The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-19 00:00:00

THE NEWSPAPER STAMP.

(From the Daily News of this day.)
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is to bring before
the House of Commons this evening his resolution with
reference to the newspaper stamp. The plan proposed
is not an abolition of the tax : it, is simply an alteration
—the removal of an impost counterbalanced by the
withdrawal of a privilege. Unless the details be consi-
derably modified, the scheme is one which is likely to be
injurious to the public as well as to the press ; and it is
brought forward unsupported by the recommendation of
any committee, and in direct opposition to the testimony
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newspapers were allowed to be published without
stainp,, this would be the total sum involved ; and that
any loss would be reduced in proportion to the postal
charge to which they might be subjected. The Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer contemplates a more extensive
range. Ile disdains to deal with the postal transmis-
sion of ner,spapers alone, but includes that of all printed
matter, called the book post ; and, instead of printed
papers passing through the post at a charge of tid.
per pound, he proposes tl at they shall be charged at
the rate of id. for four ounces, thus converting the
post-office into a parcel-post, and inviting an exten-
sive trade at a rate which will, according to the evidence
of Mr. Hill, be unremunerative. Nay, more ; either in
ircny, or with that happy departmental independence
for which the country has during the last few months
been paying so heavily in blood and treasure, a notice
has just been issued by the Post-office, announcing that
the Colonial Book Postage will, after the Ist of March,
be reduced to the Inland rate, so as to double the effect
of this new financial arrangement. In justice to the
Newspaper Stamp Committee, it must be stated that
such a tampering with the revenue was not recom-
mended by them ; and it might have been thought that
the present was not the moment at which to venture
upon experiments which cannot be productive, and may
be seriously injurious.
While the scheme of the Chancellor of the Exchequer
is open to these objections on fiscal grounds, it is one
which, by the inevitable ld. on each transmission, will
relieve local residents at the expense of those who reside
at a distance. We do not stay to argue as to the manner in
which partial views and local prejudices are moderated and
removed by means of the sixty-six millions of newspapers
passing an aually through the Post-office. We simply point
attention to the fact that the change proposed cannot
lessen, but will in many instances increase, the cost of
those newspapers which now pass through the Post-
office to a daily average of more than 200,000 persons.
This portion of the population is a class which is speci-
ally entitled to consideration, and they have a right to
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Are there then no means by' which the Government
can avoid the difficulty from which they shrink—
namely, the definition of a newspaper ? It seems to
us that the remedy is easy. Abolish the newspaper
stamp, and let any one publish without stamp or
inquisition any news, intelligence, or comment that
he desires ; but at the same time give special
postal privileges to the proprietors of such defined
serial publications as shall choose to register their
publication at the Staap-office, and to stamp their whole
impression. This mode would effectually solve the pre-
sent difficulties, 'and might be so arranged as to benefit
the public, and at the same time increase the revenue.
Litigation would be avoided, for the stamp would be
sought as a privilege, aad not evaded as a burden ;
and as special postal privileges would be confined to
those papers whose whole impression was stamped, the
inconvenience, expense, and evasion which are now oc-
casioned to the Post-office by partially stamped issues,
and which will be continued by the plan at present sug-
gested by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, would be
altogether got rid of. The only question of importance
in such r scheme would be the cost of the stamp. Here
the Government should adopt the postal principle, and
by a graduating scale remove the present unfairness,
which charges as much for the postage of the Globe as
fur that of the Times. By a scale of id. for two ounces,
and id. for each additional ounce or fractional part of
an ounce, all the evening papers would pass for id. ; the
ordinary papers for id.
Those publications which contain only local informa-
tion would not need a stamp, and thus would be free.
On the other hand, the leading journals both in town
and country, which seek and obtain a wider range,
would desire to secure to themselves, on terms so advan-
tageous, a postal privilege, and would stanqp their whole
impression. By this means another important public
advantage, now about to be sacrificed, would be pre-
served—namely, that the whole extent of the circulation
of any stamped newspaper would be at all times known
to the Government. Although personally glad of pub-
licity, we doubt the fairness or propriety of publishing
the stamp returns to vatify an idle curiosity and to affect
the interests of the proprietors of newspapers ; butthere
cannot be a doubt that it is desirable fur a Government
to know the extreme extent of influence possessed by
the various organs of the press, in a country where it is
so free as here. Take the Times as an instance. It is
published in a city whose population is greater than that
of any other capital. It is reputed to possess a more
extensive circulation throughout the provinces of this
kingdom, in its colonies, and on the continent; than any
other paper in the world. % More powerful and more
widely distributed than any newspaper, what would not
bo the estimate if its extreme issue could not be tested
by the return ? If, in New York, with about a qualter
of the population of London, a circulation of more than
20,000 per day, or in Paris, with half the popula-
tion of London, a circulation of more than 40,000
per day can be obtained, is it not likely that a
fabulous circulation would be ascribed to the Times,
if the returns did not ruthlessly show that its sale does
' not equal that of its Parisian contemporary ? This is a
consideration which ought not to be lost sight of by our
rulers ; for while we contend, most strenuously for all
fair and legitimate influence, we shall be sorry to witness
the adoption of measures which give greater room for
undue importance to the influence of the press, either
collectively or individually.
The terms of the resolutions are sufficiently vague to
allow the Chancellor of the Exchequer in any bill which
may be based upon them to meet some of the points
before adverted to. There are ether points, such as
copyright, which will require careful consideration upon
any revision of the newspaperlaws. We postpone, there-
fore, for the present, any further remarks upon the sub-
ject. As more than four-fifths of the newspapers issued
are reputed to pass annually through the Post-office, the
postal question is one in which the public is more inte-
rested than the proprietors of newspapers ; and, if a new
arrangement be now made, the smaller and the larger
newspapers ought not to be subjected to the same dis-
criminating rate.

