, 1854-04-08
Venerable Rslis.---A Curiosity.

hanging up IN the saloon OF Barry n
Patton may be seen a most interesting rel
ic of the Olden times, in the shape of time
stained copy Of the Boston Gazette and
Country Journal" dated Monday, July
l3, 1851, upwards of 92 years agO-the
year after the accession of George III to
the crown of England, and during the Pre-
miership of the Earl of Butte. The Boston
Gazette was commenced in l7l9, and was
the second paper published in America
The first issued on this continent was the
Boston News Letter" in 1904, which was
continued until TIA. The third, the
American Weekly Mercury" was started
in Philadelphia in l7l9, one day after the
Gazette. The first '"New York Gazette"
was issued in 1924 the first newspaper in
the Carolinas, in 1919 the first Rhode
Island Gazette" at Newport, in 1882, and
the first Virginia Gazette" at Williams
burgh, in 1876. The copy of the Boston
Gazeite in the possession of Barry & Pat
ten, is full Of interest to the antiquarian,
aud shows as well the vast improvement q
century has made in the printing Of news
papers, as the thorough change which has
been made in the institutions and condition
Of the people Of Massachusetts. At that
me-lT6l-slaVery existed in that Colo
ny, for we find in the Gazette the following
advertisements, over which Mrs. Uncle
Toms Cabin would now raise her hands in
holy horror ....
''To be sold, likely young Negro wo-
man, about 35 years Of age-a very good
cook understands household business, and
can be recommended for her honesty. In
quire Of the printers hereof"
"Ran away, on the 2sth day of June,
1851, from his master, Ephriam Swift, Of
Falmouth, in the county Of Barnstable, a
negro man-servant, named Peter about
tWenty-seven or tweniy-eight years old !;
speaks good English had on when he went
away Beaveret hat, green wOrsted Cap,
n close bodied Coat mill colOured, with a
green narrow Frize Cape, Great coat, a
black and white hOmespun Jacket, fan
mel checked Shirt, grey yarn Stockings al
so flannel jacket and a bundle Of other
ClOaths and Violin. He is very tall Fel-
low. Who shall apprehend the said Negro
Fellow and commit him to any Of his Maj
esty's Goals or secure him so that his Mas
ter may have him again, shall have Five
Dollars Reward and all necessary Charges
paid. EPHRAIM SWIFT.
"All Masters of Vessels and others are
cautioned not to carry OF or conceal the
said Negro as they would avoid the Penal
ty Of the Law"
The runaway must have presented a sin
gular spectacle and been very readily rec
ognized, il he had on all the advertiser says
he had, including couple of head cover
ings, three or four coats and jackets, a
''bundle Of other Cloaths," and "violin." -
The postscript sounds much as il Massachu-
sets had Fugitive Slave Law in those
days.
From the following it appears the Slave
Trade was in a fourishing condition:
"Just imported from Africa, a number
Of Prime Young Slaves from the Windward
Coast, and to be Sold on board, Capt.
GWin, lying at New Boston"
Somebody found 1t troublesome to raise
negro infant, and so advertised
"A likely, hearty male Negro Child,
about month old, to be given away. In
qVire Of the Printers hereof"
Those were stirring times. 'The Old
French War" as it is called, was at its
height, and after nine years fighting Amer
lea had become the theatre of operations
Of the hostile armies Quebec had been
taken by the English, under Wolfe, only
two years before and all Canada had fal-
len into their hands only the year before
l760 at the same time the Great Fred
eric Of Prussia, subsidized by Great Britain,
was battling against Maria Theresa, Emp
geS Of Germany, allied with France under
Louis XIV. ;-Frederic had just gained the
great victory Of Torgan.
The dangers from hostile cruisers on the
high seas, will account for the warlike pre-
parations announced in the following ad-
Yertisement of merchant ship;