4 by which members of both Houses were empowered to have Newspapers,
Votes, and all other printed Parliamentary Papers, sent by post in their
Names, free from Postage, upon a written Notice of the Direction of such
Papers being sent to the Postmaster-General by the respective Members,
whose names were to be used instead of the former Mode of franking
Newspapers the same as Letters. The Printers, News Sellers, and others,
availing themselves of this Privilege, have obtained numerous Orders,
readily granted, under the Persuasion of increasing the Stamp Revenue.
The present Number of Orders in the Office is 6,751, and the Number of
Newspapers sent weekly by the Post in Consequence thereof is 47,017;
these Dealers are enabled to supply their Customers in the Country at a
cheaper Rate than the Clerks in the Office can, who are loaded with Out
Payments from their Profits, and are obliged to purchase their Papers at
an advanced Price from an Officer appointed by the Postmaster-General to
supply them."--_Tenth Report of the Commissioners on Fees and
Emoluments_, 1788, p. 29.

[267] A. Andrews, _The History of British Journalism_, London, 1859,
vol. i. pp. 210-11.

[268] "The Postmaster-General, sensible of this Diminution, lately
directed the Payments thereout to the other Officers and Clerks in the
Office to be discontinued, and reimbursed some of them out of the
Revenue; but this is not the only Expence to which the Public is
subjected by the Increase of these Orders. The Number of Newspapers to
be forwarded every Night is now so great, that ... a separate Office is
allotted ... and 18 Extra Persons are employed, at an Annual Expence of
[L]400, to perform the Duty of sorting and packing up the Newspapers;
besides it is in Proof that Letters and written Papers are frequently
enclosed in them, by which the Revenue is defrauded, without a
Possibility of Prevention, while the present Mode continues; as the
number is by far too great to admit of a general Search for
Enclosures."--_Tenth Report of the Commissioners on Fees and
Emoluments_, 1788, p. 29.

[269] 6 Geo. IV, cap. 68, [S] 10.

[270] "Was there no way by which, without the necessity of constant
contention, private men might be prevented from using the Press to make
their opinions public? The pamphleteers were not rich, but they were
often persons of education, and not penniless. When only a few copies of
their writings were wanted they could pay for them, but now that