[Footnote BI:  Having alluded in the text to the systems of Morse, Bain, and House, I must apologize for omitting to add, that the system of Cook and Wheatstone consists simply of a deflecting needle—­or needles—­which being acted upon by the currents, are, according to the manipulations of the operator, made to indicate the required letters by a certain number of ticks to the right or left.]

CHAPTER XXIV.

America’s Press and England’s Censor.

In treating of a free country, the Press must ever be considered as occupying too important an influence to be passed over in silence.  I therefore propose dedicating a few pages to the subject.  The following Table, arranged from information given in the Census Report of 1850, is the latest account within my reach:—­

Newspapers Published.

Daily         Tri-Weekly     Semi-Weekly      Weekly
254             115             31             1902

Printed        Printed        Printed         Printed
Annually       Annually       Annually        Annually
235,119,966   11,811,140     5,565,176       153,120,708

Semi-Monthly       Monthly       Quarterly
95              100             19

Printed            Printed         Printed
Annually           Annually        Annually
11,703,480         8,887,803       103,500

General Classification.

Literary and    Neutral and     Political     Religious     Scientific
Miscellaneous   Independent
568                 88             1630         191            53

Printed          Printed         Printed       Printed        Printed
Annually         Annually        Annually      Annually       Annually
77,877,276      88,023,953      221,844,133    33,645,484    4,893,932

Total number of newspapers and periodicals, 2526; and copies printed annually, 426,409,978.

The minute accuracy of the number of copies issued annually is a piece of startling information:  the Republic is most famous for statistics, but how, without any stamp to test the accuracy of the issues, they have ascertained the units while dealing with hundreds of millions is a statistical prodigy that throws the calculating genius of a Babbage and the miraculous powers of Herr Doebler and Anderson into the shade.  I can therefore no more pretend to explain the method they employ for statistics, than I can the system adopted by Herr Doebler to mend plates by firing pistols at them.  The exact quantity of reliance that can be placed upon them, I must leave to my reader’s judgment.