Litchfield enquirer., 1876-04-06
2 [The Boston Journal.l The True Mature of the Lawrence Wheaton Controversy.

AC l TheIperrnaneut intefest at stake was ii
 the widowSand daughters of Mr. Wheaton and now in his daughter, Miss Wheaton
 The controversy between Mir. Lawrenc, and them relates to their permanent right of reannotation.. So far MT. Dana i concerned, he has hot any pecuniary in terest, except in costs and expenses
 1 Let us explain: Mrs. Wheaton was tn, owner of the text and her husbands note, and had a copyright of it. By lapse O time ik reqhirea Kannotation. Her agree ment with Mir Lawrence} was that ht should annotate single edition, of linn tied number, not stereoytyped. When that edition was sold Mrs. Wheaton could employ any annotator she pleased for the next edition. She re-engaged Mr. Law renee for the edition of 1863 on the same terms. When that edition Nas sold Mir. Lawrence could not published an annotat- ed edition, for Mrs. Wheaton owned the text. and she could not reprint his notes. because she had them only for the one edition.
 The ladiesAad becomes entirely dissatis- l fed with Mir Lawrence forthe reasons set forth in Miss Wheaton's answer (Re- cord, page 21 33). It was not merely be- cause he had worked into his notes so much Calhounism and session as to have given great offense, and to caus3 the gov ernment to refuse to take any copies, and to give great encouragement to our enem: ies abroad, but they were dissatisfied on literary groands. from the vice of friends acquainted with the subject, and had become distrustful of Mir Lawrence upon personal grounds Their strong ob- AnkS kr kl,o IT., are fully. but delicately, set forth by Miss Wheaton Tn her answer on the Record; and, indeed, she tharges him, under oath. with *.fraudulen Representations aud con cealments" Record, p. 27). The, objec- tions to his incompetency as annotator are set on Record, p. 29.
 The edition of 1863 worked off very slowly; still it SbaId be exhausted, pro- bably. in the cotrse of a year ortwo, and Miss Wheaton, under the advice of friends. applied to Mir. Dana to annotate the next edition, as wa her perfect right. He de clined. After some time, on a renewed application, he accepted the post. The arrangements with him, so far as rights were concerned, were the same as with MT. Lawrence. He was to edit one edi- doa, or a limited, number not stereotyp- ed, and when it was exhausted Miss Whea- ton could employ. what annotator. she pleased. Mir. Dana began his work in 1864, and published the he edition in 1866 It was not published until all the copies on the Lawrence edition We're gone. They were never rival editions, Miss Wheaton, owning each, and the latter only succeed ing the former when 1t was exhausted. There was only the literary competition as to the opinions of scholars between a de- funct edition and an edition. soon to be defunct. RR@E- Al #zz ~
 Attfie trial the court decided the points as to the rights of the Wheatons, to full reannotations, rather strictly against them. limiting the scope of rean- notation. In the opinion of many jurists, including the late Horace Binney, these rules will not stand and would preclude h is no sos tSais to to say this, as the point was novel, peculiar and difficult.
 Applying these strict rules (the correct ness of which must be decided by the su- preme court), Judge Clifford held that there were some notes which dld infringe the rights of the first annotator, but said that the coup hadnot hm time examine tine details csksisfAetofiiy,1 . referred the whole matter to a master, and refused to grant the injunctiohHi prayed for. There has never been an ini junction against Mir. Dana's edition, and it has long since been exhausted. Miss Wheaton may now pub. lise ninth edition and employ whosoever she pleases as annotator, and neither Mr. l.. nor MT. D. can publish an annotated edition without their leave, and either of them can use matter of his own notes in any independent work son international law, or any of its topics. Q ''Aa s'a's
 The above statement shows to every reader, lawyer or not, what the history and condition of the case is, and dispels the notions that have been spread. abroad that it was a contest between Mir, Law renee and Mir. Dana on competing editions and that Mir. Dana has been convicted of literary piracy. It is bona tide and diff ficult controversy as to the rights of the owner of the text in respect to future an- notations, forever Cor rather, while the copyright lasts, and whether Mr., Dana's edition exceeds those right. What those rights are the circuit court stated to be novel and difficult of solution, and they must be decided finally by the supreme court If they are decided in one way, the notes do not exceed the right of the owner of the text. If they are decided in conformity with the rules of the circut court, there may be found some excess, but whether of sufficient amount to war rant any interference by the: court, both editions being long sold, will be then to be decided. However decided, it will not affect the honor of Mir Dana, as he acted openly, under bona fide claim of right, and produced his manuscript notes, and Lawrence's edition, with his tiyleaves and comments, Ih court. This is understand, and if any one doubts it, Judge Lowell, one of the court who tried the case, and Mir. Fl. W.FPaine, the master, consider it SD indisputable that they have felt it in no way inconsistent with their judicial inn partiality to say so to all persons who ln- quire of them. The persistent efforts of Mir. Lawrence (angry and chagrined not being re-engaged by the Wheatons) to inlure -Mr. Dana's reputation with jurists and scholars, beeause of this suit, have utterly failed, and only recoil upon him. | A SLAUGHrER-Y YARD FOR WHALES s-On a small island opposite the town of Wadso, In the extreme north of Norway, there exists an establishment the like of which is probably not to be met with in any other part of the world. Its most ap- propriate designation would he, perhaps. slaughter-yard for whales and NIT. F0yn, its proprietor, conducts the busi- ness of capturing and cutting up the mon- sters in a manner peculiarly his own. Instead of fitting out the usual sized yes sells, intended to make long voyages and bring home the most useful part of the animals Mr. Foyn employs small (150. to lS0 tons) screw steamers, shoots his fish with cannon, and has them lowed back, one by one, as they are captured, to the shambles at Wadso. As the fishing grounds are within easy reach of the lat ter, the steamers, as rule, secure and re- turn with a prize within twelve hours time. With respect to the cannon en- ployed, 1t is gun having a chamber about four feet long this is mounted on the forecastle of the vessel, and being
 very accurately balanced. can be easily
 moved to allow an exact aim to be taken
 The projectile in use consists of a lonc
 iron bolt, having at its extreme end foul
 harpoons, bound round with line SO as