▁proposition : ▁it ▁cost , ▁on ▁average , ▁up wards ▁of ▁£ 3 0 0 ▁ann ually ▁to ▁produce , ▁of ▁which ▁they ▁s eld om ▁rec oup ed ▁more ▁than ▁£ 1 5 0 . ▁Because ▁two - fif th s ▁of ▁the ▁copies ▁were ▁distributed ▁for ▁free ▁to ▁the ▁journal ' s ▁natural ▁market , ▁sales ▁were ▁generally ▁slow , ▁and ▁although ▁back ▁issues ▁sold ▁out ▁gradually ▁it ▁would ▁usually ▁be ▁ten ▁years ▁or ▁more ▁before ▁there ▁were ▁fewer ▁than ▁ 1 0 0 ▁left ▁of ▁any ▁given ▁print ▁run . ▁ ▁During ▁the ▁Pres iden cy ▁of ▁Joseph ▁B anks ▁the ▁work ▁of ▁the ▁Committee ▁of ▁Pap ers ▁continued ▁fairly ▁efficiently , ▁with ▁the ▁President ▁himself ▁in ▁frequent ▁attend ance . ▁There ▁was ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁ways ▁in ▁which ▁the ▁President ▁and ▁Secret aries ▁could ▁by pass ▁or ▁sub vert ▁the ▁Royal ▁Society ' s ▁publishing ▁procedures . ▁Pap ers ▁could ▁be ▁prevent ed ▁from ▁reaching ▁the ▁Committee ▁by ▁not ▁allowing ▁them ▁to ▁be ▁read ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁place . ▁Also — though ▁papers ▁were ▁rarely ▁subject ed ▁to ▁formal ▁review — there ▁is ▁evidence ▁of ▁editor ial ▁inter vention , ▁with ▁B anks ▁himself ▁or ▁a ▁trust ed ▁deput y ▁propos ing ▁cut s ▁or ▁em end ations ▁to ▁particular ▁contributions . ▁Publishing ▁in ▁the ▁Philosoph ical ▁Trans actions ▁carried ▁a ▁high ▁degree ▁of ▁prest ige ▁and ▁B anks ▁himself ▁attributed ▁an ▁attempt ▁to ▁un se at ▁him , ▁relatively ▁early ▁in ▁his ▁Pres iden cy , ▁to ▁the