The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-07 00:00:00

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dear' '•--•• - - - -- • -•---- -- - - • • That this would be. elle. effect of copy tiglas he sure would apply in these cases. If the House would
~. in denied,w,,edsut he thought that there was. one class of works legislate for Milton only, surely it would be more fair,
aarkusi 11 it might have this effect-this was in popular more gratifying to their minds, and more honourable to
6'; tx„e' requiring prints and maps to illustrate them. the name of the illustrious individual, and also more
s .he c. °sive editions of works had entirely vanished ; but benefieial to his descendants, that all these works should
~
~use
teicieollected the time when it was otherwise when, to have a copyright of forty-two years. " Comue" would
Press words of Sheridan, they saw." A rivulet of letter- not receive the immense protection proposed by the Bill
tdheo.ttwmereeandering through a meadow of margin." If of his Noble Friend ; but "Paradise Lost" would be pro-
a agreed upon the- principle that they. ought to tected more in a ratio according to its merits. Then take
' . %al; ti!cwile means of more largely rewarding authors Dryden. The Bill of the Noble Lord would protect the
~ etead .ue.Y at present were, he asked in what manner bad verses the poet composed on Oliver Cromwell, pub-
; The_ it be effected better than in the mode now proposed? lished in 1658, and also the bad plays written by the
teetitr.eweard would be thus fair and proportionate to the poet in his youth. Ilis Noble Friend would make the
. end ,e, If there was no sale, there would be no profit ; copyright of the verses on Oliver Cromwell last till
len
would
was little sale, there would be little profit. 1726, making a period of sixty-eight years. But when
efee7"uld venture to assert that there was no case in we came to the " Fables," and the" ode on St. Cecilia's
eel tell there was no admiration for a book without some Day"-the noblest of I)ryden's productions-the term
tree of
iie.lie did sYmpathy and kindness for the author ; and of copyright was cut down to twenty-eight years.
the i, think that the great majority of readers to whom This was the difference under the Bill of his Noble
,),, ersPelaok would be increased twopence, or threepence. Friend. The bad verses and the indifferent plays of
o)4l4l:rice, would consider the payment as no hardship, Dryden would have a copyright of 65 years, while the
'tab_ tiler as a boon, that they were enabled thus to con- I " Fables " and the " Ode en St. Cecilia s Day," the lat-
ethesrete to the independence and comforts of the authors. ter published in the last years of his life, would have
tilnlepoo_rstwanaaa
~notherconsideration to which he attached great only 28 years. Then take Pope. The Bill of the Noble
and one which he thought pointed distinctly to Lord would give Pope's " Pastoral Pieces," which were
tildi,idereble extension of the period being necessary, I published when he was only 16 years old,•and were only
te.e,tt!at was permanent applause. He thought it was of remarkable for the taleet displayed at so early an age,
great
..811.1postance to induce authors to look to permanent a copyright of GO years. But when we come to Pope's
.114
el' e• There were periods in our history when no most finished production, the " Dunciad," for instance,
tiete.'"uld deny that authors looked beyond, their own the Bill would give only 30 years. Now every one of
eit,ro°, and raised their thoughts above the circumstances these works would be guaranteed a copyright of 42
1
tiketuleeding them, and beyond the hopes of the present years under the Bill he (Mr. Macaulay) proposed. He
kerai ne was most decidedly of opinion that the ephe- I would give all the works of Milton, Dryden, and
literal Productions of' the present day did no good to Pope, a copyright of' 42 years each. Again, let them
Inc tire. They ought to hold out to authors some-in- revert to the first work of Dr. Johnson. It
tai cut to look beyond the. taste of the day, and to was a translation of a bock called " Travels in Als's-
tanire to improve and correct it.-(Cheers.) On that sinia," a work of no value, published in 1735. Indeed,
tentl"tu he urged the House to grant a period of at least the merit of the book was so poor, that Johnson did not
kitisaY;five years after the author's death, as he felt wish to allude to it in his latter days, and when his friend
14,
.., d that any shorter period would be insufficient. Boswell told him he had picked it up, the Doctor begged
10 yen °llld not do his duty to the House if he did not him not to notice it. Yet, to this work, the Bill of his
tlee:.',. to the general feeling existing on this subject Noble Friend would give a copyright of 75 years. But
pet..irshout Europe. From Russia to Spain, either the what period would he give to the " Lives of the Poets?"
