The Sun.
London, England, 1832-12-11 00:00:00

TWELVE O'CLOCK.

Brougham 1783 I Allen 823
Humphery... ...1325
_

TWO O'CLOCK.
Brougham... 2054 Allen..
I
Humphery

952

TAXES ON KNOWLEDGE.

(From Merle's Weekly Literary Register.)
We promised some details, showing the extent to which
taxes on knowledge press on the interests of the commu-
nity. First, however, we will take a review of the perio-
dical newspaper press as it now exists.
There are, on the establishment of each respectable
morning paper, an editor, an assistant editor, and from
eight to twelve reporters; besides a consider tble number
of literary gentlemen, who derive emolument from their
contributions, hut who do not receive a permanent salary
and there are also a great many reporters who supply
police ca,es, accounts of accidents, &c., who are paid for
their productions at so much per line (lid.), and who are
called " Penny-a-line reporters," that having been for
many years the scale upon which they are remunerated.
Each paper has also its collectors of news, foreign and do-
mestic correspondents. and a variety of expenditure which,
although it comes under no regular head, makes a large
item in the account at the end of every week. It is not
an extreme calculation to state, that there are, upon the
six morning papers and the seven evening papers published
in London, at least 120 literary gentlemen, receiving
weekly salaries to the amount of 700/ , exclusive of those
who are paid for their communications. If to the daily
papers we add about forty Sunday papers, and papers pub-
lished twice or thrice during the week, we sball make a
weekly sum total for literary services upon the establish-
ments, exclusive of what is paid for in another way, of
about 1,1001. ; and if we add to this amount the sums
paid to printers, publishers, and others, in the way of re-
gular salary, we shall have an increase of at least 1,5001.,
making a weekly sum of 2,5001., or 130,0001. per annum
paid by the London newspaper press in salaries only ; and
to this we may add, at least 1,2001. weekly, or 62,400/.
per annum for the remaining expenses, exclusive of stamps
and paper, making altogether nearly 200,0001. per annum.
This calculation, large as it is, will, we imagine, he con-
sidered by gentlemen, who perfectly understand the sub-
ject, to be much under-rated ; for such is the competition
in the profession, and the avidity to gratify the public,
that many thousand pounds are expended annually for
expresses, correspondence, &c., which we do not include
in our calculation. With respect to the number of per-
sons employed upon the London newspapers, directly and
indirectly, including editors, reporters, publishers, printers,
pressmen, and others, deriving from them their subsist-
ence, we are quite able to state it, at the very lowest, at
1,500, many of whom derive emoluments which enable
them to live as gentlemen, whilst none are without a hand-
some competence ; for it is a fact, that in no employment
are persons paid more liberally than upon newspapers.
The compositors have, upon morning papers, each, 2/. Bs.
weekly, and upon evening papers 21. 3s. 6d. ; and the
pressmen are paid equally well, although their labour has
been much diminished by the introduction of printing ma-
chines instead of presses. When we add to the list of
London papers those which are printed in the country and
in Ireland and Scotland, we shall find the account still
more remarkable. The number of these may be tak, n
broadly at 235, most of which appear once a week, a few
daily, and some twice or thrice a week. Sometimes there
are 240 provincial papers, at others 239 ; we take the
average, therefore, at 235 ; but from the increasing in-
tellectual wants of the people, we may safely expect that
the number will be soon 250. Each of these papers has
an editor and from three to six men and boys, as composi
tors and pressmen. The weekly amount of salaries paid
upon these establishments must be about 1,800/ , or
92,600/. annually ; and the other expenses may be about
1,000/. weekly, or 52,0001. annually, all, of course, ex-
clusive of stamps and paper.
We now come to the circulation of the newspapers.
The daily morning and evening papers, with those pub
lished twice or three times in the week, amount to at least
40,000 daily, or 240,000 weekly ; and the Sunday papers
to between SO and 100,000, making altogether about
330,000 weekly. If to this we add the circulation of the
provincial papers, we shall have a striking proof of the
lstate of intellect in this country. Many of the country
' newspapers publish 2 or 3,000 copies, but others not more
than 4 or 500 ; considering, however, that several appear
more than once a week, we do not think we can be charged
with exaggeration, if we say that they throw off weekly
200,000 copies, making altogether 500,000 copies. 01
this number, of course, some thousand copies go abroad,
but they amount to little, compared with the gross circu-
lation. 500,000 copies require 1,000 reams of paper,
which, on the lowest average of 40s. per ream, would make
2,0001. weekly, or 104,0001. per annum.
Thus we have—
London Press, annually, exclusive of stamps and paper £200,000
Provincial Press, ditto
Paper
26,000,000 stamps, at 4d. each, deducting '2O per cent.
discount on the stamps supplied for papers which are
350001
sold at 7d. each, aad 4 per cent, discount on those
which are sold at t3id. making about
Forming a total of £747,600
We have here nearly seven hundred and fifty thousand
pounds sterling, exclusive of advertisements, expended by
the newspaper press annually, of which nearly 380,000 go
to the Government for stamps, and the excise duty upon
paper.

ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION IN SEARCH
OF THE CAPTAINS ROSS AND CREW.

The Committee of Management appointed at
the last general meeting, on the 12th of No-
vember, have ever since been most actively en-
gaged in making the necessary arrangements for
carrying into effect at the earliest possible period
this noble project of national justice and huma-
nity, and it is confidently hoped, so forward are
the arrangements, that Captain Back will be
able to commence his perilous enterprise in the
early part of January. With the authority of the
Committee Captain Back had written to Canada,
directing a boat, of a peculiar construction, and
somewhat similar to that employed by Captain
Franklin when exploring the same northern ter-
ritory, to be built as soon as possible, and in-
structions have also been given to advertise for
volunteers to accompany the expedition from
Montreal. From those who may offer, Captain
Back will select the requisite number on his ar-
rival. A list of the various instruments, articles
of clothing, tarpawlings for the erection of tents,
and the almost infinity of articles of necessity or
comfort which are so imperiously required in
such an expedition, have been submitted to the
Committee by Captain Back, and orders given
that the same should forthwith be provided.
The Hudson's Bay Company have also sent
out instructions to their agents to provide
the necessary supply of pemmekan and other
provisions at the various factories and depots
which lay along or are adjacent to the route pro-
posed to be taken. This article, the public are
generally aware, is a highly concentrated nutri-
ment. It is prepared in that country from the
native cattle, and rendered palatable and pre-
served by the addition of various condiments,
and when in a proper state is as hard as a brick.
It is used by scraping a small portion, which,
being put into a kettle with a quantity of snow
water or ice, and boiled, furnishes a strong and
good soup. Captain Back purposes taking with
him from this country only four or five men,
and those good ship carpenters, and inured to the
northern clime. With these he will take his pas-
sage at the earliest opportunity, after the arrange-
ments making in this country are completed) in
some vessel bound for Canada or Montreal. On
arriving at the latter place he will select the re-
quisite number of men to complete the expedi-
tion. The number he at present proposes is
about sixteen. He will then, without delay, pro-
ceed with his company northward, using their
boat to cross the various rapids they may
come to, and at other times dragging it on sledges,
or carrying it bodily when this may be imprac-
ticable. The route they will now pursue will
be the same as that taken by Captain Franklin,
through the Hudson's Bay Company's territory,
as far as the Great Slave Lake, unless the in-
formation they may receive in their progress
should, in the opinion of Captain Back, justify
a change of plan. For the purpose of procur-
ing intelligence Captain Back will endeavour,
by every possible means, to conciliate and
form friendships with the various tribes of wan-
dering Indians he may meet. In their weari-
some progress through these inhospitable wilds
their main dependency for supplies will be upon
the depots established by the Hudson's Bay
Company. A precarious addition to this sup-
ply will be furnished from the herds of deer and
flocks of wild fowl which they may occasionally
meet with. On reaching the Great Slave Lake
they will have attained a point beyond which all
is conjecture. Northwest, at a supposed dis-
tance of several hundred miles, lies the wreck
of the Fury, but the nature of the intervening
space, whether land or sea, or huge inaccessible
icebergs, is unknown. Here, therefore, their most
anxious inquiries and their greatest perils will
commence. The Fury, if still in existence a
wreck, as when left by Captain Parry, contains
an abundant store of provisions, and Captain
Back purposes ascertaining whether or not
Captain Ross and crew may not have reached
that wreck, and be now subsisting upon its
stores. Should this not be the case, Captain
Back's further course will be guided by the in-
telligence he may be able to obtain. But
should unhappily that intelligence afford clear
and indisputable proof that the intrepid and
talented Captains Ross and their hardy crew
have perished, still the subscribers will have the
mournful satisfaction of knowing their money is
not altogether lost, and that if the noble and
primary object of the undertaking, that of hu-
manity, shall have failed, its subsidiary one of
scientific exploration will now commence, In
that case Captain Back proposes taking the
Great Slave Lake as a starting point to proceed
northward, and to penetrate regions never yet
visited by Europeans. According to the na-
tives there exists to the north a great body of
open water, to which they give a name signify-
ing .the Great Fish River. Captain Back pro-
poses ascertaining the correctness of this report,
and to devote a period of three years to the ac-
quisition of every knowledge of the country
which zeal, talent, and industry may enable him
to obtain.