Notes On Literature, Science, And Art.

Mr . William Howitt has lately published some startling facts relating to our Colonies and English authors , he says : — "I suppose it is now some seven years or more since Messrs . Longmans , my publishers , requested me tr > give them a call , wishing for my opinion ¦ on a curious matter . AVlien I went they produced a most extraordinary document , which they had recived from the Treasury . It consisted of a long series of small items professed to be received

from Canada as compensation for the reprints of the works of so many authors . It appeared that a clause had been snugly slipped into an act of Parliament ( 10 & 11 Vict . c . 95 ) , by which any of our colonies , on passing an Act for the purpose through their legislative chamber , could reprint any British copyright works , subject to a certain duty , to be paid to the respective authors . Messrs . Longmans were quite unaware up to that moment of the existence

of such a clause . But it was done , and it was very clear that the measure thus accomplished by the canny Scots of Canada would be quickly imitated by our other colonies . This has been the case -. and these amazing duties are now offered annually to literary men as from " various colonies . " One would imagine , then , that a fair duty from various colonies would amount to something considerable . I believe that it never amounts to more than a pound or twoand more often to a penny . Messrs .

, Longmans were puzzled what to do with this list of infinitesimal sums to a great number of authors , and I advised them to have nothing to do with it ; ancl I suppose no publisher was found ¦ foolish enough to have anything to do with this extraordinary matter , for the Treasury has ever since assumed the office of offering these sums to the astonished authors . The first list list over which I looked was headed bthe sum £ 1 9 s . to Charles Dickens

y , and the next amount was £ 1 6 s . as the joint sum due to Mrs . Howitt and myself ; the sums , in a declining grade , descending to a few pence . Now I have no doubt that the work by Charles Dickens , for which the sum of £ 1 9 s . was . credited to him by the colony of Canada , had brought him from the United States , with whom we

liave no copyright , several hundred pounds . Yet the value set upon it by Canada was £ 1 9 s . The lowest sum that I have ever heard of the American publishers paying for sheets is £ 10 , but more commonly £ 30 or £ 40 , and thence ranging up to several hundreds ,-yet still from our " various colonies "—for the amount has not at r . 11 increased since " various colonies" have been concerned in itthe same ridiculous sums are annually announced from the British Treasury as due to English authors . It is unquestionably the

grossest swindle and the grossest insult that auy Government everoffered to literature and literary men . Yet it is amazing with what simple and ludicrous gravity the Treasury goes on from year to year announcing to literary men and women these beggarly sums , and with what pomp and state they do it ! If they have only a penny to offer from " various colonies" for your works ¦ reprinted—and they never condescend to say what works they are , or in what colonies reprinted—they send you a large ,

imposing letter with a fine seal of the royal arms , and indorsed ¦ "On her Majesty ' s Service , " informing you that that amount may 'he received on application at the office of the Paymaster-General at Whitehall . Any man of business entrusted with the distribution ¦ of these mendicant doles would inclose you a post-office order , or a few stamps ; but no , youhave to do with an imperial system , ancl it is executed in an imperial style . The British Treasury announces that it is ready to pay a single penny with as much majesty ancl

grandiloquence as if it was offering to pay a million . I am not exaggerating . Mrs . Howitt has just now received a notice that she may receive from the Paymaster-General the sum of Is . 3 d . if she will go for it ! Now the very smallest expense of getting to Whitehall , that is by omnibus , from this place and back , is Is . 2 d . ; so that my wife would come back with one penny in her pocket as balance of her copyright receipts from " various colonies , " and minus half a day ' s value of her own labours . Now for the sheets of the work , so far as we can judge , for which she is to receive Is . Sd . from " various colonies , " she was immediately offered £ 100 by an American house on its first announcement . But this is a

magniheent sum in comparison with many awarded b y " various eolonies . " By a grand and ample letter from the Treasury , of January 13 , 1859 , I was most duly and officially informed that one penny was due to me from " various colonies , " for a little work ( so far as I could judge by the date ) for which , in sheets , an American publisher paid me £ 76 . Now , had I gone down to AVhitehall for this penny , and been fortunate enough to get it the first time of asking I should have come back thirteen out of pocket

, pence , besides the loss of half a day ' s literary labour . " Mr . Maguire's large historical picture of " Cromwell refusing the Crown of England , " is being engraved . Mr . Robert Browning has a new poem in hand , which will be looked for with interest .

