VII. Table by Mr. Hill, showing the loss of Revenue by the Post Office, compared with the Increase of Population.
| Years. | Population. | Postage. | Postage due by | Loss. | Pr. ct. |
| Population. | |||||
| 1815 | 19,552,000 | £1,557,291 | £1,557,291 | ||
| 1820 | 20,928,000 | 1,479,547 | 1,677,000 | £194,553 | 11.6 |
| 1825 | 22,362,000 | 1,670,209 | 1,789,000 | 118,781 | 6.6 |
| 1830 | 23,961,000 | 1,517,952 | 1,917,000 | 399,048 | 20. |
| 1835 | 25,605,000 | 1,540,300 | 2,048,000 | 507,700 | 24.8 |
VII. Table by Mr. Hill, showing the loss of Revenue by the Post Office, compared with the Increase of the Stage-Coach Duty.
| Years. | Stage Coach | Postage. | Post due by | Loss. | Pr. ct. |
| Duty | Coach Duty. | ||||
| 1815 | £217,671 | £1,557,291 | £1,557,291 | ||
| 1820 | 273,477 | 1,479,547 | 1,946,000 | £466,453 | 24. |
| 1825 | 362,631 | 1,670,209 | 2,585,000 | 914,781 | 35. |
| 1830 | 418,598 | 1,517,952 | 2,990,000 | 1,472,048 | 49. |
| 1835 | 498,497 | 1,540,300 | 3,550,000 | 2,009,700 | 57. |
The revenue from the stage coach duty had increased 128 per cent. in twenty years. There was no reason why the natural demand for the conveyance of letters should not have increased at least as much as the demand for the conveyance of persons. It was evident that the postage revenue fell short by at least two millions which was lost by the high rate of postage.
NEWSPAPERS.
[From Porter's Progress of the British Nation.]
Owing to the great craving of the people for information upon political subjects during the agitation that accompanied the introduction and passing of the bill “to amend the representation of the people,” commonly known as “The Reform Bill,” a great temptation was offered for the illegal publication of newspapers upon unstamped paper, many of which were sold in large numbers in defiance of all the preventive efforts made by the officers of government. The stamp duty of fourpence per sheet was therefore taken off in 1836, leaving a stamp of 1d., as an equivalent for free postage.
IX. Table showing the Number of Newspapers at different periods, and the Revenue derived from the same.
| Years. | Newspapers. | Revenue. |
| 1801 | 16,085,085 | £185,806 |
| 1811 | 24,421,713 | 298,547 |
| 1821 | 24,862,186 | 335,753 |
| 1826 | 27,004,802 | 451,676 |
| 1830 | 30,158,741 | 505,439 |
| 1831 | 35,198,160 | 483,153 |
| 1835 | 33,191,820 | 453,130 |
| 1836 | 35,576,056 | 359,826 |
| 1837 | 53,496,207 | 218,042 |
| 1838 | 53,347,231 | 221,164 |
| 1839 | 55,891,003 | 238,394 |
| 1840 | 60,922,151 | 244,416 |
| 1841 | 59,936,897 | |
| 1842 | 61,495,503 | |
| 1843 | ||
| 1844 |