The Sun.
London, England, 1842-10-21 00:00:00

• - BIBLE MONOPOLY.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN:
Bungay, Oct. 18, 1842..
Sta,—Among all the London journalists, you wet.*
the only one who could be found to lay before the
public, during the active agitation of the Bible Mono,
poly question, the facts which were elicited in evi-
dence before Parliament, or which arose in the pro-
gress of the matter.
The Times had then recently adopted the cause of
Toryism, and was especially vigorous in defence of
the Bible Printing Monopoly, a worthy offset of its
new ally. Its usual tactics were pursued, and having
ventured to assert that the patent provided security
for correctness of the sacred text, discreetly adduced
in evidence—bot a copy of the patent—but the fact
that errors were to be found in books printed by
myself.
The truth was; that no security for correctness was
taken• from the patentee, and, until public attention
had been directed to the fact, the Bibles were the
most inaccurate and slovenly books produced to the
public.

About 1833 the monopolists felt the necessity of
some improvement in their Bibles, and some benefit
resulted; but in 1837, I presented to a Committee of
the House of Commons a list of variations between
two of the best recent editions, amounting in number
to eight hundred, and involving many serious errors.
In 1839 the Scottish monopoly of Bible print—
ing was abolished, and in order to provide a real.
security for the public against errors in the sacred
text, a Government Board was created, composed of
public, legal, and ecclesiastical officers, to whom are
submitted proofs of every Bible about to be published
in that country, and who give a license to such as

they find correct.
Two official Reports have issued from that Board,
and I annex, for the information of your readers, an
extract from one lately published, confirming the
ground I took in assailing the English monopoly,
and furnishing abundant reason to the people of this
country for strenuously labouring to place themselves
on equally advantageous ground with their northern
countrymen.

As to the price of Bibles, the Report states :--
""The anticipations in which we indulged in our
former Report, in regard to the effect of competition
upon the price of Bibles, have been more than realized.
In the case of various editions the diminution of
price amounts to more than fifty per cent. Bibles
printed by authority in England, are now sold in
Scotland at greatly reduced prices, to a very great
extent. There can be no doubt that the diminution
of price has increased to an extraordinary degree the
sale of Bibles ; and the benefit of a more extensive
circulation of the Scriptures is beginning to
be axperienced." And on the subject of cor-
rectnesff and uniformity, the Board reports,
that they have diligently compared thirteen
editions of patent Bibles, all of the Lluthorised version,
ar.d they transmit to Government more than three
thousand variations in the book of Genesis alone, found
in these thirteen editions.

'Your readers will, I am sure, understand the value
of evidence like this, from a source of such unques.
tionable authenticity, and they will perhaps remember
what reception was given to my statements, having
the same general purport—how I was bullied by the
Times—sneered at with the petty superciliousness- of
the Patriot—l lament to add, defamed by agents of
the Bible Society--and, with a few honourable ex-
ceptions, whispered about by Dissenting ministers
but through various channels the truth is being gra-
dually developed, and I am happy to add, many per-
sons are honourably making reparation for their pre-
vious injustice.
With so much evidence, to the evils inflicted by.
the Bible Printing Patent in England, and the bene-
fits derived to our Scottish neighbours from its abo-
lition, how comes it that we are so passive under the
infliction—that we are content to deprive all classes
in this country, except the printers to the two
Universities, of the common right to print the au-
thorised version of the Scriptures, and to confer
a sole privilege of doing so, on one indivi-
dual, and that, without any bond for correct-
ness, or limitation as to profit ? If the mono-
poly had no existence, the Bible Society would be
able, with its present funds, to circulate a vastly in-
creased number of the Scriptures, and private traders,
with their various facilities, would publish editions in
so many forms, and to such an extent, as with our
present experience we are hardly able to estimate,
although a faint idea may be formed from the fact,
that already, in Scotland, licenses have been granted
to various printers, whose names are given in the Re-
port, for twenty-three new editions of the Bible, and
forty- editions of the Testament.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
JOHN CHILDS.