The Express.
London, England, 1850-01-18 00:00:00

expensive work. A three guinea work so announced
with the names of half a demon publishers connected
with it will be charged but cote advertisement
duty. Bat U the same publishers clubbed
together to advertise six sixpenny books.
one belonging to each of them, they would be
mulcted by the Excise in six eighteen penny duties.
To assign a good reason for this seems utterly impos-
sible: for the principle cm which the publishers pro-
ceed is the mime in both eases, namely, to economies,
as much as possible, the cost of publication.
Is a series of books advertised by the same rib-
Heber, no two, probably, will correspond, in size,
price, shape, or subject. Bat this makes no differ-
MOO as long as the magi., " rule" which we insert be-
tween the announomeents of different advertisers is
not placed acmes the oolumo. The anomaly of ad-
vertisiog widely different things on payment of a
single duty extends indeed far beyond the publisher.
Messrs. Moses and Co. inform the public, upon pay-
ment of one duty, of the prices of hate, shoes, stock-
ings, coats, shirting, and, indeed, of the particulars of
a dozen different trades combined in one. It was only
the other day that we observed in one advertisement
anzounoementsrelating to church-stoves and theßeve.
lents Arabic'. A man, in foot, may carry on twenty
different trades at twenty different quarters of the
town, and may advertise all his trades in one ad-
vertisement, paying only a single duty. On the
other hand, if two tradesmen living next door to each
other combined to gave the cost of advertising, by
making known their names in a joint advertisement,
the Excise no doubt would come down upon us for a

nal
pety.
No,very long time since we were desirous to publish
in the last page of our paper, tot only an amount of
the sales by auction which bad taken place, but of
sales by auction which wets fixed for periods within
a week. Each such auction could have been referred
to in a single line, and it occurred to us that to a large
class of readers sales fixed to take place would be as
interesting items of information as hunting appoitt-
mugs or law notices are to other classes. forE,
however were so kicd as to inform us that every
line inserted in this shape a duty of ene-and-sizpence
must be paid. This was an effectual prohibition on
such a publication, and therefore the plan was never
carried out.
And this incident leads us to observe upon the
difficulty of distinguishing what is news and what is
an advertisement. An announcement of one sort of
meeting is considered news, whilst an announcement
of another sort of meeting is regarded as an advertise.
went. The best possible way of advertising a thing
is to refer to it In the leaning columns of a news-
paper ; yet no advertisement duty is charged upon
an7thieg that may appear in that shape.
fhe CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER is repeatedly
aeknowledging the receipt of five hundred pound
notes, which persons with more mmey than wit are
sending to him to pay off the national debt. His
announcements are never charged with duty, whilst
the announcement, in another column, of a 10s. sub-
scription to a ragged school is charged with duty at
the rate of 71 per cent. upon the mum received. Why,
what an absurd anomaly is this. Remark, too,
either the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER must be
defrauding the revenae by his own act, or else he is
robbing the poor unjustly of the ls. 61. which would
go to them in soup.
There are absolutely puhlications which lay them-
selves out for advertisements on which no duty is
even thought of being charged. Take for an example
that useful publication the "Post-office Directory.
Upon payment of a small charge a description of
your Dulness in its various branches will be in-
serted in connexion with your name in the
columns of the " Post-office Directory." What is
this but an advertieemer- -an advertisement, too
and Yet we never heard

received as sash paid fir. _
that the Excise charge! the proprietors of the " Post-
Offies Directory" with advertm.ment duty in these
eases, nor do we believe they a ould recover it if they
tried.
In a mercaufde country it is difficult to conceive a
tax which operates more detrimentally than the tax
upon advertisements. By unduly. raising the cost of
advertisements, it gives an unfair advantage to the
man who can afford to spend most in making himself
known through this channel of communication. But
it does more than this: as we have shown by one in-
stance, it prevents in many cases the diffusion of im-
portant and interesting intennation. Why should we
not insert in a newspaper • list of ships about to sail
as well as of ships which have arrived? The one class
of information would be infinitely more interesting to
shippers than the other. But we are prohibited by
the Excise. Neserthelesa, such lists are published by
wholesale in the City mai amongst every mercantile
imimmunity : published, too, on unstamped paper, and
'paying no duty. whatever as advertisements.
Our consolation under these things is, that such
wombes cannot long exist. For the sake of
160,0001. a year, no Chancellor of the Exchequer can
mach longer submit to the imposition of such
shackles upon free communication. We have shown
that the matter is not one that effects newspapers
alone. It is • subject of great importance to the
public generally, and we trust they will respond to
the movement that is making for the repeal of this
obnoxious and unnecessary tax.