said, that he felt some difficulty upon the subject of this Bill. At all events, he could not help expressing his regret, that no provision was made to prevent any of the Universities from selling the books with which they might be furnished in consequence of the measure. This regret he was induced to express, from a hint which had been thrown out, that some of the Scotch Universities were likely to sell new works, with a view to apply the produce to the purchase of old and foreign books, for the supply of their libraries.

bore testimony to the character of the Scotch Universities, asserting the improbability of the intention stated by the learned gentleman.

spoke in favour of the University of Dublin.

observed, that it appeared a great hardship upon booksellers, that they should be obliged to furnish gratis, to the public Libraries and Universities, the eleven copies mentioned in the Bill.

proposed a clause, which he deemed necessary to rescue, from great inconvenience, the publishers of Ireland and Scotland, namely, to provide that the delivery of a copy of any work to any public Library or University in Ireland or Scotland, entitled to receive it, should be deemed equivalent to a delivery of the same to Stationers'-hall in London.—Agreed to.

gave notice of a motion for to-morrow, for an amendment in the Bill to extend further the period of Copyright. A verbal alteration was made in the Bill, upon the motion of sir J. M'Intosh, with regard to the Scotch Universities. The Amendments being gone through,

spoke against the delivery of books gratis to the several Universities, as the Bill directed, for this he conceived an unjust tax upon authors and booksellers. As to the argument, that the delivery of these books was advantageous to the booksellers, by rendering the work better known, he thought that quite a fallacy. Indeed, if it were just, he should suppose that every publisher would be forward to make a present of his work to every circulating library. Certainly, through such libraries a new work would be more likely to become known, and to obtain purchasers, than through the University libraries. But he presumed to think, that the booksellers would be hardly inclined to adopt such a project for advertising and disposing of their works. Recurring to the supply of the Universities, he was of opinion, that a sum should be rather granted from the public purse to enable them to purchase new works, than to impose upon publishers the tax proposed in this Bill. The sum for that purpose need not, in his judgment, exceed 2,500l. a year, to all the Universities; and surely such a sum ought rather to be allowed, than enact the provision of this Bill, which was calculated to discourage the exertion, by reducing the reward of talent and science. The hon. gentleman observed, that the funds of several of the Universities were amply sufficient to purchase books, without any public grant, or any tax upon literary industry. For instance, he knew that the University with which he was connected (Oxford) felt no solicitude whatever upon the subject. He also observed, that one copy of every new work might suffice for the two public libraries of Edinburgh, and one also for the two public libraries of Dublin, to each of which this Bill provided that a copy should be sent. Thus publishers were unnecessarily taxed, and, when the very high price of some works was considered, the amount of this taxation might be easily appreciated. The hon. member concluded with expressing a hope, that the discussion of this measure would lead to the adoption of some plan next session, which should be more conducive to the advantage of the Universities, and to the general interests of science and literature, than any Bill of this nature was ever likely to do.

expressed his entire concurrence in the general observations of the hon. gentleman, particularly in the wish and hope that, in the next session some pecuniary provision would be made from the public purse, to supply the public libraries with new books, and thus to relieve the booksellers from the hardships of which they complained.

thought the Universities ought to relinquish the petty advantage which the clause under discussion, proposed to secure to them; for it was comparatively of little value to them, while by levying a tax upon publishers, it was too likely to form a serious impediment to the promulgation of knowledge. He happened to belong to a society, which subscribed to procure the publication of the very valuable productions of Mr. Smeaton, the celebrated engineer, and it was found that the bookseller could not sell a copy at less than seven guineas and a half. Now he submitted to the candid consideration of the House whether eleven copies of such a work did not form rather too serious a deduction from the profits of those for whose immediate benefit the work was published; and also whether such a deduction was not peculiarly calculated to impede the progress of knowledge? Such a tax upon literary industry would not, he hoped, be allowed to survive the next session, for its existence was evidently onerous upon publishers; while it was really degrading to the parties benefited by it, and materially injurious to the interests of the public.

thought that a very limited view had been taken of the advantage resulting from the grants to Universities, which formed the subject of discussion. For through these grants, with the supply of books which the several public libraries possessed, authors of every class were enabled to find, at such libraries, all the materials of knowledge. Thus the interests of literature were promoted, and authors derived from the public libraries a degree of advantage which much more than counter-balanced any diminution of profit they might sustain by supplying each with a copy of their productions. As to what had been said respecting the very high price of books, he really believed, that in most cases, that high price was the result much more of ornament than utility—of extrinsic decoration and mere binding than of intrinsic merit; and that too many booksellers were now become rather furniture brokers than the ministers of literature. He had himself witnessed a striking example of this taste. It was notorious that the works of Grey might be bought for one shilling; but he had lately seen at a bookseller's a work entitled the "Remains of Grey," comprehending nothing else than that author's common-place book, which neither he himself, nor his executor, Mr. Mason, ever thought worth publishing. This book, however, was now printed on superior paper, splendidly bound and decorated, and published at no less than seven guineas each copy. Could it then be deemed a great grievance, or a public injustice, if a bookseller were obliged to dispose of eleven copies of such a work gratis?

said, if he had been present in the Committee on this Bill, he should certainly have felt it his duty to move the omission of that clause which went to give to the Universities eleven copies of all books published in the United Kingdom. He did not enter the House in time, or he should have presented a petition from a gentleman connected with the East India House, named Fisher; who, it appeared, had travelled all over Great Britain, for the purpose of collecting specimens of painting, architecture, and the arts, for the purpose of hereafter publishing them with plates and illustrations; but who, having finished his work with respect to one county only, that of Bedford, was deterred by the great expense of the work, and the necessity of presenting the Universities with eleven copies of it, from proceeding further. This was a proof of the disadvantage which arose from the existence of such a law; and he had no doubt that many other instances, of a similar nature, might be cited. He contended, that such a privilege was a relic of barbarous times, inconsistent with the liberal spirit of the present age, and ought to be done away with.

conceived, that all authors must be proud of contributing to the supply of those great reservoirs of literature, which enabled so many of them to write for the public advantage, and their own credit. Therefore he could not subscribe to the objection urged against the proposed grants to the several public libraries; and as to the booksellers, they could not suffer by those grants, for they would always take care to make the consumer or purchaser of their books pay every tax to which they might be subjected. There was no reason, indeed, to apprehend that these gentlemen would ever fail to take care of their own interest.

explained, that when he called the privilege in question a relic of barbarous times, he meant that it originated in times not very favourable to property or liberty, namely, in the reign of Charles 2, and was, he believed, an act of regulation and police to restrain the liberty of the press.

was against the Bill. An hon. and learned gentleman had mentioned, as an instance of the modern abuses of the art of book-making, that though all the works of the immortal poet Grey were to be had for a shilling, the booksellers had lately got up two quarto volumes of his remains, the price of which was seven guineas. Now, if all that was good was to be had for a shilling, there was no great evil in refusing the Universities those two quarto volumes which cost so much, and were worth nothing.

spoke in favour of the grant to the Universities, and considered that provision in the Bill, as essential to the interests of those institutions.

The Amendments were agreed to, and the Bill was ordered to be read a third time to-morrow. Mr. Marsh then presented the Petition, to which he alluded, in the course of his speech, from Mr. Thomas Fisher, which was read, and ordered to lie on the table.