Mr. George Jacob Holyoake,--You are served with this Process to the intent that you may by your Attorney, according to the practice of the Court, appear in Her Majesty's Court of Exchequer, at the return thereof in order to your defence in this prosecution. "Mr. George Jacob Holyoake. "At the suit of Her Majesty's Attorney-General, "By Information. "Folio 9--1855. "Joseph Timm," Solicitor of the Inland Revenue, "Somerset House, London. "Folio 9--55- "Inland Revenue, Somerset House. "Solicitors' Department. "The Attorney-General against George Jacob Holyoake. "The penalties sought to be recovered by this prosecution are several of £20 each, which the defendant has incurred by publishing certain newspapers called _War Chronicle_ and _The War Fly Sheet_ on unstamped paper." As I had published 30,000 copies, the penalties incurred were £600,000. These alarming documents were accompanied by intimation as to the question at issue, and the penalties to be recovered. My solicitors, Messrs. Ashurst, Waller and Morris, No. 6, Old Jewry, put in an appearance for me, but on the repeal of the duty shortly after, a hearing was never entered upon, and the penalties have not been collected. How they came to be incurred in respect of the _War Chronicles_ the reader may see in "Sixty Years," vol. i. p. 287. No intimation was ever given to me--there is no courtesy, I believe, in law--that these intimidating summonses were withdrawn. I had no defence against the charge. I could not deny, nor did I intend to deny, that I had knowingly and wilfully published the said papers. In justification I could only allege that I had acted, as I believed, in the public interest, which, I was told, was no legal answer. The law, which ought to be clear and plain, was, I knew, full of quirks and surprises; and, for all I knew, or know to this day, the payment of the fines incurred might be demanded of me. It was communicated to the then Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Gladstone) that in case of the full demand being made upon me, I should be under the necessity of asking him to take it in weekly instalments, as I had not the whole amount by me. The position of an "unstamped" debtor was not, in those days, a light one. My house in Fleet Street could be entered by officers of the Inland Revenue; every person in it, printers, assistants in the shop, and any one found upon the premises could be arrested. The stock of books could be seized, and blacksmiths set to break up all presses and destroy all type, as was done to Henry Hetherington; and for many weeks I made daily preparations for arrest.