Notes On Literature, Science, And Art.

Mr . S . Phillips Day , has left London for the Southern States of America , as special correspondent of the Morning Chronicle and the Herald . The Rev . Frederick Metcalfe , M . A ., has on the eve of publication The Oxonian in Iceland , which is to treat of the Icelandic Folklore .

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed & y Correspondents THE "APPEAL TO PREEMASONS . " TO TEE EPITOE OF THE FEEEilASO' . 'S 3 IAGAZIJTE AZT > 3 TAS 02 TIC SIIEH 0 E . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER—I shall be glad if j'ou can find

, space in your columns for the enclosed correspondence , and a few remarks of my own , which naturally arise out of the same . Bro . Thomas W . Cooper and myself were entire strangers to each other when I received his first letter as follows : —¦

" SIR AND BROTHER , —Having read Mr . Townshend Mainwaring ' s appeal to our Order of Ereemasons , ancl your letter in THE EREEMASONS MAGAZINE , SO excellently in reply to it , I wrote ( a week ago ) as I considered it an attack upon our Order , to Mr . Mainwaring , calling his attention to your reply , and complaining of his misrepresentations , and that I was anxious with many others , to see what his rejoinder

would be . "A few clays since I received the enclosed letter from him and I send it to you to peruse , and if you will advise me upon the reply ! should make , or whether you think it is necessary to write to the Bishop of Salisbury as Mr . Mainwaring solicits , yon would confer a favour upon , " Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , "THOS . W . COOPER , P . S . W . St . Peter ' s ( No . 607 . ) " 24 , Waterloo-road , Wolverhampton , July 4 , 1861 . "

This contained Mr . Mainwaring ' s reply as follows : — "SIR , —I did read the reply of Mr . Cooke , K . T . to my letter , which appeared in THE FREEMASONS MAGAZINE , but the letter you refer to of Mr . Cooke ' s in The Guardian escaped my notice . I take that paper , and have carefully as I fancied , looked into the column of letters ; if you could kindly furnish me with the date of The Guardian in which

Mr . Cooke ' s letter appeared , or could send me a reply , I should be obliged . As far as I remember Mr . Cooke ' s reply to my letter , it contained no argument . Ho called my letter a string of absurdities , ancl sneered at my ignorance in calling the instrument used by Sir W . W . Wyim , a level . His two best points were his epiotation from Dr . AVoolf , whose judgment is not always considered very sound ,

and the fact of the Bishop of Salisbury being a Prcemason . Now , if the Bishop of Salisbury will write to say that I was wrong in protesting against the viords I ( piloted , viz -. — " In the namo of the Great Geometrician of the Universe , & c , " and viill vindicate the use of those words on Hie occasion of laying the foundation stone of a church , I will bow to the judgment of a man for whom I entertain tho highest respect .

Although you speak in your letter of my " misrepresentations , " of which I certainly do not accuse myself , nor did Mr . Cooke , if I remember right , accuse mo of making , there is something which tells me that you are a plain-dealing honest man ; I hope I am the same ; ancl though I still venture to think for Christian men in a Christian land , the services appointed for the laying the foundation of churches

ought to be considered sufficient by Ereemasons , I do not wish to offend that body , I repeat therefore , if your brother Mason , the Bishop of Salisbury , will publicly vindicate the words which I stated , in my letter in The Guardian , shocked many at Rhyl , if he will publicly say that my zeal as a Christian outrun my duty as a neighbour , I will make the Preemasons a proper amende . Can I do more ? If he will not justify his brethren , I shall consider that I stand justified . I must trust to you to let me know the result of your application to the Bishop of Salisbury . I have now