, having paid considerable attention to the evi-
dence produced before the Committee, he now
felt it to be his duty to oppose the motion, as he
had now a firm conviction decidedly hostile to the exten-
sion of copyright of designs. He approached this sub-
ject without the least possible bias, as must be obvious to
the House, connected, as he was, with so 1 srge a portion
of this trade, that lie could form no opinion on which he
could agree with the whole of them, and that whatever
opinion he formed ho must offend a Dirge portion of his
constituents. He was therefore opposed on principle to
this extension, but he begged to premise a few observa-
tions, although it was not his intention to take that
step in opposition to the proposed Bill of his
Honourable Friend. He was, ho confessed one
of those who did not think so lightly as his Hon.
Friend respecting that " bugbear" of foreign competition
on which he had enlarged. His Hon. Friend had enjoyed
an opportunity which few other Members of the Committee
had dune, of recently visiting the Continent. He much
wished that it had fallen to his lot to have effected a similar
journey ; but inasmuch as he had to deal with the evidence
alone given before that House, he was unable to take ad.
vantage of that further information which his Hon. Friend
possessed. It was the evidence taken before the Com-
mittee on which the public formed their opinion,
and, unless the question nes again referred to
a Committee, he was bound to abide by those
opinions be bad formed from reading that evidence.
He must say he did not think it safe for us to assume
that the degree of competition to which we found British
manufactures now exposed, was the same as that to which
they would ba exposed five, or ten, or fifteen years to
come.—( Hear, hear )__fur he would ask whether it was
the same now as it was fifteen years ago ? The degree of
competition in every branch of industry was now far greater,
wider, sad more extensive than could have possibly been
imagined at the period he had named. He therefore
thought it as as not a safe argument to make use of with
regard to the prospective industry of this country, that
because competition (lid not now bear us down in neutral
markets, it would be safe to speculate on the present state
of things. His Hon. Friend had assumed that the French
were superior in designs to the English. He believed he
must grant this to be the case, but if the extension of the
period of the copyright of designs had a tendency to
induce Englishmen abroad to copy these articles, the
foreigner must stiil produce these articles at cheaper cost
to put them in competition to the original design, conferred
for a longer period than the present. Then with respect
to protection to these designs, it appeared to bairn that the
calico trade of this country was so diversified, and divided
into so many interests, that no one rule could be made p.p.
plicable to all. He bad a strong impression on his own
mind, that undoubtedly much litigation would arise ; and
when he looked to the existing law, which had existed
fifty years, and looked at the trade which had sprung up
after it, he was inclined to say that they should not intro-
(Kee any fresh system that Might lead to litigation as to
what was or was not original design. Ile thought the
consumer was a party who ought not to be lost sight of
in this or any other matter. And if this extension
of copyright had a tendency, as be believed it had,
to increase the cost to the consumer, he thought, on this
ground, as a restriction of the supply of articles of every
day consumption, it ought not to be sanctioned. With
respect to Mr. Applegarth, and the designs offered to
him by eminent academicians, this appeared to him to be
an exception to the general rule. and to have no reference
whatever to the supply of those articles worn by the
working classes themselves, and which formed the subject
of supply to the great mass of population in this and
other countries. With reference to the home traders
being deterred from making purchases, three months
beforehand, because they had not the protection of copy-
right, he thought there was little ground for apprehension
of that kind, as he did not believe they would purchase be-
forehand, at so long a period as three months, when there
was a constant succession of new patterns. It, moreover,
appeared to him to be inconsistent in those who pro-
fessed to seek a constant succession of new patterns, to
seek at the same time an extension of copyright. Ho
remembered in the Committee there was a beautiful
design laid ore the table, which he could not help
admiring, as well for its design as its execu-
tion ; and he inquired what had been the time
and trouble, and the cost of its production; and he
was told that the producer had spent three months
in preparing the design. Of course, he thought that
where there was so mnch labour and expense, a consider-
able number was produced, and he asked the number of
pieces, but the answer was—." S:r, I had rather not talk of
the number of piec es, but of the number of dresses, which
was limited to 50." Now, if the remuneration on the sale
of 50 dresses was sufficient to discharge the expense of
production, how could he want an extension of copyright,
when, if he did not sell the articles in the first three
months, it was impossible he could have any sale for it.
There was great variety of opinion on this subject,
and he did not feel inclined to legislate on a sub-
ject of such importance upon such conflicting opinions.
With respect to foreign orders it was well known in the
trade it was of very little importance whether the patterns
were new or not. He would not oppose the introduction
of the Bill, but be would take opportunities of discussing
its details in the course of its further progress.
Mr. LABOUC HERE did not intend to oppose the
motion, but he was desirous of stating that Lord Syden-
ham (Mr. Poulett Thomson) protested against giving the
extension of the copyright of designs for twelve months,
unless the manufacturers who applied for it would accept
conditions which he proposed ; in consequence of the
rejection of those conditions, they were excluded
from the Bill for the protection of copyright. He
( Mr. Labouchere) in reading the Report of the
Committee found the most conflicting evidence in
favour of and against the principle of this Bill. He found
that the Lancashire interest, on which chiefly depended the

