The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-16 00:00:00

THE LAW OF COPT RIGHT.

The trial just brought to an issue by the representa-
tives of tha late Dugald Stewart and Messrs. A. and 13.
Black, in Edinburgh, us involving important legal
points, and disclosing some curious literary facts, we
think worthy of some special notice. The relative po-
sition of author and bookseller has been one too fre-
quently beset with unpleasant suspicion and dissatisfac-
tion, arising mostly from the utter ignorance of authors
of the details of publishing, and of booksellers of the
pangs of authorship. We are glad, therefore, when a
searching trial like the present discloses nothing but the
liberal►ty and honour of the bookseller, showing that a
truly liberal sum had been awarded, acknowledging the
power of the author, and the estimation of the public for
the really excellent.
The last Copyright Law settled that the articles con-
tributed to a periodical belowg to the proprietor of such
periodical, but cannot be published separately without
the consent of the author. In the present instance it
was endeavoured to be maintained by the representa-
tive of " Dugald Stewart," that the Essay (although
1,600/. was paid for it,) was intended only for the " Sup-
plement of the Encyclopaedia Britannica," and not for
the re-edition of that work, incorporating all the sup-
plementary and much additional matter. The evidence
of Mr. Robert Cadell, and other authoritative witnesses,
however, put the matter in so strong a light that the
idea was considered preposterous, and an immediate
verdict was given for the defendants.
During the trial, the magnitude of the expenses of
this truly national work, the "Encyclopaedia Britannica,"
seventh edition, in 21 volumes, quarto, was shown, and
it was proved to have been no less a sum than 125,6671.
9s. 3d.—a sum which, when considered as the venture of
two private individuals, is truly creditable to our native
enterprise and energy.
This amount of course includes every item of expendi•
ture, among which the following are the most important:
Contributions and Editing £22,59- 2 11
_ .

Printing
Stereotyping
Paper
Bookbinding 12,739 12 2
Engraving and Plate Printing 11,777 18 1
For the contribution of the Dissertation in dispute,
Dugald Stewart received from the firm of Constable and
Co. 1,6001., and for the accompanying Dissertations by
Sir James Mackintosh and Sir John Leslie. the present
proprietors of the Encyclopaedia paid 1,0301. The cost
of Professor Play fair's Dissertation is not precisely
stated, but if paid for at the same rate as Sir John
Leslie's, it could not fall short of 5001. For editing the

volume, the sum of 3301. was paid, bringing up the total
expenditure for the literary labouriof this volume alone
to 3,4501.
Of this outlay only 106,5261. had as yet been returned
to the proprietors, but we trust that the sale of the
stock, which, as it embraces the works of so many cele-
brated men must continue for many years, will ultimately
reward the spirit and energy of its projectors.—Douglas
Jerrold's Weekly Newspaper.

WESTMINSTER HOSPITAL.
(From the Lancet.)
OPERATIONS UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF

ETHER.

JAN. 11.—A number of surgeons assembled this day
in the operating theatre of the above hospital to witness
certain operations, performed by Mr. Hale Thomson, on
patients rendered previously insensible to pain by the in-
halation of ether. The vapour was administered by Mr.
Robinson, dentist, of Gower-street, to whom society is
much indebted for the invention of an apparatus by
which the ether may be employed with security and cer-
tainty. the first patient was a woman of middle age
suffering under condylomatous growths from the labia.
After an inhalation of about four minutes, the patient
was pronounced in a state fit for the operation. The
morbid growths were then dexterously removed by Mr.
Thomson, without any expression of pain on the part of
the patient, and without any signs of suffering apparent
on her countenance. The only indication of the nervous
system being awake to the operation was the spasmodic
action of the lower limbs, which took place at the ma-
went of excision; but it was quite obvious that this was
an excito-rnotory phenomenon, and had no connexion
with sens s,tion.

On the completion of the operation, some wine-and-
water was given to the 'patient, who seemed awakening
from a dream, and appeared for some minutes uncertain
of her own identity, and of the reality of the new world
which was opening gradually to her senses. Her man-
ner was thnt of a delirious person communing with her-
self, and exhibited a strong manifestation of Dr. Wigan's
theory of the duality of the mind. After sundry eja-
culations of wonder and surprise, she turned her head
on her pillow, and recognised one of the physicians as a
" real ina,u," and discovered, to her infinite delight, that
she was still a denizen'of earth, although her next ex-
clamation, that she thought herself in a " beautiful
heaven," exhibited little gratitude for her temporary
transition to a celestial abode. Upon being told that she
was to su,,unit to an operation, she said she knew it, and
was ready ; and when informed that the operation was
over, seemed unable to believe it. A little hysterical
crying, the combined result of apprehension, wonder,
and delight, followed, and she was taken back to her
bed. Before we left the hospital we learnt that she was
fast asleep.
'The second patient, a young man, was operated on for
phymosis. He was ready in about four minutes from
the comment,ement of inhalation, and the operation pro-
duced no evidence of the presence of sensation. Indeed,
in his case. there was an absence of the excito-motory
movements •exhibited by the female patient. Some little
time claps ee before the ligatures were completed, and the
last was passed after he had to all appearance recovered
from the stupor caused by the operation. He evinced
the return of sensation by an ejaculation of pain, but
relapsed imr.nediately into a forgetfulness of the opera-
tion, being more intent upon the " delightful dream"
which he 'arid just experienced than upon the dull realities
around hire.. On being asked if he had suffered pain, he
said that h e had felt nothing ; and upon being further
interrogal,:e d as to his sensations, replied that he would
answer th e question to-morrow. Like the female
patient, u're was a little hysterical sobbing after the
operation,, apparently occasioned by the recollection of
previous ;I) ness and suffering ; so that, in point of fact, a
surgical op eration has now come to be a source of regret,
as an enjoyment too quickly passed away.
The imp ression made by these operations on the minds
of the gentlemen present, among whom we noticed, Mr.
White, /[r.. Guthrie, Mr. Ferguson, Mr. Erasmus Wil-
son, and Mr. Fisher, appeared to be one of perfect satis-
faction, and Mr. Robinson was deservedly congratulated
on the sup !ess of his mechanical contrivance for the
administrati on of the vapour.

