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1683, July 5. By the 3 and 4 William IV. c. xxiii. the duty on advertisements in news- papers was reduced from three shillings and six- pence to one shilling and sixpence in England, and to one shilling in Irelano. The duty paid for advertisements hy the whole of the provincial newspapers in England, from Jan. 5, 1832, to Jan. 4, 1833, was £70,966. The number of newspapers published in the United Kingdom: Enolano ; London, thirteen daily ; six two or three times a-week ; thirty-six once a-week ; and one hundred and eighty provincial : — Scotland ; fifteen twice or three times a-week ; thirty-one weekly : — Ireland ; in Dublin, five daily ; seven three times a-week ; and fifty-seven provincial : British Islands ; Guernsey, Jersey, and Man, two twice a-week, and eleven weekly — total, 369. The total number of newspapers which passed through all the post-offices in the United King- dom and Ireland, in 1833, was 41,600,000.*
1833. The commercial value of literary works published in England amounted to £415,300; and adding to this the amount of daily and weekly papers, reviews and magazines, the gene- ral sale of English literature may be estimated at je2,420,900 sterling. There were published two hundred and thirty-six monthly periodica] works, a single copy ol'^each cost £17 12s. 6d.f
18^. A committee of the booksellers of Lon- don made the following regulation : " that no perton thould be entitled to the privileges of the trade unless having a shop."
1833, iVov. 4. DiedjJottn Meeson, beadle of the leadiersellers' company, and treasurer of the well known convivial society, the Honourable Lumber Troop. He served his apprenticeship to his father, who was for many years a compo- sitor in the printing-office of Mr. John Nichols, and was himself connected with that establish- ment for half a century ; for, though long since removed from the necessity of working at his original business, he was always delighted at being cohsidered as belonging to the printing- office of his old masters and firm friends. He accordingly acted as father of the chapel ; and was the true, constant, warm, and active friend to all his younger brethren. With what delight would he exhibit a valuable snuff-box, presented to him by his fellow-workmen, with a handsome
- Entire produce of the newspaper duties was jf 533,000.
Naml>erofnewspaper stamps issued was 4-1.500,000 — There were six liunUrod paper mills in Great Britain making 2,500,000 reams of paper, paying the following duties :— Engrland, upon 56,9.i3,0001hs, i(i>2,933 ; Scotland, upon 9,077.00011)8, ^lOi.iJd; Ireland, upon C96,0001bs, ^eaS.ykS.
t There were at ttiis time between thirty and forty i^nny llnd twopenny publications sold in London, many of them were scurrilous, blasphemous, and frivolous ; to show that the gricat mass of the people supported those publications which afforded them instructive and useful infonnation, it may be stated, that in the year 1833, the Penni/ Ma^a line consumed 14,000 reams of paper, and the cost of the wood-cuts was jf ^,000. The publications of Messrs. W. and R. Chambers, of Edinburgh, In IS33, was, of the £ifi». turgh Journal 55,000 copies weekly ; Information for the People, 16,000 every fortnight ; Hutorical Kewtpnper, 28,000 monthly. Saturday Magazine, including the Sup- plcment, had a weekly circulation of between 80,000 and 90,000 copies. l>innoek's Guide to Knowledge had a great sale, and Limbird's Mirror, price twopence, after eleven Tears' drcolaUnn, had increaiied In public estimation.
inscnption expressive of their affection and es- teem ! This worthy individual was known to a very extensive circle ; and no roan could be more generally beloved. He died at the age of sixty- two, leaving a widow to mourn the loss of an indulgent husband ; but had no children. His remains were interred in St. Helen's church-yard.
1833, Nov. 12. Died, Joseph Strutt, keeper of the records to bis grace the duke of North- umberland. He was the eldest son of the ingenious author and artist, Joseph Strutt, who died Oct. 16, 1802.* The late Mr. Strutt was bom May 28, 1775, and was educated at Christ's hospital, where he was well imbued with the Latin tongue, and afterwards served his apprenticeship in the printing-office of the late John Nichols. His health, however, was never strong, and he soon relinquished his business to follow the more honourable but less certain occupation of his pen. We are not aware whether Mr. Strutt published any works with his name, but believe the public have been benefitted by his labours in various ways. He made the index to the first volume of Mr. Nichols's Historic of Leieetlershire, but did it so superfluously well, that had be proceeded with the other volumes with the same precision, the index itself would have formed much too bulky a volume. This extent in quantity, and con- sequently great loss of time, compelled Mr. Nichols to place the index to the second, third, and fourth volumes of his history in the hands of Mr. Malcolm, author of XoTuiinumiZecJrotvuta. Fortunately for Mr. Strutt, he was many years ago recommended by John Caley, esq. F.S.A. to his grace the late duke of Noithumberland to arrange his archives, which from damp and neg- lect were in a deplorable state of decay. To this employment Mr. Strutt was well adapted ; and the neatness and accuracy with which he repaired, preserved, and transcribed the valuable documents committed to his charge, were truly admirable. Sheltered by the kind patronage of the late and present dukes of Northumberland, Mr. Strutt thus passed the remainder of his days. He died at Gleworth, and left a widow and a numerous family. Mr. Strutt had a strung sense of piety, which he inherited from his family, and devoted a considerable portion of his time to the diligent study of the sacred scriptures.
1833, Nov. John Lewis Briostock, printer of the Welshman newspaper, published in the town of Carmarthen, was sentenced to be im- prisoned in the county jail of Carmarthen five calendar months, and at the expiration of that time to find sureties to keep the peace for three years, himself in £100, and two sureties in ^isO each, for a libel on the magistrates of Carmar- then. Mr. Parmer, the editor, who handed the libel to the printer, was not brought to trial.
1833, Nov. 16. Mr. Cohen, proprietor and editor of the Brighton Guardian, was sentenced in the court of king's bench to sis months' im- prisonment, to pay a fine of £50, and find suie-
- See Uterary Aneettotet, vol. v. p. S£S-686.
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