and gives them a blow or two with the palm of his hand on the folded or back side to make them lie close; after which he gently knocks them up even, and puts them into the standing press, if empty; if not, in a convenient place, on a wrapper, or waste sheet, till the press is empty, with the folded or back side of the first parcel one way, and the second quantity of books with the folded side or back the other way, and continues in the same manner, putting them on one after the other, till the press will permit no more in height; then he proceeds to pile up, range by range, till full, observing that each range contains an equal quantity of books, and stand in a right parallel, that when they are screwed down they may all receive an equal pressure; the reason why he is partícular in reversing the edges of each count is, that if he did not, it would be impossible to pile them up straight with their backs to lie all one way; for, in printing, if the matter does not run close and even alike, but, on the contrary, some pages are loose and open, and others close, the open pages, receiving a deeper impression than the close, make that part of the sheet swell, while the remaining ones lie closer: therefore, were a number of books to be piled (before pressed) with their backs one way, they would be raised up at one end, and consequently would soon slide down; which inconvenience is remedied by reversing them; for, turning the thick end on the thin, they are brought to lie level; besides, their number then can readily be told. The press being now full, the warehouseman takes the wooden pin belonging to it, and screws it down as low as he can, after which he takes a strong iron bar, that measures about five or six feet in length, and with it works the spindle of the press round with all his force as tight as he possibly can, and lets the books remain in it about twenty four hours before he takes them out; the time being expired, he takes them out of the press, and puts them in one of the stalls, but covers them neat and close with a wrapper under and over, so that the dust may not easily penetrate; then writes a label and puts in the pile, expressing on it the title of the book, and how many the parcel contains; but should the impression be more than the press will admit of at once, he fills it up again in the like form as the first, and so continues till the whole is completed.

If the impression is not very large, and will make only a few bundles, or that he expects to have a long time under his charge, he ties them up into bundles, laying a wrapper under and over each, and writes the title and the number of books in the bundle on the upper wrapper, then puts them aside in the store room, or some convenient part of the warehouse, that he may have free access to deliver them out according to order. As soon as the books are finished, he acquaints the author or bookseller that the whole of the impression is ready for delivery.

Of making up the Waste.

After the books have been collated and folded, and the duplicate sheets that were drawn out distributed, he takes the last signature first, and shakes the spoiled or doubled up sheets out, if any, from between the others, then lays the overplus clean sheets flat on the table, with the single signature up

wards towards him, and opens the doubled or spoiled sheets, and places them on the former with the signature the same way. This done, he turns them over, knocks them even, folds them, and puts them near him, with the single signature upwards; he then takes the sheets that lie next to the signature he has just folded, and does the same to that, placing it on the other, and continues till he has finished the whole; after which, he presses and ties them up together, and writes on the bundle which sheet is deficient, and the title of the book, then puts them in a proper place, where they will be ready to come at, whenever he may have occasion; but it must be observed, if there should be amongst the sheets distributed, any of the signature that was wanting, he gathers again, till that, or some other sheet, is deficient, collating and folding them, and putting them with the other books.

Of Booking the different Gatherings. When a volume runs through several alphabets, it must consequently make more than one gathering; therefore to put the different gatherings together in regular succession to make a complete volume, the warehouseman takes as many counts of the first gathering as he can conveniently carry, and lays them on the place where they are intended to be booked. He then lays a wrapper on the gathering-board, and takes the first count or reversed parcel, and places it on it, with the single signature upwards; a second quantity is then laid down in the same way, with their backs one on the other, and placed so that the end of one of the parcels may project outwards, while the end of the other is turned inwards, and continues piling them in this distinct manner, till he has got them sufficiently high; after this is done, the second gathering is placed by the side of the first, with their outer margin against the backs of that gathering, and piled up in the same manner, till it contains the same number of gatherings as the first parcel.

