Lord Broughampresented a Petition from the letter-press printers of London and Westminster against the Stamp-duties, and against the Excise-duty on paper. This last petition, which was exceedingly well drawn up, was signed by above 1,700 persons who stated in the clearest manner the evils of these taxes. He himself knew of a publication that was very extensively circulated, and to which some very eminent men communicated some of their scientific labours. Among these men was Professor Whewell—he might mention the name without any breach of confidence, because that very learned Professor had avowed the fact, and had collected some of his contributions and published them among his works. He had inquired, out of a curiosity upon such an interesting matter, with a view to find what was the proportion which the tax on the paper bore to the compensation given to the able and scientific men who contributed their stores of knowledge to the publication, and he had asked whether it amounted to one-tenth or one-fifth, and he found that it was not one-tenth of the amount but ten-tenths, that is, just that the whole of the tax on the paper of this publication, the circulation of which was 60,000, amounted to precisely as much as did the compensation paid to the writers. This was a remarkable instance of the operation of the tax. He did not propose to take off the duty altogether, but to reduce it; and he was sure that even if it was reduced no more than one-half, it would produce a larger revenue than now. This had been shown with respect to other duties, and yet there were still people stupid enough not to be taught by experience in this as in other things.