NIN£T£ENTH CENTURY.
867
He put the small letters together in the same manner; and the few monosyllables composing the first page of the small spelling-book, were afterwards added. The king examined, with great minuteness and pleasure, the form as it lay on the press, and prepared to take off the first sheet ever printed m his dominions. Having been told bow it was done, he jocosely chargea his companions not to look very particularly at him, or to laugh if he should not do it right. I put the ink-ball into his hand, and directed him to strike it two or three times upon the face of the letters: this he did, and then placing a sheet of clean paper upon the parchment, it waa covered down, turned under the press, and the king was directed to pull the handle : he did so, and when the printed sheet was lifted up, the chiefs and assistants rushed towards it, to see what effect the king's pressure had produced. When they beheld the letters black and large, and well-defined, there was a simultaneous ex- pression of wonder and delight. The king took up the sheet, and having looked first at the pa- per, and then at the types, with attentive ad- miration, handed it to one of his chiefs and expressed a wish to take another. He printed two more : and while he was so engaged, the first sheet was shown to the crowd without, who, when they saw it, raised one general shout of astonishment and joy. The king with his at- tendants passed by the printing-office every after- noon, and seldom omitted to call, and spend some time in watching the progress of the work. The curiosity awakened in the inhabitants of Afareaitu by the establishment of the press, was soon satisfied ; day after day Pomare visited the printing-office ; the chiefs applied to be admitted inside, while the people thronged the windows, doors, and every crevice through which they could peep, often involuntarily exclaiming, Be- ri-ta-ni-e ifenua paari, O Britain ! land of skill, or knowledge. The press soon became a matter of universal conversation ; and the facility with which books could be multiplied, filled the minds of the people in general with wonderful delight Multitudes arrived from every district of Eimeo, and even from other islands, to procure books and to see this astonishing machine. In 1820, a printing establishment was formed at Burder's point, a missionary station on the north east coast of the island of Otaheite.
1818. HinU on the propriety of atahlithing a typographical lociety in Newcattle-upon-Tyne. Newcastle: printed for Emerson Chamley, MDCccxViii. pp. 8. Written by Mr. Brockett. A short time after printing these hints, the author and several other literary gentlemen belonging to Newcastle and its neighbourhood, formed themselves into a society, and agreed that the same should be denominated The Typographical Society of Newcattle-upan-Tyne, and Uiat their number should not exceed thirty. Two hundred copies were printed. — For the origin of this society, and the works printed by its memheis, see Martin's Hittory of Private Pretien, ^and the ffewcattlf Reprints and Local Tracti.
1818, March 30. Died, Thomas Bennett, a deserving and intelligent journeyman printer, of London. He was bora at Chichester, Sussex, Feb. 12, 1746. In 1760 he was apprenticed to Mr. Lewis, printer, of Paternoster-row, London. At the expiration of his appienticeship, (after working a short time witn Mr. Richardson, author of Pamela, &c.) he entered into the em- ployment of Messrs. Bowyer and Nichols,* with whom he continued forty-seven years, and was so fortunate as to enjny two pensions which those benevolent gentlemen had severally allotted for indigent aged printers. He was secretary to the Union society, established for benevolent pur- poses, and affording money, in cases of death, of a member or his wife. Though anxious to be generally useful, bis family was the first object of his attention ; and the tender regard which was fell for him by his wife and children, prove him to have been a kind husband and an affec- tionate father. His last trial he bore with the resignation that became a christian, and his in- tellects remained unclouded to the last
1818, April 23. Adoustus Appleoath, of Nelson-square, Great Suny-street, Surry, prin- ter, obtained a patent for certain improvements in the art of casting stereotype or other plates, for printing bank or bankers' notes, or other printed impiesaons, where difficulty of imitation is a desideratum.
A very ingenious apparatus for printing bank notes was invented by Mr. Solly, but we believe never fully adopted by the bank of England. It is described in a volume published by the society of arts, and containing their report on the best means of preventing the forgery of bank notes.
1818. Messrs. Cowper and Applegath, obtained a patent for improvement in printing presses to work by steam, and for rollers for dis- tributing the ink.
1818, April 24. Died, John Griffiths, pro- prietor of the ChelteiJiam Chronicle.
1818, June 20. A fire broke out on the premises of Mr. Joseph Downes, printer, Temple-bar, in the Strand, London, which entirely consumed the interior, and a large stock of books, printing materials, and other valuable property.
- John Nichols, esq. now a member of the comt of
■MteMnts, transferred to the company. In June, 1817, ^600 fonr per cent, annoities, " as an addition of a smajl supplement to the works of mj late friend and partner, Mr. WUlam Bowyer," to pay the dividends to the persona mentioned in the fallowing list ; one of whom has worked for me more than fifty years, another much more than forty, and the others nearly thirty years.
.^IS a- year to Thomas Bennett, in addition to the an - nnlty he noweqjoyg.
tSt a-year to William Morlis, in addition to what he now enjoys, or may hereafter enjoy.
On the death of Bennett, his ^1 5 to be divided into three annuities— for James Roussean, John Meeson, and James Robinson, if then livings — otherwise to any other com- positor or pressman, of good character, not less than 4S years of age, and who shall have been at least 21 years free of the stationers' company.
On the death of Morlis, his five pounds to be added to the person who then stand* first on the list; so that eventually there will only be one annuitant of ten pounds, and two of five pounds each.
The annuitants to be paid at the same tlmen as those of Mr. Bowyer. J. N.
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