New-York daily tribune., 1857-09-28
Netu9lork DAILY G1iba,te
FROM BOSTON.
A QUESTION OF DICTIONARIES.
o,,ssoondsnce Of Yhe n T. Tribune

Correspondence Of Tbs N. Y. Tribune
BOsTON, Sept. -, lSj7.
The war Ct the books is still continued Whom
shall we have to reign over u, Webster or Wor-
cester that seems still to be contested ques.
ton. Webster has departed and left the result of
bis labors to fight its own way into the confidence
of scholars and Of the masses, and all will say that
it has fought good fight, that it has won goodly
dominion in England and America, that it has
gained an undoubted title to fame, that it stands
an impeIishable monument to its originator, and
that it is of indispensable to those who use the
Epglish laDgusge. 1t seems so thoroughly estab'
lshed in public confidence that any attempt to
shake it's position seems not only futile, but to the
highest degree foolish. Homer is not a shadow,
he is living fact in poetry. ChioibOfazo is not
fiction. it is living fact among mountains, and all
the deasts in the world cannot establish that they
are not individual exise Dces now and forever among
men, In the pamphlet We have before us, We learn
that the sale Of Websters dictionaries for the LAST
ten wears has been tenfold greater in this country
than all other dictionaries combined This Is az un-
doubted index Of where the public confidence IL
placed. The sale Of Websters Unabridged has been
thirty times greater than that OfWOrcester largest
dictionary during the same time; and to show th:t
il docs not come to stand-stll IN tins estimaee, IL
states that the sale of the Unabridged has been,
probably, hundred times greater than that OF Wor'
cesters largest dictionary during the past year.
This is j. America. In England, Webster has NOT
A prominent and distilct competitor for puOnc
usage. His dictionary, and the great Imperial
Dictionary. edi.ed by Dr. Ogilyie, have almost the
,nti,e control OF the London market, and the In
pera states in capital letters upon its that
!, ia "Based on Webster" 1t seems that no
creat dictionary can sci! well there, unless Websters
name onnsars jpon the work. The great publisher,
Henry G.. Bohn, owned duplicate set Of the ssereo-
tvne mates of Wtrcesters largest work, which was
csst IN Rostoi ard TO give il sale and confidence
Ia s,ts,e1 tbe title page and mutlated the preisce
snj nnbl;.bed the work as compiled fro the ma
tar;,fs ,f Noah Webster, LII. D., by Joseph
Z. Worcester, the first in large type, tae ia.s ~
small. This fraud was exposed ID England thEee
tears sqo, and still the advertisement Tor the same
wi has been seen il the London Athen&um durlas
,bc nrssept Summer Mr.. Bohn's excuse is proosey
: nlsa oi pece.sity. He has the plates upsn hls
- and be canI ot sell the work without the use
- n Ve5.ter's name An English, insh aud
S.d,cb newspaper. book or pamphlet cannot be pro-
Jncca the spe!lirg Of which corresponds 70 "or-
cester. -, - ,o...sJa,.a3
.,s,,;on i being made 10 supplint Weo.ter aud
80 n,a a,sienre 20 Worcester BY tie publishers OF
he t..-er in This city. II worcester Las nle'.s
superior (. poil. Of scholarship or genera .o,iecE
s.s. a1l u.'fty o. those Of Weos'1, eiucated LED
~ .o.p dslcyei tEen, ani give 'LeiI 'hs-' e's