BY desire of my esteemed friend and publisher, the Baron Tauchnitz, I beg to state that the present edition is the sole one authorised by me for Continental circulation. The edition issued by Messrs. Asher and Co. Of Berlin was produced by them unknown to me. After its appearance that Firm addressed me offering payment and stating that they held piracy in abhorrence, and respected the rights of authors even where those rights were unsecured by legal exactitude. To obtain the belief of authors in the sincerity of these sentiments I would beg to suggest to the Messrs. Asher that it will be wiser in future to abstain from appropriating a literary work until they have secured the writer's permission to make profits from it. I take this Opportunity to request.