Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1875-04-03


. PER. The manufacture Of paper of
> any description was not established
+ in any of the colonies until full tif.
ty years after the introduction of
printing, the first paper mill having
, been erected in the vicinity of Phil.
adelphia by one William Ritten.
housen, n native of Germany, about
the year 1890. The first paper mill
in New England was established in
the town of Milton, near Boston, in
1880. In 1882 the following adver.
tisement appeared in the weekly
Rehearsal, of Boston:
"Richard Fry, Stationer, Book.
seller, Paper'maker, and Rag mer-
chant, from the city of London,
keeps at Mr.. Thomas Fleets, printer,
at the Heart and Crown, in Corn.
hill. Boston, where said Fry is
ready to accommodate all Gentle
men, Merchants, and Tradesmen,
with setts of accompt books after
the most acute manner for twenty
per cent. cheaper than they can
have them from London. | return
the Public Thanks for following the
Directions of my former Advertise
ment for gathering rags, and hope
they will continue the like Method,
having received upward of Seven
thousand weight already"
The early scarcity of paper in the
colonies is illustrated by the follow.
ing curious advertisement, which
appeared in the Boston Erening
Post in 174S:
"ChOice Pennsylvania Tobacco
paper is to be sold by the publisher
of this paper at the Heart and
Grown, where may be also had the
Bulls of Indulgencies of the present
Pope, Urban Will, either by single
Bull Quire, or Ream, at a much
cheaper rate than they can be pur-
chased Of the French or Spanish
PRIESTS
The explanation of this was that
several bales of "indulgencies,'
printed upon very good paper and
only on one side, had been captured
by an English cruiser from a Span.
ish vessel, and being offered at
very low price, had been purchased
by the Boston printer, who saw an
opportunity for profit by printing
ballards or other matter for his GUS
toners upon the back of the ponti-
tical documents in question. 1t is
also to be noted that about this time
Robert Saltonstall was fined five
shillings by the General Court of
Massachusetts for presenting pe-
tition on small and bad piece of
paper.
In 17GS Colonel Christopher Lief.
tingwell erected at Norwich the first
paper mill in the colony in Connec-
ticut, under the promise of boun.
ty from the General Assembly. Two
years after he was accordingly
awarded twOpence quire on 1920
quires of writing paper, and one
penny each on 10000 quires of
paper. Having attained
such degree of success, tits re.
corded that the government patron
lge was soon afterward withdrawn.
In Pennsylvania the DunkerS,
who settled in Lancaster County,
very early gave their attention to
5he manufacture of paper, and also
set up a printing press. During the
Revolution, and just previous to
he battle of Brandywine, messen-
gers were sent to their mill for a
supply of paper for cartridges. The
nil happening to he out of unman.
lfactured paper, the fraternity, who
leld their property in common. sent
Jack as as a substitute to the Con-
mental army several wagon loads
f an edition of Fox's Book Of Mar.
yrs, and from the paper supplied
y the pages of this work the car
ridges used in the battle were in
art manufactured.
About the year 177O the number
f paper mills in the provinces of
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and
Delaware, was reported to be forty,
his department of manufacturing
ldustry having especially devel-
ped in the vicinity of Philadelphia,
hich was at that time the centre
literary activity for the colonies.
was a business, moreover, in
hich DR.. Franklin was greatly in
rested; and he told De Warville,
French traveller who visited Amer
a in 1883, that he had himself es-
blished as many as eighteen mills.
The business of the manufacture
"papcr-hangiugs' commenced in
e colonies about the year 1760 and
1791 it was one of the branches