622
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
1719, Oct. 23. Manufacturer; or the British trade trulr stated, No. 1 . The Brititk Merchant, Nov. 10;" and the Weaver, Nov. 23. These three periodical papers owe their origin to a dispute between the dealers in the woollen ana calico manufactures. The subject seemed strongly to have arrested the public attention, and was at length noticed by the patriotic pen of sir Richard Steele, who wrote a paper under the appellation of the Spinster.
1719. The Pretent State of the Republic of Letters commenced.
1719, Oct. 31. St. James's Weekly Journal, or Hanover Postman.
1719, Nov. 10. British Merchant, No. 1.
J 71 9, Nov. 23. Weaver, No. 1.
1719, Dec, 21. The Boston Gazette, No. 1. This paper was established by William Brooker, who having been appointed Campbell's successor in the post-office, resolved to turn his official advantage to account, and consequently started the second newspaper in the colonies, empioviug James Franklin for his printer. In two or three months after, Brooker, in his turn, was super- seded by Philip Musgrave, who accordingly coming mto possession of the newspaper, gave the printing of it to Samuel Kneeland, who had been an apprentice to Green, and who issued it for eight years. This journal, w ith some changes, was carried on till the year 1752. Campbell continuing the News Letter, (see p. 689, ante,) skirmished with the Gazette, on its first demon- stration of poaching on his manor; but it treated him rather magnanimously, and he soon had the sense to see that itrather multiplied than divided patronage; — they helped each other, for the News Letter languished till the Gazette was set up, and never languished after. The News Letter, upon Campbell's death, at the age of seventy-five, fell into the bands of one of the Greens; and we are told, "assumed and pie- ser\'ed a more temperate and conciliating tone.
The first newspapers in North America were commonly printed on a half sheet of pot paper. Occasionally, when there was a special press of matter, a whole sheet was issued. Sometimes, they were printed in folio, sometimes in quarto, no great regard being had to the convenience of binding. Campbell adopted the same plan as Dawks and other printers had practised in England, by printing for the convenience of being sent by the post; for in an early number, he informs his readers, that " for the advantage of the post-office, an entire sheet of paper, one half with the news, and the other half on good writing paper to write their letter on, may also be had there for every one that please to have it every Monday." At this time there were only four or five post-offices in British America. It appears that the news from England was oft«n much in arrear, for in one number, Campbell in- forms his readers that he had been " thirteen months behind with our foreign news, beyond Great Britain, now less than five months." This he appears to have accomplished by publishing a sheet a week.
1719, Dec. 22. American Wedtfy Meremy,
No. I. printed and published by Andrew Brad- ford, Philadelphia. This was the first newsp^iei in British America, out of Boston.
1719,Z>ec.26. L<mdon Journal; or, the Thurs- day's Journal continued on Saturdays; «ith a weekly letter from Paris, and from Genoa, No. 22.
1720, Jan. 14. Ma. Clicton printed a ballad On the birth of the Pretender's son; for which he was taken into custody, and his press and papers were sealed up.
1720. Died, Timothy Goodwin, an eminent bookseller in Fleet-street, London. Dunton says, " Mr. Timothy Goodwin published Dr. Well- wood's History of an Hundred Years. He is esteemed a very honest man; and what be en- gages upon is either very useful or very curious. WUIiam Rogers, John Harris,* and myself, were once partners with him in publishing some Dying Speeches; and I observed a more than
- I shall next charmcterize my honest friend Mr. Joax
Harris, which Is an epithet so deservedly doe to bis me. mory, tliat 1 do not think there is a bookseUer in Londna bat what will own him as J list a man as they ever knew. His litUe body, as Cowley calls it, was a sort of C^pid^ bow, but what natute denied him in bulk and strai^tncas, she gave him in wit and vigoor. He had a rich Renins, as is seen by his Poem on the Lord Rtutel, was very active is trade. Honesty was his distinguishine character. Bis f[iend,Mr. tArkin, lieing once asked who was the honcstest bookseller in London, returned this extempore i
Of all honest booksellen, If you'd have the marrow. Repair to king John, at the si^ of the harrow.
The same person would often say, John Harris wma k upon the account civil — be might have said apon the account religious, for in our ramble to Oxford (wliick Wesley improved to a poem) I had a special occasion to try Us virtue, and I found him almost the only man tiiat would be boneat without looking after. Mr. Harris and I were partners in Colaft UeteetUm, tkt Secret Uutarp iff WkUehall, Leiiowm'i Panarithmalogi; and intUrty eitacr valuable Itooks, and I always found myself aa safe, or la- ther more secure in his hands than 1 was in my awa. Fit]m the day 1 left my shop in the Poultry, 1 put all I printed into John's warehouse, and found him always ready to even accounts, and to discharge his truat to half a farthing. We were a sort of Guy and Parker for abso- lute contidcnce in each other, and our ftieod&hip, like theirs, increased so fast, that an even thread of endear, ment ran through all we said or did. In the year 1697, 1 f^ave Mr. Harris the copy of iris's funeral sermon, entitled the Character of a good Woman, and thought all kijadness done to him was the same as done to myself. Bat all ha* man things are given to change, and therefore after a kaf experience of one another, we entered into articles cf friendship, that so (by a marriage of souls) our friendship might be immortal 1 do not wonder that we had this par- ticular friendship for each other, for we were not catij constant partners in trade, but were engaged together ia our very apprenticeship by a reciprocal participatioD of good offices, which was the effect of a deep rooted an4 strong sympathy. The agreeableness of humour united first our souls, and tauj^ht us the mystetious lesrans of Platonic love. Wc saw each other and were straight ia- spired with sacred inclinatiai,. My eye no sooner fixed on his, but through that perspective I could see the iuymt virtue of his soul, which iirunedlately piXMlnced a Yenoa. tioD in my breast, and 1 soon found our hearts beat taM to one another, so that now our friendship was be co me sacred to us, and our Joys and sorrows were mutually hi- terchanged. Our Joys and griefs were still the same; no prosperous or adverse fortune could ever change oar minds, to warp us either to flattery or contempt; but with an even mind we still sustained the diff^nt accidents d human life. But, alas! " the dearest fiiends mustpait," for the same day he welcomed me home tram Dublin, he was seized with his old distemper the phthisic, &c wUek ended his life in a few days. His kind and obliging wife persuaded him to go to Kingsland, in hopes the air woaU recover him; but the last sands of his Ufe were ran, mat
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