1826.] Lelten from the United Utates of NoHh America. 505 



author to take out a copyright in America, without going there for tiie 

 purpose (a publislier the same) ; or, if they dare not be so liberal to 

 British authors and publishers, let them pass a law, perniittinf!^ American 

 citizens, or native-born American citizens, if they prefer the latter, td 

 take out copyrights for British books. What if the British writers and 

 publishers did gain by such a law ? The American Writers, publishers, 

 and people, would gam more, after a time : they would have writers of 

 their own — such writers, too, as they will not have, perhaps, for a cen- 

 tury, if they receive British books as they do now— that is, without any 

 advantage to British writers and British publishers. By confining the 

 privilege to native-born American citizens, a large part of the gain — 

 the prodigious gain to be made by the republication of British books in 

 America, would go to the American citizen of course ; while, whatever 

 the British author got, would be so much clear gain, of course, to him. I 

 see much to be hoped for, from such a law — every thing, I might say, to 

 the literature of the new world — nothing to be hoped for, to the literature 

 of the old world, by not passing such a law. N.B. If you are bothered 

 by my new doctrine, away with all that you know about other manufac- 

 tures, and think only of what I have said above, about a native militia. 

 Authors are the native militia of a country, for peace. Wherever a 

 country has any peculiarity of habits or faith, religious or political, to 

 justify, or a character to establish, the safety and the character of that 

 country, except in a period of war, will depend upon its writers. If so, 

 they must be had ; and there is no other way to have them in America. 

 Literature, j'ou will observe — else you may apply a bad illustration to 

 the case — literature is the only thing made by the people of Great 

 Britain for the peoi)le of America for nothing ; the people of Great 

 Britain keep the market in America, and will kesp it, for ever and ever t 

 to the great advantage, I admit, on several accounts — to the great dis- 

 advantage, I believe, on other accounts — of the people of America, who, 

 with their peculiar form of government, require a peculiar literature. 



In addition to this, if they, the people of America, would alter the 

 law of copyright, give protection to the play-writer as well as to the 

 novel-writer (as they do in France, though not in Great Britain) ; if 

 they would look out here and there for a native writer to go abroad in 

 his youth or to stay at home, with a fair salary, for a part of his time — 

 such time being employed in this or that public duty ; and if, in addition 

 to all this, they would now behave to their men of literature a fortieth 

 part as well as they behaved a few years ago (in the war of 1812) to 

 their naval men, there would be a steady and sure supply of new 

 recruits, and a new staff, to the great commonwealth of literature, from 

 the new world, before this generation was fairly out of the way. There 

 may not be much of that stuff here which is required for the manufacture 

 poetry and eloquence ; but if I do not much deceive myself, there is 

 enough and to spare of solid and valuable stuff — a material for sober 

 enjoyment; enough, I venture to say, for a complete supply of the 

 demand. 



Novels, you see, have succeeded here of late — scores and scores of 

 novels : and yet he who would undertake to do a great novel here, 

 be he who he may, or to tell a great story, whoever he may be, and 

 whatever may have been his preparation, about the people of this country, 

 should be well aware of two or three things, which no American nove- 

 list, and I might say, no other novehst ever appeared to me to be aware 



M.M. Nevo Series — Vol. 1. No. 5. 3 T 