lad T of copyright', had been extended, or attempts Thirty years. What to the " Tour of the Hebrides?"
topee",een made to extend it. In France the law gave a Thirty-six years. So here, in the works of one man,
it. eght of twenty years after the death of an author was this enormous range, from 75 years to the first, to
to e, event of his leaving any kindred, and a period of 36 to the last. Now, was it not better that he (Mm'. Ma-
slie, ears absolutely. He had already alluded to the caulay) should interfere, by merely coming in with the
tiirt&ent report of that great poet and upright states- addition of 14, thus making the whole difference of copy=
Perm :1. Delamartine, and he would, with the right to Johnson's works range between 42 and 49 years.
hat salon of the House, again quote from it. Take Fielden. The first of his works was • one that no
to the rePort stated that " France was more indebted one would read before he had read " Tom Jones." When
tos tii Pencil of her artists and to the pen of her authors Fielden wrote the " Templeßeau,The had not exceeded the
tenrde high station she held in Europe, than even to the age of' 21 or 22 years. Yet to the " Temple Beau," and
those of her warriors. Should injustice be done to all the other bad plays written in Fielden's youth, the
the leaden ? No ! Let it be the part of France to take Bill of .the Noble Lord would give a copyright of from
Ise -li"- of Europe in this particular, and do justice 42 or 52 years; but to" Tom Jones," for the sakeof which
e her -
epaliterary men." What M. Delamartine said of the others would be read, the Bill of his Noble Friend
11,47ce, he (Lord Mahon) would say of England-let would not give a protection of more than 30 year s.
amariltud take the lead of - Europe, and be the first to And the same would be the case under his Noble Friend's
to thee encouragement for her literary men by securing principle with every eminent writer. John Burke, for ex-
liteent a proper reward for their labours. It was well ample. His first little tract, which was an imitation of
Illy I_ll that the distresses of literary men were peculi- Lordßolingbroke,wouldnowscarcelyberead,waspublislied
elliet‘neart-rending and afflicting. The same sensibility in 1756. and to that his Noble Friend would give a pro-
asit4"_enabled the author to attain to a high point of ex- tection of 65 years, whilst he would give 30 years only
it :'e,.in his work, served only to aggravate his suffer- to " rho French Revolution" and " The Regicide Peace."
tli,,,,act embitter his situation. The same imagination that He (Mr. Macaulay) would give eleven years more to
thrlvered him to describe beautiful scenes, rendered him " The French Revolution," and 14 more to " The
ae,l,ll°re unfit to contend with the harsh realities of life Regicide Peace," There was no doubt that those later
4inih"'• same imagination which ever made him proud of works were those to which they should give long pro-
esne,e'nourable calling, even in his distress, and which tection. He had shown that the protection given by his
)44'1 'lave placed him in a different position in another Noble Friend varied between enormous limits ; he
Ifel life, was to him the greatest addition to his pain- could conceive no reason in justification of this,
alinieleness in a lowly state.-(Hear.) That same power excepting that those which had long protection
his ' as a manufacturer or merchant, would hate should be the 'best works, and that those which
lien'll him high in the world, was actually turned against received short protection should be the worst
tme-s'ettod it had been said that his genius ought to be suf- works ; but such would not be the case. You might
hit for him of' itself, and that ho- ought not- to. ask for turn and twist this question all the world over, but still
ktte•----(llear, hear.) He was not drawing an imaginary would find the same thine- to be the case. Go to Greece
illtislittee. He could name many eminent individuals as and Rome, you would findw it the same. In Greece, to
a‘v,ouldr4tlons to the contrary, but he would not. He the worst works of Sophocles would be given the longest
%vid 3,Pare their feelings ; but he trusted that those in- protection, whilst to CEilipus the protection would be
41.5."13 would be present to the minds of Hon. Mem short. The worst 'work of Demosthenes, which was
'if Let them take care that in injuring the interests 'the'" Oration against his Guardians," and which would
kilth
riat.they were not also injuring the interests of not be read had his name not been to it, would receive
4 i Iwn• He would take, for example, such a work as a long protection, whilst his work "On the Crewn "
114 , Life of Nelson." They might depend upon it , would receive a much shorter protection. In Rome, the
laetkithat book had animated many a young sailor, and first work of Cicero, "De Inventione," would receive a
'lleyraged him to the 'performance of great exploits. long protection, whilst his eloquent speeches would
i 44 b °light depend upon it that many a 3 oung ' heart have but a short protection. In Spain, the worst copy-
-5,, teen inspired by its perusal to betake himself from right, but the belt Work of Cervantes, was " Don
ltN4-1-,sics of peaceful industry and to step forward Quixote." In France, again, the " Plaideyeurs" ofßaeine
"ae '-f.nee Of his country, under the influence of that would receive a long protection, whilst the beautiful work
►lssit eeling of enthusiasm and admiration which- the " Athele" would receive little protection ; and in Ger-
%stirred up within him. He had just been informed many the worst work of Schiller, which was his - " Rob-
tile in Right Hon. Friend near him (Mr. C. Wynn) that bers, ' would receive a much better protection than his
1/4,N1 1,84 i ce he had supposed was not an imaginary one, " Wallenstein." He feared ho wearied the House.
