The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-19 00:00:00

The University Tests Bill.

A partial contradiction is given to the statement
made by the Times that the extreme- Conservative
party at Cambridge had, on Monday, attempted to
coerce the Council of Senate to affix their seal to the
petition ggainst the University Tests Bill. The real
facts of the case were that 95 members of the Senate
addressed a memorial to the council, urging them to
affix the seal, but as there was another memorial to
a contrary effect, there was no more " coercion " on
one side than the other. The allegation with
reference to the extreme Conservative party was also
incorrect, as the names attached to the memorial show
that it emanated from men holding different opinions.
Marriage with a Deceased Wife's Sister.
That large portion of the British public who
have not had time to think deeply respecting the
question of marriage with the sister of a
dead wife, are unaware of all the per-
plexing and intricate difficulties in the way of
a settlement of the matter. A new problem
altogether has just been raised with respect to the
particulars involved in the following case :—A man
married his deceased wife's sister, lived with her for
some years, and left her without intervention of the
Divorce Court. He subsequently married another
lady, .with whom he has lived to the present time.
It is asked, Will the Bill now before Parliament
have the effect of legalising the first-named marriage,
the last-named being legal now ; or will it annul the
latter, or authorise polygamy ?
Mr. Erskine and the Greek Brigands.

The Opposition in Greece have not rested quietly
under the imputation cast upon them in respect to
the massacre. The have made such strong repre-
sentations on the subject to M. Zaimis, that he
felt compelled to bring the matter under the
notice of Mr. Erskine. Among the correspondence
just published by the Foreign Office is a letter from
Mr. Erskine to Lord Clarendon on this subject. He
encloses a copy of a letter from
Zaimis, requesting him to rectify a misap-
prehension which had arisen from Mr.
Erskine's statement "that the brigands were in com-
munication with some of the leading members of the
Opposition," which is understood to apply to the
leaders of the Opposition. Mr. Erskine, in
reply to M. Zairais, corroborates the Greek
Minister's assertion that he did not mention
the chiefs of the Opposition themselves, and he does
not consider his words bear that meaning. Mr.
Erskine is of opinion that there is strong evidence
against the guide Alexander, and also that the per-
son who accompanied the Government agents to
treat with the brigands was well known to them, and
considered as a Government spy. He is the brother
of one of the brigands.
International Copyright.

There is hope for American and English authors.
We have a prospect of seeing the great copyright
grievance redressed. Up to the present time both
nations have had reason to be dissatisfied, and who-
ever profited by the enormous circulation of Eng-
lish books in America, and American books in
England, very certainly it has in few cases been
either the author or the legitimate publisher. A
system has hitherto prevailed among American book
pirates of conniving with the local Custom-houses
on the Canadian frontier to exclude legitimately
copyrighted English books from the States. Such
books have often been seized on the flimsiest pretences,
but the American Government has at last interfered.
The Custom House at Chicago seized some English
books, and upon a representation of the case being
made at Washington the Government telegraphed an
order of release. According to the Toronto
Globe a treaty has been latterly signed
at Washington on the model of the one concluded
with France. A spociai clause accords colonial copy-
right the same value as imperial copyright, which is
a great desideratum for Canada. The Americans are
treated with equal liberality, and it is to be hoped
that this great literary grievance will be at last re-
moved.