views were far more practical and enlarged than his own.
All that he proposed in the present case was to give to
the Lord Chancellor power to refer to the Judges of the
County Courts those matters in bankruptcy and into!
vency which now came under the jurisdiction of Com-
missioners. In the Repart of Commissioners on Insol-
vency and Bankruptcy it was stated that it appeared to
them by the evidence that there were strong grounds for
alteration in the present mode of administering the laws
relating to bankruptcy. There were in the country
seven hundred Commissioners in one hundred and forty
Courts ; by devolving the business which had been trans-
acted by these Commissioners upon the Judges of the
County Courts, a saving would take place which would
go very far towards meeting the expense attendant upon
those Courts. Another point which he would just refer
to was the expense attending the imprisonment of
debtors. A great saving would be effected in this res-
pect by the Bill; there were numerous cases of debtors
suffering incarceration who, when their cases came to be
deci led, were not charged with acting fraudulently. The
frequent sittiug of the County Courts would give to
those unfortunate men more speedy relief than they
could obtain under the old system. He also proposed
to refer cases of lunacy, which were now brought
before the Lord Chancellor, to these Courts. The
present system worked most injuriously ; it was found
to be very inconvenient : and he was quite sure that if
Commissions of Lunacy were transferred to these
Courts a saving of nearly 10,000/. a-year would be
effected. But it might be asked, would the Judges,
whom he proposed to appoint by the first Bill, be able
to dispose of all the business which, by this second
Bill, would be devolved upon them. Possibly they
would not ; but in order to prevent any inconvenience
which might arise in that way, he had inserted a
clause in this second Bill, giving to the Lord Chancel-
lor power to increase the number of Judges if any in-
crease should be required. These were the main pro-
visions of the Bill, which he trusted would meet the
approval of the House.
Mr. HAWES thought it would be inexpedient to
have any discussion on the measure until the Bill was
before the House ; but he might be permitted to say
that it was one of the most important measures as
regarded the commercial interests of the country, that
had ever been brought before Parliament.—(Loud
cheers.) There was nothing so well known as the un-
-1 satisfactory state of the Bankruptcy-law, and no sub-
ject had been more generally complained of by the
commercial interests. A new system bad certainly
been introduced of late in the metropolis, and had given
great satisfaction to all parties competent to form an
opinion on the subject. lie trusted it would be more
generally followed up under the provisions of the pre-
sent 8.11.
Leave was then given to bring in the Bill.
COPYRIGHT OF DESIGNS.

