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There are 104 papers published in New York city, having an aggregate annual circulation of 78,000,000, and 51 in Philadelphia, having a circulation of 40,000,000. In Albany the number of papers annually printed is 16,050,460, which gives a proportion of 321 to each individual, or more than one to each person every week day in the year. The people of the United States spend $15,000,000 in a year for newspapers. The origin of newspapers is traced to Italy. The first one in England appeared during the reign of Qupeu Elizabeth, at the time of the Spanish Armada, and was called " Ye English Mer-curie." The Boston News-letter, commenced in 1704, was the first in America. One hundred years ago there was not more than twenty-five newspapers in this country ; but at this period, if all the newspapers annually printed here were put together in a continuous string they would reach more than ten times around the world, and their weight would amount to seventy million pounds.

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