e by ordinance: for such a
purpose a new law was necessary.

The law of the 27 frimaire, an VIII (17th December 1799), had
established a scale of charges according to weight, and the rates were
fixed according to the distance actually traversed, under the
arrangements then existing. This restriction, which was unfortunate,
because the services existing during the Revolutionary period were not
of a character to serve as a basis for the future, was felt to be
onerous, and numerous complaints were lodged by communes which felt
themselves placed under a disadvantage.

In 1827 the rates were revised and placed on a more stable basis.[361]
The principle first established in 1791, of charge according to the
distance between two places reckoned as the crow flies, was
re-established; and a provision was inserted in the law to meet the
difficulty which had arisen as to the legality of the ordinance of 1823,
purporting to fix the size of the sheets on which the postage on printed
matter was calculated. Postage on newspapers and periodicals was made 5
centimes for each sheet of 30 square decimetres for all destinations;
but the charge was reduced by one-half for newspapers and periodicals
circulated within the department where they were published, the reduced
rate being established with the view of protection of the country Press,
whose subscribers were in general local, against the competition of the
Parisian Press. In 1830 the rate of 5 centimes the sheet for newspapers
and other periodical publications was reduced to 4 centimes. The rates
of 1827 remained otherwise unchanged.

In 1850 the newspaper tax and the postage were assimilated--that is to
say, newspapers were subjected only to one tax, and payment of that tax
secured the right of transmission by post. The tax was at the rate of 5
centimes per sheet of 72 square decimetres or less for newspapers
published in the departments of Seine and Seine-et-Oise, and 2 centimes
for those published elsewhere. All newspapers on which a tax of 5
centimes was paid, were entitled to free transmission by post throughout
France. Those on which a tax of 2 centimes was paid, were entitled to
free transmission by post within the department in which they were
published and the adjoining departments. In order to obtain transmission
by post throughout France, an additional sum of 3 centimes per paper
must be paid on these latter newspapers.[362] The Minister of Justice,
in introducing the meas