Petitions on the subject of the Copyright of Designs
were presented by Mr. O'Connell, from calico printers
of Manchester and Leeds ; by Mr. Colquhcun, from
Paisley and other places ; and byMr. E. Tennent, from
Belfast and Manchester.
On the motion of Mr. E. TENNENT, the House
then went into a Committee of the whole House to
consider the laws relating to the Copyright of Designs.
Mr. FRESHFIELD in the Chair.
Mr. E. TEN NENT said it was not his intention to
introduce any new principle of legislation, nor any new
law, but simply to give efficacy to the laws which lead
been in existence for the last half century. He had
had the honour of introducing a Bill in the course of
last Session, to extend the period of taking the benefit
of the copyright from three to twelve months, but in
the imperfect state of the information possessed by the
House, the Right Hon. Gentleman the President of the
Board of Trade, had expressed his unwillingness. The
House, however, would recollect that a great propor-
tion of the goods manufactured, to come within
the provisions of his proposition, were to find a market
in the East and West Indies, and he did not think the
proprietors asked too much when they required twelve
months as the period within which they might obtain
remuneration for the labour and capital they had ex-
pended. The copyright of designs, in every branch of
the art, was most carefully preserved in France, and
there a party might obtain the copyright for a period of
one, three, five, or ten years, or even in perpetuity.
What was the amount of protection which the copy-
right furnished in the present state of the law ? Instead
of five or fifteen years, or perpetuity, as on the Conti-
nent, it was, in England, only a protection of three
months. That protection was granted fifty years ago.
But the improvements of modern times, and par-
ticularly the application of electro-magnetism to these
branches of art, had reduced the operations of months
to weeks, and consequently increased facilities were
furnished to the pirating copyists. The House,
he was sure, would admit that it was not fair that
there should be one law for the producer of designs for
silks, and another for that of designs for cottons. Was
it nut absurd that the individual who invented designs
for silk should have a protection of twelvemonths'
copyright, but the originator of designs for cottons
should have only a copyright of three months ? The
latter merely asked the same privilege as the former—
that was, that the term of the copyright be extended
to twelve, instead of three months. That proposition
was surely a reasonable one, and yet, he regretted to
say that opposition was offered to it. However, the
opposition was but partial. In England, Scotland, and
Ireland, the cotton trade was carried on very exten-
sively, and yet throughout the entire of the manufac-
turing districts, in each of these countries, not
a single person objected to the assimilation
now sought to be established, save a few
individuals in one district who were, he had no
doubt, acting under mistaken views respecting the ob-
ject of the present Bill. He would read to the House
extracts from evidence given before the Committee of
last year. The gentleman, whose evidence he should
first read, was a person of great ieflaence, and one
who was opposed to giving an extension of the copy-
right, he was a Mr. Brooks. That gentleman avowed
that he was himself a most extensive copyist of other
men's designs, both during the existence of the term of
copyright end afterwards ; he was so sometimes with
loss to himself, but generally with prefit ; he produced
the copies on inferior cloth ; when remonstrated with
for thus proceeding in a manner which was injurious to
individuals, and upon being asked how he should act
if proceeded against, he said that he did not think he
acted unjustly on account of the shortness of the copy-
right term, and that if he was proceeded against for
damages, he would oppose and rely on his purse for
success. That, observed the Hon. Gentleman, was the
confession of a repentant pirate copyist. The next evi-
dence was that of Mr. Lucas, of the house of Lucas
and Ce., calico-printers. The Hon. Gentleman then
proceeded to read extracts from the last-named person's
evidence, which stated that their house purchased
printed goods to a very great extent, generally about
60,0001. a month ; and that they seldom employed an
original designer, for that they could find a copyist who
would undertake the task at his own price, and at a
cheaper rate than the other could. " But," added Mr.
Lucas, " I do not object to the protection of
three months, for I never found it any protec-
tion whatever to the printer." The evidence of
Mr. Stirling, of the house of Henry and Co.,
Island-bridge, Dublin, stated, that in December 1839,
they delivered 700 pieces to Mr. Hosier of London,
and that in the January following, 83 of those designs
were brought to the same house manufactured on in
tenor cloth and offered at 20 per cent. less than they
obtained for the original designs. Mr. Henry's buiness
was almost at a stand, as he was never able to effect a
second sale of any new pattern. There was, continued
the Hon. Member, a volume of evidence on the table,
filled with details of the ruinous consequences to honest
traders of the practices to which he alluded. He might
be asked if there were infractions of the existing law
of three months' copy-right, why did not
the injured party vindicate their rights by
application to the legal authorities ? His answer
was, that it would not be worth their while. The
copyright would have expired before the legal proceed-
ings would have been well commenced. He contended
that the present deficiency in the law, and the preva-
lence of piracy, arose from the small extent of the term
of copyright. Ho was prepared to show that,
even if the law was not icfringed, it was quite inopera-
tive for its own purposes. Its object was to give to
the successful inventor the benefit of his own invention.
He would, to confirm his statement, take, for ex-
ample, the sale of ladies' dresses. Articles of that na-
ture continued in fashion from seven to twelve months
generally, and sometimes as long as two years.
The inventor of designs was only protected
for three months, and thus the copyist had
very nearly as much benefit as the inventor.
—(Hear.) The Hon. Member next adverted to the
non-extension of protection to those engaged in the
sewing embroidery of muslin, a branch of manufacture
which was carried on extensively in Glasgow and Paisley,
and also in Ireland. The manufacturers of furniture
calico had, he observed, a similar gronnd of complaint ;
the sale of their articles continued much longer in the
market than that of others, and their business was
something similar to that of pap-r
-stainers, who had a
copyright of 12 months given them by Poulett Thom-
son's Bill. That extension was all that he (Mr. T.)
asked for the calico-printers, and he was certain that if
it were granted them, it would be a stimulus to trade, it
would bring an increased number of designs into the
market, and augment the number of consumers. The
deterioration which articles of manufacture suffered in this
Country arose from the present state of the law.
Another gentleman, Mr. Applegarth, stated that he
was offered designs by Sir It. Smirks for a new class
of calicoes for the interior decorations of rooms, but on
calculating the cost, and taking into consideration the
term of copyright, he found he should lose by the spe-
culation, and was obliged to decline them. Oa another
occasion, he states that Sir David Wilkie, on his return
from Italy, having been struck with the beauty of the
interior decoration of the houses in Italy, gave him a
abtleigoeid art to s
series of designs in imitation of them, but for the same
returnreason s
them. a s in n the
We foe ronmt eprun of the
instance hews obliged
low
state

