, 1880-11-28

tlOn to IhuriOW weed IN New OrK seems q
fitting one to take glance at the past news
paper life Of this country.
At the breaking out OF the Revolutionary
War there were thirty seven newspapers in
the American colonies, New Hampshire hay-
ing one, Massachusetts, seven, Rhode Island
two, Connecticut four, New T ork four, Penn
sylvania nine, Maryland two, Virginia two,
North Carolina two, South Carolina three,
and Georgia one. OF these, five are still In
existence-to wit: The Ne.u Hampshire Ga
zstte, founded at Portsmouth by Daniel
Fowle in 175o and still issued in that city oil
every Thursday by the Chronicle and Gazette
Publishing Company; the Massachusetts Spy,
started III Boston by Isaiah Thomas, ind by
him afterwards removed to Worcester, where
he built up large took-publishin8 business
and wrote his weil-known "History OF Print
ing"; the Newport Mercury, in Rhode
Island, from whose office the "Newport
Guide" so familiar to summer visitors, Is
issued annually; the Connecticut Oo,trant,
now edited by Gen. Joseph R. Hawley;
nnd the Maryland Gazette, at Annapolis,
which was established in 1748, and Is the
oldest living American newspaper. The old
Venetian name Gazette was very popular
one for newspapers In those days, and was,
indeed, used in the same broad sense that
the word Journal now is, to indicate simply
a anewspaper. Benjamin Franklin says In the
first number Of his Pennsylvania Gdzetts,
issued III 17.9, "The author of a gazette Tin
the opinion of the learned) ought to be
qualified with an extensive acquaintance
with the languages etc. OF the papers pub
ifshcd In IT'S, seventeen, or almost one-half,
bore the name Of Gazette. The Journal ap-
peared as title Tor six Of them, the Post for
two, the Post-Boy for two. and the Mercury
for four. The other names used were Ncaus-
Letter, Packet, and Ledger. The original
Boston NcUs-LctteT, started In 1704, was
the first American newspaper, except the
P,tbltch Occurrences, which was slnoth~
cred at It's birth In 1890. The first
Boston Gazette, which was the sec ond
American newspaper, was founded IN
ITO, in Court street, where the Advertiser
building now stands, aud where in 1721
James Franklin printed the Nep England
Courant with his brother Benjamin as ar
apprentice. Another Boston Gazette, found
ed In 1755, of which Benjamin Edes was
editor. became a pillar Ut strength to the
patriot cause III tile struggle Of the Rev0lu-
tion, but took the losing side In the subse-
quent contest over the Constitution, and its
old conductor spent his last days in triendless
poverty. The third American newspaper, the
american, Weekly Mercury, which was
established at Philadelphia in 17lo, had
successor in the Revolutionary epoch called
the Philadelphia Mercury; but the New
England Coura,,t, which was the fourth,
had thel not even q name left This paper
was chiefly remarkable for being the first
one in this country that was subjected to
legislative Investigation. For some offensive
political article james Franklin was brought
before the Assembly and censured, and ill.,
prisoned for month by the Speakers order
because he would not tell who wrote the
article, and when he was let out the House
gave an ortler-'a very odd onc," rs Benja-
min says in his autobiography-that flames
Franklin should no longer print the paper
called the Nc,p England Co,trant" To
avoid this order, James and his apprentice
concocted ga 1imsy scheme" by which the
name OF Benjamin Franklin appeared
US publisher for several months. 1t
died In 1727. Frnnklin's Pennsylvania
Gazette was. in IT'S, published By Hall j.
Sellers, the senior member Of which firm had
belonged to the famous book-publish-
ing concern Of "B. Franklin aud D. Hail."
The Columbian Centtnel, the chief Federal
organ Of New England, was founded by
Benjamin Russell in 17s4, and on the 4th of
March, 1901, 1t clothed itself in sable and
printed stately epitaph on the death of the
Federal Administration. In 1880 it absorbed
the Nelo England Palladium, and in 1886
RusseIi's Gnzettc. but in 1910 its own identity
was lost III the Duily Advertiser. The Es-
scr Guzette, published at Salem. gave its
readers al account OF the bnttIe Of Bunker
Hill but Its namesake, the present Salem
Gt1zette, was not established un:it 17S7. Its
founder was Thomas {. Gushing, who for
the first three years called it the Mercury.
changing its name at the expiration of that
time. In 1876 it began to appear twice
week, and John Pickering, uncle ot Timothy,
who six years later received its vigorous sup
port in his famous contest with Jacob Crown
inshleld for seat In Congress. declared that
sit was nonsense to disturb the peoples
minds by sending newspapers among them