),
'4. to 4 the 'eldest son of no less a man than the late It was not a matter of chance that operated in
kak'anning, had been induced, by a perusal of the this manner. If the Noble Lord would sit down
'lNife, t° which lie had alluded, to enter the naval with him and draw up a list of the books which,
fit •(Hear, hear.) He' might state to the House, by his plan,. would have a copyright of sixty years, and
iii,1..1: owhenl Sergeant Talfourd had introduced his of those that would have a term of flirty years, lie would
14 of the four classes interested in the subject- find that this last class included far better works than
kiiiot'e authors, the publishers, the printers, and the the former. It was a plain case; fin. the plan of his
~ hie S„ three of those classes were strongly opposed Noble Friend gave the longest copyright to the books
imieilteeasure • but, by the changes and modifications written at the earliest period of men's lives, fur if a man
:tlttc,the (Lord Mahon) had introduced, he had been published a book, as Pope did his " Pastorals," at six-
t'illl ,-; 10 obtain the support of alt the leading teen, he would of course have the largest term of copy-
i't Se-;, the four classes ;• and that was proved by right. Now, they knew this, that although it: was per-
tup I, that they had presented,-- on a former evening, fectly true that young men often displayed extra-
IN;Pat die petitions in favour of the Bill; Under these ordinary powers of genius, yet the juvenile works
~•,"Itse.atenceelie would leave the casein the hands of the of great men were not generally their best.
Ctli th he would recommend the measure to them, It was very far, indeed, from being the case even
. „
,Y )4, f'., eonviction that, by, encouraging literature, and with regard to works of imagination, in which yOung
ilfeirv'cling for its protection, they would not merely men were nearly on a par with old mon, for it -was not
hie the ttPon those who cultivated letters a personal boon, the fact that the greatest works of imagination were '
kitilY would extend to the nation at large a public written by men under thirty-they were the works
1, kr %.•-,;:(Ilear, hear.) . -of men under thirty-five. With regard to works of
; ivi,r424C_ AULAY then rose and said, that although ' imagination of the highest class, they could be. assigned
;lieecie4-11oni so fortunate, as to agree with his Noble ' to men under forty, for whatever powers a man might
44141 in that House, he had always had occasion to possess, still, as Alarmontel observes, no m.aneould paint
,ritqledge time great kiiidneSs with which his Noble Portraits till he had seen faces-no man, till lie 11911 seen
Si 1 Yoke of `himself personally ; and upon that occa- life and society could become a great painter, either. of
t'Qty: had to thank him fiw a very rare, as well as a life or of society. lii the use of language,. too, as with
t,"Nt :tit compliment ; for he believed that that was the all other instruments,, practice gave skill, and. there.
reeceesion ,on which a speech "made in one Parlia- was also the freedom front those &dew vque
,',Y dihil(4rl been answered in &tail in another. It would which a man gradually threw away during
i'; RI, 'nit for him if he thought it advisable to do so) his life. Even with works of imagination in that. class
i(lo)llletttvt.‘ll,at moment through the topics to which his of books, those his Noble Friend particularly favoured
E, anti it "end had adverted,, and to repeat the argue were not. likely to prove the best, while those he particu-
s, 'tight 114,(1 the observations which ho had last year larly discountenanced were likely to be so, for lie gave
a43se• forward ; but he - thought it utterly unne- this enormous addition to books published at an early
S,',4leYl,nt° ,Ivander to those topics b followingte r thee d, part of his life, and did nothing for those published
-I,:i 1'144,1\1 in the details into which hey haelen , within three years previous to an author's death.
iti',..`7l(l t;ver might be the objections of his Noble To books published in the last three. years of life
t- -"e last- the s -eh which he (Mr. Macaulay) had lie gave nothing, and to those published in the last
ill. e FT--
e, ay Year, his measure was all drawn up in con- seventeen years of life,
.he gave less than he (Mr.