_ .
permanent trade of the country, turned on cheapness and
quality, and not on patterns. He wished he could put an
end to the evil which thelßill was intended to remedy,
without doing a greater injustice to our own designers, and
interfering enormously with our foreign trade. He would
give the Bill the fullest consideration, and if the principle
of registration could be carried out in a practicable
manner, he would certainly support it to the utmost
of his power. On the whole, he thought that the
most prudent course would be to extend the copyright
from three months to six, but he would wait until
be saw the Bill before he gave a decided opinion on its
merits, and on the second reading he would be prepared
fully to state his views.
Mr. COL Q UHO UN thought that if it was the fact
that the principal competition between our manufacturers
of cotton and the foreign manufacturers consisted in
cheapness and quality, and that design bad no share in
the competition, it was highly important that protection
should bo afforded to the highest kind of manufactures,
and that our artists should be encouraged to improve their
designs.—( Hear. )
Mr. MORRISON was of opinion that the competi-
tion in other countries tended to equalize the cost of pro-
duction in this country. He thought that the difference of
price in different countries could be regulated only lay the

-difference in the cost of transmission from one country to
another. He thought that what was wanting in this coan-
try was the improvement of English art. In truth, most
and quality, but also to supply
of the claims for originality rested upon this ques-
tion—which of the claimants had first copied the foreign
thoulmportance g h t
design ? The Americans were now able not only to
supply themselves with articles equal to ours in cheapness
tjfeb4hiltiu7o6
of the world, and to drive us out of the market. He
that t
to the
tthhee i
manufacture,mprovrn,tit otfht lige:isg vs
China and other parts
have a protection fcoi at least a hele season; And be was

in this country ; but here were three instances in
which the imperfect state of the Lew had prevented

THE SUN, LONDON. WEDNESDAY, FIMRUARY 10, 1841.

