The New York herald., 1850-04-01

A>ASchoSure.
RETALIATION OF ENaLIsH PusLrsHrrs in x.H
Known 10 our readers that for many years. the
authors and publishers Of Great Britain ave made
every exeEsion 10 procure from our Congress sa|
International copyright Law, which should give 70
Ensllsh writers the same control over their books
in America which they have at home Il ha,
been generally understood, tso, that the Eagl,sh
government has been ready to reclprocste such an
act OF legislative protection, and accord to our
authors the same rights in England which rhry
asked for theirs on this side OF the water. In ths
hope, probably, of finally succeeding in their Just
demand, the British publishers have hitherto
granted TO our authors handsome copyrights,
which, in many instances, have amounted to very
large sums. There was an nderstauding among
British houses that the publisher who first goe out
an American book should not be interfered With;
and things went along very smoothly, uati few
months ago, when q dispute SEQ land
between two rival publishers of the works Of Rev
Albert Barnes, Of Philadelphia, which was re-
ferred to Judicial tribunal. II was claimed By
the old house, which had obtained from Mr..
Barnes an early copy for re-prlnting (they paying
certain sum for the same), that they held tae
privilege, solely, of making and selling the book
In Great Britain; and the defence of the rival
house was, that the American author could mold
no copyright claim abroad, TO work Of his which
had been published the United States Tns
case was ably argued on both sides, by learned
jurists, and the decision was that AN American
author had copyright in Great Britain
This settled the whole question; and wuhIn
thirty days, shilling editions Of the works o
our best auth, were sold at all the book
stalls and railway stations In the British islaaos.
Longfellow, and Irving, and Cooper, and Others,
fell from stately octavos into pocket pamphlets,
at a shilling volume. OF course no more
copyright money could be expecsd TO come to thu,
county. Pirating became the order Of the day
what was sauce for the goose was sauce TO. tbs
gsndeI-tit for tat the old game resorted to
and when Euglishmau, who had been &C.
customed to pay five dollars for one OF Irvlng's
books, got il for one shilling, he opened his eye.
and asked why he had been made such fool oil
all his life ? This was all right, England said
and 20 say we. Greater fool, John Bull. IN he
had not ihoneht If dong all this long before ne
will low show his VIII doing up matters last,
to make up tor lost time.
But The reprint ot our anthors, Ia pirate, WAS
but half the game of English publishers Joho
Bull, with all his spirit. bear- good deal ot pr
vocation sonnet mes, before he rrt1llates b.t ne
Is q isrrib fellow when his pluck IL up, and he
awfully long w,nded aud long pursed. tn war
is 10 be car,ed into hiIica rn- Lndoi pu oil -hr
seem dett Imlne To hold rivalry nn TIER
own gror nd. Henry q. Boho, OF Gov at Gard q.
London, one of Ihr greatest pobl shrrs anu b.,oA-
b. Iitrs in the woTld---a man Uf learning, talept
taste, fortune, and vast business aud literary pa-
bexioDs-has sent 10 n house IN New York all ms
publications., most # which ale printed aud Ill ~
tIsted IN The substantial md sly le of Lpndos
and which are now sold IN our market for less ihaa
the public have been made TO Iay for very 9
billy printed Am, rican eotlon- Of he same wosks
hal Our her dn nftf n m
say; for we believe there is no do ibt hut that
better book can he made for given sum IN Lon
con than IN New foik English paper stout-r,
tt fer and better, than ouy- II being niad- chiefly
OF linen STOCK; our. for the most part, ,-ing of
cotton English be-, ks are almost invariably better
prinrs d, and far brier bound tnrIr engravDgs aad
illustrations are generally ia, superior o~a,
and their books, whole, are beaver, haad-
touier, and better Manufactured IL, therefore,
Mr.. Bohn Is determined to gut our market with
elegant editions OF English wWks, which have
inferior Sly l~, the public will certainly be b-n@tt-
ted by The process; and. therefore, VI. c.unat bst
wish Mr. Bohn aud Other English PUBLISHERS, AID
she,r aeen's IN Nsw io,k, toe greatest sacce's s;
Us 10 consist In patron zing the m-n who furnish
the best srice for the lowest Price.
. There Is another advantage To our countrym n
IN this movement. Mr. B.hn s~nds over to MS
agents all his publications, n very rrduc-d prc
embracing many hundreds of volumes Ia everv
paiim.nt OF science aud lrann,ng, which h,ve
ever oeen reprinted btre, and probably now nev z
will be. He has (besides his vast catalogue OF
miscellaneous books) now in course Of publication.
scientific. an antiquarian. end an Illustrated IL
brary, embracing the beet works ever wriuea. In
the scentl6c library, for INSTANCE. are embr ,c-d
4" liumboldi's Cosmos." and " Vie We Of Natur~,"
two OF the noblest works that have ever com ON
the pen OF thai eat prince OF science. In the Illus
uated Library, four volumes Of Lodges great 40 K,
the Portraits Of lllustrious Personag~s in Gr-.t
Britain" have already b. en- published. THIS work
Is sold tor one dollar volume, much lower price
Than II can be manufactured TOR In this country.
/. These works, with large number Of olh-rs
from Mr.. Bohn's house, we perceive are in tbs
trade snlts OF his agents, Bangs, Plat & Co
From present indicatirns, IL seems tn b. a n-w
branch OF book commerce, which is lih ely to g,ow
into n good deal of imnnrtance and .,snh hu siI.nt