THE FEINTING PEESS. 



was limited to 173000, the average increase during the first 

 twenty years of the present century was 439000 ; the next ten 

 years this rate of increase was more than doubled, and in the 

 succeeding period it was augmented in a sixfold ratio. The 

 total circulation in 1849 was more than ten times the circulation 

 in 1751. 



By comparing the circulation of journals with the population, 

 an estimate may be obtained, if not of the diffusion of know- 

 ledge in general, at least of that description of information of 

 which journalism is the vehicle. In the following table are 

 given the amount of the population at the epochs above men- 

 tioned, and the number of journals circulated per head of the 

 population. 



Thus, relatively to the population,, the circulation of journals 

 had increased in a twofold proportion in 1841 , as compared with 

 1821, and in a threefold ratio as compared with 1751. Taking 

 the population of Great Britain in round numbers in 1849, the 

 ratio of journals to the populations would be 4 to 1, being an 

 increase in the same ratio on the circulation in 1751. 



So far, therefore, as the circulation of journals can be regarded 

 as an exponent of the diffusion of knowledge, a greater amount 

 of general information prevails now than prevailed a century ago- 

 in a fourfold proportion. 



Since the dates of these returns, a vast change has been made 

 in the circulation of journals, by the abolition of the newspaper 

 stamp and reduction of the advertisement duty. Before the 

 abolition of the stamp, the amount of the daily circulation of 

 each journal was known by the Stamp-office returns. The 

 average daily circulation of The Times was then about 40000, or 

 about double the aggregate circulation of all the other morning 

 journals. Since the abolition of the stamp duty, and the conse- 

 quent reduction of the price of the journals, a considerable 

 increase of circulation has taken place as well in The Times as in 

 the other journals, and we shall not perhaps overrate the present 

 circulation of the London morning newspapers if we put them 

 down in the aggregate at 100000. 



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