The Press—_Morning Post_ and _Times_—Duty on newspapers—Rise in
price—The publication of circulation to procure advertisements—Paper
warfare between the _Times_ and the _Morning Post_—The
British Museum—Its collection, and bad arrangement—Obstacles
to visitors—Rules relaxed—The Lever Museum—Its sale by
lottery—Anatomical Museums of the two Hunters.
OF THE London Daily papers that were then existing, but two are now
alive—the _Morning Post_ (the _Doyen_ of the daily press) and the
_Times_. They were heavily taxed, in 1800, with a 3d. stamp per copy.
In July, 1804, this was made 3½d.; pamphlets, half-sheet, ½d.; whole
sheet, 1d.; an Almanac had to have a shilling stamp; and a perpetual
Calendar, one of 10s. And this oppressive stamp, with a comparatively
limited circulation, meant death to a newspaper. In 1809, the _Morning
Post_, and other papers, boldly went in for a halfpenny rise, and gave
its reasons—May 20: “Since the settlement with Government took place,
which fixed the price at sixpence, every article necessary for the
composition of a Newspaper, has increased in price to an unprecedented
extent. Paper has risen upwards of fifty per cent.; Types upwards of
eighty per cent.; Printing Ink thirty-five per cent.; Journeymen’s
wages ten per cent., and everything else in the same proportion. It
is therefore unnecessary for us to observe, that the advance of One
Halfpenny per Paper will go but a short way towards placing the
Proprietors in the same situation, in respect to profits allowed, in
which they were left by the settlement of 1797; and, under all these
considerations, the Public, we trust, will not deem us unreasonable
in availing ourselves of the parliamentary provision that has just
been made in favour of all Newspapers. The Bill will receive the Royal
Assent this day, and on Monday, the Price of the _MORNING POST_, _in
common with that of other Newspapers_, will be Sixpence Halfpenny.”
Then, as now, the backbone of a Newspaper was its advertisements, and
then also, did each Newspaper laud itself as being the best advertising
medium, owing to its superior circulation. We, who are accustomed
to see huge posters setting forth sworn affidavits that the daily
circulation of some London newspapers amounts to some quarter of a
million if not more, will feel some surprise when we learn that the
_Morning Post_, of June 10, 1800, the then leading paper, published
a sworn return (and exulted over their number and success) of 10,807
newspapers printed in the week June 2-7, or a daily average of 1,800
copies.
The _World_, at one time a rival, had published its circulation when
it reached 1,500 daily, and thus laid claim to be considered a good
advertising medium; and this was when newspapers were selling at 3d.
each. In 1800 they were 6d. each, and the extra tax had diminished
the circulation of the _Morning Post_ during the previous summer by
one-third, which fall they claim to have recovered, and to have raised
their circulation in five years from 400 to 1,800 daily. In June, 1796,
the _Times_ published its number; and again in 1798, when it confessed
to a fall of 1,400 in its daily sale.
In 1806 there was a very pretty little war as to the circulation of
rival newspapers.
The _Times_ opened the ball on the 15th of November by inserting a
paragraph, “Under the Clock”: “[hand]_We are under the necessity of
requesting our Correspondents and Advertisers not to be late in their
communications, if intended for the next day’s publication; as the
extraordinary Sale of THE TIMES, which is decidedly superior to that of
every other Morning Paper, compels us to go to press at a very early
hour._”
The _Morning Post_, November 17th (which number is unfortunately
missing in the British Museum file), challenged the statement—to which
the _Times_ replied on the 18th: “_This declaration of our Sale, a
Morning Paper of yesterday has thought proper to contradict, and boldly
claims the superiority. We have only to say on the subject, that, if
the Paper will give an attested account of its daily Sale for the last
two Months, we will willingly publish it._”
And now the strife was waxing hot, for the _Morning Post_ on the 21st
of November wrote: “We admit the sale of his Paper may, _for the
present_, be many hundreds beyond any other, except the _MORNING POST_,
the decided superiority of which, we trust, he will no longer affect to
dispute.... We pledge ourselves to PROVE that the regular sale
of the _MORNING POST_ is little short of a thousand per day superior to
that of his paper.”
Of course the _Times_, of the 22nd of November, calls this a
preposterous boast, and wishes statistics for the last two months.
Thus goaded, the _Morning Post_, of the 24th of November, issued
affidavits from its printers and publisher, that its circulation,
even at that dead season, was upwards of 4,000 daily, and that during
the sitting of Parliament it reached, and exceeded 5,000, the editor
remarking: “What is meant by regular Sale, is the Number which is
daily served to SUBSCRIBERS.... If those who, by the Low Expedient of
selling their Papers by the noisy nuisance of Horn Boys, take into
their accounts the extra Papers so sold, it is not for us to follow
so unworthy an example; to such means the _MORNING POST_ never has
recourse.”