BRITISH OFFICERS FOR VIE TURKISH

SERVICE.

Military officers who have offered themselves, and
have been noted at the war department, for service wit h
the Turkish army, or with irregular levies attached to
the British army during the present war, are requested
to communicate their present addresses to that depart-
ment without delay.—War Department, Fels, 17, 1855.
The foregoing notification•, doubtless applies to the
execution of the new military convention just made be•
tween the British Government and the Seblime Porte,
empowering the former to raise a military force, net
exceeding 20,000 men, from amongst the subjects of the
Sultan, to be employed in conjunction with the allied
armies of the East. Of the convention the Observer of
yesterday says :7

" Steps have already been taken, and officers despatched
to the Turkish provinces to raise 16,000 men. This force
is to be levied, armed, clothed, fed, and paid by England,
and entirely under her command. It-will consist of two
divisions of infantry, aid a corresponding force of cavalry
and artillery, and will probably be employed in Asia at
the opening of the campaign. It is not intended to inter-
fere with the peculiar discipline of so many of this contin-
gent as shall happen to be Mussulman, who will probably
be under the command of regimental officers of their own
faith and country. No doubt many foreign officers and,
men will be incorporated with this legion, and it is not un-
likely that many Christian subjects of the Sultan will be
found fighting in its ranks. The chief direction, however,
will be entrusted to British or foreign officers of experience,
selected here for the highest commands. Government are
desirous to obtain for this service experienced officers who
are not otherwise employed. It is understood that arrange-
ments are in progress by which officers who have served
in the East India Company's service will be enabled to
join the corps on better conditions than they were hitherto
enabled to obtain.

rumours PonrrloN.—On Saturday last, Mr. Lan-
ham, plumber, was placed for a short time in a position
of extreme peril, and from which it is almost miraculous
that he escaped without injury. He had been on the
top of Emmanuel College, clearing the snow from the
gutters, and came down, forgetting his hat on the roof.
Before he recollected where he had left it, the fasten-
ings of twbladders, which had been tied together to en-
able him to go up, were undone, and, unwilling to take
the trouble of re-tying them, he raised the longer of the
two, and ascended it. On gaining the uppermost stave, he
found he could not reach to the parapet by several
inches; but, mounting on the projecting ends of the sides,
and making a violent spring, be succeeded in grasping
the edge of the wall. Having recovered his hat, he pre-
pared to descend ; but, when hanging on the edge of the
parapet, he was horrified to find that he could nut touch
the ladder. He shouted to a man who was holding it
below, but who would appear to have become paralysed
with terror ; for, without endeavouring to raise the
ladder a litte more, by bringing it closer to the wall,
he only added to Mr. Longhorn's danger by telling
him that his feet wanted several inches of the lad-
der. After hanging for some minutes in this painful
and dangerous position, feeling that he would soon be
compelled to let go his hold from his fingers becoming be-
numbed with the cold, he summed all his energy and let
himself down—presenting, as he did so, the utmost pos-
sible resistance to his 'fall by clinging with desperate
tenacity to the wall with the palms of his hands. Most
providentially he gained the ladder, succeeded in steady.
ing himself,
bridge Oluvnicic.
and reached the ground in safety.—Cam.