The British nation a history / by George MWrong . er for a work-man to ride in a coach than to wear out energy and shoe-leather in walking, and he kept his word; it was not longbefore a network of railways made travel easy. Hence-forth bulky articles were readily carried both by landand sea; commerce expanded, and Britain became morethan ever the workshop of the world. Until the reign of William IV London alone had dailynewspapers. The Governmeiit imposed a tax of four-pence on each sheet of a newspaper, and three shillingsand sixpence on each advertisement. In return, news-548 SOCIAL CHANGES
The British nation a history / by George MWrong . er for a work-man to ride in a coach than to wear out energy and shoe-leather in walking, and he kept his word; it was not longbefore a network of railways made travel easy. Hence-forth bulky articles were readily carried both by landand sea; commerce expanded, and Britain became morethan ever the workshop of the world. Until the reign of William IV London alone had dailynewspapers. The Governmeiit imposed a tax of four-pence on each sheet of a newspaper, and three shillingsand sixpence on each advertisement. In return, news-548 SOCIAL CHANGES IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 549 papers received a Government stamp, insuring free car-riage in the post; but the cost to subscribers of a dailynewspaper so heavily taxed was about £10ment and a year. The tax was reduced in 1836 to a cheapening of penny a sheet, and eightpence on advertise-newspapers. jj-^ents, and from that time the newspapergrew steadily cheaper. In 1855, when the public waseager to get news of the war in the Crimea, the special. The First Eailway Coach. Before the success of the steam locomotive was assured, a coach drawn by a horse was used on the line between Stockton and Darlington. tax was wholly abolished. Before long London hadpenny newspapers, and now the halfpenny paper is com-mon. The newspaper, while it grew cheaper, increasedalso in efficiency as a record of the worlds doings. In1814 The Times Avas first printed by steam-power, andhenceforth newspapers could be produced much morepromptly and rapidly. There was still great need ofimprovement in the quality of the news. That fromabroad long came in sailing vessels, that at home bypost or special courier, and it was a great feat whencouriers covered the distance from Glasgow to Londonin little more than twenty-four hours. But the tele- 550 THE BRITISH NATION graph changed all this. The first public telegraph wasset up in England in 1844; by 1850 the invention was ingeneral use, and ujjon it the newspap
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