An English author has no rights whatever in the United States; this should be thoroughly and clearly understood. He may make any arrangement he may think proper with regard to the publication of his works, but can acquire no Copyright in any way. He may wish Brown and Co. to be his sole and only publishers, but cannot prevent Jones and Co. bringing out rival editions; consequently, he can derive little or no profit from his works. By sending out early sheets, so as to give Brown a few days’ advantage over Jones, he may get a small payment, but the sum may be very small. Moreover, should Messrs. Jones have noted his coming greatness, and have been the first to announce his first book, albeit quite unknown to him, they will claim to be his publishers; and although, he may wish to give Brown the preference, they will feel themselves aggrieved and insist upon helping to make him famous. Should he go to America, and first publish his book there, he will find himself in a still worse position; he is like the notorious “Man without a Country”—he has positively no rights at all; he has none in America, and has none here. It was long supposed that an American author was in a similar position; but it is not so. By a fluke he has secured rights which he never dreamed of, and by means of _our_ Copyright-Law, may obtain privileges denied him by his _own_. His plan is simply this: having prepared two copies of his MS., he places one in the hands of his Boston or New York publisher, with directions to publish on a certain day; the other he forwards to a London house, with directions to publish at the same time. Just before the day of publication, which is possibly at that time of the year when Saratoga is an abode more agreeable than the Fifth Avenue, he proceeds to the Canadian side of the Falls. Here he spends a few hours, and then returns, without encountering more inconvenience than saving his hotel expenses by buying a suit of clothes, on which he pays no duty on his return. Thereupon he finds that by so simple a process he has obtained Copyright in the United States, in the dominion of Canada, in Australia, India, France, Germany, and Great Britain! We can imagine the lively twinkle of his eye as he crosses the Suspension-bridge, to think what cute people the Britishers are to have secured all these privileges for him. We believe, therefore, that American authors are not very anxious about the matter. By taking a little trouble, they can secure all they wish.