The Portland daily press., 1897-11-25
OLD NEWS PAPERS.
Specimen Publications of the Last Gem.
tury.

things OF life, would doubtless be charmed
by COPY of the Boston Evening POST
and General Advertiser of March s. 17e3
which we have before us. 1t was printed
by Edward e. Powars in Boston, and
appears to be given up largely to adver-
tisements of the sale of conflscated estates
of "absentees. One of the victims of
this process was Charles Ward Apthorp,
of New York, who had lands in Scar
borough, in Cape Elizabeth, and also in
Falmouth and North Yarmouth. The
ed 'southeasterIy on Middle street, south
westerly on land of James Pennington,
northwesterly on Turkey lane, and north
easterly on land of Joshua Moody This
notice is signed by Samuel freeman,
Clerk, and dated January 6, 1888. There
are several other notices of the same de-
scription. The people of Boston were as
solictious then as now about the Com
mon, for the first page of the publication
contains notice, requesting all persons
to give information of people who ride
over the Common in carriages or on
horseback, it being alleged that the prac-
tice had done great damage to "eonsid-
cradle part of the feed. ="
OF news there is scarcely any, the
nearest approach to anything OF that
sort being the report of the arrival of the
ship Antwerp, from Amsterdam, Hol-
land, but the editor sorrowfully confesses
that he has been unable to get any infor-
nation from the Captain of much value.
"printer'' adyertises that the slime of
likely, hardy young negro boy is to be
disposed of and calls for bids. A seeds.
man adyertises an assortment of beans,
peas and sscollyfoours. ga Description
of Gibraltar serves for an editorial,
and at the request of a subscriber, Mr..
Powars, the editor, publishes some
Thoughts by Rosseau on suicide.
The Providence Gazette and County
Journal of Saturday, May 81, 1888, makes
more pretension to being newspaper. A
summary of the debates in the House Of
Commons is given, and there is newsy
letter from London. The order of the day
in the Commons as stated by Mr.. Pitt.
was the bill for restricting commerce be-
tween the United States of North Ameri-
ca and the colony of Newfoundland. In
the London letter is an account OF
young nobleman who bet that he could
drink six bottles of claret in six hours
without being intoxicated. 1t is related
that the fellow won the bet, then treated
the company, getting tn en- all drunk,
hI1t hiT1aGaIf mi anOIlOh IN
''assist them to the door of their car
riages.'' Perhaps this is as frivolous as
the modern newspaper. An "old farmer"
gives his fellow farmers some good ad-
vice as to the ase addressing on land.
OF more interest hereabouts is copy Of
the Portland Advertiser of Tuesday
morning, December 6, 1926. The paper
has four pages, two Of which are given
UP entirely to advertisements. And these
advertisements are today about the most
interesting matter in the paper. Prohibi-
ton had not set in in Maine then, and
we find very liberal sprinkling of ad
vertisements of rum, gin and brandy.
Lotteries were not against the law then
apparently, for one advertisement an
nounces that the goddess of fortune has
again assembled her throne, with both
hands full and extended, and sends out
free and unlimited invitations to the hui
man family to come and receive the
shower of her favors." Four prizes are
announced-s50, 900, $4,000, $4,000 and
S., 600. Whole tickets are $3.50. and
halves, quarters and eighths in proper
ton A new music store on Exchange
street, opposite Merchants Bank, is an
nounced by Nathan Kimball. The mu-
steal part of the store was apparently I'M
der the charge of Mr.. Charles Nicolini
The PORTLAND Bookstore was run by
E. johnson, and he sold not only books
and stationery, but also tickets in the
Cumberland and Oxford Canal Lottery,
a scheme got up to build the canal
of that name. William Mcclellan an
nounces new stock of French paper
hangings. Most of the grocery dealers
begin the list of their attractions with
St. Croix rum, from which one infers that
it was the favorite beverage. There is
an original poem in the paper entitled
AsSOOHASSO4OAo u 4hG4hos wing A
few lines testifying to Mary's tender heart
we copy:
The urchins gather round with glisten.
ing eyes,
Admire the speokled buildings ample
size,
With watery mouths receive the generous
slice,
Half fearful tbs too small, it tastes SO
nice.
Then next the poultry from the spit
appears,
And gentle Mary scarce refrains from
| tears,
AS she relates how much she loved one
| chick,
That tamely from her little hands would
peck
Of her poor favorite's flesh cannot par
| take,
But begs the wing to make pin case
for his sake.
And now the rosy maids the wish bones
claim,
And, as they break, repeat some fayor,ta
! name;
And she, who three times draws tho
longest bone, 'i-o
| VIII gain her wish; she's fortuna,s 10.