011 t „r wallthat speech. He had objected to a copy- Macaulay) proposed to give. To works published during
11,11',44 hsipy years as inordinately long; and his Noble the last seventeen years of life, he (Mr. Macaulay) gave
a 7„ kii(f,,,' cut-down the term to twenty-five years. Ho a much longer term of protection. No person acquainted
I,i`k,d ipat there was danger lest books might be sup- with literary history, could take all time works written in
-1 it C4'01,1 the copyright were so much extended ; and ! the last. 17 years of the life of literary men, without
li-kea , e Friend had come forward with a clause ! being struck with the contrast these works presented 'to
Otamate3tPressly for the purpose of meeting that evil. those put forward at an earlier period, and which were
4111,Iiieife!I to 'inn, therefore, that if lie were to employ 1 the objects of the Noble Lord's protection. This one
me• dee eltle,unsvvering the speech of his Noble Friend' in I argument seemed to hint to decide the question conn-
SiPti,64AVlg his own Bill, but the Bill brought for- pletely, and he would now shortly and rapidly run. over
~,IShr.sr- Sergeant 'Talfourd last year-if he were to a few, and but a few, names of English works published
Idly we "1_ self in arguing in defence of principles . . 1 which I within 250 years, and to which his proposal would give
IL' Ili, erre- not then in question at .all between himself the longest term of copyright, and his Noble Friend
qo er',',?ble Friend-he should be throwing away the would find that it included, with scarcely an exception,
11:: lin'"e Committee. He proposed, therefore, to con- every great work, every work that constituted the lite-
Sell' l-lself strictly to the matter ' then under nary glory of the nation in tile- eyes of the world. He
p. certainly did not give so lung te term as his Noble
ti',l-..:()n3ideration-to -what he had never o
1:4 qpilalluely, to Friend to " Love's Labour Lost," but to. the other
the protection to be given to
of Shaltspeare, the noble dramas of " Lear,"
iltiteli lettere. When .Mr. Sergeant Talfourd had plays
411 t 41 1 • Bill last he didnot
fsi., lies his year oppose its e‘ Macbeth," " Othello," the. " Tempest," to' all these
he gave a longer term than his Noble Friend. The
liloon`l°ll, and he had :never countenanced any vexa- -
'‘iileBition tO the measure. He could even assure list included Spenser's " Faerie Queene," the" Novuin
04, Friend that he had intended upon that occa- organoo," and the "De Augmentis," " Clarendon's
Itlttsevt)te for the second reading of the Bill, and to History," " Paradise Lost," the 0 Fables" of Dryden,
tees"
. min
tee met the had to say until the House might have and his
~" Ode to St. Cecilia," thei " andSpe.etator... .
13/4,' kt /1,() Committee But Mr. Sergeant Talfourd had " latter of Aatiisonohe works of Goldsmith, the. UM
ki,,Nr,.." conclusion of his speech, that he desired that tories of Hume and Gibbon, Smith's " Wealth of Na-
:a,nd, he
time poetry of Burns and Byron.
If 1/ ICin large
vote with him who was inclined toeut tious,"
t,ell'ail-a.riarge portion of the 60 years. He had said believed, with the single exceptions of Wa-
-094,. -4-enlbers who might be disposed to shorten the verly," all the novels .- of Sir Walter Scott.
