The Sun.
London, England, 1802-02-16 00:00:00

BOOKSELLERS AND PRINTERS.

Mr. SHAW LEFEYRE said, he held in his
hand a Petition signed by upwards of zoo Book-
sellers and Printers of the Cities of London and
Westtninster. They stated, that by the addi-
tional duties upon Paper, their trade 1-had been
ciaierially injured, that from the peculiar cireum,
Stances in which they were placed, these, duties fell
immediately upon their capital, and but very slowly
Upon the Public ; that they were obliged to print a
great number of .copies of every Work when the
Press was set up, and consequently to,
lay out large
sums of money, whilst the copies, thus printed,
might not probably be sold for six or seven years,
or perhaps not at all, and that if in consequence of
the very heavy ex-pence, they printed a smaller num-
ber of Copies, the price of each Copy must then,be
increased, and the demand would of course be ma-
terially. diminished. Thus far relative to the home
Trade. With respeet to the Export Trade, if what
was stated in the Petition was correct, and the Peti-
tioners were ready to prove their assertions before
any Committee which the House should please to
appoint, the Export Trade was nearly annihilated ;
and it was a serious filet, that Editions of the best
British Authors had been printed abroad and sold
for half the price at which they could be afforded
here, allowing a very moderate profit to the Book-
seller. Under these circumstarrces they prayed for
a repeal of these additional Duties, or such other re-
lief as die House should think proper. He con-
cluded by moving for leave to bring up the Pe-
tition.

On the Question being put, leave was given.
Mr. SHAW LEFEvRE brought up the Petition,
and after it had
.been read by the Clerk,. moved
that it should lie on the Table. •

The CHANCELL9R cf. the EXCHEQUER
said, he by no means wished to o:,je&-to the Motion
of his Hon. Friend, and he hoped his Hon. Friend
would tOLlow it up in such a way that the subjea
might become a matter of discussion in that House.
He was fully aware that the Booksellers and Print-
ers of the 'Cities of London and Westminster la-
boured under great difficulties and disadvantages,
which he thought were fairly stated in the Petition.
He doubted, however, how far the remedy suggest-
ed by the Petitioners would tend to lessen the evils
of which they complained ;
.be was sure, however,
the House would 'be desirous of affording them every
pradicable relief. He thought it unnecessary to say
more upon the subjea at present, further than to
hope that his* Hon. 'Friend would put it in that
train in which 4 might come regularly before the
House as a matter for discussion.
Mr. SHERIDzIN said, he had opposed the
duties which were now the subjea of compldint at
the rime they were brought forward, and believed
he was almost the only person who did oppose them.
He was convinced then, as he was now, that those
dutieS were of the most injurious tendency; and lie-
hoped the Hon;Oentleman who had presented tile
Petition, would not fail to bring the subjed for-
ward on an early day. If the duties Were not re-
'pealed,- 'the Export Trade must be. entirely anni-
'Whited. He thought it a 04barous t;is, 03 it

struck direilly at the very roots of Literature. The
trade in books to America and to France, as well
as other parts of the world, was already nearly at
an end. He understood that no less than six edi-
tions of Shakespeare were now printing at Paris,
which could be afforded to be sold at half the prices
for which they could be printed here; and if these
duties were continued, there was every .season to
believe that the Export Trade would-fel nsirely
into the h3oris of France,

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said, he before stated his doubts whether the re-
medy suggested in the Petition would obviate the
evil of which the Petitioners complained. He was
convinced,- however, that those difficulties and dis-
advantages of which they complained, do not grow
out of the tax in question, though they might in
some degree be increased by it. He was persuaded,
on the contrary, that those difficulties.and disad-
vantages arose from other causes, and not from the
ati of last Session.

Mr. SHAW LEFEI"RE said, he had intended
merely to move that the Petition should lie on the
Table, but in consequence of what had fallen from
his Right Hon. Friend, he should now give notice,
that he would move on Monday next that it should
be referred to the consideration of a Committee.
The Petition was then ordered to lie on the
Table.