Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1886-07-14
ANNAPOLIS. MD. WEDNESDAY EVENING, JULY a. 1885,
EARLY AMERICAN NEWSPAPERS.
some Of Their Quaint and Entertaining
Contents.


On the oath OF April. 1904. the first
number OF the Boston Newsletter was
Issued at Boston. Mass. IL was printed
BY b. Green and sold by Nicholas
Boone. at.his shop near the Old Meeting
House.
or the two pages IL contained. all OF the
first, and near one-quarter OF the second,
was devoted to the extracts from the Lon
don Evening Post from December I'd to
the 4th, 1903, which related To a Sheet
lately printed, Intituled, A Seasonable
Alarm for Scotland, in Letter from
q Gentleman in the City to his Friend in
the Country. Concerning the present
danger OF the Kingdom and OF the
Protestant Religion.
The author concludes it 10 be the In
terest Of the nation to provide for self
defence, and says, that as many have
already taken the alarm and are furnish
Ing themselves with arms and ammuni-
tion. he hopes the Government will not
only allow 1t but encourage 1t, since the
nation ought all to appear as one man
in the defence OF our gracious Sover-
align the Queen, and her just and right
title to the crown. against the bloody
designs OF Papists and Jac0bites.
The first attempt 10 set up news
paper in North America, was made in
1000 But cEe number OF it was IS
sued. and that Is dated September rs,
of that year The only cory known to
be In existence is deposited in the State
Paper Offica ut London.
Immediately on It's appearance the
Massachusetts authorities declared that
1t came out contrary TO Law and con-
tanned reflections Of very high ma
,ure," and they strictly forbade any
thing in print, without license first OBJ
tanned from those appointed by the
Government TO grant the same.
Richard Pierce printed this single
number for Benjamin Harris. as appears
from the imprint on the copy In the Lon
don State Paper Onice
Within a few years sheet purportlEg
to be "a fac-simile OF the first news
Taper ever printed in America has been
issued bat 1t Is so full of flagrant mis-.
takes and other evidences OF careless
ness, that it cannot be depended upon
Further, the Boston Newsletter. though
".he first newspaper established in North
America" was not 1.-The first newspaper
ever printed In America. as will be seen
by the foregoing facts.
. Not q few songed their genius's in
poetry on the occasion of the reception
OF the King OF Spain In England: the
following q 'dlstlchs, said to have Mr.
Stepney English envoy TO Vienna) for
their author" were the first lines In
rhyme printed Ia an American news
paper: ~
- At Arna's Cali the Austrian Eagle flies,
Bearing hec thunder to the Southern
skies.
Where rash Youth. with an unequal
Infames the Region and misguides
the day,
Till the Ususper, from his chariots
hurl'd,
Leaves the true Monarch to command
the World"
The first advertisement appeared II
May, 1704, as follows.a
I" Stolen the instant in the Morning
out of the house Of James Cooper, neal
Charlestown Ferry in Boston, severa
sorts of mems Apparel, both Woollef
and Linnen by an Irish man speaks bat
English: he Is a young man about 2:
years Of age low Stature, dark coloreC
hair, round visage. fresh coloured; h'
ript small stript Ticking-bolster, and
put some of the goods in that he carried
away. Whoever discovers said Persons,
or goods Stolen. 90 as both be secured,
shall have sufficient reward at the place
aforesaid"
Earliest advertisements Of 1704:
Two Negro men, and one Negro
woman and child; to be sold by Mr.
John Colman, Merchant; to be seen al
Col. Charles Hobbey Eeq., his home In
Boston.
"Ran-away from bis master, Seth
Sweetzer, Of Charleatown, in N Engl
August l5. 1908. A young man, named
John Logon, about 10 years of age, Of Q
middle stature. black hair, by occupa
ton taylor; he's said to be gone to
Long Island, thence to PENNSYLVANIA
whoever shall take him up and convey
him safe to his Master shall have
pound reward"