If a book makes more than two gatherings, they are laid down one after the other, as before observed. The utility of laying down each count, so that they may project a little over each other, will be readily perceived; for should he take two gatherings of one sort, or let one slip from his fingers unperceived, (which is not improbable where there is a number of gatherings in a volume,) on their being placed in this manner, he quickly discovers his error by their not running equal at the end of every count. If he does not lay them in this manner, a mistake of this sort will not be detected till he comes to the bottom of each gathering: and then to rectify the error will be attended with much trouble. When he has laid down some of each ga. thering, he proceeds to book them, which is done by taking one from each parcel, beginning with the first; he then knocks them even, and places them on a wrapper, reversing each book. They are afterwards tied up in bundles, or piled away in a convenient part of the warehouse, with a wrapper under and over, and a label in each pile. If some odd gatherings are left, (which is highly probable), they are then added to the bundle of waste, and a memorandum made of it on the upper wrapper.

CHAP. XVII.

ABSTRACTS OF THE ACTS RELATIVE TO PRINTERS.

WE shall now present our readers with brief notices of the different Acts of Parliament which have been passed respecting printers, in order that the profession may know how far the several clauses affect them, with respect to whatever they may hereafter print.

By the Act 13 Geo. II. c. 19, (to restrain and prevent the excessive increase of horse races, &c.) it is enacted, "That every person or persons who shall make, print, publish, advertise, or proclaim any advertisement or notice of any plate, prize sum of money, or other thing, of less value than fifty pounds, to be run for by any horse, mare, or gelding, shall forfeit and lose the sum of one hundred pounds."

By the Act 25 Geo. II. cap. 36, (for the better preventing thefts and robberies,) it is enacted, "That any person publicly advertising a reward with 'No questions asked, for the return of things which have been stolen or lost, or making use of any such words in such public advertisement, &c. shall for every such offence forfeit fifty pounds."

The Act 39 Geo. III. cap. 79, (for the more effectual suppression of societies established for seditious and treasonable purposes,) contains several provisions and penalties respect. ing printers, letter founders, and printing press makers.

Sect. 23 enacts, "That, from and after the expiration of forty days from the day of passing this Act, every person having any printing press, or types for printing, shall cause a notice thereof, signed in the presence of and attested by one witness, to be delivered to the Clerk of the Peace acting for the county, stewartry, riding, division, city, borough, town, or place, where the same shall be intended to be used, or his deputy, according to the form prescribed in the schedule hereunto annexed: and such Clerk of the Peace, or deputy respectively, shall, and he is hereby authorized and required to grant a certificate in the form prescribed in the schedule hereunto annexed, for which such Clerk of the Peace, or deputy, shall receive the fee of one shilling, and no more; and such Clerk of the Peace, or his deputy, shall file such notice, and transmit an attested copy thereof to one of his Majesty's principal Secretaries of State; and every person who, not having delivered such notice, and obtained such certificate as aforesaid, shall, from and after the expiration of forty days next after the passing of this Act, keep or use any printing press or types for printing, or having delivered such notice and obtained such certificate as aforesaid, shall use any printing press or types for printing in any other place than the place expressed in such notice, shall forfeit and lose the sum of twenty pounds." Sect. 24 exempts his Majesty's printers, and the public presses belonging to the two Universities.

Sect. 25 and 26 relates to type founders and press makers. Sect. 27 enacts, "That from and atter the expiration of forty days after the passing of this Act, every person who shall print any paper or book whatsoever, which shall be meant or intended to be published or dispersed, whether the same shall be sold or given away, shall print upon the front of every paper, if the same shall be printed on one side only, and upon the first and last leaves of every paper or book which shall consist of more than one leaf, in legible characters, his or her name, and the name of the city, town, parish, or place, and also the name (if any) of the square, street, lane, court, or place, in which his or her dwelling-house, or usual place of abode shall be; and every person who shall omit so to print his name and place of abode on every such paper or book printed by him, and also every person who shall publish or disperse, or assist in publishing or dispersing, either gratis or for money, any printed paper or book, which shall have been printed after the expiration of forty days from the passing of this Act, and on which the name and place of abode of the person printing the same shall not be printed as aforesaid, shall, for every copy of such paper so published or dispersed by him, forfeit and pay the sum of twenty pounds." Sect. 28. exempts papers printed by authority of either House of Parliament."