1/44 et to diminish the protection, that he did not He thought he might venture to defy his Noble Friend
tk itetr they should give him their support-that lie
lil
to match that liet which he had just. enumerated, to
which his (Mr. Macaulay's) proposition would give a
tiy, It, teeir support ; and that it was impossiule for
S,,‘, to n' Members, under the circumstances of the longer term of copyright than the Noble Lord's would.
tl,,Nt.4?te for the second reading while it would be In the case of Spenser's " Faerie gnome" and ' Paradise
ii.'likti"l(--! to him to receive their co-operation. But I Lost," the addition would be 12 and 14 years. He. thought
tl:lisaaheotne to time present discussion under different i now, if he had shown that, 011 the one hand, his Noble
'b.t_tataces. Ile (Mr. Macaulay) was -not indisposed I Friend distributed protection unequally, whilst lie (Mn'.
M.) distributed it equally ; and, on the other hand, that
•' as the protection given to men of letters •, he was
114 N 3t, tea& ►• niuch more ready, than his his Noble Friend's inequality of protection operated
L, 3t, ,or
enlarge
,
against the best master-pieces, and in favour of the worst
that protection but he
producticins of authors, that he had established a case
„fa tile inotdje iirailarandelich his pNoble' Friend' pro-
4{' CI
teethilre(' t that whichwas a common object to for the amendment which he meant to propose. •He
: . i e ...
l'ati, was abad mode, and he thought the med.) thought that other ielva?tages,also would arise from his
llit'llis Fri amendment. One of thou was, that it a oulu ee mins
to suggest would be a better one. His
to
il ,lthat the right should be
.1,,, lth ell- propose,.
t Viii . 1 .
clfi‘Ludition of 25 years. lie (gre Macaulay) Noble Friend's Bill, , He (Mr. Macaulay) was willing,
t1,,,',4 "l'it the copyright should be for life, or for a if the House consented, to add 14 years to the 28 already.
s lie 42 y .
tA,' aq ears, whichever would be the longer. He given. That would form real protection.. He was wil-
t !,' ~,,,t`) add a term of 14 years to the term of 23 ling to take the risk which might arise from the opera-
i%`kkl'Alii',',„''', if the Committee would bear with him, he tion of his propositions in the case of any extraordinary
llta nstrate as far as leie."l mattersu of that kind were whim which might seize any person who might become
I,teeeitat•e °l•demo'n'Stration, that what he proposed was possessed of that term. It was a great advantage to every
ilOmait'alnore reasonable, a greater boon to men of trade that it should not bedom trade, ttery. They should
t Ater ,4 nMeli greater advantage to the public, than always aim, in legislating upon to put trade in such
,l'r*stt:l Li:II sir' Noble Friend asked the House to adopt. a situation that every person engaged in it should make
,e,,!tN:ivt-ellt, that, with respect to rewards for literary- 1. 0 per cent., rather than that one of the parties engaged
I '2oanal another nothing at
tee,,st I,was of the greatest importance that they in it should ma ce per cent. .
4tlkt . Per ••. equally distributed, that those which all. He conceived, upon all the principles of. trade, and
ti •liiel • .
lir: ' kuld ohs should receive the least encourage-
his .
..
of thepatronage which ought to be given to literature,
las tin,b
advisablelpreferable
v, el east se of a contrary tendency should receive proposition was a very one, an.
Bearing this mind, iu,:7,4,:hte;ti-owßeL 'in he thought he would to that of his Noble Friend. When they came to the 3d
t 1, , that what he proposed was decidedly clause, lie meant to move to leave out the words " and
Friend. f • further •of 2'' • -commencing at the time
1/44 q, "I what was proposed by his Noble on a terns 25 'years, ears, _
~
•le liietlnality he admitted they could not have, be- of this claim :" and when they came to the words 28
Ntitt)6(,%,,'",uld be a part of the term and life was sub- years," he proposed to substitute for the words" twenty.-
,t,cii Ilka ie,it,tie.s, and of uncertain length' ; but if they eight" the words " forty-two." He conceived that if
41 to .1. sttively prevent inequality, they might do they adopted his proposition, they would give a great
llOhtes'illiainish it by good legislation. It was iinpos- boon to literature at the smallest possible inconvenience
114'0..1N:t-it.° Perceive how great,was the inequality under to the Public.
tutee al' thlstenn: Take the instances of two contempo- Sir ROBERT INGLIS was frilly aware of the disad-
le -sea enr
„ 14,, ed . ovvn -two ladies who were eminently dis- vantage under which lie laboured in rising to address the
1,.-'iardeln it the lighter works of fiction. He referred Committee upon this subject immediately after his Right
NI illieet4i b'Arblay and Miss Austin. Muss Austin Hon. Friend. Among those of late years who had
1i,4,..- aL,l' after the publication of her well known spoken in that house, be knew but of one who could on.
