The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-10-12
THE NEWSPAPER PRESS OF LONDON.
our London correspondence.

Oaaioa Of tte Circulation Of the Times Ne,ospdper-
xls, N SUI scstbeYs 10 that Jourssd-Home DisytbttiON
o. he Pagxr-The Duties Pdpa-Prc9ress AID Impor-
lance # he English Penny Pres-The AHssC Ld'o |
aud Ballot Mon as Writws-Buying the Penny Pupers |
After the AmegScan Misunderstanding and It's Re
suls-Diplomatic Opinson Of the Leading Josrnat-As
Snorcial and Commercial Arties-Parish Nsvcpdprs-
Hoo the Tsmes Men Defend ThemselcesAmerican Bark
ana Infuepce-Hoc t'ood Enterprises are Crushed " m
ierested Writers, d., dc.
Your readers arc doubtless not aware OF the oranges
ahat have gradually, bu, permanently, taxing pace
in the English press and particularly thepress Of London
during the last fhree four years The day mas not vet
~one nv when Englishnscn can 10 found who believe
Mat the London Times gives laws TO the world Your
regular Cockney, who has seldom or never been
ont of bearing of Bow bells, believes that tho New
Zealand savage, the Monaghan Tartar, the King Of
Timbuctoo, the Essuimaux dwarf, the North Ameri-
can Indian, the Peruvian Inca, the Feejca Island
cannea and tho Patagonian giant, each in hrs distant
locality waits With the lveest interest AMI creates.
anxiety arrival from England that he may learn
what is going all the kingdoms of the esh from the
columns Of the Times that is spreading little too
thick not too much to say that is ofimost univer
belief hcre that the london Tunes is teen and read
and looked TO for its opinions on all meters, American
and foreign, throughout the United Sses and all the
other American republics, in city, oornry cabin and
mansion alike. hive repeatedly ASKED Englshmen to
.sguess how many copies of the leading English journal
subscribed for and taken in the city of Washington
He sometimes put il at hundred, and sometimes five
hundred, and a thousand Judge of his astonish
ment when tell him that within the last six years. my
personal positive knowledge, obtained from the Post
Office, the number of copies taken just exactly two
one, second land copy, taken by private ndvid
nal who had lived in England and connected
with the press, and the other copy subscribed
Tor and taken by the United States government,
addressed to the Secretary of State. copy might have
been the British Minister, but if II
yeyed in the despatch bag, and not sent by mail Odd
numbers were sent TO individuals and editors, but
not regularly in full SETS Since the period refer
(lS54 the number may have been increased two
copies. OF course it would very prcposterous to
most EDgshmen If were TO state what is unquestona-
bly, the fact that with the exception ola few editors,
one newspaper reader in thousand in the United
States beyond the large cities the seaboard,
copy Of the Times their lives. presume that, with
the exception Of France the entire number Of copies Of
The Times Tin regular setsa the numbers) second hand
new, sent beyond the limits of this kingdom, to
all Of the British colonies included is considerably less
than two hundred, probably less than hundred.
The of that journal just about s25 s5 sterling
year, and TO the favored nations the postage half
much more, while many countries the entire postage
is more than the original price. In some countries il is
forbidden altogether, while in others-as in France Aus
tra and Russia-there is police and post
office espionage, that watches and reads each
Der, cutting out and suppressng whatever is
offensive, and often Selling every number of a
particular date. The number of copies of anything like
complete sent to France candesnely and pubcys
probably between twenty five and fifty.
Thus much may be said OF the position in foreign
tries Of unquestonably in political financial point of
view the leading journal Of the world The circulation Of
the Times, taken from authentic data, during the
hast years has uctuated from 35 600 $1,000 copies
in 1850 the circulation little 3S 600 copies In
1854 attained the highest point of circulation that
has had This under the stimulus of the Crimean
war, when the number printed between IS 000 and
$1,000 copies Two three brief acts of Parliament
have caused great changes in the English newspaper
world The successive abolition Of the advertisement
duty, Zone and sxpence sterling, thrtys cents the
abolition of the compulsory stamp penny 1.-TWO
cents each printed Sheet and the abolition Of the law
requiring publishers give heavy security have taken
on three great burdens from the newspaper proprietor
These enactments passed respectively in 1851 1854
and 1862 One more law which is not in the distan.
future taking off the paper duty of hreepence per pound
every description Of paper, viii work complete
luton. Then the leading journals in England, m the
United States, be sold penny two cents)
combination of causes which together have been ire
and than half of the influence prestige of
ahc Times throughout London and the United Kingdom.
The circulation has dwnded to less than IS 900 copies
advertisements have largely decreased, the prices of
same have been lowered considerably and the price
the paper reduced TO fourpence correspond with the
abolition Of the stamp, while the readers most
anly considerably less than one half of the number
tormer years. The proof of this last assertion be
found by consulting half dozen newsvenders Lon
don. They will tell you that where they had scores Of
customers who hired the paper penny an hour
they have not at this time dozens while large num-
her OF the papers that they lend hire out dur
ing the day Of publication remain their hands, and
are not taken, formerly a, greatly reduced price
20 into the country by mail Instead Of hiring the Times
and paying penny for the use Of it single hour
purchase penny paper. There three permanent
daily penny papers Of the largest size-the same sized
page as the Tin,G-now published in London:
The Daily Telegraph, the Star and the San
dard. The Telegraph has been published over four
years, and has arrived at its ,322d number. The
Star three years old having printed 1903 mum
bers. The STANDARD has been published thirty years
and been penny paper nearly two years The Sur is
liberal paper, the reputed organ of Mr. Cobden Mr. Bright
and the politicians OF the Manchester school, The San
ard is conservative, while the Telegraph is Independent
and miscellaneous. With those who wish a eau
did, respectable conservative paper the Standard is the
fayorte, while among the Of progress republicans
and liberal politicians, the Star liked the best and the
Telegraph is sought for its variety It's sashng ndepen
dence and sparkling pungeut articles All Of these papers
follow after the old style Of English journalism in having
three leading editorials All three of these papers have
writers Of the highest talent and learning and they all
have able and correspondents at home and in
foreign countries. The report IN the TIegaph written by
George Augustus Saa OF the trial trip Great Eastern
created such demand for the paper tina, copy could
be obtained after twelve O'Clock the day Of publca
lion. The Standard has long been noted for employing
the pens of of the abes journalists in England while
the knowing tell you they readily trace the hand
of Mr. Golden, Mr.. Bright Mr. Lowe and Geo. Thompson