Once a Week (magazine)/Series 1/Volume 9/A literary piracy

2695886Once a Week, Series 1, Volume IX — A literary piracy1863Samuel Lucas

A LITERARY PIRACY.


Our attention has been called from various quarters to the fact that the story entitled “My Affair with the Russian Countess,” in No. 221 of Once a Week, September 19, 1863, is obviously a plagiarism from Chambers’ Journal, No. 418, January 4, 1862. It is, perhaps, scarcely necessary to inform our readers that we are unconscious and most unwilling parties to any such appropriations from other periodicals. Indeed, every precaution has been taken by the Editor from the commencement to guard against such malpractices, and in the present instance the article was not accepted until a letter was received from its transmitter, explicitly stating that ‘My Affair with the Russian Countess’ had not previously appeared in print, and had not been offered to any editor or publisher, other than the gentlemen connected with Once a Week.” This letter was signed

“D. CONNELL,
Abbey Wood, Lessness Heath, Kent;”

and the Editor trusts that the publication of this extract from it, with the name and address of the writer, will at least render a repetition of the offence on his part in other quarters impossible.

Ed. Once a Week.