A series of columns between the Sydney Gazette and the Colonist was sparked by comments made by the Colonist on the impending trial of John Laing (one-time clerk for the Gazette). In this column, the writer for the Colonist, probably Henry Bull, turns the conversation away from the court case and towards subscriber numbers. Bull contends that many of the Gazette's subscribers are cancelling their subscriptions and taking up a subscription with the Colonist instead.