rican but of the
foreign public, and the best work is now fairly secure of a hearing.
But there is no question but what the want of a copyright measure has,
as above explained, operated during the past three quarters of a
century to retard and discourage the growth of American literature,
especially of American fiction, and to prevent American authors from
receiving a fair return for their labor. An international copyright is
the first step towards that long-waited-for "great American novel."

In 1876 a Commission was appointed by the Government of Great Britain
"to make inquiry in regard to the laws and regulations relating to
home, colonial, and international copyright." The Commission was made
fairly representative of the different interests to be considered,
comprising among authors: Earl Stanhope, Louis Mallet, Fitzjames
Stephen, Edward Jenkins, William Smith, Sir Henry Holland, James
Anthony Froude, and Anthony Trollope, and also Sir Julius Benedict for
the composers, Sir Charles Young for the dramatists, Sir John Rose and
Mr. Farrer for colonial interests, and Mr. F. R. Daldy for the
publishers; and it has done its work in the thorough, painstaking way
which is characteristic of the methods of British legislation.

It has collected during the past two years a vast mass of testimony
from various sources, and after full consideration has arrived at a
series of recommendations which it has presented to Parliament, and
which will in all probability be adopted.

It is recommended that the copyright on books, instead of holding for
forty-two years from date of registration, shall endure for the
lifetime of the author and for thirty years thereafter. This is the
arrangement at present existing in Germany, and it has the important
advantage that under it all the copyrights of an author will expire at
the same date.

The Commission further recommends (and this is the recommendation most
important for our subject) that the right of copyright throughout the
British dominions be extended to any author, wherever resident and of
whatever nationality, whose work may first be published within the
British Empire.

With reference to the present relations of British authors with this
country, it uses the following words: "It has been suggested to us
that this country would be justified in taking steps of a retaliatory
character, with a view of enforcing, incidentally, that protection
from the United States which we accord to