Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1854-05-19
Circulation OF the London Times.

The London correspondent of the New York Sun
day Times, Mir. Mackenzie, furnishes us with the
following facts relative to the circulation of the Lon
don Times. If we reflect that in Europe every copy
OF newspaper is read by at least dozen different
persons on an average, will be enabled to form a
correct conception Of the immense influence of "the
Thunderer.n
." The increase in the circulation of the Times
newspaper, resulting from the reduction of the news
paper stamp, and the abolition of the advertisement
duty, has been remarkable These two changes have
relieved the Times of about ESQ 900 year, and has
about doubled its profits If the duty on paper be
taken off, which the Chancellor OF the Exchequer is
pledged to, and has been only delayed by the neces
sity of providing for the war expenses, the Times
will gain another hundred thousand pounds year.
BY the Parliamentary returns just published, it ap
pears that in 1851 (the year of the Great Exhibi-
ton) the Times circulated twelve and half million
copies. It could have sold some three million more
but (while the old stamp duty remained) was com.
PEELED to keep its circulation as low as 10000 day,
as beyond that point there was fractional loss upon
each copy. In 1852, the whole circulation was abou,
thirteen millions and quarter.
''Tn 1885 it reached 100000 which would give
about $4,000 daily But the reduction in the newspaper
and advertisement duties though passed in last July,
did not come into operation until October, and from
that period to the end of the year (not quite twelve
weeks) the increase took place. The Times is in
dignant at the return not distinguishing this crcum-
and al it's circulation being put low
day, when, the six months since October, it has
run up to over 60,00O daily, and in fact is only limit
ed by the two facts-that while the duty on paper
continues, even the Times cannot afford to sell more
than $4,000 daily, Uhe cost of production exceeding
the sale-money when that number) and that it
has not yet obtained printing machine capable of
working off more than $4,000 an hour. 1t was the
necessity of the Times, when it became the leading
journal of Europe, which originally led to the app
cation of steam worked machinery to print rapidly
'To show some of the resources of the Times one
recent fact may The recent debate in Parlia
ment, on the address in reply TO the Queens war
message, made % columns or 1926 lines in that
paper. Had all these lines been run into one that
would have been 1000 feet in length. Had the
10000 types which composed it been placed end to
end, it would have reached high as the loftiest
of the Himalayas. Yet all the speeches uttered
reported in short hand transcribed in long hand, put
into type, letter by letter. read, corrected revised
made into columns arranged into two pages, and
printed, in the twelve hours between FIVE in the af-
ternoon and sunrise the next morning.
I'm one department. your American papers wholly
beat us-that is, in telegraphic news. Nothing but
the brefest summary is sent to the newspapers by tel
egraph, owing 10 the immense sum charged by the
telegraph companies and the longest despatch yet
sent along the line has been the Queens speech,
which, if printed close. like ordinary matter would
not exceed the third of column in the Times"