002
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
one publication. The bill operated at a directly contrary manner to what the ministers had anticipated ; for the opposition, who had more leisure, and perhaps more acrimony of feeling, were unanimous in the support of their cause. The adherents of ministers, who were by no means behind the opposition in their proficiency in the topic of defamation, were, it seems, not so strenuously supported; and the measure thus chiefly destroyed those whom it was Bolinbroke's interest to protect. For some reason, which we hare not been able to trace, the stamp-duties were removed shortly after their imposition, and were not again enforced until 1725.
In order to understand how so small a duty as one halfpenny should operate so strongly upon these periodical publications, we must look at the price at which they were vended at that period. The majority of them were published at a penny, many at a halfpenny, and some were even published, so low as a farthing. One was entitled All Alive and Merry, or the London Daily Post.
1712. The art of typog^phy was introduced in Tranquebar, a sea-port town of Hindostan, on the Coromandel coast, where a Danish settle- ment was established, in the year 1621. Early in this century, Bartholomew Ziegenbalg, a misaonaiy, sent into those parts by the king of Denmark, began to translate the Holy Scrip- tures into the language of the natives of the coast. With the view of forwarding the dis- persion of copies of this translation, a printing- press and some Tamulic tvpes were despatched to him from Germany in the year 1712, and in the next year the press was set to work. Pre- yiously however to this, namely in the year 1711, the English society for promoting Christian knowledge had sent out to the missionaries a printing-press furnished with Portugnese types,
ner, &c. which although the ship conveying ill into the hands of the French, who captured and plundered it, yet being concealed in the hold of the vessel escaped their rapacity, and was safely landed togetner with all its materials. In the month of October, in the following year, this press was so far put into order, that, by way of first specimens, an Orio Stdutit, and an ele- mentary treatise, both in Portuguese, were then worked off from it.
The Tamulic press commenced its labours with a book On the damnable character of Pagan- ism, which was put to press on the 19th of Sep- tember, 1713 ; and before the close of that year some portion of the Tamulic New Testament was printed off: the four Gospels were finished in a handsome manner iu quarto before twelve months had expired, and appeared with the im- print Tranguebarue in littore Cormandelino, typis Malabaricis impressit G. Alder, 1714. The pub- lication of the remainder of the New Testament was delayed from the scarcity of the paper, their types being very large ; till at length the expedi- ent was adopted of casting a new fount of letter from the leaden covers of some Cheshire cheeses which had been sent out to the missionaries by
the English society for promoting Chrisdan knowledge. The attempt succeeded ; and with these new and smaller types the Epistles and book of Revelation were printed, and the whole New Testament was published together in the yemi 1719. Sulisequent publications from the Tran- quebar press, down to 1761, may be seen in Masch's edition of Le Long's Bibliotheea sacra : and a minute account of them (which were issued in the Tamulic, English, Portuguese, and German languages) to the year 1736, is furnished by J. L. Niecampius, whose authority I have principally followed. — Dr. Cotton.
1712. An edition of the Holy Bible, compris- ing five several versions, in two volumes 4to. is said to have been executed in Holstein, perhaps at Keil, the capital of the province.
1712, Jan. 1. Rhapsody, No. I.
1712, Feb. 2. Historian, No. I.
1712, April 12. Plain Dealer [Wagstaffe's.*]
1712, May 20. Protestant Postboy, No. 1 12.
1712. The Liverpoole Courant, being an ab- stract of the London and other news, from Tues- day, July the 16th, to Friday, July 18th. No.18. Printed by S. Terry, in liale-street. At one comer is a wood cut representing Orpheus with his harp — ^at the other Mercury, with his usual attributes.
1712, July 26. Weekly Packet, No. 1.
1712, Aug. 2. British Mercury ; published by the company of the Sun Fire-office in Thread- needle-street, No. 369. — ^This paper, which is the beginning of a new series, occasioned by the stamp duty, was extended to a sheet and a half ; and contains an introductory history of news- papers, up to this period.
17}2,Aug.4. The Medley, ^0.45. This was the concluding number of the second series of the Medley, \ which had been commenced March 3, and ably conducted by Mr. Mainwaring^
• Dr. WlUiom WagsUffe, pbyddaii to St. Bartholomews hospital, fellow of the collet of physicians, and at the royal society. He was descended from a very andenl familT in Warwlckstitre, and edacated at Oidati. Be died May s, 1715, in the fortieth year of his a^^ and liis character was thus ^ven by an eminent physiciaii ; "He was no less valued for his skill In his profession, which lie showed in several useful treatises, than admired lor his wit and facetioosness in conversation I" He was related to the Rev. Thomas WagstalTe, who is celebrated for hi* incomparable defence of kin? Charles's Eilam BatiMtt, and who died October 17, 1 71s, aged sixty-seven years.
t A selection trom the first JtfnUnr was published in 178(, by Mr. John Nichols, together with the Lover and Reader of sir Richard Steele.
t Arthur Mainwaring, Esq., is entiUed to the moat re- spectable distinction for bis good sense and moderatino in politica, at a time when taction and party zeal ran via such headstrong a current. He was universally allowed. says the Biographia Britannica, to be the best critie of his times ; and Mr. Egerton, in his memoirs of Mrs. Oldfiel^ has declared, that his learning was without pcdantrr. Us wit without atrecUUon, his Judgment without malice, his ftiendship without interest, and his zeal without violence : in a word, he was the best subject, the best friend, the txsst relation, the best master, the best critic, and the licst political writer in Great Britain. He was bora at Igh^ Held, in Shropshire, in 1668, edacated at Oxford, and adopted the profession of the law. A short time beton the accession of queen Anne, he was made a commiaaiaoer of the ctutoms > and after that event, auditor of the im . posts. In 1701, he was chosen, M.P. for Preston, in Ian- cashire, and alily supported the WItig party in the house of commons. He died at St. Albans, November IS, 17IX.
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