Concerning the Suppressed Book. ^yy 



all thought of making profit out of him, he adds, " But it 

 certainly crossed some one's mind," referring, of course, to 

 Mr. Spencer's "American publishers and friend." Yet 

 there was not the slightest wish or design on the part of 

 the publishers of the book to withhold from Mr. Harrison 

 his proper share in its copyright proceeds. They have 

 published the scientific and philosophical works of many 

 English authors, on which they have paid the customary 

 compensation allowed to American authors, and if Mr. Har- 

 rison doubts it he can satisfy himself by inquiring of his 

 neighbours, Tyndall, Lecky, Huxley, Bain, Sully, or the 

 Darwins, and there is surely no reason why they should not 

 have compensated Mr. Harrison in the same way ; and this 

 was certainly their intention. 



But perhaps the party who desired to plunder Mr. 

 Harrison (he uses the significant word twice in his first let- 

 ter) was Mr. Spencer's American friend, and that he sup- 

 posed this "friend" capable of sharp practice is inferable 

 from his remark, " I will only congratulate the Yankee edi- 

 tor on his 'cuteness." Yet the 'cute Yankee editor in this 

 case was the only party to get nothing. Among the sev- 

 eral stools occupied by authors and publishers, it was his 

 fate to sit on the ground. Neither by stipulation nor ex- 

 pectation was he to have a cent for his labour in editing the 

 volume, or his efforts in promoting its circulation. The 

 reasons which actuated him have been already stated. But 

 as the question is here raised of venal motives in the treat- 

 ment of foreign authors, and as this transaction has been 

 extensively paraded as a flagitious example of American 

 piracy, the editor of the suppressed book is entitled to say 

 that he has done his full share in a practical way toward 

 promoting international equity in the payment of authors 

 for their books. He gave nearly a year's labour to the or- 

 ganization of the International Scientific Series for the 

 avowed purpose of securing more satisfactory compensa- 



