In Beckford versus Hood, the Court of King's Bench decided, that the omission of the entry only prevented a prosecution for the penalties inflicted by the statutes, but it did not in any degree impede the recovery of a satisfaction for the violation of the copyright. The same Court further determined, in the case of the University of Cambridge against Bryer in 1812, that the eleven copies were equally claimable by the public libraries, where books had not been entered at Stationers Hall as where they had.

The burthen of the delivery, which by the latter decision was for the first time established to be obligatory upon publishers, produced in the following year a great variety of petitions to the House of Commons for redress, which were referred to a committee; and in 1814 the last Act on this subject was passed, which directed the indiscriminate delivery of one large paper copy of every book which should be published (at the time of its being entered at Stationers Hall) to the British Museum, but limited the claim of the other ten libraries to such books as they should demand in writing within twelve months after publication; and directed that a copy of the list of books entered at Stationers Hall should be transmitted to the librarians once in three months, if not required oftener.

It appears, so far as your committee have been enabled to procure information, that there is no other country in which a demand of this nature is carried to a similar extent. In America, Prussia, Saxony, and Bavaria, one copy only is required to be deposited; in France and Austria two, and in the Netherlands three; but in several of these countries this is not necessary, unless copyright is intended to be claimed.

The committee having directed a statement to be prepared by one of the witnesses, an experienced bookseller, of the retail price of one copy of every book entered at Stationers Hall between the 30th July, 1814 and the 1st of April, 1817, find that it amounts in

the whole to 1,419. 3s. 11d. which will give an average of 1532. 4s. per annum; but the price of the books received into the Cambridge University library from July 1814 to June 1817, amounts to 71,145 10s. the average, of which is 1381 16s. 8d. per annum.

In the course of the inquiry committed to them, the committee have proceeded to examine a variety of evidence, which, as it is already laid before the House, they think it unnecessary here to recapitulate; but upon a full consideration of the subject they have come to the following Resolutions:

1. Resolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, That it is desirable that so much of the Copyright Act as requires the gratuitous delivery of eleven copies should be repealed, except in so far as relates to the British Museum, and that it is desirable that a fixed allowance should be granted, in lieu thereof, to such of the other public libraries, as may be thought expedient.

2. Resolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, That if it should not be thought expedient by the House to comply with the above recommenda tion, it is desirable that the number of libraries entitled to claim such delivery should be restricted to the British Museum, and the Libraries of Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, and Dublin Universities.

3. Resolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, That all books of prints, wherein the letter-press shall not exceed a certain very small proportion to each plate, shall be exempted from delivery, except to The Museum, with an exception of all books of mathematics.

4. Resolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, That all books in respect of which claim to Copyright shall be expressly and effectually abandoned, be also exempted.

5. Resolved, That it is the opinion of this committee, That the obligation imposed on Printers to retain one copy of each work printed by them, shall cease, and the copy of The Museum be made evidence in lieu of it.