Hamlet House
Hammersmith
London. Dec. 15
’76.
My dear Clemens
A paragraph in the Cin. Commercial says “Mark Twain and Bret Harte are said to be writing a play together.” If ever you write a play again be sure to arrange to have it copyrighted here and brought out on the same night that it is brought out in America. For it was yesterday decided in the Courts against Dion Boucicault that his copyright to the Shaugran in England was worthless because the play was first brought out in America. This decision ends your hope, I fear, of protecting Col. Sellers here—though I do not yet absolutely know whether the English copyright of the Gilded Age could protect it. I am pretty sure not. I’ll inquire. I have learned that there is no engagement between the Haymarket and Raymond yet—but only a faint rumour that he is coming. I have very good authority for believing that the present piece ‘Dan’l Druce’, which is having a great success, will run on their until Easter, and that it is expected that after that Pygmalion and Galatea will be reproduced. If Raymond comes it will be just after that—he might try to hit the May and June season.
—Chatto has not failed to notice that you have in the last Atlantic an article for which he would have given money.
I send you Chatto & Windus account for the first edition of Tom Sawyer, according to our agreement for 1s9d per copy. The 82 remaining copies will no doubt soon disappear. The telegrams sent you by me are not included, of course, and I am sorry to say my books are confused about these said telegrams—as well as I can make out they amount to £2..11..0, which with 16s paid for carriage of picture plates and telegrams to Chatto in emergencies, would amount to about £3..10..0. But this is subject to your recollection of the telegrams I sent you, and need not be considered of importance. Chatto has sent me with enclosed account a bill of acceptance for the sum of £157..13..10. It is as stated in the account due four months after date, or on April 17. My banker will probably cash it for me next week, as a favour, and I shall be glad to know if you would like me to buy a bill of exchange and send it to you at once. Apart from the side expenses & minus 60 free copies to press &c you will see that the 2000 copies when completely sold bring to author’s account £169..14..2, which must be nearly $900 in greenbacks (at a momentary guess.) I think on the whole and in the long run this is rather better than if you had invested in printing the book at your own expense, with so much less chance of moderating the fancy of printers than a publisher has.
I send you a clipping from the Newcastle Chronicle which will show you that you are doing your part in mitigating the Sublime Porte. You ought to man (but don’t suspect the phrase of alluding to Ottoman) another pilgrim ship, load it heavily with grape (not that of which Porte is made) and anchor off Constantinople as the boss for us (I protest against any insult in misunderstanding of my words.)
Thine
Conway
Mrs Clemens may like the attached fingerring lore
