At a meeting of the principal London publishers, held on
Monday and Tuesday last week, it was agreed to petition Parliament against Mr. Sergeant Talfourd's Copyright Bill. Among the allegations of the petition, is the following— "Many of the most valuable copyrights exist I. books and works on geography and history, in scientific and legal works, and in othool.books. The copyright in most of those books and works is now, and for • length of time has been, vested in assignees, by legal assignments of the copyright thereof, for all the author's term and interest therein. Such assignees have, from time to time, as the progress of learning and science has advanced, made very considerable and important corrections, alterations, and additions to the same, at very great labour and expense, so as in many instances to render the original works almost entirely sew, leaving in many cases but little of the original useful to the public, and in some nothing but the titlepage. The opera- tion of the proposed extension of the taro on all such works so corrected, altered, and added to. will be, that at the expiration of the assignees' present interests, the original works only will belong to the representative. of the authors ; whilst the corrections, alterations, and additions, will belong to the assignees ; and the effect of such operation will be, that the assignees wilt either entirely lose all further benefit arising from their labour and expense in making such improvements, or may be driven to repurchase of the representatives of the authors their extended term of copyright, at such prices as the representatives may think tit to demand ; or the original works, and the improve. nients, will be thrown, in an unsaleable and unprofitable state, on the hands of the authors and assignees respectively; and the public will lose the benefit of all the ail. vantages which tho progress of learning and science has enabled the assignees to bring AO bear, in making improvement' on such original works."
The master-printers held a meeting on Thursday, at Anderton's Hotel, in Fleet Street, and agreed to a petition against Sergeant Tal- fourd's bill ; Mr. Spottiswoode in the chair. Mr. Richard Taylor said, that a careful examination of the measure had convinced him, that it would be prejudicial, not onlyitobrinters, but to the public at large; inasmuch as there would be no such thing as free trade in print- ing the standard works of the country.
The subscribers to the Nelson monument assembled on Wednesday, at the Thatched House Tavern, St. James's Street. After some dis- cussion as to the place when the monument should be placed, a corn- znittee of subscribers was empowered to take all measures necessary to erect a monument of Nelson, worthy of his glory and of British gratitude ; and a resolution was passed expressing a hope that Govern- ment would not refuse permission to erect it in Trafalgar Square. The only doubt as to obtaining this permission, arose from the objec- tion that might be entertained to a monument overtopping the National Gallery, though that edifice was lower than the chimney-pots of the adjoining shops.
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