ili; sTilee•rtne D'Arblay the authoress of " Evelina," such a subject have' ventured to enter the lists with his
e,slee7 the copyright 'of her work for sixty years. Right lion. Friend, and that was one whose memory
,ielez lei-x-rerielid estimated the difference between the both himself and his Right Hon. Friend regarded with
diminished the feelings of the deepest affection-he meant the late Sir
're-N. t4,..v Jeers ;he (Mr. Macaulay)
''''s. 1e.144; tau eighteen years. If they examined the lite- James Mackintosh.-(Cheers.) He (Sir Robert Inglis)
eiltilt?,lkat'.7 lit this country, and took the works could not follow the Right Hon. Gentleman through the
4.‘01k
etedi illen fur the two last centuries, they great and illustrious of literary men, whose names were
reapmelifind a single case in which his own Prin.. an honour to their country ;. neither did he feel it neces-
-4 -"'"•- - 11(4, be preferable to that of his Noble sary to do so. It was sufficient for him that his Right
\ (11
hint in the consideration of this ,
qt4ll: „- -%r, hear.) Take, for example, Milton. non,. Friend had omitted to make any allusion
subject,
,!"ktkke s,l44,'4Ydvig_ tit of all excellent works, the Bill of his most important
.I,(N* all 4k would give a much less period-the advan- namely, to what would be the feelings of the dying au -
proposition. At
that moment,
to' 't a• t°nlled period would be given only to his thor with regard to his
ii7k!likii4lLk,!..• htiltonpuhlished his -"Comas" in 1636. when he most required. consolation, he might, tinder the
tin',lletathe
.his Noble Friend would give a copyright 'proposition ,of his Right Hon. Friend, be left to stiffer
feelings that he was leaving his fa-
,,i;,L hilt 3 ears -,- but to "Paradise Lost" he would from the agonising
emit,
x-eiebil., thirty-one years. To " Paradise Regained," mily destitute-that the reward of his labours would die
"4'4(1 Agonfstes," IT would give but twenty- with him. Take the case of' an author who had survived
m M- 1 ' ) his ' le for forty-two pars. His family at his
c'w, see how his (-le -acau ay s mea- great )4141.

'Path woul I be left to the mercy of the worl 1, wh''c
under the proposition of his Noble Frie el, an
author thus situated would have the Certainty of
leaving behind him a prpperty by which. his family
might be maintained through the exertion of his mind in
the same manner as if he had applied his abilities to
the improvement of any mechanical art. His Right
Hon. Friend had not made any allusion to that argu-
ment; that in every nation of Christendom, with tin
single exception of Austria, the right of an author to a
property in his works .after his death was distinctly re-
cognised. With the single exception of Austria, Oleic
was not a State in Europe which did not give this po,-
thumous interest in his works to an author, so that the
ussposition of his Noble Friend was not so unprere-
dented as his Right Hon. Friend had assumed it to be.
The question of the comparative merits of the two
propositions could not be determined merely by the
statement of his Right Hon. Friend. His Right Hon.
Friend had indeed gone through a long and brilliant
catalogue of authors who would have been benefited
by the extension of the copyright to forty-
two years, but with. the single exception of Sir
Walter Scott, he had omitted all allusion to the authors
of the present generation.
Mr. MACAULAY—Lord Byron.
Sir ROBERT H. INGLIS begged his Right Hon.
Friend's pardon. With the exception, however, of these
two great names, no allusion whatever had been made
to any authors of the present generation. • He believed
that of all the illustrious authors now living, one only
had ever sold the copyright of his works, and in his
case his first endeavour had been to recover that copy-
right. lie would not attempt, for he knew that in his
case it would be fruitless, to follow -his Right Hon.
Friend is the wide range of literature which he tra-
versed ; bat in the case of the authors of the present
century, it was clear that Mr. Southey, and Mr. Words-
worth, and Mr. Campbell, would, by the Bill of his
Noble Friend, derive that benefit with respect to their
literary works which it was the object of al' they should.
