may probably prove.

Because since the proposal was made to the Commissioners, and they made
their Report an additional Stamp has been imposed of one halfpenny a
paper, and another halfpenny on each has been added by the Printers, so
that the Public now pay one penny more than they did at that time.

Because the proposed Tax would be a means of compelling the Stationers,
Printers and Dealers to send their papers by Coach the same day at the
customary charge of one farthing each paper instead of sending them by
post on Government Account at a penny the second day. And it cannot be
supposed that a number of persons many of them of considerable property
would quietly submit to have the circulation of their papers confined to
post conveyance at one penny each paper, without those serious efforts
to oppose and prevent it which the prospect of certain and total ruin to
their business and consequently to their Families must excite.

But allowing it were possible to confine the whole of the papers sold in
the Country to post conveyance and a recompence made to those Stationers
and Printers employed in the distribution at present would not the
encreased price occasioned by this Tax very much diminish the Number of
Newspapers now printed to the great injury of the Stamp duty? probably
to a greater Amount than would be gained by the plan proposed. For were
the Stage Coaches prohibited conveying Newspapers all the Morning Papers
now conveyed by them to many parts of the Kingdom would be lost to the
Stamp Revenue, and all the Morning Papers read at the Coffee Houses and
other public Houses, would be collected by the Newsmen at a small sum
each paper in the Afternoon and sent into the Country by the post in the
Evening without the least trouble to themselves, it being their daily
business to go round their London district, early in the Morning, and in
the Afternoon before the dispatch of the Papers by the post.

Before the Penny postage was laid on all papers sent by post to Ireland
the Weekly number remitted to that Kingdom was upon an Average 8,000:
the Number now sent upon an Average is only 1,380 Weekly.

Because when the Tax was recommended by the Commissioners the first cost
of a London Newspaper was threepence only, the first cost is now
fourpence, to which add the Tax for postage it will be fivepence to any
Post Town in England, which is one halfpenny more than the highest
charge now made by any Dealer in the Country for