desirous of dating that protection from the time of publi.
cation. He did not think that the public would suffer by
the copyright being extended to a period of six months,
but he did not think it need be extended to a longer pe-
riod. The fact was, that that would be equivalent to ex-
tending it for twelve months, as the same patterns were
never used in winter and summer. He was, there-
fore, of opinion, that a six months' protection would
be as much as the manufacturer would desire. He
was firmly persuaded, in any case, that a School of
Design should be established; and it seemed to him
somewhat disreputable to former Governments, that the
country was still without one. It would be useless to
talk of making any progress in the art of manufacturing ca-
licoes unless they bad such a school. They would be
able, in that case, to compete successfully with foreigners,
for they possessed some advantages over them. In por-
trait landscaper, he believed, there was no doubt but
the artists of this country surpassed those of the Con-
tinent, however inferior they might be to them in his-
torical painting. He should conclude by repeating, that
when the time came he should vote for extending the
copyright of designs to a period of six months.---( Hear. )
Mr. WILLIAMS said that after having paid great at-
tention to the evidence taken before the Committee who
had sat on that subject, he had come to an entirely different
conclusion from the Hon. Member for Belfast. He was
persuaded that a change in the present law of copyright
of designs would prove most injurious to the calico-print-
ing trade of this country. The present law had been in
operation for more than fifty years, and during the whole
of that period, though many of the principal persons en-
gaged in the calico trade had seats in that House, not one
of those parties had proposed any alteration of the law.
He was sure that if they extended the period of protection
to designers, such a measure would be a source of endless
litigation. All designs were taken from the veget-
table or animal world, and how was it possible that every
pattern taken from those sources could be a com-
pletely new one ? One of the largest calico-printers in
this country had stated that 250,000 patterns were pro-
duced here annually; and there could be no doubt that
not less than 30,000,000 of designs had been produced for
the last fifty years. How then was it possible that new
patterns could be any thing more than a compound of the
old ones. If, therefore, they held the prospect of a higher
reward to designers, they would be introducing a raeosure
which would probably lead to litigation and abuse. Under
these circumstances, ho would give his most decided op-
position to any attempt to extend the period of copyright
of design, from an impression that it would be most inju-
rious to that branch of our manufactures.
Mr. Sergeant TA.LFOURD did not mean to enter at
any length into the questiaa then before the House. He
could not, however, help saying, that having devoted many
years to a similar subject, he felt it was the duty of the
Legislature to protect the interests of those who devoted
their time to artistical or literary labours. He sympa-
thised, therefore, in the exertions of his Hon. Friend the
Member for Belfast, and he hoped his Hon. Friend would
be more successful than ho (Mr. Sergeant Talfourd)
had been in his undertaking. He would take the oppor-
tunity of saying, that though he 'had been defeated, he
was not convinced; and while he continued a Member of
the House he would do all in his power to insure a due
protection to those engaged in intellectual pursuits.
Mr. O'CONN EL L said that the Hon. Member far In-
verness ( Mr. Morrison) was manifestly right when he told
the house that the competition was daily increasing be-
tween British goods and those of foreign manufacture,
and that, in fact, the superiority in the finer qualities of goods
lay decidedly with foreigners, who displayed more taste,
more talent, more knowledge and skill, than the manufac-
turers of this country. They would beat compete with their
rivals by holding out a sufficient reward to native industry.
The Hon. Member for Inverness would have granted a
protection of six months only to designers, while the lion.
Member had himself proved that twelve months were ne-
cessary. He wished the Hon. Member would convince
himself as he had convinced others on the subject. Now
as the only question seemed to be whether the protec-
tion should be granted for six or twelve months, he
hoped the House would consent to grant the protection
to talent for the longer period ; for, after all, it was a
pitiful question whether six months only, or twelve
months' protection should be granted!
Mr. HUME thought that his Hon. Friend, who had
just sat down, was going a great deal too far.—( A
laugh.) Was he certain that the granting protection
ensured excellence? How was it that other countries
excelled without protection being afforded them ? The
manufacturers of chintz in Switzerland had never been
excelled, and there they had no protection. He
mentioned that country, because there they had no
Custom-houses, and the Swiss manufacturer laboured
under the disadvantage of having to bring the raw
materials a long way by land to his manufactory.
He thought instead of extending the time they ought
rather to consider whether the three months at present
allowed was not too much, whether they ought not to do
away with all protection. The whole doctrine of protec-
tion was a fallacy. The witnesses who had been exa.
mined said that three months was no protection, and if so
there could he no harm in doing away with it. He thought
the Government should correct the errors'of the old times,
and do away with protection altogether. The true way
to excel was to pay attention to those arts by which our
manufactures might he made superior--.We were superior
in weaving, h,hy should we not be in all other erts? He
for one thought that all protection should be withdrawn.
Mr. BRO "MERTON thought the House ought to
pause before coming to a decision, when they considered
the conflicting nature of the testimony given before the
Committee, and that the Report in favour of copyright had
only been carried by a majority of one. There was some-
thing like justice in asking, as the Learned Sergeant had
done, for a copyright for authors ; but who would stand
up and oak for a copyright for b ,oksellers ? Yet that was
what was sought to be obtained by the present Bill. These
designs were not the ieventious of the master printers
themselves—they were purchased by them for a few shil-
hugs, and this Bill was to enable them to make rapid for-
tunes, by taking advantage of the inventions of others.
Ile agreed with the lion. Member for Kilkenny, that there
was no necessity for any copyright at all. It took
two months to prepare the plates before a design could
be struck off, so that after any design appeared it would
be three morons plobably before a copy of it could be in
the market. The Bill would give rise to endless litigation.
He did not see how it wes possible to distinguish between
a copy and an original pattern, and unless a system of re-
gistration were established it would be impossible for the
honest tradesman to know whether the designs he might
purchase were copies or not. The Bill was calculated to
favour the few at the expense of the many, and be thought
it was best to let well alone, and not make any alteration
in the present law.

