The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-11-08

had ltS start III li50. Inc EngllSn officials
sent over to boss" the people in TIE then
comparative wilderness of the COLONY of
North Carolina, were not all specially
friendly to the education of the people
who had crossed the perilous and vast
ocean to try to build up their fortunes
while establishing government friendly
to themselves and all men fleeing from
expressions and despotic rule. Sir William
Berkeley was perhaps fair specimen of
the Governors who were sent by the Eng
lish crown to direct affairs on these
shores. He was one of the Lords Proprie-
tors of our Colony and in 1871, he showed
his real civilization and brain power when
he returned thanks to God that there are
no free schools and no printing, and l
hope we shall have none these hundred
years" If all the rulers and all the Iead-
ing spirits had been Of his type, there
would have been neither of these bless
ings and ignorance might have reigned su
preme through q century or longer. Vir-
ginia had a Governor in 1864 and late.
lord Ef1ngnam, who was of the Berkle.
kidney, and hated real progress, for he
instructed his deputies not to suffer I'M
der any circumstances the introduction
into the colony of so much as one printing
press. What blind set of old fogies ano
aristocrats dominated then! There were 20
towns in North Carolina for scores OF
years. Indeed so late as 1909, it is stated
that the most important hamlet (there
were no towns) consisted of only some
twelve houses. This explains. as the
population was small and widely scattered
why there were for long time so few
churches, schools and printing presses
Up to 1850, the laws of the Province were
written and not printed. In Ills ther,
was movement to print the Revised
Code of that year., but it failed.
The first press known to have been es
tablished was at New Bern in 1749, by
James Davis, who came from Virginia
He received aid from the Colonial Gov
eminent. He was to receive lone hun
dred and sixty pounds in proclamation
money" The first volume to survive
was Swans Revival Of the laws OF
the Province. The book was printed il
1747. 1t was long thought that yellow
Jacket" the edition of the laws of 1853
was the first and Oldest volume ever Is
sued from the press in North Carolina
but the one named above preceded it by
three years. Davis was also employed to
print paper money for the Province. You
see there was no subsidiary silver COR
then, and paper had to be used for money
as was the case in the great war between
the States-the second war of independ
ence. Banjamin Franklin was Postmaster
General for the Colonies in 1885, and he
appointed Davis postmaster for the little
town of New Bern. He was also the
first person employed to convey the mails
etc. He had charge OF one of the three
routes created in 1757--that from Viii
mington to Lingfield's Ferry, on the
Neuse river. Davis was clearly hustler
He established the first newspaper ever
issued IN this Colony. 1t was called 1.-THE
North Carolina Gazette" It's first num-
Der appeared in December, 1855. 1t was
a weekly and the price was sixteen shilt
ings q week. 1t lasted for six years. 1t
claimed to print the freshest advises
foreign and domestic" There was no
regular postal communication across the
Colony until ITO. The distance was
given at 292 miles. Davis was public
printer from 1854 to 1860, when he was
superseded by the appointment of Alex
ander Purdie, but the latter lived in Vir-
einia, and never became a citizen of this
Colony. Davis was reappointed not long
afterward
In 1854 James Davis published the first
number OF the North Carolina Magazine.
or Universal Intelligence" This was the
first of its kind in the Province. 1t had
eight quarto pages. 1t was poor. and
probably did not long survive. The
North Carolina Gazette appeared 9th
May, 1858. 1t lasted for more than ten
years. There is an extant copy for S0th
November, 1878. James Davis is man
who richly deserves to be remembered
He was a pioneer, and full of vigor and
enterprise. He was of Virginia birth
born October 81, 1721 He was twenty
eight years of age when he came to New
Bern. He was elected in 1854 a Burgess
to represent that village. He was sheriff
of Craven county and during the Ions
sessions of 1856 and 1857 of the Assembly,
to which he had been again elected, he
was prominent and served on one inn
portant committeeman to examine the
public accounts. In 1860, he was elected
from the county to the Assembly He
was a Justice of the Peace for years A
great storm visited New Bern and de-
stroyed his home and his office, and all
his money, fixtures, papers, etc, were
completely demolished. He served the
Province and the State later until III,
making twenty-eight years OF service a.
public printer. He was man OF good
parts, and he is understood TO have writ
ten aud published Treatise on Govern
ment." His son. Thomas, translated the
New Testament for the Quakers IN Phlla-
delphia. He died worth considerable
property composed of real estate and
slaves. In 1882 his son Thomas was print
ing in the town of Halifax. He had tour
daughters and three sons.
Andrew Steuartt, an Irishman, set up a
press in Wilmington. He first printed III
Philadelphia, where he printed books On
June oath, 1854, he came TO Wilmington
His business was continued in Philadei-
phia. In September, 1854, he issued in
this town THE North Carolina Gazette
and Weekly Post Boy" printed in -ong
primer, and of small size. 1t lasted until
1859, when it expired for want OF support.
He was drowned two years later while
bathing in the fatefuI Cape Fear river,
near his own home in this town. 1t seems