As I happened to be going to England early in May, 1899, I was asked by the Authors' Society to bring their proposed amendment of Lord Herschell's Bill to the notice of the persons interested in the matter. Meanwhile, the death of Lord Herschell had so altered the position of affairs that when I arrived in England I found an entirely new bill before the House of Lords in the name of Lord Monkswell. After a number of conferences with the leading publishers in London, and with some of the members of the Authors' Society in England, as well as informal discussion of the matter with the officials of the Colonial Office, I was invited by the Select Committee of the House of Lords upon the Bill to give evidence. The result of these various negotiations was that a clause substantially the same as that drawn by the Committee of the Canadian Authors' Society was introduced into Lord Monkswell's Bill. It was not found practicable to pass the Bill of 1899 through the various stages; and, therefore, a new Bill, practically the same as that of last year and containing the clause in question has this year been introduced into the House of Lords, and at this moment is in progress. The new Bill modifies very importantly and consolidates the whole law of copyright. There are really two measures, one dealing with literary copyright and the other dealing with artistic copyright. The principal changes in the law are these :

(a) The duration of copyright is extended to thirty years after the death of the author. This brings the English law into conformity with the laws of nearly all the countries of the continent of Europe where the thirty year period has been the rule for many years.

(b) Registration as an indispensable proof of copyright is abolished. The date of the author's death being easily susceptible of proof there is no room for doubt as to the existence of a copyright. The clause dealing with the colonies is as follows:

32. In the case of a legislature of any British possession, if the following circumstances occur, that is to say :

If a book has been first lawfully published in any other part of Her Majesty's dominions, and it is proved to the satisfaction of an officer appointed by the Government of such possession to receive such proofs that the owner of the copyright has lawfully granted a licence to import for sale in such British possession or to reproduce therein an edition or editions of any such book designed only for sale in such British possession, it shall be lawful for the legislature of such possession by Act or ordinance to prohibit the importation except with the written consent of the licensee into such possession of any copies of such book printed elsewhere, except under such licence as aforesaid, except that two copies

there may be specially imported for the bona fide use of the public free libraries, of the university and college libraries, and law libraries of any duly organized law institution or society for the use of its members.

The officer appointed to receive proofs of licences under this section shall satisfy himself that every owner giving such proof is entitled to give the same.

Where a licence has been granted under this section for any British possession any copy of the book produced subject to such licence shall, if found in any other part of Her Majesty's dominions, be deemed a pirated copy, and be treated accordingly.

In October, 1899, Mr. G. Herbert Thring, Secretary of the Authors' Society in England, and Mr. Gilbert Parker, also representing the English Authors' Society, came out to Canada and had an interview with Sir Wilfrid Laurier and other members of the Government. I believe that they pressed upon the Government the advisability of legislation in the direction proposed by the Canadian Authors' Society. Other similar representations were afterwards made to the Government by various bodies interested in the subject.

Anticipating the passing of Lord Monkswell's Bill, the Canadian Government has introduced a Bill backed by Mr. Fisher, Minister of Agriculture, which, if it becomes law, will have the effect of enabling Canada to avail herself of the powers explicitly conferred upon her by the English Bill and will enable Canadian authors as well as English authors to treat Canada as a separate market-thus giving them an additional source of remuneration for their work and enabling them to avoid giving up the Canadian market practically for nothing as hitherto they have almost been obliged to do.

It is hoped that the new measure will not be without important effects upon the trades in Canada that are necessarily interested. If reasonable expectations are not falsified, results similar to those which followed the conclusion of the copyright arrangement between the United States and Great Britain, will follow in Canada, results that should be of great benefit alike to authorship and to publishing in this country. I am yours, very faithfully,

JAMES MAVOR.

APPENDIX B.

TIDAL OBSERVATIONS.

Annual report of the Engineer in charge of the Survey of Tides and Currents in Canadian Waters for the year 1899. In charge of W. Bell Dawson, C.E., F.R.S.C. :

The principal tidal stations have continued in operation; and nearly all of them have been visited during the season. One secondary tidal. station has also been established this season at the outer end of Belle Isle Strait. Considerable progress has also been made in working out practical results from the tidal observations which have been secured. The last report, containing information as to the tides of the Bay of Fundy with observations on the tidal bore in the Petitcodiac River, has met with much appreciation.

As the Survey becomes more widely known, the requests for information continue to increase. Many examples could be given of the accessory ways in which this Survey often proves of value, in addition to its direct service to the shipping interest. The tide-levels especially, which require to be carefully worked out for the reduction of the tidal observations themselves, have been of important service in connection with harbour works, in several instances during the past year.

Tidal information has also been received from outside sources, with relation to the following places:-Moncton, N.B.; Shubenacadie River, N.S.; Chicoutimi; Annapolis, and Seymour Narrows, B.C. This information consists of observations secured by tidal instruments loaned; observations of tidal currents; and bench marks establishing tidal levels; as explained in the Report of Progress.

The total expenditure on this Survey during the fiscal year from June, 1898, to June, 1899, was $5,186.35. This includes, in addition to the ordinary fixed charges, the sum of $973.22 for the tidal observations in the Bay of Fundy in the summer of 1898; and $834.15 for repairs to the crib-work of the gauges at Forteau Bay and St. Paul Island.

BAY OF FUNDY.-TIDAL DIFFERENCES.

In the summer of 1898, eight secondary stations were established around the Bay of Fundy, in order to extend the usefulness of the tables for St. John, N.B., to the whole of this region. The extent of the region is 210 miles, from Yarmouth to Moncton.

In deriving tidal differences from these observations, it was first necessary to ascertain whether any part of the region at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy, could better be referred to Halifax than to St. John as its port of reference. With this object, a trial comparison was made for a period of one month, between the time of high water at Yarmouth, at the mouth of the bay, and Halifax on the one hand and St. John on the other. The month selected was July 18 to August 18, 1898; and the condensed result of the comparison is as follows, when reduced to the same standard time :

Yarmouth and Halifax. Difference in time of high water varies from 2 h. 26 m. to 3 h. 0 m. later; showing a range of 34 minutes.

Yarmouth and St. John. Difference in time of high water varies from 1 h. 01 m. to 1 h. 14 m. earlier; showing a range of only 13 minutes.

It thus appears that if the tide at Yarmouth is referred to St. John rather than to Halifax, much greater accuracy can be secured; as the error corresponding to the above variation, is only one-third as much. It may therefore be concluded from this comparison, that the tides throughout the Bay of Fundy above Yarmouth, can best be referred to St. John.

Preliminary results of these observations, including the draught available for vessels at ports in the upper part of the Bay, were prepared in time for issue with the tide tables for 1900. A full series of tidal differences for the whole Bay of Fundy will appear with the tide tables issued for 1901.

TIDE TABLES NOW ISSUED; AND METHOD OF PUBLICATION.

Quebec, Halifax, and St. John, N.B.-The tide tables for these principal harbours were again furnished to the leading British and Canadian Almanacs, as far as they were willing to publish them. These tables give the time and height of the tide, the depth of water on dock sills, &c.; and they are accompanied as before by tidal differences by which the time of the tide at a large number of other ports, becomes known. The manner of publication was the same as described in last report ; and it will, therefore, be sufficient to give a list of the almanacs in which they appear, in whole or in part :—

Canadian Almanac.-All the above, in full.-The Copp, Clark Co., Toronto.

Greenwood's Almanac.-All the above, in full.-Capt. W. N. Greenwood, Lancaster, Eng.