The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-05-19

have no war with Great Britain, in any event,
while Mr. Webster is at the helm There is no
n, cessiy for threatening war with Mexico. LIE. US
to cIrgc, where we shoald be firm and prompt;
and let us cease to buster, where the weakness of
our neighbor should excite our pity and forbear-
anee. Let US be magnanimous to Mexico, and she
will be liberal to Us. What says Mr.. Webster
AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS. controversy his
recently been going between the pot and the kettle
as TO their relative honesty, aprop TO discussion
of the subject of international copyright As to the
more delicate points involved, it is difficult to say
which had the best of il; but unquestoaably in
the treatment Of the main qucson-of the rights OF
au,hors--the kettle was not only right, but il per-
suaded nearly all its readers. and qate all the lite
rary men, that the busting little pot wrong,
and induced to be so by the most questionable in
1uences The pot is made to boil, it is understood,
by 81 zoo year from Cliff street. The last move
mens Of the parties suggest curious facts, and
we therefore copy them
From the Tribune
The Troy Budget treats il readers to the following lite
THE publishers of Now York appear to be prosperous
The Han peri print hundred thousand monthly OF their
magazine. including he demand for back numoArs. The
App tons have moved into splendid reestone store
Broadway of which they occupy tha basement
stories. They offered it is said 50 900 for
til, m and could get 81 900 Putnam IN lved to
Park place. and gwen up his retail busne at
tend 10 publishing. Redheld has published soma very
choice books Of late which have Gold very WILL Serb
ncr Nas also made hit with many OF his publications.
Very good. Now will the Bdget inquire the state
pros poets Of authors! We haven't heard OF any
ofthem moving into frcestone edihces very lately
To which the Times rcplies:-
The Tribune is badly posted Our authors have
been for the last three years building themselves
substantial edihces at very encouraging rate Ban
croft besides buying frecstone house in the city,
has built fine country seat at Newport. Headlcy has
built splendid mansion ut Ncwburgh Melville has
bought a fam at Stockbrdge. Irving and Pauldng
have splendid seats the Hudson. Prescott has no
ceived from Iiarpcrs than $40 900 for his
books Morse has been paid more than $50 900 from the
ale Of his books Albert Barnes has resolved from his
Commentaries $40 600 Professor Anthem has made
$50 0OU-Stephens over S4o,OOo-the Abbotts
$4,000 &C., Sc. &C. TX Marvel has received not less
than 10000 profits on his books although it is only
few since he began to write Professor Davies has
received than the proceeds Of the sale of
Harriet Beechcr Stowe had refused $4,000 copy
right Of single novel And the list might be indef
nitely extended Our authors the last persons in
the world on whose behalf plea of poverty should be
made English authors draw still larger profits from the
sale of their books Mscauay will clear at least $50
from his history. Dickens will make than half Us
much from a single novel And Bulwer James and
others, pocket from $4,000 to $4,000 each Of the
many books they write. The fact Is that authors gene
rally. who deserve success meet with abundant
for their labor Those who fail their failure
mainly to the fact that their books not such the
in every branch Of business; but as rule this is
true
How well the Times is ''posted" we will see. Mr..
Bancroft has not only bought goodhousc in Twenty
first street, and built a handsome mansion at New
port, but we understand has it in contemplation to
erect magnificent residence in Fifth avenue. He is
worth between two and three hundred thousand
dollars obtained by profitable Offices by marriage,
and so can afford to devote himself to literature,
which, alone, never would have paid the enormous
expenses incurred in the collection Of his historical
materials. Washington Irving, after nearly half
century of literary toll, not worth five thou
sand dollars, when the death of John Jacob Astor,
and his appointment to be one of the executors of
that millionaire, put him in possession Of fifty thou
sand which secures what everybody desires for him
perfect independence in his declining years Paul
ding was, for long period, an Industrious but never
very successful authors and if he had now no estate
but that derived from his books, his home, instead
of splendid seat on the Hudson, would be the
almshousc on Blackwelrs Island. Prescott was
born to prncely fortune, and he is orth half
to three quarters of million. The Times refers to
his obtaining forty thousand dollars for the labors Of
lifetime, an instance Of profitable authorship;
but we happen to know that he is absolutely 'out
of pocket not less than thirty five thousand dollars,
at this moment, by his histories, to cay nothing Of
the expenses of his education extensive travel SC.
His works are such as could have been undertaken
with any prospects of success, only by man Of Ii
beral resources and are inclined to believe that
his collection of manuscripts alone cost more than
all he has received from the Harpers. Morse, Da-
vies and Anthem have prepared and published sue
cessful school books, which have little right to be
called Literature" auctioneers' catalogues or the
city directory Albert Barnes has been for nearly
thirty years Of the most industrious men in this
country-in all seasons rising before the break of
day, and ''poring over miserable books till after
midnight-and he has finally, within few weeks,
completed his very learned elaborate and extensive
Commentary on the Holy Scriptures. How much
his books and other appliances have cost him, we
cannot say, but probably ten thousand dollars,
which would leave something like half the annual
salary Of one of the HERALD reporters. The works
Of Albert Barnes have passed through numerous
editions abroad, and at this moment, we are in
formed Eve rival publishers in Great Britain are
deriving good incomes from them but the author
has not, from either, the grace of copy, that
he may whether he is correctly reproduced. If
John L. Stephens has received over $4,000, it is
IL
vested in his popular series Of travey which at one
time attracted so much attention. To say nothing
Of the expenses of his journeys through northern
Europe, Asia, and Africa, his corps Of draughtsmen
and men Of science, while in Central America, must
have cost him very large sum. We doubt whether
he has received, up to this day. three per cent per
annum for the money spent in the researches for
his works, and in their preparation The two
Abbotts are set down as having been paid in twenty
years $4,000; they have written as many as fifty
volumes, and those who familiar with the extra
ordinary popularity Of one of these, Tho Young
Christian will not think us out of the way in
estimating the booksellers profits that alone at
as much az the entire sum the two authors arc said
to have received for their joint copyrights. We have
the best authority for stating that Mr.. Mitchcls (Ik
Mnryelsl reacints have been less than half The