The Sun.
London, England, 1840-02-20 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20,r1840.

house, viz. to refer the Bill to a Select Committee, was a
just and fair one, and ought to be acceded to.
Mr. J. JERVIS appeared there as the advocate of the
printers, and he would press upon his Honourable and
Learned Friend to accede to the proposition,
because those whom he represented stated that
they had some very important information to give be-
fore a Committee. The printers were an important body
in respect of such a question. They had large capital at
stake—they were a numerous body, and their interests
mould be much affected by it. Why then should they not
be heard ? The interests of the public were identified
with those of the printers, and it was imperative that the
Bill should be sent befere a Select Committee,
for Honourable Members were totally unaquainted
with what would be the working of the Bill. An instance
of monopoly was shown by Clarendon's History, it might
very well have been published at 10s. to the public, and
would at that price have been extensively read and use-
fully, but from th- high price of it it was rendered almost
useless. The House wanted evidence, for they had not
enough before them on which to legislate, and unless there
was to be N full inquiry up stairs, lie would find it to be
hia duty to oppose the Bill in the fullest manner
that the forms of the House would allow.—( Hear.) On
the other hand, if it was sent to a Committee up stairs,
fairly chosen, and they reported in favour of the Bill after
hearing evidence upon it, he for one would withdraw all
opposition to it.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. HUME wished to say a few words upon the ques-
tion before the House went to a vote. The interest,. of the
public had been totally lost sight of in the discussion; the
Honourable and Learned Gentleman wanted to obtain a
class Bill—one merely for the benefit of authors—certainly
a most useful class of men, but the interests of the public
were not to be sacrificed to theirs. The Noble Lord
(Lord Mahon) had cited the case of Russia, and called
upon the House to follow their example as they gave a
longer copyright. Take the example of Russia I a
country which was anxious only for obstructing all
information ; and was England to be called upon to
take an example from such a dark country ? The discus-
sion ought not to have gone on ; for holm there hid not
been a House.—(No, no.) He said yes; for he had ob-
jected to counting the House three several times when
there were not forty Members present, and in the absence
of every Minister. Why were they not present at a time
when those on the other side were doing all in their power
to throw them back into the ages of darkness-4 Cries
of " 06, oh")—by making books so dear that the poor
cannot afford to purchase them ? If the Bill was sent
to a Committee up stairs, and they could there provo
that all the arguments of the Learned Sergeant were
substantial, he would withdraw all opposition.—( Hear.)
The Learned Sergeant was supported by men whom he
ought to be afraid of—they were the enemies of education.
—(Oh, oh.) He called upon him to be careful of what
he was abcut, for he was leagued with those wbo were
most anxious to put an end to the spread of knowledge.
He would regret what he was now doing, but it might be
too late. If he was not afraid of inquiry, why not
go to a Committee up stairs ?—( Hear, hear.) If
be consented to that course, and the Committee reported
in favour of the Bill, it would then no no longer objected
to by him.

Mr. Sergeant TA LFOURD then rose to reply. He
was not sorry that he had given way to the Hon. Member
for Kilkenny, for he had used no argument against the
measure, but he had attempted to introduce party strife into
a question which, above all others, ought to be free
from it.—( Hear, hear.) To make that a party ques-
tion upon which last year he received the support of the
late Chancellor of the Exchequer, now Lord Monteagle,
and also, to the principle of the Bill, the sanction of the
Hon. and Learned Member for Dublin, by introducing
party strife into such a question, was taking from them
the only resting-place left them amongst the hostilities of
party. That a party question I when amongst the
petitioners were to be found the names of Thomas
Campbell, of Leigh Hunt, Thomas Carlisle,
Miss Martineau, and of Thomas Moore when
such names were found petitioning for the measure,
could anything be more unjust than to impute party feel-
ings to those who supported the Bill ? He could assure
Hon. Members opposite that they would not deter him
from giving an honest vote by pointing out that he was
supported by gentlemen on the Opposition side of the
House. He was taunted with bringing on the discussion
in a thin House, and in the absence of Ministers; but this
taunt came from the same party who wasted six hours of
the time of that House last Session, when the Bill was
discussed in the presence of ten Cabinet Ministers, and in
a House of upwards of 150 Members.—(Cheers.) By
that party, who, by the most unfair opposition, com-
pelled him, after an attendance of fifteen nights,
to withdraw the Bill. It had been pressed on
him from various quarters, to refer ate Bill to a Select
Committee. That question was discussed and negatived
by the Houso two yi.ars ago. Ha had then the opposition
of the Hon. and Learned Member for Ripon (Sir E.
Sugden). But he was most happy to say, that he was
authorized by that Right Hon. Gentleman to state, that,
had he been present that night, he would have voted for
the second reading of the Bill. Hon. Gentlemen oppo-
sive had shown no disputed fact, upon which evidence
ought to be taken. The arguments were all hackneyed
and stale, and were repetitions of those of former years. It
was held by the Hon. Gentlemen opposite, that whenever
a book issued from the press, it became the property of the
public. Would they contend that an author, who, upon
his death-bed might be anxious to blot out any of his wri-
tings—was he to be prevented because his writings had
become the property of the public ? He trusted the
House would give all encouragement which copyright
could afford to works of a standard character as well as
to those of a fleeting and evanescent kind, and that they
would then give a second reading to the Bill.
The House then divided, when the numbers were
For the second reading
Against it 29
Majority
In answer to a question from Mr. GOULBURN,
Mr. GORDON said that the Navy Estimates would be
taken in Committee on Friday.
Mr. WARBURTON gave notice that on the second
reading of the Copyright Bill—(Laughter)—on the mo-
tion for the Committee on that Bill—( Renewed laughter)
—be would move that it be referred to a Select Committee.
The House then adjourned at a Quarter past Ten
o'Clock.

LEAVE or ABSENCE.—To Sir Charles Coote, till Btb
March, illness in family ; Sir George Crewe, one month,
illness; Mr. Ingham, Circuit; Mr. George Cavendish,
one month, domestic calamity.