He trusted they would not hear, certainly they had not
heard from his Right Hon. Friend, any of those political
economy objections to that protection which literature
had a right to claim. Taking therefore his illustrations
from the living literature of England, and from that
which had recently adorned it, the proposal of his Noble
Friend would afford more protection to that litera-
ture than would be given by his Right Honour-
able Friend. Take, for example, the three greatest
poems of Southey, the greatest poems of Mr. Words-
Worth, the greatest works- of Mr. Campbell and Mr.
Rogers, and the proposition of his Noble Friend Would
give that protection to those authors which would not
be given by his Right Hon. Friend. He believed the
"Pleasures of Memory" was published in 1796, but by
the proposition of his Right Hon. Friend, the copyright
would cease the moment they had the misfortune to
lose Mr. Rogers. In the case of ril Sir Walter Scott's
poems the copy-eight, supposing him to be still alive,
and that he. were to die in the present year,- would be
in the possession of his family for an entire generation.
It was a presumption, also, in favour of his Noble Friend's
proposition, that it was adopted in effect by every country
of Europe, except Austria. In France the copy-
right was extended to twenty years, and such was the
progress of public opinion in that country, that a pro-
position to extend the term to thirty years was carried
inone House of the French - Legislature, and another
preposition still more extensive was 'n contemplation;
and here he should unite his voice in the expression of
that opinicn of respect and gratitude which, in the
course of •his most able and elaborate speech, the Noble
Lord had elicited, and which showed him a worthy suc-
cessor to his predecessor in the cause.—(Hear, hear.)
In France the copyiight was thirty years, in Belgium it
was twenty, and if the copyright had been perpetual in
Spain, the posterity of Cervantes would have been
enriched by the profits of " Don Quixotte," a work
which was produced under the greatest difficulties,
In Russia the copyright was far more extensive than in
any other country—a fact which certainly afforded a
lesson to England, considering the superior enlighten-
ment of England. Under these circumstances he felt
himself called upon to support the Bill of his Noble
Friend, and he trusted that it would receive the appro-
bation of- the House. For the good, the proposition
was valuable ; for the bad, it was inefficacious ; and
whilst all must rejoice in the latter effect, he was sure-
that every right-thinking man would rejoice in the former.
Mr. WAKLEY said the Noble Lord had, in :his
opinion, entirely failed to show any necessity fOr an
alteration in the existing law. lie had indeed stated
that authors had petitioned the House for an alteration,
but he would ask what right had they to complain ? lie
was prepared to show before a Committee of that House
that within the last 40 years the authors of this country
had received for their labours a sum altogether unex-
ampled in the history of literatelv. Sir Walter.. Scott
alone. had received the enormous sum of 250,000/.
Where was there anything equal to it in ancient times ?
--(Hear, hear.) The Noble Lord altogether confined
his sympathy to literary. men. Why not be equally con-
siderate to the authors of mechanical inventions, which
often displayed powers of mind superior to those of mere
literary men ? The whole question was .argued here as
a question qua authors ; the public were entirely for-
gotten, although if the public ceased to read, the incomes
of authors would be immediately cut off. Committees
had sat in 1813 and 1818 to investigate this subject.
Fourteen years were at length added to the term. The
,Right Honourable Gentleman (Mr. Macaulay) was
willing to added fourteen more. He (Mr. Wakley) re-
gretted that the Right Honourable. Gentleman had made
that concession. He had broUght before them a long
catalogue of distinguished authors. The works of' those
authors were produced under the old system. Did he
hope to get better works under a new system ?—(Hear,
bear.), They were produced at a time when authors
'worshipped something of a more estimable character
than the molten calf. Authors, in the present day, de-
voted themselves solely to pelf and to the gratification
Of an avaricious feeling.(No, no.) If it were not so,
why were they now making application to Parliament
for an increase of reward ? Why were they not satisfied
With the rewards which were received by such men as
Milton, Shakspeare, Bacon, and Locke? He knew
of nothing more degrading to literary men than
such an application as the present. It was sur-
prisine.. , if they supposed they had a good case, that
they had not sought for a Committee to obtain further
information. What was the evidence of the publishers
in the Committees ? Mr. Murray, in 1813, was asked
whether, if the copyright was extended to twenty-eight
years, the price would be increased to authors P. His
answer was, that he did not think it would, because
they could not calculate upon the value of the copyright
extending to 23 years. On being asked, in 1818, whe-
ther he thought it would be an advantage to authors to
have the contingency of twenty-eight years turned into
a certain ty, his reply was, that, in his opinion, it would
not ; there waanot one case in a hundred in which the
sale would continue more than 14 years. Were they, then,
to legislate for the one case and neglect the ninety-nine ?
