The Sun.
London, England, 1842-10-20 00:00:00

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BIBLE MONOPOLY,
1 TO THE EDITOR OF DBE SUN.
Bunglay, Oct. 18, 1842.
SlR,—Among all the London journalists, you were
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--hot 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 experienced." And on the subject of cor-
rectness and uniformity, the Board reports,
that they have diligently compared thirteen
editions of patent Bibles, all of the authorised version,
and 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.-

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NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.
PORTSMOUTH, OCT. 18.—The Warspite, 50, Capt.
Lord John Hay, C. 8., was inspected yesterday by
Admiral Sir Edward Codrington. She went out of
harbour early this morning, and remains at Spithead.
It is understood that General Skpobert Wilson, ap-
pointed Governor of Gibraltar, will embark in the
Warspite this week, accompanied by the Right Rev.
Dr. Tomlinson, the Bishop of Gibraltar ; and his
Excellency Sir Alex. Woodford will return to Eng-
land in that vessel.

The Thunderer, 84, Captn!:n Pring, and the Phoe-
nix war steamer, Captain Richardson, are hourly
looked for from the Mediterranean. The wind having
changed to the westward, it is probable these ships
will arrive during the night. The former vessel left
Gibraltar on the Ist inst., and the latter on the sth.
The Orestes, 20, Captain J. S. Carnegie, 111. P.,
will go out of harbour on Friday next ; her destina-
tion is supposed to be the West Indies.
The Brunswick, Plymouth steamer, sailed this
afternoon for Devonport, with a proportion of the 67th
Regiment (depot) ; the remainder will embark in the
Brunswick on her return to this port.
The Bellona Austrian frigate remains at present in
harbour, where she is painting, having undergone the
necessary repairs of caulking, &c.
Ships in Harbour—The St. Vincent, the Victory,
the Royal George, the Excellent, the Orestes, and the
Echo and Rocket steamers ; Bellona Austrian frigate.
At Spithead—The Warspite.
DEVONPORT, OCT. 18.—Le Sanspareilt old French
man of war, for many years used at this port as the
sheer hulk, is in dock, being ripped up. The dock-
yard authorities have taken drawings from her, and it
is said the Admiralty intend to have a vessel laid
down immediately and built from her model. She
was taken from the French on the Ist of June, 1794,
and was afterwards in the Channel fleet with the
flag of Lord Hugh Seymour, the father of Sir G.
Seymour, one of the present Lords of the Admiralty.
She has ever been thought a beautiful specimen of
naval architecture, and when in command of Lord
Seymour, in 1799, was the crack ship of the fleet.
The Gipsy tender arrived here from Chatham on
the 14th inst. with the seamen that navigated the Ruby
iron steam-vessel to that port. She returned again
on Sunday.
erTeh:,eNstearudtailyus,
0,
nliOle,r CCommander
passage to riPsalson,
this
Mg from. Pembroke.

In the Sound—The Nautilus.
In Harbour in Commission—The Caledonia, San
Josef; Kite and Confiance steam-vessels; Hamoaze,
Devon, and Tortoise lighters.

RUNNING MATCH ON BLACKHEATH.
Yesterday the much talked-of match between Jem
Cook (generally called the Greenwich cow-boy) who
had been for some time in the service of J. Anger-
stein, Esq., of Blackheath, and Gazly, the " Star of
Kent," came off from the fifth mile stone, oppo-
site the Green Man, on Blackheath, tototh3;ehaenirnuthesmainled
stone, en the drop of the hiell gec,,,..o.ttinnosgeentc:ards Cray-
ford.first-ate duetl ' They started shorn fterlse‘-'en,
Both appeared, as the Ygocoperanskiasihonirsem_tehneusamyp,iriens
closing up
nbee'neck and sneck,
vas for 101. a side,
Bdtiel er seconds fgth t 1 1
fourregulations
e nm dei
lde,
soouft
toahbnesderroilnamd.n
on
en
The
ebue ler
aihnr
ete
mile
keeping fair and lair, and th
pretty nearly
slaeescvoeini.:dlan;asdth:e. 3 iSgdill
done
second mile, in 4 minutes 52
6minutes 28 seconds ; the
; the fourth
minutes 4 seconds'
seventh, 6 ;
third, 6
,mi,,nutes
6 minutes 32 seconds ;
6 minutesT .24 seconds
eighth, ;the
afibnoisvhm:4
from thee .......tGhea szii;:thw,insnminignubte)s,
up-hill for nearly
Man for three-quarters of a mile,:xe except
tremendous,
a froms tlie
tremendouslyGe° rnese n:
which both re urn'
t three miles, and a sharp steep as a
:thhear cis.
of course, requiring a strong pull,
of them felt at the summit of Shooter's-
hille return • Gazly had then gained 20 yards.
The speed '
was increased down the hill, although each
sspteeani;utes 2 seconds ; and the
'was reserving himself for the "rise." The next mile,
which included the "pull-up," took 6 minutes 2
seconds, and the finish, on, the level they started from,
was reduced to 5 minutes 24 seconds—the difference
of the first mile to the last being 32 seconds. Gazly
headed his opponent 40 yards, and both came in fresh.
Heavy bets were dependent on the issue.

THE DEOUGHT.—The scarcity of water under which
we have for some time suffered has been as severely
felt in the county as in the town. Between Biggar,
Broughton, and Peebles, nearly all the corn mills
have been stopped, and there is scarcely a farmer,
except those on the banks of the larger rivers, who
are not under the necessity of carrying water for their
ordinary domestic purposes, as well as for drink to
their animals ; and in some instances the water is
carted from a distance of four miles. In town a num-
ber of engines have been stopped from the same
cause, and private families are suffering the utmost
inconvenience frora the want of this most indispensa-
ble element.---Edinburgh Paper.
Arrrwrin, OCT. 19.—The section of theironi.ail-
way, from Leige'opened to Chenee, was yesterday.