Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-02-02
18TH CENTURY LONDON JOUR
NALlSM.
Parliaments Objection to Publication
of Speeches.

Incidents in eighteenth century Lon
| don journalism. in which individuals
| famous IL literature and politics fig
ured. are cited in 4 recent issue OF
the Morning Post 1t is mentioned at
the start that the first issue OF that
| journal was published on Nov ..
1872, which was Is years before the
date Of commencement OF any of the
other London political daiiies now eX-
sting.
George Ill. was then King and had'
beer on the throne for L. years. Lord
North was prime minister, and was
firmly seated on the treasury bench
as the leader of powerful Gonserva-
tive majority. The slowly developing
quarrel with the American colonies
| was still in the period of negotiation
which was followed By revolt and the
ultimate establishment of the United
States. In the east, however, as Il
| counterpoise to the impending loss OF
| territory in the west, the foundation
was laid of British rule IN India.
England then taking q leading place
| in colonization and distant dominion.
! In the year preceding that of the
start of the journal named a complete
| change had occurred in the relation
ship Of Parliament and the public
| a change which quiclSened popular in
| terest in the affairs OF the nation. and
WAS therefore favorable TO newspaper
enterprise. Certain journals having
published reports of speeches at West
minister, the Commons protested, and
called the printers before them &c
| answer for their offense. Some ig-
nored the summons and an officer pro-
ceeded 10 effect their arrest. But that
official was himself seized and brought
before the lord mayor for attempting
to apprehend citizens without lawful
warrant. The man was imprisoned
and thus was produced between the
House of Commons and the city a
dispute. in the course of which the
chief magistrate was put in the Tow
er.
The people, however, manifested so
dangerous an opposition to this act
that Parliament was henceforth care
full not to involve itself in any similar
trouble The right of the press to re-
port the deliberations of the Legisa-
ture was afterward recognized.
Judged by the criterion of today
the amusements Of old London were
not numerous. but Sir John Fielding,
| the Bow street magistrate, thought
that they were sufficient. The mas
querades balls and concerts at the
| Social Club of Mrs. Cornelys in Soho
| had attained great popularity. and in
sentencing her in 1873 to pay $50 for
| the Illegal production of an opera Sir
| John is reported as saying:
You have Drnry Lane and Covent
Garden. presided over by two of the
greatest geniuses of the age. David
Garrick and John Goldman; there is
also the theater in the Haymarket.
ruled by the English Aristophanes,
| Samuel Foote: there is Ranelagh,
with it's music and fireworks; Sadler's
Wells, where You have tumbling and
feats of activity; Marybone Gardens,
with music and plum cake; White
| Conduit house and the other teas
| drinking houses all round the town.
and these are enough for a weli-order-
ed people,
| The purely personal nature of much
that was published upwards of 100
| years ago. it is pointed out, would now
entail the risk Of actions for damages.
! But if the personalities characteristic
of the news sheets of the closing
quarter of the eighteenth century
, marked the contents of this paper. the
| article continues. the great occur
rences of the period-the French revo-
| luton, the reign of terror, the fall OF
Robespierre, Rodney's victories, and
the trial of Warren Hastings-wcre
at the same time faithfully chroni-
cled. journalism afterward took a
new tone of responsibility and intelli-
gence. A group of distinguished men
I-Sir James Macintosh, Colerdge,
Wordsworth, Southey and Lamb-be-
came connected with the paper, the
!, proprietor of which was Daniel Stuart,
who had purchased it from certain
| wealthy respectable gentlemen'' one
of whom was Mir. Tattersall.
After leaving the University Of
! Cambridge Coleridge travelled on the
continent, where he wrote for the pa
per about a dozen poetical compost
tions, which included his ode 10
Georgiana Duchess OF Devonshire
| While abroad he was not a regular
member OF the staff, but he says that
soon after his return from Germany
he was solicited To undertake the lit
erary and political departments of
the journal. Articles by him contrast
ing the state OF France under Napol-
con with that of Rome under the first
Caesars, and on the probable restora-
ton of the Bourbons, nearly involved
This arrest when sojourning in Italy.
Southey was the most industrious of
the famous band of poet-journalists.
and is said to have made himself in
- sais s5s &