424 EDITORIAL COLLOQUIES, 



secret betrayed, and a fungus start up and choke the growth of their 

 production. The question is one of great importance, not to publishers 

 only, but specially to authors and artists ; and I am surprised that the 

 press, as the conservator of literary property, is silent on the subject. 

 Cowper's life, however, must be essentially an autobiography 

 he must, in fact, tell his own story, or his story must be told out of his 

 Letters. His existence was absolutely devoid of incidents and it is 

 the moral character of the man that requires delineation. We believe 

 that, in the present case, the most fair offers were made by the house 

 holding Cowper's Letters." 



" You say rightly that the question is of importance, and I 

 should hope the trade would come to some general understanding on 

 the subject. It is pity that literary men are so disunited and scattered 

 that they cannot understand each other." 



" It is ; there wants an organ, open and perfectly independent, as 

 a medium for all parties. Literary property is so much at the mercy 

 of every body, that publishers are oftentimes extremely timid in em- 

 barking in it, especially if the property is that of a new man, whose 

 reputation has to be formed, and who wants the ballast of notoriety 

 to keep him steady." 



" What a pity it is that genius has no royal road to fame ! How 

 many noble spirits must be crushed how many aspiring and gifted 

 minds must fall victims to the cold and calculating policy of the 

 trade ! It seems as if literary men would never learn the truth, that 

 their labours are mere mercantile commodities when brought into 

 the Row, and, that unless backed by something more tangible than 

 intrinsic merit, they are sure to be passed by." 



" The trade are perfectly right in their caution as mercantile men ; 

 publishing is a hazardous calling. But there is a worse evil than 

 this, which is the exclusive spirit which reigns in the press. The 

 number of books published by men of fortune and of education is 

 much larger than is supposed. But what then, they are mere 

 agency-transactions ; nobody has an interest in them who could 

 benefit them ; the authors are ignorant of the ways of the world, and 

 their books are consigned to as certain oblivion as if they had never 

 been in existence. Unknown talent, thus applied, (and it is almost 

 the only way open to it,) sinks back in despair ; and hence an im- 

 mense fund of intellect is kept out of sight." 



