the greatest mischief of Patents as now administered, by further charging high royalties proportioned to the quantity of work they did. Now will the House consider why it subjects the nation to all this inconvenience, loss, and expense? It is not because without it we would miss many important inventions. The groundlessness of such a fear has already been indicated with sufficient plainness. The House can hardly doubt, from its individual acquaintance with what goes on in the world, and from the extracts I have troubled it with, that whatever argument in favour of maintaining a Patent system may be founded on the claims of inventors, the material interests of the nation would suffer little from the cessation of Patents as a stimulus. Unquestionably, if the system induces some inventions to be made and published, it deters others. What we gain is a matter of doubt. That much inconvenience is inflicted by it, and much disadvantage and very heavy burdens, is no matter of doubt. It is a case in which we have to balance the positive disadvantages against the supposed advantages. To enable the House to weigh these, by seeing how few inventions we would lose by total abolition, a few more quotations may be permitted. Very significantly Mr. Richard Roberts answers:— “Would the absence of Patents for inventions, in your judgment, have any effect in producing secret trades; or have you had any opportunity of judging whether non-patented inventions are used much in secret trade?—I do not think there is much secret trade, but I know this, that no trade can be kept secret long; a quart of ale will do wonders in that way.” Let me adduce Mr. Woodcroft:— “Do you think there is any natural tendency or propensity in inventors to keep to themselves their inventions, or have they a natural tendency to make them known?—The natural tendency of an inventive mind is to make the invention known.” I now adduce the late able Mr. Fairrie:— “You believe that the same energy of mind would be displayed, and the same anxiety to make new discoveries felt, whether there were this hope of protection or not?—I think so; in the case of manufacturers certainly. I think the great bulk of improvements proceed from the manufacturers themselves, and not from mere inventors.” Hear Colonel Reid, so well entitled to speak:— “Supposing the law were so modified as to make the acquisition of a Patent easy and simple, and to provide for the publication at the earliest possible period, do not you think there would be more inducement to the disclosure of the secret under such a system than if all privileges of the kind were abolished?—I am inclined to think that the advance in improvement in all our arts would be greater by leaving them entirely unshackled.” Sir W. Cubitt was asked— “Have you ever been an inventor yourself?—Yes, of many things; but a patented inventor of but one.