1226 ADMINISTRATION AND LEGISLATION [PART V
delivered or deposited in accordance with the requirements
of the Act on or before the publication of the book. §.13
of the Act provided that the Act was only to apply to a
>itizen or subject of a foreign state or nation :
(@) If such foreign state or nation permits to citizens of
the United States of America the benefit of copyright on
substantially the same basis as to its own citizens ; or
(b) When such foreign state or nation is party to an
international agreement which provides for reciprocity in
the granting of copyright, by the terms of which agree-
ment the United States may, at its pleasure. become a party
to the agreement.
In reply to an inquiry from the United States Minister,
Mr. Lincoln, the Marquess of Salisbury, on June 16, 1891.
wrote as follows :—
Her Majesty’s Government are advised that, under existing
English law, an alien by first publication in any part of Her
Majesty’s dominions can obtain the benefit of English copy-
right, and that contemporaneous publication in a foreign
sountry does not prevent the author from obtaining English
nopyright ;
That residence in some part of Her Majesty’s dominions
is not a necessary condition to an alien obtaining copyright
ander the English copyright law ; and
That the law of copyright in force in all British possessions
permits to citizens of the United States of America the benefit
of copyright on substantially the same basis as to British
subjects.
On July 1, 1891, the President of the United States pro-
claimed that the first of the conditions specified in s. 13 of
the Act of Congress was fulfilled in respect to the citizens or
subjects of (amongst other countries) Great Britain. .
The passing of the United States law and the grant of
copyright to English authors in accordance with its terms
were regarded in England as a matter of the greatest impor-
tance. On the other hand, the result with regard to Canada
was, in the opinion of the Canadian Government, to increase
the disadvantages of their position, inasmuch as, under the
law of the United States, Canadian authors would obtain
