Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1853-04-20
SIX DOLLARS PER- aESEISs

stream. The arguments in favor of the piratieaI
| act were just such as would find favor with The
rough go-ahead population of new country
In the first place, there the feeling of SPOIL
| ing the Amalekites, and of driving a sharp bar
| gain, which was something. Thea the question
might be asked, why should they pay at the
| rate OF one shilling a number for one of Mr.
| Dickens monthly numbers, when one of their
| own publishers would serve them up a dirty re
| print OF the same matter at about one quarter Of
cost! How was the English author hurt because
| the American reader was benefited? Why take
| science and literature out of the ordinary cate
CORES of commerce? Poetry and brealstuas.
| astronomy and moasses are, after all, much the
same thing in the eyes of commercial man.
Or, even granting that English authors might. in
some degree, not exactly be injured, but might
not receive the same full measure of benefit as
though they had enjoyed the run of the Ameri-
| can markets-what then The English might
surely make reprisals on the literature of the
United States, and so matters would get straight
in the long run. Throughout the long and
frequent discussions that have taken place upon
this subject, we cannot call to mind that the dis
putants on the side Of the Union have ever used
arguments more pertinent than those mentioned
above. They did not foresee that time might
come when the case would not simply be as
though Highland gentleman should fitch his
nelghbors trousers and complacently invite hin,
to reprisal 1t has assumed other proportions
The poor man is setting up gentleman him
self, and finds himself brought into competition
with the possessor of inherited fortunes, who
meets him at every turn upon his own ground.
without any necessity for paying tax or auitren:,
or any other of the fiscal burdens against which.
he is called upon to contend.
This, in point of fact, has been the result Of
what cannot be considered in any other light thar,
as an act OF great national dishonesty. The
works of American authors have been slnothered
under the works of English authors in the Amer.
lean markets. The first could fix a price upon
their producdons--the second were as castaways
upon the seaboard of the United States Their
property was in the hands of the s'wreckers"
They were without remedy or redress. But not
only did this wholesale system of piracy most
injurously affect the interest of living American
authors, but it had tendency to dwarf down the
original literature of the United States to the
most seryile copyism, and to check the develop
ment the national mind. If citizens Of the great
republic made up their minds to grow corn, and
smuggle scence-to export cotton and import
Internationally they must abide by the conse-
quences Of their own act. Growers of corn and
exporters ofcotton they must remain to the end 10
the chapter No doubt they would drive more
thriving tradein the enumerated articles the more
completely they rivetted their attention to the
production ofraw produce alone; but, if it was
their wish to rise in the scale of nations to rise
as nations have risen which have given birth to
great philosophers, and poets, and historians,
then every measure which could encourage origi-
nal thought and original taste--taste pure and ra-
cy of the soil-was worthy of their serious atten
ton. Certainly the act of OVERLAPPING American
genius by English was not very wise measure
in this direction. American Literature has al
ready paid heavy penalty for this act Of intel
lectual coward,ce, not to say of moral turpitude.
Take the essayists. and poets, and novelists Of
the United States-powerful and exquisite as
many of their compositions undoubtedly are-and
see if their thought and dicton do not run in
English mould. We find in them, no doubt.
many illusions to freedom, to the glory of
their future, and so forth, which are the natu-
al consequence of the extraordinary history
and position of their country; but we do not find
originality of thought we find it in the ltera-
ture of Germany, or France, or Italy, as compar.
ed with our own Nor can we for a moment per-
nit it to be said that no such originality is to be
looked tor, because American and English authors
use the same language, study the same models,
and are of a common descent We reply, Eng.
fish literature at the Elizabethan era is one thing
English literature in the reign of Anne quite
another In the beginning of the present century,
ard throughout the Regency, the literary produc.
tons Of the period differ widely in sentiment and
opinion from those of the present day. Now wo
have right to expect that an author who is
brought up the citizen Of Republic should write
IN different tone from the subject of mixed
monarchy; and that New York novelist should
regard the world in different point of view from
his London contemporary. nlustrious, werepeat
it, as are TIE names OF the American authors
which we have already cited, we tell them that
they have not thrown off English swaddling-
clothes AS English authors they might occupy
a distinguished proof of nationality. When that
one work lately reached us, which smacked so
strongly of American feeling and opinion, how it
ran through Europe like wildfre! With the me-
rlt OF the social views set forth therein we have
nothing to dove regard it simply as literary
productions; and as such, despite what we must
consider its countless defects in execution and
taste, the book succeeded in Europe as no other
book from the United States has yet succeeded,
mainly because It bore the original stamp of the
American mind.
Well, then, there is to be a treaty at last upon
this subject by which English and American au.
thorS are to enjoy equal privileges of copyright,
respectively, in England and the United States
It will be bright spot in the history of the late
Daniel Webster, that his biographer will have to
record that nearly his last act before the Illness
which terminated fatally, was the execution of
that treaty. He and Mr.. Champion signed it for
their respective Governments. The treaty was
transmitted to England for approval, which it re-
ceived as matter of course, and has now been
sent back to America, where it formally remains
once more under the consideration of Mr.. Ever
EFT and Mr.. Champion. In point of fact, it does
but wait the ratification of the Senate, the body
which In America lis constitutionally charged with
the duty of final sanction of such matters. We
look forward with the greatest satisfaction to the
moment when the treaty will become law, not
only because the measure will act most benefi-
cally on the interests of English authors--fori it
is no light matter to enlarge their public by a
population of 25,00OO00, which contains quite
the English average of readers--but because we
are nnfegnedly of opinion that the cause of lite
nature and science-in other words. the cause of
intellectual progress in the United States-will
derive the greatest advantages from this tardy act
of Justice. We doubt not that AZ hriliant and