The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-14 00:00:00

AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS.

The number of newspapers published in English-
speaking America is about 5,319. It is difficult to state
with exactness, for they spring up and die by hundreds
during every year. Delaware has only 13, and New York
806. New England has most newspapers in proportion to
its population, and the country journals have the largest
average circulation, being about 1,000 copies weekly. In
New York and Pennsylvania they will average about 700
in the valley of the Mississippi, proper about 350 ; and
in the South about 250. There are about 550 dailies,
varying in circulation from the neighbourhood of 200
daily to 100,000. New York is the great centre
of newspaper commerce. There are 32 dailies in that
city ; six in German, two in French, one in Scandina-
vian, and the rest in English. Seven of these dailies are
know as " the New York Associated Press," and supply
all the rest of the country with news, which they sell.
They print 112,000,000 sheets annually, and receive
'52,500,000 from advertisements • Their total receipts are
about $5,600,000. The other 25 dailies print 110,000,000
sheets annually, and their receipts are about $3,100,000
in all. So it will be seen that the New York daily press
alone has an income of $8,700,000 contributed by the
public for the purpose of knowing the news of the day.
The other periodicals of the city, semi•weekly, weekly,
monthly, and quarterly, issue 156,000,000 copies during
the year, and their total receipts are about $17,000,000.
Philadelphia is next after New York in number of
dailies, of weeklies, and of other periodicals, and also
prints the greatest quantity of sheets in a year. Sixteen
dailies supply the Quakers with mental nutriment,although
the quality is not high nor the enterprise of the managers
great. Their dailies are inferior to those of Boston,
Chicago, Cincinnati. and St. Louis, and are no better
than those of Pittsburg, Louisville. or San Francisco.
Boston is the third in importance, and the newspaper
business is prosperous there. Large dividends are
declared, news is paid prompt attention to, and the writing
on mnay Boston dailies would do honour to any journal in
the world. The Hub, however, is no longer such a centre
for news as Chicago, which distributes intelligence to six or
seven States, aggregating three times the population of
New England. The Chicago dailies are conducted ably,
have vast resources, large circulation, and full advertising
columns. They perform for the West the part that New
Yorks does for the East. Every editor in thehabit of look-
ing over exchanges knows that the New York State dailies
are substantially compiled from those in the city, those of
New England from Boston and New York, and other
parts of the Union from other centres. Nearly all the
country daily newspapers in the United States are con-
densed from those of one of the above places or from
Cincinnati, where some dailies of great importance are
published, Baltimore, St. Louis, New Orleans, or
San Francisco. The Albany papers are ex-
tracted from New York contemporaries, Harris-
burg from Philadelpia, Toledo from Cincinnati,
and so on. Besides the places we have mentioned,
Pittsburg, Louisville, Detrot, and Charleston main-
tain a half-way independence. New. York State has the
greatest number of newspapers, daily, weekly, and every
other way; Pennsylvania follows, and then Illinois.
Although the latter State has less population, it surpasses
Ohio, which follows it in order of importance. The South
ern States have few papers, and their importance is very
little. Many of them are edited by carpet-baggers, who
batten on the spoils of the public, and the real Southern
aristocracy evidently does not look with a favourable eye
upon journalism. On the Pacific coast the population is
too sparse for profit to be expected, and San Francisco
nearly monopolizes it.—New York Times.

WOODEN PAVEMENT.—SOMO enthusiastic Demo-
crats at New York, bent on celebrating an election
victory, one evening last month, by the usual burnt-
offering of tar barrels, managed to set fire to the
wooden pavement in East Twenty-four-street, and nearly
a whole block was consumed. A similar incident occurred
in the great fire in San Francisco, in 1850, when, the
streets being of plank, the inhabitants found not only the
houses burning over their heads, but the very ground
beneath their feet.

AN AURORA BOREALIS IN VICTORIA.—A mag-
nificent aurora australis was visible in Victoria on the
night of the sth of April. It was also visible in portions
of South Australia. There has not been one of so grand a
description since September, 1856. It was visible in Mel-
bourne from a little after sunset until about half-past
11 p,m., being brightest between half-past ten and a
quarter past 11 p.m. The aurora was preceded and accom-
panied by considerable electrical disturbances. The elec-
tric telegraph wires were greatly affected during the
several hours that it lasted, and there was a sufficient
current to keep the bell at the Melbourne Observatory
ringing and to work the instruments, without the aid of
the battery.

ACCIDENT TO THE VICEROY OF INDlA.—Every-
body will be sorry to hear that Lord Mayo, notwithstand-
ing his gallant horsemanship, had a nasty spill of it be-
tween Kalka and Kussowlie the morning after leaving
Ihnballa. His lordship's steed fell and on him, some
distance from Kussowlie, and so completely that Captain
Beadon. Assistant Commissioner, who was riding with
Lord Mayo at the time, had to spring off his horse, and
give extricative aid. A fall on that road must be a sore
thing, and we sincerely hope Lord Mayo was really as
little injured as he endeavoured to make appear. His
lordship though bruised and looking much shaken, in-
spected the barracks at Pugshai, and after breakfasting
with the Buffs, left for Simla—in the saddle.—Mofussiiite
May 12.
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THE COUPON STAMP.—The Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer is to be congratulated on an act of discretion
which, at the same time, does honour to his courage. In
compliance with the very cogent remonstrances of City men
interested in foreign securities, Mr. Lowe has consented to
abandon his projected Id. stamp upon coupons. One could
feel almost grateful to a Chancellor of the Exchequer for
the proposal of an obnoxious tax, and then the subsequent
handsome withdrawal of it. A tentative policy in finance,
if it bereally only tentative, is not a bad thing, although
it is scarcely possible that any class would graciously allow
themselves to be taxed simply brcause a Minister made
a trial. In the case before us, Mr. Lowe had precedents,
notably in the penny stamps on documents witnessing
the passing of money. Nothing need be said
against these, for the very simple reason that they
are established, and have entered into our habits, con-
stituting part of every day life. Besides, they were a
great relief from the oppressive stamp duties of the pre-
economic period. But the proposition to enact a stamp
on coupons is a very different affair; not only because it
is now, but because it would bring with it results of a
much more injurious character than the trifling incon-
venience of the ordinary penny stamp. We shewed last
week what these would be—an appreciable check
to the lucrative business in foreign loans and secu-
rities which tends yearly to flow more and more to
this market, because this market is known to be honest
and safe. Well, it might be said, a penny would surely
weigh nothing in the scale against honesty and safety.
But there is the mistake ; it would weigh not the
paltry copper, but the annoyance, the irritation,
the bother, the delay in critical times, which must
always be reckoned on when the scales of credit and
finance are nicely balanced. Our own, what may be
called our internal transactions in this business
of paying and receiving money, let them be subject to the
impost ; but in dealings with foreign securities leave us
free. It is not the sole, but it is one influence which brings
those dealings into this great financial centre of the world.
Mr. Lowe deserves thanks for his readiness to perceive his
own error, and his really good sense and courage in with-
drawing from a false position. These words from his
private secretary say all :—" The provision for a penny
stamp on coupons will be expunged from the Stamps Con-
solidation Bill when the Bill goes into committee." The
Chancellor of the Exchequer is thanked. —The Builionist.

FREE CHURCH MOVEMENT.—Lord Ebury and
several members of Parliament have sent letters of sym-
pathy to the promoters of the Free Church School Room
and institute now in course of erection in the neglected
district of Barns-green, near Horsham, where e very large
proportion of the adult population can neither read nor
write.