“After all, if the thing be attended with much trouble, pray do not take it, for your time is too valuable to be wasted in the gratification of my whims.” J. S. to J. W. “I duly received yours this morning. I was much amused with the caricature, it is certainly a good one. I heard from Mr. Cobbett a few days ago, and am endeavouring to procure him some good spaniels. I do not expect our christening will be till about or after Christmas, when I shall be glad to see you here. I have another son to go through the ceremony besides William, whom we shall name _John_, and shall beg you to be his godfather.…” This excursion did not come off till May, 1809, for some reason or other. Mr. Wright was very nearly being entrapped into matrimony on the occasion, with an interesting widow who was one of the visitors. WM. C. to J. S. “We got home in very good time; but had the mortification to see the road drier and drier, as we advanced, till, when we came to Botley, the dust flew, and we have not had one drop of rain since. Nevertheless, all my plantations go on exceedingly well. I am satisfied that, with some people’s planting, half the trees would now have been dead. Get the books I recommended, and in the _Profitable Planter_ see the articles ‘Willow’ and ‘Black Italian Poplar.’ The aspen is good, and I prefer it. But be sure not to plant Lombardy poplar. It is not fit even to burn.” An important outward change came over the _Register_ at the beginning of the year 1809. Mr. Cobbett had for some time been dissatisfied with the printing of Messrs. Cox and Baylis; and it was therefore transferred to Mr. T. C. Hansard. An improvement was manifest at once, and the _Register_ took the position of those publications which were discarding the antiquated types of the past. Some little notion of the extent of the enterprise that was going on may be gathered by an estimate furnished to Swann of the probable _monthly_ supply of paper that would be required:-- “Register 60 reams. State Trials 96 “ Parl. History 50 “ Parl. Debates 50 “ ---- Total 256 reams.” As the _Register_ was in 16 pages 8vo, with occasional supplements, the weekly circulation must have been nearly six thousand at this period. Very soon after this change, the price was raised to 1_s._ from 10_d._, at which figure it had stood since its commencement. The price of paper had risen from 24_s._ to 43_s._ a ream, and the newspaper stamp from a halfpenny to 3½_d._; besides that, other expenses had proportionally augmented. Great must have been the hold which Cobbett had obtained, over a large number of readers, for his journal to have been able to keep its place under such circumstances. * * * * *