The _Times_, November 25th, has the last of this wordy warfare,
declaring that its circulation sometimes reached 7,000 or 8,000 a day:
and I should not have introduced this episode, had it not have given
such a perfect insight into the working of the press of that date,
which would have been unobtainable but for this quarrel.
The British Museum then stood where now it does, only Montague House,
in which its treasures were then enshrined, was totally unfitted for
their reception—for instance, a collection of Egyptian antiquities
were kept in two sheds in the courtyard. The whole of the antiquities,
and rarities, were in sad want of arrangement, and classification, and
as many impediments, as possible, were placed in the way of visitors.
Take what it was like in 1802: “Persons who are desirous of seeing the
Museum, must enter their name and address, and the time at which they
wish to see it, in a book kept by the porter, and, upon calling again
on a future day, they will be supplied with printed tickets, free of
expense, as all fees are positively prohibited. The tickets only serve
for the particular day and hour specified; and, if not called for the
day before, are forfeited.
“The Museum is kept open every day in the week, except Saturday, and
the weeks which follow Christmas day, Easter, and Whitsunday. The hours
are from nine till three, except on Monday and Friday, during the
months of May, June, July, and August, when the hours are only from
four till eight in the afternoon.
“The spectators are allowed three hours for viewing the whole—that is,
an hour for each of the three departments. One hour for the Manuscripts
and Medals; one for the natural and artificial productions, and one
for the printed books. Catalogues are deposited in each room, but no
book must be taken down except by the officer attending, who will also
restore it to its place. Children are not admitted.
“Literary characters, or any person who wishes to make use of the
Museum for purposes of study and reference, may obtain permission,
by applying to the trustees, or the standing committee. A room is
appointed for their accommodation, in which, during the regular hours,
they may have the use of any manuscript or printed book, subject to
certain regulations.”
On the 8th of June, 1804, the Trustees somewhat modified the
arrangements, and instead of visitors having to call twice about
their tickets, before their visit, they might be admitted the day
of application (Monday, Wednesday, or Friday only) subject to the
following rule:
“Five Companies, of not more than 15 persons each, may be admitted in
the course of the day; namely, one at each of the hours of 10, 11, 12,
1, and 2. At each of these hours the directing officer in waiting shall
examine the entries in the book; and if none of the persons inscribed
be exceptionable, he shall consign them to the attendant, whose turn it
will be to conduct the companies through the House.
“Should more than fifteen persons inscribe their names, for a given
hour, the supernumeraries will be desired to wait, or return at the
next hour, when they will be admitted preferably to other applicants.”
The Museum Gardens were a great attraction, and were much visited. So
much, indeed, were they thought of, that, in an advertisement of a
house to let, it is stated, as a great recommendation that it commands
“a view of the Museum Gardens, and a part of Hampstead Heath.”
There were other museums, notably the Leverian Museum, the collection
of Sir Ashton Lever, of Alkington, near Manchester, a _virtuoso_ of
the first water. He spent very large sums on this collection, which
consisted mainly of specimens of natural history (over 5,000 stuffed
birds), fossils, shells, corals, a few antiquities, and the usual
country museums’ quota of South Sea Island weapons, and dresses. There
was much rubbish, as we should term it—according to the _Gentleman’s
Magazine_ of May, 1773 (p. 200), like a double-headed calf, a pig with
eight legs, two tails, one backbone, and one head. Some pictures of
birds in straw very natural, a basket of paper flowers, a head of his
present Majesty, cut in Cannel Coal; a drawing of Indian ink of a head
of a late Duke of Bridgwater, &c., &c.
The collection had, of course, much increased, when in 1785, Sir
Ashton Lever, shortly before his death, disposed of it by lottery.
The winner, Mr. Parkinson, built “a very elegant and well-disposed
structure for its reception, about a hundred yards from the foot of
Blackfriars Bridge, on the Surrey side.”[68] The admission was one
shilling. Presumably it did not pay, for it was sold by auction in
1806. The sale lasted sixty-five days. The number of lots being 7,879,
and the catalogue occupying 410 octavo pages. Then there were the
museums of the two Hunters—that of Dr. William Hunter, F.S.A., &c. In
the period of which I treat, his anatomical specimens, coins, &c., were
exhibited at the Theatre of Anatomy, in Great Windmill Street, whence,
according to his will, they were after a certain time transferred to
the University of Glasgow, where they now are. His brother John, who
was also a F.R.S., had a grand collection of anatomical preparations,
which was purchased by the Government for £15,000, and deposited, _pro
bono publico_, in the College of Surgeons.
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