Mr. WARBURTON thought his Hon. Friend the
Member for Kilkenny went too far. He thought,
with regard to the copyright both in literary works
and mechanical inventions, no one could say that
no remuneration ought to be afforded to the inventors.
The great object to be kept in view was to reconcile the
interem.s of the inventors with those of the public, to give
some short period of copyright, just sufficient to act as a
stimulus to the inventor, and, having done so, to secure the
reversion to the public. That was the proper principle to
found a Bill as regarded literary copyright, and the copy-
right of designs. If, as the Hon. Member for Inverness
stated, the foreigners were so rapidly approaching us,
that, in two or three years, they would be able to manu-
facture as cheaply as ourselves, they ought not to extend
the copyright an inch beyond the time absolutely neces-
sary, as the designs might otherwise be carried to foreign
countries, where fac similes would be produced ata cheaper
rate than the original was, inasmuch as they would nut
have to pay the original designer. He thought the term
proposed by the Bill would be a hazardous term for the
export trader of this country if it were carried into effect.
Mr. EMERSON TENNENT replied, and the reso-
lution was carried, reported, and leave given to bring in
the Bill.

HER MAJESTY'S MESSAGE.
SirJOHN C. HOBHOUSE, on the part of the Se-
cretary for the Colonies, announced that it was not the
intention of the Noble Lord to move the consideration of
her Majesty's Message that evening, in consequence of the
lateness of the hour. He would also move that the House
at its rising do adjourn to Thursday.
Mr. HUME wished to know what pension it was pro-
posed to grant to Lord Keane.
Sir JOHN C. HOBHOUSE-2,0001. a-year for him.
self and his two successors after him.
Mr. HUXE—When will the question be brought on?
Sir J. C. HOBHOUSE—The first thing ou Friday.
The motion was then agreed to.
On the motion of Mr. O'CONNELL, certain returns
relating to the licenced victuallers of Ireland and England
were agreed to.
JEWISH DISABILITIES.

Mr. DIVETT had felt it his duty to put the motion, o,
which he had given notice, on the paper, in consequence of
his attention having been called to the disabilities under
which persons of the Jewish persuasion laboured, by a peti-
tion from a gentleman named Salornons, which he had
had the honour to present to the House, who com-
plained that he had been excluded from several corporation
offices in consequence of his being of the Jewish persua-
sion; the gentleman in question was well known to many
Members of that House. He had served the office of
Sheriff of Kent, and he had also served the office of Sheriff'
of London and Middlesex, and, on his completion of that
duty, he had, by his fellow-citizens, been elected an Alderman
of the City of London. He had however been unable to
enjoy, that dignity as the declaration required to be take on
entering in that office was of such a nature as to exclude
all persons of the Jewish persuasion, who in consequence
could not hold the lowest corporate office in the
smallest borough intim kingdom. By the 9th Geo. IV. cer-
tain declarations were required to be taken by all corpo-
rate officers. It bad been found that these declarations
excluded certain classes of dissenters, such as Quakers
and Moravians, and a Bill had been introduced for their
• relief by the Hoe. Member for Leeds. His object in the
present Bill was to afford similar relief to persons profes-
sing the Jewish persuasion, and he was induced to hope
this measure would be successful from certain observa-
tions made by a N hie and Learned Lord at the
close of last Session, when presenting a petition
from the same individual in another place. That Noble
and Learned Lord had then expressed his opinion
that this was a grievance which ought to be removed.
Under these feelings, and with the impression that the
Noble Lord entertained the same views, be should move
for leave to bring in a Bill according to the terms of the
notice he had given.
Sir R. INGLIS objected to the Bill, as he believed
it would be the commencement of a system which would
terminate in an unmixed evil, and which would be used as
the ground-work of further concessions.
Mr. WARBURTON supported the Bill. There had
been a great outcry in this country against Mehemet Ali's
persecuting the Jets, while the fact was that they were
persecuting them themselves.
Mr. W. H. GLADSTONE objected to the Bill, but
he would not divide the Home upon it in its present state.
The effect of the Bill of the Hon. Gentleman would be
to recognize the competency of the Jewish community
to sit in Parliament, where they had to perform Christian
duties.

Mr. HAWES asserted that every subject of the Crown