and the Customs department will be relieved of an extremely disagreeable and troublesome duty. As to the brand, not those of any particular maker, but in their general character purporting the goods to be of British manufacture, but very little harm can result to any particular interest from the use of such marks. It will take something more substantial than such mere fictions to ruin the trade of the country; but if better goods, even if they be of foreign origin, can be obtained at the same prices as those paid for British, then so much the better for the consumer. Would it not be well, also, to relieve the Customs officers of the duty of searching for pirated works under the Copyright Act? Why not deal with the vendors here of such works, if reprinted abroad, in like manner as if reprinted here? THE BRITISH AND FOREIGN BOOK TRADE. The following figures, extracted from a recent Parliamentary Return, while they show a highly satisfactory ratio of increase, will probably convince the commercial reader that the International Book Trade of Christendom is yet in its infancy, and, perhaps, that the swaddling-bands and close confinement of monopoly should be exchanged for a freer and more natural system of nursing and protection:— BOOKS PRINTED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, EXPORTED THEREFROM. ---------------------+-------------------------+------------------------- COUNTRIES | QUANTITIES. | DECLARED VALUE. to which Exported. +-------+--------+--------+--------+--------+------- | 1828. | 1848. | 1868. | 1828. | 1848. | 1868. ---------------------+-------+--------+--------+--------+--------+------- | Cwts. | Cwts. | Cwts. | £ | £ | £ Foreign Countries:— | | | | | | United States | 605 | 3,158 | 18,379 | 14,612 | 47,955 | 184670 Other Foreign | | | | | | Countries | 1,449 | 2,003 | 10,540 | 33,319 | 30,678 | 181350 ---------------------+-------+--------+--------+--------+--------+------- Total | 2,054 | 5,161 | 28,919 | 47,931 | 78,633 | 366020 +-------+--------+--------+--------+--------+------- British Possessions:—| | | | | | Australia | 148 | 1,968 | 18,583 | 3,933 | 27,249 | 148413 British North America| 364 | 1,131 | 6,919 | 8,178 | 15,156 | 64139 Other British | | | | | | Possessions | 1,552 | 4,026 | 6,987 | 41,072 | 71,114 | 105671 +-------+--------+--------+--------+--------+------- Total | 2,064 | 7,125 | 32,489 | 53,183 | 113519 | 318223 +-------+--------+--------+--------+--------+------- Aggregate of Foreign | | | | | |