The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-27
EARLY NEW SPAFERs.
How the Ancient Romans ChronL
cled Events of Interest.


The germ OF newspapers is found in an
cient Rome. That government, some two
centuries previous to The Christian era. is
known to nave promulgated its edicts bv
means OF written papers affixed TO pillars.
Nor was there much difference between
the style of these acta diurnia as they
were termed, and that which now prevails
further than that the former was more
oriel and simple, and deficient i'm introduc-
cory phrases and ihe editorial I'VE" They
generally gave the news or occurrence in
Simply indicative sentences, without in
PRODUCTION or comment OF any kind.
Most of these acta, VIII ch have been pre-
served. are found to mention but one or
TWO events. They are headed with the
daie in Roman fashion, and the name OF
the then consul, ana paragraphs such as
the following formed the staple: ct thuu-
dered, and an oak was struck with hight
ming on that part of Mount Palatne called
Summa Nelia, early in the afternoon"
Murena, the consul, sacrificed early in
the morning al the Temple of Castor and
PoluN, and afterwards assembled the SEN
ate in Pompeys Senate house" &C. Gaze
sar set out for his govc rnment IN Farther
Spain having long been detained by his
creditors @ 1t viii be observed, too,
that as these announcements were made
az central part of the city, only those
persons who mad leisure TO so thither were
able to avail themselves of The intelli-
gence in it's authentic form; 80 that the
utility of such papers must have been
very narrow and confined.
1t Is hardly possible for us now, with
all the lights of science around, and the
shoals Of newspapers with which we are
supplied to form a proper notion of the
| darkness which, for want Of these, in
| voVed the masses of the people for many
| centuries after the fall OF the Roman
| empire. We are told that the Crusaders
were so ignorant of geography that at
every town they approached in Central
Europe they inquired if il We're Jerusalem
When they al length reached their desti-
nation, their exploits would have remain
| ed unknown for years to their relatives
| and friends at home had not at times
some few struggling pilgrims found their
way back 10 the West. Even bad news
! in those days could not, contrary to the
| proVerb, travel fast Every little commu-
| nifty must then have lived much within
| itself. Their own town, or at most coun-
ty, would be the limit of their little world
1t was not until the sixteenth century
that anything at all approaching even to
| the scanty Roman acta diurnia can be
| found 90 have revived In the modern
| world. The war which the Venetian re-
| public waged against the Turks gave rise
| in 1868 90 the custom of communicating
| the military and commercial information
| in Venice by written Sheets notizic scri-
| tee, to be read in a particular place to
| those DESTROYS of hearing the news, who
paid for this privilege with a coin no lon
ger in use, called gazzetta, a name which
came in time 10 be applied to the news
| sheet itself both in Italy and France, and
subsequently in England, when this mode
of impartdng news came into use. The
Venetian government eventually gave
| these announcements in a regular manner
once a month, but they were too jealous
10 allow them to be printed Only q few
written copies were transmitted 10 such
| as subscribed and paid for them. Thirty
| volumes of these valuable manuscript
newspapers exist in the Magliabechian
! library at Florence. About the same time
advertising wants commenced, the father
of Montagne, the celebrated essayist, be-
| ing credited with the suggestion for max
! ing the wants of individuals known to the
| public In France. These were received at
offices established for the purpose and
were firstly posted on the walls of public
| places, receiving the name of affiches In
! time this led TO a systematic and periodic
| publication in sheets. These were termed
| affiches in consequence of their contents
| being originally fixed up as placards,
though the word itself is French for adj
| Vertsement.
It Is to England, as represented by
! Queen Elizabeth, than the honor of com
mencing printed sheets Of public intelli-
gence is to be ascribed. When the Spanish
| armada threatened an invasion of this
country that sage Queen, remarking the
| disadvantage Of the vague and alarming
| rumOrs which circulated everywhere, re-
solved to inform her people truly of the
impending dangers. She began to publish
from time 20 time a sheet bearing the fol-
lowing title: THE English Mercurie pub
lished by authorize, for the contradiction
Of false reports" OF this publication three
copies are preserved in the British Mu-
scum the earliest, No. so, bearing date
the 23rd OF July, 1888. The first article
dated from whitehall. contains advicos
| from Sir Francis Walsingham, that the
armada was seen in the channel making
for the entrance with a favorable gale
! An account is then given of her majesty s
fleet which consisted of eight sail, di-
vided into four sQuadrons, commanded by
the lord high admiral; in the Ark Royal
Sir Francis Drake and Admirals Hawkins
and Frobisher Under the head Lon
don" there is an account Of an interview
| which the Mayor and corporation had on
! the previous day with her majesty for
the purpose of assuring her Of their reso-
lution TO stand by her with their lives and
fortunes TO the last. Under the same
head appears the following paragraph:
Yesterday the Scotch Ambassador had
nrivate audience of her Majestic, and de-
livered a letter from the King. his master
contayninge the most cordial assurances Of
adhering 10 her Majesties interests, and
to those Of. the Protestant religion, and
the younge King, James With, said to her
Maiestie's minister of this Court, that all
The favour he expected Of the Spanlards
was the courtesie Of Polyphemus to Ulys-
SEES. that he should be devoured TO the
Of ambassadors in these days II they in
terlarded their oral communications with