The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-10-24
THE KINGDOM OF MAN.
A BRITISH ISLAND THAT ENJOYS THSe
PRIAILEGEs oF-HoME RULE.

The little kingdom in the; Irish
caannel--the Isle OF Man, with q
Of $4,000 or SO, 000-en-
o ys The blessings, or otherwise. of
home rule; it has it's house of KEYS,
composed of twenty four members
popularity elected, without the ballot:
and its council composed OF the offic-
isls of the Island. Its history COM
menced at a very early period, and
was made up of facts. and very much
more of fiction. The inhabitants
have been celebrated for a belief In
witches, ghosts, and fairies, and
other superstitiops, which attracted
the attention of Sir Walter Scott. Is
this to be accounted for by the fact
that at the end OF the last century
books and booksellers were almost
absent from the island? Wood, the
tourist. who wrote interesting de-.
OF tours TO various parts of
the kingdom, visited the Isle of Man
in 1908, when he found only one
man who sold books, and he was by
tIade a book-binder. He tried 10
purchase sheet of bIotting paper.
but found that go superhuous and
needless an article was not to be had.
But newspaper, The Manks Mercury
and BriScoe's Douglas Advertiser was
published in 1892, and had an exis-
tence OF fifteen years.
The island had the privilege or
sending newspapers through the post
TO any part OF the kingdom free, and
the publishers had the further priv
iIege of inserting advertisements
without paying duty, at the time
when the English pspers had to pay
one shilling and sixpence to the
government for each advertisement,
in addition to the newspaper stamp.
which also was not required in the
island. This caused several purlica
tions to be printed in the island
solely to save postage. stamp, and
advertisement duty. Had the gov
eminent not iEterferred and stopped
the free circulation OF Manx publica.
tiGns through the post, instead of five
English Journals being printed in the
island, there would have been fifty.
The Isle Of Man Times, the largest
circulated newspaper on the island,
to which the inhabitants are consid-
erAbly indebted for the liberties they
enjoy, had an interesting incident in
connection with It's early existence in
1864. The house of keys, composed
Of twenty-iour members, then a SELF
elected body, Issued q. writ for the ar
Test OF Jas. Brown, the proprietor, for
certain libelous and scandAleus arti-
cles," which he deemed q contempt
of the keys. and q breach of ita priv
ileges." When brought before the
Keys the members speedily found
that theyihad caught q tartar. Mr..
not being allowed to be heard
by counsel. had to defend himself,
which he did with positive gnsto and
relish. Mr.. Brown was sentenced to
six months imprisonment in Castle
to which he was immedia-
tely conveyed. At the end OF six
weeks. during which time he held
daily reception of his friends, a writ
OF hebes corpus was issued by the
late Lord Chief Justice Oockburu,
which SO frightened the keys that
they begged Mr.. Brown to leave the
prison. On obtaining his liberty he
Immediately began an action for
false imprisonment, and after two
years litigation was awarded &518
19s. Cd. damages. The law charges
that the award cost each member OF
the keys e120. The Isle OF man
Times is now the most successful
paper on the island, and its plant and
machinery are Of the most modern
kind.
One advantage which the booksel-
ers bad in the early part of the Gen.
Jury was heiDg allowed a drawback
IF three half-pence pound upon all
books and stationery brought to the
slapd. This was one of the advan-
ages owned by the English neWsps-
,ers published in Douglas, and most
materially added to the profits of the
everal publications.. For several
,ears one OF the Liverpool booksellers
vas accustomed 10 send 10 the island
III his accumulated old unstable
BOOKS. getting in many instances
more than their value in the draw
Dscks. and then selling them by
auction in the island. But this priv,
lege was Withdrawn the same time
hat the circulation OF lnsulaF news
lapers MAS stopped.
Di late years booksellers have in
,resGed on the island, and several
,ave published books printed in the
danx lsgusge--the New Testament
md Millions Paradise Lost" among
ithefs. The MaDx society exists for
ne preservation and reprinting OF
,nhliG works.
One of the Lions