Were they to speculate for those men who ehlbse to be
so disinterested, and carry their minds so far foi ward as
to write entirely for posterity, and forget the present
times ?—(Hear, hear.) Men were not generally anxious
about what might happen when they had ceased to exist ;.
their anxiety was in a /.;leat measure confined to the
events which might Occur during their life-time. Men
looked no doubt to a lasting reputation, but they were
desirous that that reputation should grow up while
they could enjoy it. It was like men who planted woods
for their posterity, while they also expected that they
would be of use' to them for their own game. Now, with •
regard to the alleged paucity of books, lie would ask
what indications there were of such a paucity ? If they
applied at Paternoster-row, or at Mr. Tho Mas Tegg's,
in Cheapside, they would find there' were plenty of books
to be had, and at a very reasonable price too. No doubt
there were authors, f'or whose productions there was no
sale. It was to be deplored that these men had suffered
from miscalculating their own powers, or the public
taste ; but no interferanee of the Legislature could
ameliorate their condition. A poet, • according to the
origin of the word, was a maker, a manufacturer ;
he invented something out of nothing. But he should
like to know why any distinction should be made be-
tween poets and all other inventors. Look to Jenner,
the discoverer of vaccination. Let them compare the
works of any of their modern authors with the invention
of that man ; fat them think of the hundreds of thou-
sands of human- beings whom he had saved from death,
and the millions Whom he had saved from destitution.
But time descendants of Jenner were not, knocking at
their doors asking for a reward for his.discovery. The
discovery of Joiner was made known- to the public, and
thousands availed themselves of it. Bat, if such a dis-
covery were published in a book, no party could copy
that discovery for a period of 42 years, and they would
thus have given a priv:lege to the author of ills
book while Jenner had had no protection whatever.
Dark at the discoVerer of the circulation of the blood—
Harvey. What were any of your literary men, com-
pared with him, or with Hunter, Hippocrates, and.
Sydenham ? Heavens ! Was.a mere writer, a thrower
together of letters, or a recorder of facts, to be honoured
by Parliament, and rewarded with 'peculiar privileges,
while such men as he (Mr. .Wakley) had named, who
had conferred unspeakable advannages in human nature,
received no protection, no consideration whatever in that
House ? There were discoverers in medical science, who
had conferred advantages on humanity that were abso-
lutely enormous. Witness many of the operations per-
formed on the human body ; the operation, for instance,
of cataract for blindness. - Human ingenuity and research
were now such, that an instrument was carried absolutely
into the globe of the eye, the very organization was
altered, the lens was carried to another chamber, the
opaque, body was dissolved, and the man walked and
saw.—(Bear, hear.) Yet to discover'the authors of such
improvements, it was often necessary 'to search through
volumes of history. Look at the case of a man who tum-
bles from a step of a house, fracturing the mansion of
the brain, through a bone 'pressing on it. Now he (Mr.
Wakiey) recollected a case, which he should never forget;
several years :tit° a farmer fell off a load of hay, and
fractured his skull. He • was taken into his house,
speechless, motionless, and perfectly insensible. He was
surrounded by his wife and nine children, and the scene
of woe that ensued he (Mr.Wakley) should never forget.
The family believed that every instant the man would
breathe his last. The surgeon, with whom he (Mr.
Wakley lived, was sent for. When he arrived he ex-
amined the depression of the hone, eut down the scalp,
introduced an elevator, raised .the bone that had been
pressing on the brain, and in less than five minutes the
man was sitting up in the bed receiving the cresses of
his 'wife and children.—(lfear, hear, hear.) But who
was the inventor of this operation ? He (Mr. Wakley)
knew something of the history of his profession, yet he
declared that at that moment .he could not tell. Such
was the. retiring and unselfish. disposition of great me-
dical men. Yet these men who existed in' thousands,
these great discoverers, did not find that their pursuits,
any more than those of literature, were the paths of plea-
sure. How did these men acquire the knoWledge and
the humanity that enabled them to dispense those bless-
ings on humanity at the bedside of the feverish, the
dying; and the sufferers from contagious diseases.