The Sun.
London, England, 1851-11-26 00:00:00

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS;
TIMES.—The most hopeless subject of negotia-
tion with the Governments of other countries has
long appeared to be an international copyright Ism.
Intellectual "produce" has been the only descripton
of goods excluded from equitable conditions of ex-
change. With regard to hogsheads of sugar, bE gs
of coffee, and bales of cotton, there could exist no ra-
tional doubt that, sooner or later, the commercial trans-
ctions of the world would be placed upon a rational
footing. The advocates of exclusion and monopoly
invariably fabricated an economic system in accord-
ance with their own views, and endeavoured to invest
it with the most fascinating attributes of philosophy
and justice. There was error in their calculatiOns,
but it was error under the colour of reason, and
wrong with the semblance of right. The property
in literary works has been regarded from a different
point of view. The various Governments of Europe
and the United States of America have, from time
immemorial, virtually declared that a work of litera-
ture or art, the property of a single individual in a
single nation, was a fair mark for piracy and theft.
Genius has been outlawed. The property it should
have owned, whether in its most splendid or most
trivial productions, has, by the comity of nations,
been treated in the same way as the goods of a con-
victed felon. All this has been done in the broad
light of day, under the sanction of the most dis-
tinguished statesmen of the most civilized nations of
the world. Ignorance must not be pleaded in bar
of the indignation which such a policy is calcu-
lated l
long sin
to
and maintain
insepeire in any mind not destitute of the
first impressions of right and justice. The time
passedh a
w aywhen
that it was consideredsu ei
en
fair to rise in publict
copyright law should not Form part of the municipal
institutions of each particular country. The United
States would protect the property of Mr. Prescott in
the " History of Peru ;" France that of M. Thierry in
his " Chronicles of the Merovingian Kings ;" Eng-
land that of Mr. Macaulay in his " History of the
Times of James IL and his Successors." lach Go-
vernment acted respectively against the piratical
attacks made upon the property
by its own subjects. But here theof idtesfeonwcen sstuobredt!
Mr. Macaulay's history would be n
re pri ' ted in cheaper form in the United States ; thatofblr. Pres-
cott—witha certain possibilities in his favour—in
England ; and the chronicles of M. Thierry might be,
reissued at the pleasure of the booksellers in
either' country. Still worse, copies might be, and actually
were, multiplied at a cheap rate in Brussels by compo-
sitors versed in the French language, and then dissemi-
nated over the continent, to the prejudice of the au-
thor's legitimate rights. In each State the obliga-
tion of the Government to maintain the rights of its
own subjects against its own subjects was fully re-
cognised; but at this point all stopped short. Nor,
in fairness, can the reprehension be confined to the
leading statesmen of the time, no matter what their
country, or what their political connexions. The
real blame lay with the great bulk of the popula-
tion, whether in Europe or in America. There has
too long existed a profound immorality of thought
with regard to the productions of literary genius.
Men have said, "It is for our interest to have the
readiest means of access to the works of literary men.
Their labours cannot be the subject of property any
more than the wild fowls of the air. They are firm
natures, irreclaimable, and therefore the subjects of
dominion to the first person who can reduce them
into possession." Such has been the spirit in which
the various nations of the world have acted time out
of mind with regard to literary property. How short-
sighted the policy has been the example of Belgium
will best evince. The effect of the habitual piracy
practised by the Brussels publishers on the works of
French authors has simply been the extinction of
original literary genius throughout Belgium. We
are glad to be enabled to state that a treaty for the
suppression of this most disgraceful system has at
length been signed between England and France. It
is :stated that if the provisions of the treaty are not
more complete—if they are not framed with a retro-
active as well as with a prospective effect, the fault doss
not lie at the door of the French Government. The prin-
cipal provisions of this most important and interesting
document may be so effectually condensed that we
will venture on a brief recapitulation of their general
tenour and effect. The first article absolutely pro-
hibits literary piracy in either country against the
subjects of the other. The second article forbids
the importation of piracies of the works of either
country from other countries. By article three the
same provisions are extended to musical compositions,
designs, paintings, sculptured and other artistic works.
In the fourth place, translations of original works
published in either country, when made on account of
or by the author, also translations of works published
in other countries, are protected. The concluding
article of principal importance puts dramatic produc-
tions on the same footing as other literary works. It
is obviously impossible for us, in the brief space ne-
cessarily allotted to these remarks, to deal with the
details of the measure, such as the forms of deposit at
Stationers'-hall in London or at the officer of the
Minister of the Interior in Paris respectively—of
the nice distinctions with regard to translated
works, and so forth. The treaty will, no doubt,
ere long become the subject of much comment in
literary circles, and we shall have other opportuni-
ties of considering its merits or deficiencies. Mean-
while we would suggest, with every deference to the
wisdom of the French and English legislators and
negotiators, that now the time has arrived for either
country to reconsider its own municipal regula-
tions with regard to copyright in literary works. This
description of property will have been much en-
hanced in value, as far as French and English sub-
jects are concerned, by the operation of the present
treaty. It should consequently be freed as much as
possible from all difficulties of litigation, and the tran-
sitory property of the author be placed upon an
equitable basis with regard to its period of endu-
rance. We question, also, whether the exclusion of
all books already published from the effect of the
treaty might not be made the subject of future ar-
rangement. Why, in fact, should the works of
living authors which have already appeared be ex-
cluded from protection ? Who but pirates have a
vested interest in piracy ? We cannot see that the
ill-gotten gains of wrong-doers should be treated with
any peculiar delicacy or respect. This treaty for the
protection of authors, so recently signed between
Franca and Great Britain, is not the only one afoot.
France, more especially, has shown a praiaworthy ac-
tivity in the affair. Treaties of the same nature
actually exist, we believe, between France on the one
part, and Portugal, Hanover, and Sardinia. It is said
that the French negotiators are upon the eve of
achieving a diplomatic victory in a still more delicate
quarter at Berlin, and gaining a more facile triumph
at Mtdrid. We know not precisely how matters
stand between France and Belgium, but even in this
quarter rumour says that a suppression of the dis-
graceful traffic, of which Brussels is the chief seat,
may shortly be looked for. So much activity should
be a lesson to our own negotiators. What Belgium
is to France, the United States of America are to us.
The greatest boon that could be conferred upon our
own literary men would be an extension of protection
to their works throughout the United States. Nor
would the advantage be without adequate reciprocity.
There are more readers throughout the vast empire
subjected to the dominion of the English flag than in
the United States. When this question comes to be
finally settled, American authors can only expect the
same measure of regard to their interests as their own
Government extends towards the literary productions
of British subjects. For the moment they may have
the advantage in our market, but let them be well
na suseudr ei dn that
face such o
fa
rsetacktelesosf
dt
ihsihnognse
sc
tayn no ont
thebe pcaornt t
of
their own publishers and printers. The example of
Belgium should convince all thinking men throughout
the United States of the danger of importing worked-
up literary " stuffs" from another country. So long
as they do so they may succeed in picking the pockets
of our authors, but they will never have a national
literature that deserves the name.