GOVERNMENT AND THE DRAIN

.AGE ACT IN SCOTLAND.

At a county meeting held here last week, some im-
portant intOrrnation was communicated by our Sheriff-
depute, W. Fraser Tytler, Esq , with respect to the
Drainage Act, and the views of Government. The
former reso kitions of the county had been transmitted to
Sir George Grey, and on the proposed extension of the
Drainage Aet the greatest readiness and liberality had
been evinced by the Home Secretary. So early as Oc-
tober last, AD:. Tytler had been in correspondence on
this subject, :and the following is a passage from a letter
of Sir Geor Grey:—
" I shoulur 'recommend that any parties who wish to
have the qu !&tion decided, should state in their applica•
tion to the In closure Commissioners the exact nature of
the work wliic h they propose to effect, and in respect of
which the aRv ante is sought; and there, probably, would
be little diffil.:r .Ity in determining whether the application
is one which c :aa be complied with under the provisions
of the Act."

On this sun ~,estion, Mr. Tytler said, he at once for-
warded an api ilication to the Commissioners, embracing
such an exte ii ion of the Act as he had advocated in his
correspondeiso )—namely, for the improvement by drain-
age and trent hing 400 acres, of which about 150 were
arable and 2 0 waste land, of a highly improveable na-
ture. He to a k care to follow, as implicitly as possible,
the course prf scribed by the Act. His application was
immediately . acknowledged by Mr. Blamire, one of the
Commissioner s, who stated, that " as all the particulars
required by le 14th section of the Act had been set
forth in the < <1 iplication, they would have no difficulty in
issuing the iv quisite notices prescribed by section 18."
No more sat is factory proof of the favourable disposition
of Governm(;) it with regard to this important measure
could be give ; and Mr. Tytler added, that to the ear-
nest zeal, ab; Ility, and intelligence with which Mr.
Blamire disch La rged his duties as a commissioner under
the Act, the 1 anded interest of Scotland was under the
greatest obligE lion. The scheme of an amended Act
being now co n Imitted to him, gentlemen had only to
look to the si ,irit of Mr. Blamire's letter of the 24th
October (inser ti ..d in all the newspapers), and to his re-
marks on the x eport of the Highland Society, both of
which have bee ;a printed by order of Government, to be
satisfied that t a interests of this part of the kingdom
could not have la 3en placed in better hands.
This opinion of Mr. Fraser Tytler's is, we believe,
general throng's, nit the north, and we trust Mr. Blamire
will be able to e xtend the Drainage Act into a general
Land Improve cent Act (including draining, trenching,
fencing, and o tl ,er requisites of rural cultivation) which
will be a gre a t benefit to the landed interest, besides
being of inestii r.able advantages to the labouring classes.
That this will accomplished is now generally believed,
and, according la r, applications pour in to the Inclosure
Commissioners from Scottish proprietors. Inverness
Courier.

FATHER E, rsTACE BY MRS. TROLLOPE.—In the
supposition th. the Jesuits have establishments in Eng-
land to carry 4 zi intrigues in private families, and that
they have subt k agents who can assume every variety of
character, Mrs. . Trollope has found the materials neces-
sary for her pr fi ent work. She has been able to acquire
a more correct is ,ea of Jesuitism, both in its system of
morals and its ; p; ►nners, than is to be found in the pages
of Eugene Sue., Her narrative is in good keeping ; con-
cede that the ae suits are busily at work in society, and
the whole story • will have almost a matter-of-fact air, so
admirable is ti,,e • tact with which Mrs. Trollope gives a
colour of reali try to all she describes. Her skill is
unrivalled, in bilending together mental emotions and
physical enjoy rnents. No other writer could so well.
connect the da tic designs of the General of the Jesuits at
Rome with dr awing-room coquetry ; monkish intrigues
with the gaie ties of a waltzing party. Mrs. Trollope
shows that sh a can sound the depths of society, as well
as skim over i t-3 surface, and can select its gems for illus-
tration as el( ,rly as she can cast a scornful glance upon

its weeds.— -p, ritannia.
The me mificent chateau of Argenteuil, near Wa-
terloo, the - property of Count Ferdinand Meeur, Gover-
nor of the • Society of National Industry in Belgium, was
entirely (IN stroyed by fire on the night of the 10th, by
the carelaf ;sness of some workmen who were at work in
it. The,' ,wilding was insured, but not the furniture and
fixturesz Nhich were valued at 200,000 f.