§ Lord Morpethpresented a Petition from the inhabitants of Manchester, praying for the abolition, or considerable reduction of the Duty on Newspaper Stamps and Duties. At present those Stamps and Duties constituted two-thirds of the entire cost of every newspaper. The consequence was, that the newspaper press was monopolised by a few persons, who thereby acquired great power of promoting their own ends by misrepresentation. To reduce the duties would increase the Revenue, in consequence of the much greater number of newspapers that it would cause to be circulated; and at the same time it would give increased employment to paper-makers, printers and others. His hon. friend, the member for Dover, had last Session intimated his intention of making a motion on this subject. He begged to ask him if he meant to make such a motion in the present Session? He owned that he thought it would be highly expedient to adopt a proposition, which, while it was calculated to increase the Revenue, was also calculated to diffuse that sound political and religious knowledge which was most essential to the maintenance of good government and social order.
§ Mr. Poulett Thomsonsaid, that it was decidedly his intention to bring forward the Motion to which his noble friend alluded, after Christmas.