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NOTES AND QUERIES. [io* s. m. A, i. MOR

were regarded as class papers, and were allowed to issue stamped and unstamped copies. This privilege was also extended to Punch, 8,000 of which were published stamped, and 32,000 unstamped. My father, seeing what an additional labour the affixing of stamps on covers would mean to newsagents, besides the temptation to boys employed in the stamping, appealed to Sir Cornewall Lewis to grant permission for newsagents to have their covers with an impressed stamp, with the name and address of the sender. This, after correspondence and interviews with the authorities of the Board of Inland Eevenue and the Post Office extending over twelve months, my father secured, and the result was announced in The Athenaeum of the 20th of June, 1857. He also suggested a 3d. stamp, but it was not until June, 1859, that covers with this stamp could be obtained. It will hardly be believed that, not withstand- ing the various charges made for postage, there were at that time only four different kinds of stamps issued, namely, Id., 2d., Gd., and Is. My father further suggested that stamps should have printed upon them the weight of printed matter they would carry.

Reference to ' The Newspaper Press Direc- tory ' of 1862 will show the great increase of papers and magazines on account of the repeal of the paper duties. My father esti- mated the total issue of newspapers and class journals in 1860 at 118,799,200; in 1864 it was 195,062,400. The increase in magazine literature was equally remarkable. The re- peal of the duties caused quite a scare among some stationers, and the "rag scarecrow" provided a subject for Punch. The Times took things very seriously, and stated that " what- ever substances may be used to supplant the supply of rags, the public may take it as an indisputable fact that paper of any quality worthy to be called paper must depend for its fibre upon rags." At the present time paper composed entirely of rag is confined to the most expensive kinds. Now nearly all our best paper is largely made from esparto grass. The eminent horticulturist Dr. Lind- ley was one of the first to show the quantity of fibre available in the common furze for the manufacture of paper.

JOHN C. FRANCIS. (To be concluded.)

THE GREAT SEAL OF SCOTLAND. A FEW days ago the following notice ap- peared in The Scotsman :

" The Lord President read the extract from the Gazette announcing that the Marquis of Linlithgow had been sworn as Secretary for Scotland; and

stated that as Secretary for Scotland the Marquis was ex qfficio Keeper of the Great Seal, and would now take the oaths. His Lordship then adminis- tered the oath of allegiance and the official oath ; and the Marquis having signed the oaths, the cere- mony ended."

It was an occasion of interest, and a few notes bearing on the office may be acceptable.

From the earliest days the Great Seal has played an important part in the history of the country. After the celebrated arbitra- tion of Edward I. in the case of the com- peting aspirants to the Scottish throne, upon which by his decree John Baliol was confirmed in the succession, the Seal was. broken in four parts, and put into a leathern bag to be retained in the treasury of England as a monument of his sovereignty over Scot- land. Letters of new infeftment or con- firmation, summons, or letters of remission were all " passed under the white wax."

Great care was taken in the making and custody of the Seal. An instance may be recorded, and perhaps it would be better to> give it in the words of the chronicler :

" Forsamekle as the Kingis Majestic (James VI.), oure Soverane Lord, upoun speciall and wechtie considerationis moving him, being resolvit, God willing, to pas in Norroway and to obviat the im- pedimentis maid for the transporting of the Queue, his darrest spous, in this seaspun (October, 1589), hes commandit his Chancellair to tak his grite seill and signet with his Majestic for sic necessair pccaisionis as the samin may happin to be imployed in during his Hieness remaining furth of the cun- trey ; and yet not willing that his Hieness awne subjectis or utheris, having necessarilie to do with the saidis grite seill and signet, salbe frustrat and disapointit thairof at all occaisionis, his Majestie with avise of his Secreit Counsaill prdanis and commandis his said Chancellair, be himself or his depute in his name, to caus mak ane uthir grite seill and grite signett, according to the forme and proportioun of the utheris, als neir as may be in all pointis off quhatsumevir metale, to serve and be used and imployd be Mr. Johnne Laying depute to the said Lord Chancellair, in keping of the saidis grite seill and signett to all things necessair to be past thairwith, and willis and declaifis that the making of the saidis grite seill and signett salbe na cryme to the gpldsmyth makaris thairof, nor to the said Chancellair or the said Mr. Johnne, nor that; they nor nane of thame salbe callit or accused for the same criminalie nor civilie be ony maner of way in tyme cuming."

It was evidently recognized that there might be considerable danger of misapplication were two seals allowed to be in existence after a certain time, so a special provision was inserted that, on the king's return from Norway the last-made seal was to be " brokin doun and distroyit immediatlie."

In 1605 James VI. wrote to Lord Berwick,. Treasurer of " North Britain" and Chancellor of the Exchequer, that as it had "pleasit