Star.
London, England, 1818-04-10 00:00:00

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LORD PALMERSTON.

The following nulletin of the state of his Lordship's
health was issued this morning :
" Stanhope-street, io o'Qock, tOth April, Ibis.
" The contusion which Lord PALMICILINTOIII received from the
ball 3s moch better, and likely to be quite well in a few days.
(Signed) " G. H. Mar, Surgeon."
The number of inquirers this morning at his Lord-
ship's house have been very numerous. The ball, we
learn, was providentially prevented from being fatal
by happening to strike one of the buckles of his Lord-
ship's braces, from which it glanced off in a slanting
•
direction round his side.

MORE CONVICTIONS FOR FORGERY.
It will be seen from our Old Bailay Report, that
another person was yesterday condemned to be exe-
cnted for uttering forged Bank -Votes, and that six
others, who had been indicted Tor forgery, but who
had been permitted to plead guilty to the minor of-
fence of having forged notes in their possession, have
`been sentenced to fourteen Tzars transportatian.

It is reported that a Message is to be brought
down from the PRINCE REGENT on Monday next, in
consequence of the Royal Marriage that has taken,
place, and of those in contemplation, to settle a pro-
vision and outfit generally on the Marriages of the
younger branches of the Royal Family.
• This morning it was stated on 'Change, that twenty
Millions of dollars have been shipped for France, Pe-
tersburgh, Berlin, and the East Indies, amounting to
five millions sterling, within the last fortnight.
The Earl of BREADALIIA NE and family arrived in
Park-lane, yesterday, from the Continent.
Yesterday a Court of Directors was held at the
East India House, when the new Directors, elected
on Wednesday last, viz. RICHARD CRICHELEY Ptow-
DEN, JOHN TIUDLEsTON, GEORGE ABERCROMBIE
ROBINSON, WM. STANLEY CLARKE, JOHN THORN-
HILL, and GEORGE RAIKES, Esqrs. took the oaths
and their seats.—JA MRS PATTESON and CAMPBELL
MARJORIBANKS, Esqrs. were chosen Chairman and
Deputy Chairman for the year ensuing.
COPY-RIGHT ACT.—As the great question of lite-
rary Property is now before Parliament, we cannot
take a better method of laying before our Readers a
few of the facts with which this questicn stands con-
nected, than by laying before them an extract from
the Summary Statement of the case drawn up by Sir
EGERTON BRYDGES, Bart. M. P. It is coatended that
the present law not only operates in numerous in-
stances with unjust and cruekweight on Authors and
Publishers, but absolutely tensV to suppress the pro-
duction and publication of many ingenious, useful,
and ornamental works. And it is argued that this is
done, not only in defiance of a regard to the rights
of property, but in a manner incompatible with those
results, of which the attainment is held out as a plea
to justify the burden :
" By a return from the British Museum it appears, that they
have gratuitously received, in ore year, under the present Act,
upwards of 1,100 articles, besides 222 pieces of music, (and let
it be remembered that, in every case where large paper copies are
taken, the Museum has a Isrge paper copy.) The number of
articles, therefore, supplied to the Eleven Public Libraries,
amounts to upwards of 12,000. And this is what the Univer-
sity of Glasgow, in their Petition for the continuance of the
present Law, are pleaseol to call • no conshisrabk burleys at titi
*hors, Pointers, and Publiders of Boatir The least amount of
this Tax is estimated at 1.1,665 a-year.
" But this is only a small proportion of the loss It inflicts on
the owners of Literary Property. These Books, thus gratui-
tously placed in Public Libraries, in the most convenient and
accessible places of all the three great divisions of the Empire,
take out of tbe.market numerous private purchasers, who are
thus furnished without expense.
" The advocates for this qppression feel the necessity of put-
ting forth some pretence on which to ground it. And we have
it in the Gla-gow Petition in words so express, that no future
ingenuity can evade, or explain them array This burden,'
says the petition, was imposed by the Statute of Queen Anne,
wilds constitutes the original and salefoundation of the desist pub-
lisher and authors to Copyright;' meaning, of course, that this
/presorted/ grant or property in Copy-right was the considera-
tion given by the public for the gratuitous supply of books to
the privileged libraries.
" When advocates mean to such gross ignorance, or gross
-falsif.cation of facts, they cannot feel very confident of the rec..'
titude or justice of their czute! Every well-read person in Eng-
land knows that there always was a common-law right in literary
property. The Act of Queen Anne only imposed new penalties
for its protection. But, were this untenable ground better au-
thorized, it could not apply to cases where no Copyright is
claimed; and these are cases on which in general the grievants
falls most heavy.
" Another argument on which the Glasgow Petition relic', is
the great utility of this gratuitous supply, and its tendency to the
advarcement of learning and the diffusion of knowledge. If
this were true, it would be no reason for taking the prooerty of
lothers without payment. If want were a justification far de-
mand, the robber would generally have a perfect defence. But
the real truth is, that this indiscriminate supply does not encou-
rage learning even in the receivers. On the contrary, it corropts
taste—withdraws attention from solid studies—and invests new
burdens for binding, buildings, and librarians, on bodies who
make poverty the plea for their claim.
" The University of Oxford seem to perceive the ground
trembling under their feet, when they catch at such a title as a
contract between Sir Thomks Bodley and the Stationers' Com-
'
pany—a contract which was indeed enforced by a decree of the
Court of Star-Chamber, but which fell with that Court In 1640,
and has been declared by Judge Willes from the Bench to be in-
capable et revival.
" A motion was made last Session for a return from these
public !Naito of those books which, within a certain period,
had been recei-ed, and not judged proper to be put up, and also
in what rnaneer these had been disposed of. Cambridge has
given a list of more than SOO articles thus rejected, and Oxford
of a great man- ; but neither Cambridge nor Oxford have told
as what they have done with them.
" When the amended Copyright Act was passed in 1614, the
entirt of its injuripu, tendency was not at all foreseen. Bit had
been, we are confident it would never have passed. They who
for tour years have been reaping the profuse, wanton, and sur-
feiting harvest, are naturally unwilling to surrender a possession
thus unexpectedly thrown upon them. But justice and policy re-
quire, on the testimony of experience, some alleviation to this evil.
" Those carts of Literature which require and deserve the
mo.t rretect:on are deeply affected by it. Many works which
wooed be at..tienal ornaments, and operate also to the encourage-
ment of trade and employment of arti,u, are for this sole reason
abendoned. In four works alone, in which a great publisher is
eeaged, the cost of eleven copies is 21981. 14s. Eleven copies
of So phens's Greek Thesaurus will take from Mr. Valpy at
hoot 4 to i,uineas ; and of his Regent's Classics, the value claim-
ed we! be nearly 1.500/. It is said, ' add the loss to the price
pi the :ale copies.' This advice is folly amounting to insult.—
ite :onetous supply has already damped the sale of small irn-
ssiens, perhaps one half ; and thus it is proposed to accumu-
fete zn additional damp in increased price!
‘. lo truth, this subject has been little understood. The Public
Notes 4:V d: numerous ; and know how to throw
~,t pluto.ele stete.oente to those who will not take the trouble
re re irtilitt. it it were understood, there can be but opinion In
all numb nut clouded by private interests."

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