inqTuells w"FasitihTeß ldic IDEIN----LlVREPOOL.—Yesterday an
the body:of William Blunt, who had
been stabbed b
The
had yis brother Joshua, during an altercation
whichh
taken place between them on the day previous .
2-e jury returned a verdict;of .. Manslaughter" against
Joshua Blunt, who was committed for trial at the nest as-
sizes.
ROYAL MARINES—WooLwics, Nov. 25.—The
officers of the Woolwich division of this gallant corps enter-
tained their, late respected and much esteemed Commandant,
Major-General Parke, C. 8., at a farewell dinner yesterday
evening in the mess-room of the division; and after dinner
several appropriate speeches were made testifying the great
e Hanover the Portsmouth
heQueen.
regret the officers felt at the loss of their late commandant,
with whom they had always acted in harmony during the
long period be had commanded the Woolwich division. Col.
gBd
aieflioasninodtn
0,
ii is about
er wil l to
retain
retire
the
en
goodtfullhe
servicepay o Commandant James Whylock, of
pt.' that
enth sio pension
rank.to w
hTi he:
he succeeded on the appointment of Colonel Commandant
iCharlesconsequence bienzie s,
of li
the.ll .d,
death
hb e
ofa i dteh-e Bing
e- cam p
of to
officers of the Woolwich division have postponed their first
soiree to the middle of January.

THE FRIEND OF THE CLERGY.—Yesterday the
half-yearly meeting of the promoters of this society was
held at the offices of the Royal General Annuity Society,
Basinghall-street, for the purpose of electing six pensioners
on the funds. The Rev. J. E. Cox occupied the chair, and
in opening the business, observed that the objects of the so-
ciety were to make some permanent provision for the widows
and orphan unmarried daughters of clergymen of the
Established Church, and to extend relief by loan or other-
wise to clergymen who were embarrassed by temporary dif-
ficulties. The question as to the usefulness of this institu-
tion had long been decided by the large number of candidates
at each election, and he was happy to find that there
was
every prospect of increased and permanent saccess.
receivedlle h
much pleasure in announcing that the society had
acodlolongaet,ioonxofforsdol:
andfro alsmto masteran
en
from the president and fellows of Magdalen o g
ealnddon fellowsa
Co lle of
n of
It.
e, Oxford;
tgJuoinhs
guineas
d to the election of six pensioners from a
list of 56 candidates, and the result having been declaim
gd jhoegnupin coecaesefdr the Dean of Christchurch. The meet..
proceeded
the business terminated. annu