The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1843-06-01
Literary Copyright.
MIR. EpIToR;-
Ii was with the greatest Indignation that

| berof Ason's Europe, published by the Harpers =
The present number contains 100 pages and Is sold
| as usual at % cents. The entire work will occupy |
Is numbers, the price OF the whole being dollars
| How different this from the English system of pub |
fishing y Nc, &c (See Courier and Enquirer, May |
5h) This is adding insult 10 injury this editor
| not content with taking the property of another
mans BRAIN, must make it the subject for an unme.
| rited encomum on the publishers OF this country,
and an unjust reflection on those OF STrea, brltan'
| Gle says the same work can be obtained IN
Great Britain for not less than IL times the sum
| but does he not know the reason why the prlce Is
| higher in the country than IN the other II ne
| .ice of merchandise (Which is the mans oook)
| has been paid for, III this country 1t has NOT -
| The English publisher and public have paid mr.
| Allison for his property Chs emanatlOn OF his
! bran)-they have paid HIM for his eight years Ia
bour; Messrs. Harpers have not done so, and there
is the reason why the book is cheaper In one coun
| try than In The other.
Because there is no law against the right to
another mans literary work, Is there no feeling
| mghtier than any law on the statute book, that
| tells us that when take the result OF another
mans labor without pay ing hun for It, we are rob-
| hing HIM! Are Messrs. Harpers, Speaking conscl-
entiously, less culpable, because the written law
| does not protect the poor author!
| The right to that property-the undivided, the ao-
| solue rights as strong, and ought to De held as
sacred, as all other kinds of property But hear Mr.
| Webb little furher-He is pleased to say, that
this work can be read only by the arlstocracy OF
Great Britain, the price precludng the masses from
reading it which is false. But allowing 1t to be
| true, is it not better that the arstocracy OF Europe
should have The benefit OF IT., rather than the world
| should not possess it at all which they certainly
| would not, had the author not been protected by
| copyright Tor what man 10 there so insane as 10
spend eight years of his life in laborlous research,
if he is not TO have the benefit of IT afterwards
| What man is there that would labor to amass
wealth, ii he knew that at its explra;lon the frst
robber might legally step and take It from himI
1t has been asserted by some miserable s0phsts,
| that man of genius does not require protection
that he would write whether protected or not-that
he cares not tor mOney-and that consequently
copyright can only be benefit to publishers. This
Is an argument, If argument 1t can be called, winch
ls often advanced, and which have no doubt MIR.
Webb is fully versed in. But did It never occur to
these gentlemen, that man OF genius must live Is
he any the less human, because he is genius! II
there is difference do you not think that his feel
ngs will be more acute than those OF ordinary men,
and will he not therefore feel the more poignanty
the ablect situation When robbed OF his property,
he has no other means of living. but in getting the
aid of others Are his children to be robbed OF
their patrimony, because their father was man OF
genius? Do you think that IT will be no conso alton
to such man on his death bed, that his family are
provided forl Can it be possible that in this, the
nineteenth century, there are men to be found 80
vile to advocate this injustice to poor authors
class of men to whom the world owes so much,
class which requires more the nurturlng care OF
government than any Other from us proverbial
| want of knowledge of the world, mixing more with
| books than with men.
French authors labor under the same disadvan-
tase those of England Their works, within
fortnight OF their appearance IN Paris are repnblis-
ed by those Continental pirates, (Les brares Bciges)
for fourth Of the French price, and is 1t not
most monstrous thing that such injustice should be
tolerated bv the very man who owes his crown
| to the forbearance of the French arms? As
melancholy example of this Injustice, there IS
the of A. Thierry, who spent fourteen years OF
his life in compiling his work on Normandy. Before
he had finished II he became blind, lrretrievaby
so What then can support this victim OF genius
Why, by giving him throughout the world proper
ty in his works. But no-the first part of his work
no sooner appear, than it is published In Belgium,
at a runous price, and for which Therry gets not a
cent.
FRENCH PosT OFFICE LAWS The first titre, or
chapter, establishes towns of the two countries, from
which letters for one another are 10 be despatched.
The French towns are-PaIis, Calais. Bouogne,
Dieppe, Havre, Cherbourg, Granville, ST. Malo, in
the Channel. The English towns are London,
Dover, Brighton. Southampton, Jersey and Guern-
s-y. For the Mediterranean: the French post bu-
redun of transmission are-ParIs. Marseiles, the
office at Alexandra, Smyrna, the DardaIeIes and
| Constantinople. The English are-Alexandria, I'll
| braltar and Malta.
The principal transmission of letters between the
coun res takes place between Doverand Calais, six
days week. the French GOvemmenl will send on
the seventh day, weather permitting
BY the eighth article, the posi-0oats viii continue
their services without interruption, even 10 tlme OF
war until one OF The Governments shat have ssnl-
fled its wish that the service should cease.
In ports where regular government steamers do
not exist, private vessels and steamers may be EN-
ployed to carry bags. For this purpose post-box
shall be put up board the packet tor the reception
| OF letters.
There is nothing new in the regulation of the Lee
| want correspondence, which continues to be trans
mltted three times month.
Letters may be frapked not; and lttres charges,
or particularly recommended, may be sent in both
countries The English post-ofice is to pay to the
French two francs for every thirty grammes OF let
tiers not ranked; and in the same case the French
post office will pay the English shilling ounce.
Letters from France to England, ranked, will
pay in France by the amount levied on French let
tiers by the law of 1927 The letters from Paris,
however, will pay but The tariff cf Boulogne. Let
tiers franked from England to France will pay five
pence per single letter, weighing hall an ounce.
(rhs, in addition to the tariff of Bouogne mention
ed above, will make ten pence postage between
England and Pars)
There are especial charges for letters exchanged
with ST. Malo, Cherbourg and Granville.
Journals OF either country are TO be delivered at
the port of the country TO which they are addressed
exempt from duty.
MORTALITY TABLEs.-The quarterly table OF the
mortality in ia OF the principal town and city dis
tricts OF England has just issued from the General
| Register Office The return is derived from ia
districts 33 of which comprise the metropolis, and
| the remaining 81 districts comprise the principal
| towns and cities of England At the last
June 6, ls4D the enumerated population OF the III