Sect. 29 enacts, "That every person who, from and after the expiration or forty days after the passing of this Act, shall print any paper for hire, reward, gain, or profit, shall carefully preserve and keep one copy (at least) of every paper so printed by him or her, on which he or she shall write, or cause to be written or printed, in fair and legible characters, the name and place of abode of the person or persons by whom he or she shall be employed to print the same: and every person printing any paper for hire, reward, gain, or profit, who shall omit or neglect to write, or cause to be written or printed as aforesaid, the name and place of his or her employer, on one of such printed papers, or to keep or preserve the same for the space of six calendar months next after the printing thereof, or to produce and shew the same to any justice of the peace, who, within the said space of six calendar months shall require to see the same, shall, for every such omission, neglect, or refusal, forfeit and lose the sum of twenty pounds." Form of Notice to be given to the Clerk of the Peace, that any Person keeps any Printing Press or Types for Printing. To the clerk of the peace for· [here insert the county, stewartry, riding, division, city, borough, town, or place,] or his deputy.

I, A. B. of

do hereby declare that I have a printing press and types for printing, which I propose to use for printing within and which I require to be entered for that purpose, in pursuance of an Act passed in the thirty ninth year of His Majesty King George the Third, entitled, "An Act for the more effectual suppression of societies established for seditious and treasonable purposes, and for better preventing treasonable and seditious practices." day of

Witness my hand this Signed in the presence of

An Act was passed on the 10th of June, 1811, to amend and explain the above Act, by which it is enacted, "That nothing in the 27th Section of the said Act contained, shall extend to make any person or persons offending against the same, liable to more than twenty-five forfeitures or penalties for printing or publishing, or dispersing, or assisting in publishing or dispersing, any number of copies of one and the same paper or book, contrary to the said Section of the said Act.

By the second Section of this Act, power is given to magistrates to mitigate the same to any sum not less than £5, with all reasonable costs incurred in the prosecution; and by the 4th Section, persons convicted under this amended Act may, if they think themselves aggrieved, appeal to the Quarter Sessions; where the justices, if they see cause, may mitigate any penalty or penalties, and may order any money to be returned which shall have been paid or levied under any conviction as aforesaid, and may also order and award such costs to be paid by either party to the other, as they shall think and judge reasonable.

The Act 60 Geo. III. Cap. 9, to subject certain publications to the duties of Stamps upon Newspapers, and to make other regulations for restraining the abuses arising from the publi cation of blasphemous and seditious libels. Dec. 30, 1819.

Sect. 1. All pamphlets and papers containing any public news, intelligence or occurrences, or any remarks or observations thereon, or upon any matter in church or state, printed in any part of the United Kingdom for sale, and published periodically, or in parts or numbers, at intervals not exceeding twenty-six days between the publication of any two such pam phlets or papers, parts or numbers, where any of the said pamphlets, &c, shail not exceed two sheets, or shall be pub. fished for sale for a less sum than sixpence, exclusive of the duty, shall be deemed and taken to be newspapers, agreeable to the Act of the 38th, Geo. III. and subject to all the rules, &c. of all former Acts regarding newspapers, &c.

Sect. 2. No quantity of paper less than 21 inches in length, and 17 in breadth, to be deemed a sheet.

Sect. 3. No cover or blank leaf upon which any advertisement or other notice shall be printed, shall be deemed part of a pamphlet.

Sect. 4. Publications of the above nature, at intervals exceeding 26 days, to be published on the first day of every ca lendar month, or within two days before or after. Penalty £20.

Sect. 5. The price and day of publication to be printed on all periodicals, penalty for omission £20; persons liable to the above penalty for selling, or exposing for sale, any of the said publications for a less price than sixpence.

Sect. 5. Price not to extend to the allowance made to distributors, who buy to sell again.

Sect. 7. Pamphlets liable to the Stamp duties freed from all regulations respecting pamphlets.

Sect. 8. Persons not to print or publish newspapers, &c. or pamphlets of two sheets or under, of the above description, without entering into recognizance, or giving bond for securing fines upon conviction for libels. Penalty £20.