The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-10 00:00:00

liberal interpretation of the terms of your Majesty's in-
structions, adhering scrupulously, however, to the rule
of sanctioning no altered reading which was not sup-
ported by a previous authorised edition, and which at
the same time did not appear, on mature consideration,
to be an improvement on the edition printed from. It is
with no ordinary feeling of satisfaction, that the Board
bear testimony to the laudable anxiety manifested by
most publishers to render their editions of the Sacred
Scriptures as nearly perfect as possible.
The regulation adopted from the first by the Board,
in regard to impressions 'from stereotype plates, by
which it is provided that every impression taken after
an interval—that is, after the plates have been removed
from the press—shall be held to constitute a new edi-
tion, has been stedfastly adhered to, and experience has
fully evinced the just and necessary grounds on which it
was established. Numerous instances have come under
our observation, in which, from the chipping or break-
ing of the plates, letters, and points, and sometimes
entire words, have been either partially or altgoether
effaced, so as to disfigure the page, and in many cases
to obscure the sense. It is indispensably necessary,
therefore, that the plates should be frequently and care-
fully examined. By the rule prescribed by the board,
this important object has been fully attained. Publishers,
aware that each successive impression taken after an in-
terval must be submitted for our inspection, find that
they best consult their own interest, by keeping their
plates in a state of thorough repair.
But while in the cases in which the type used has
been of an ordinary size, the observance of the regula-
tion, now noticed has been found sufficient to secure a
distinct and unmutilated text, the result has not been
equally satisfactory where an extremely small type has
been used. In the latter case, it has been shown by ex•
perience that, in the course of printing off even a single
edition, the types frequently sustain material injury.
The same edition may happen, therefore, to be of unequal
merit; and it obviously results from such a contingency,
that the character of an edition cannot be prwisely
ascertained from the copy of it stibmlttdd to the-bard.
Whether the great liability of the plates to deterioration
arises from the extreme smallness of the type made use
of, or from substituting for the presswork the power of
steam for manual labour, is a question which we are not
competent, and, which, happily, we were not called upon
to discuss. On the point of fact our experience left no
room for doubt, and we felt that there was devolved
upon us, in consequence, a very solemn responsibility.
The view taken by us of our duty, in the circum-
stances to which reference has been made, was submitted
to your Majesty in our last report. In a casein which
the imperfect typography of the editions brought before
us was imputable, in no degree, to carelessness on the
part of the publishers, but resulted from a form of publi-
cation which had been adopted with highly commendable
views, we were disposed, in the first instance, to exercise
the powers entrusted to us with all possible leniency.
But while yielding to this disposition, we satisfied our-
selves, in regard to the first impressions taken from the
plates, with exacting cancels only where they were
imperatively required by the sense, and with pointing
out minor blemishes for correction in subsequent editions,

the publishers were distinctly warned by us, that a con-
tinuance of such leniency was not to be expected by
them, and that a plain and entire text would be after-
wards unconditionally insisted on. We have sub-
sequently acted in accordance with the intimation thus
given, exacting cancels in all cases in which the sacred
text was not presented in a distinct and clearly legible
form. The cancels required were, for some time, nume-
rous ; and we are aware that the enforcing of our rule
was attended, in several instances, with considerable
hardship. In one case, so many cancels were exacted,
that an edition of the Bible was abandoned after the
work was considerably advanced. The duty which we
were called upon to discharge was felt by us to be a pain-
ful one ; but we felt, at the same time, that no consider-
ation could warrant us in shrinking from the full respon-
sibilities of the solemn trust reposed in us by your Ma-
jesty. We record, with unmingled pleasure, the grati-
fying fact, that many, indeed most, of those publishing
privileged works under our authority, have been equally
forward with ourselves to have every blemish removed
from their respective editions.
But while the course which we have pursued in regard
to the smaller stereotyped editions has been generally
allowed to be both reasonable in itself and such as our
duty prescribed to us, it seems likely to result in the
abandonment of such editions for the future. Since the
intention of publishing the edition of the Bible, to which
we have above adverted, was relinquished, a period of
nearly twelve months has elapsed, and no new proposal
to print the Scriptures in the same diminutive sip of
type has been received. Other facts might be adduced
by U 3 having a similar bearing. Notwithstanding the
great improvements that have been recently made in
stereotype printing, the conviction seems to be gaining
ground that, under a certain size of type, it cannot be
used with advantage. In cases where great accuracy is
required, the expense of cancelling the unavoidable
blemishes which attend it, leaves no profit from the sale
of the work. That the publication of the smaller
stereotyped editions of the Scriptures should be aban-
doned, will be a matter of regret to none who duly ap-
preciate the value to the reader of a clear and distinct
text.
Soon after the transmission of our last report, com-
plaints reached us from several quarters of the imper-
tation into Scotland, and extensive sale in the Scotch
market, of various unauthorised editions of the Scriptures
printed and published in England. Parties publishing
priviliged works under the authority of the board, and
yielding a ready compliance, often to the serious dimuni-
don of their profits, with every regulation prescribed by
us, reasonably demanded that they should be protected
in the enjoyment of their just rights, and secured from
the competition of publishers not subject to any such
restrictions. They alleged that while they did not
shrink from the equal and honourable rivalry which
they were required to maintain with your Majesty's
printers in England, and with the English Universi-
ties, it was impossible for them to prevent their works
from being undersold by editions prepared at less ex-
pense, because with a less careful regard to a distinct
and accurate text.
But reasonable as the complaint which was urged
appeared to be, there were circumstances connected with
the case which were felt by the Board to involve it in
much difficulty. One of the publications complained of
had been freely circulated throughout the United King-
dom for a period of upwards of twenty years, without
challenge from the English or Scotch patentees, or
either of the English Universities ; and, though an
equally extended prescription could not be pleaded for
the others, yet they, too, had been sold openly in Eng-
land for a considerable time, and they contained, besides,
an amount of notes, or marginal references, which might
be thought to exempt them from the privilege of the
board. The board, after anxious deliberation, unani-
mously resolved to submit the question for the opinion
of counsel, and a memorial for the information of counsel
was accordingly prepared under their direction. The
opinion received, which, however, on a fuller statement
of facts, was afterwards, in reference to the work that
had been so long tolerated by the former patentees, con-
siderably modified, was favourable to the privileges of
the board, and recommended that immediate steps
should be taken, by suspension and interdict, against
the publishers of the unauthorised editions.
The board, having procured the concurrence of the law
officers of the Crown, proceeded to act on this opinion,
and, with the exception of the particular publication in
reference to the illegality of which some doubts had been
expressed, obtained interdict; from the Court against the
further sale of the several editions complained of. But
the case now assumed a new aspect, from an offer made
by the publishers against whom legal proceedings had
been thus instituted, to withdraw from the Scotch mar-
ket the interdicted editions, and to replace them by
other editions of the same works submitted for the
judgment of the board, and corrected at their dis-
cretion, on the same conditions with privileged works
printed and published in Scotland, It was immedi-
ately perceived by the board that the bearing of
this overture on the prosecution which they bad
entered would be most material. It would eeahle the
parties prosecuted to plead that, by the process raised
against them, it was attempted to suppress in Scotland
works sold in England, without opposition either from
the patentees or the lJniversities, notwithstanding an
offer to bring these works into the Scotch market, sub-
ject to every provision for an accurate text which the
Scotch board had deemed it necessary to prescribe. They
might further contend that such proceedings were in
violation, if not of the letter, yet of the spirit of your
Majesty's instructions to the board, as tending to throw
obstacles in the way of free competition, and conse-
quently to enhance the price of the inspired' volume. It
would be an additional argument against the prohibition
sought to be imposed, that the overture submitted would
still leave the parties from whom it proceeded subject to
the peculiar disadvantage of losing the drawback on
paper allowed to the privileged publisher.
Impressed with the weight of these considerations, the
board, after maturely deliberating upon the matter,
unanimously concluded that it would be their duty to
accede to the proposal which bad been made to them, if
they should be certified of their competency, in terms
of the warrant granted by your Majesty, to entertain
such proposal. They directed, therefore, that a full
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the Learned
earned Counsel were of opinion that
the board did not possess the requisite powers to sanction
the overture which bed been received, but suggested
that tta the ease was of a novel character, it was desirable
that application should be made to your Majesty far
additional instructions. With this suggestion the lee4rd
entertaining an anxious desire that the question should
be authoritatiycly datermined, were forward to comply ;
and they immediately made the appeal to your Majesty,
which was answered by the new Instructions dated Jan.
1845. These instructions, which agree in every particu-
lar with the views, both of their privileges and their
duty which they themselves were led to entertain, have
been most satisfactory to the board. Provision, it ap-
pears to them, has been thus made for giving the fullest
effect to the gracious desire of your Malesty, already ad-
verted to, "of lessening, as far as possible, the cost price
of the works falling under the privilege of the board, by
opening the painting and publishing of the same to free
competition, in so far as is consistent with security for
the correctness of the text." The board, by the same
means, have been relieved of the painful duty which
might have otherwise devolved upon them, of having to
appear in court, without any plea of equity to urge in