USA > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia County > Philadelphia > Annals of Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania in the olden time; being a collection of the memoirs, anecdotes, and incidents of the earliest settlements of the inland part of Pennsylvania, Vol. II > Part 46
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In 1744, it is announced in the Gazette, that the "northern post begins his fortnight stages on Tuesday next, for the winter season."
In 1745, John Dalley, surveyor, states that he has just made sur- vey of the road from Trenton to Amboy, and had set up marks at every two miles, to guide the traveller. It was done by private sub- scriptions, and he proposes to do the whole road from Philadelphia to New York, in the same way, if a sum can be made up!
In 1748, when Professor Kalm arrived at Philadelphia from Lon- don, many of the inhabitants came on board his vessel for letters. Such as were not called for, were taken to the Coffee-house, where every body could make inquiry for them, thus showing that, then. the post-office did not seem to claim a right to distribute them as now
In 1753, the delivery of letters by the penny post was first begun
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At the same time began the practice of advertising remaining letters in the office. The letters for all the neighbouring counties went to Philadelphia, and lay there till called for-thus, letters for New- town, Bristol, Chester, New Castle, &c., are to be called for in Phila- delphia.
Even at that late period, the northern mail goes and returns but once a week in summer, and once a fortnight in winter, just as it did twenty-five years before.
But in October, 1754, a new impulse is given, so as to start for New York thereafter, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; and in the winter once a week. This, therefore, marks the period of a new era in the mail establishment of our country. It owed this impulse, ex- tending also to Boston, to the management of our Franklin, made postmaster general.
In 1755, the postmaster general, Benjamin Franklin, publishes, that to aid trade, &c., he gives notice, that hereafter, the winter northern mail from Philadelphia to New England, which used to set out but once a fortnight, shall start once a week all the year round,-" whereby answers may be obtained to letters between Philadelphia and Boston, in three weeks, which used to require six weeks !"
In 1758, newspapers which aforetime were carried post free per mail, will, by the reason of their great increase, be changed thereaf- ter to the small price of 9d. a year, for fifty miles, and 1s. 6d. for one hundred miles. This was, most probably, the private emolument of the rider ; the papers themselves not having been mailed at all, it is probable.
Finally, in 1774, which brings colonial things nearly to its final close, by the war of Independence, soon after, we read that " John Perkins engages to ride post to carry the mail once a week to Balti- more, and will take along or bring back led horses or any parcels."
Immediately after the second Congress met in May 1775, they appointed a committee to report a scheme of a post " for conveying let- ters and intelligence through this continent." In July following, an establishment was made under a postmaster general, to be located at Philadelphia-" he to form a line of posts from Falmouth, New England, to Savannah, in Georgia, with cross posts where needful." Such a postmaster general had $1000 per annum, and a secretary and comptroller at $340 each-a small affair indeed then! Benja. min Franklin was this postmaster general. In the following year, the office was conferred on Richard Bache. To carry the mails, riders were appointed for every twenty-five miles, to deliver from one to the other, and return to their starting places, they to travel day and night, and to be faithful men and true.
At the same time it was ordered that three advice boats should be established, " one to ply between North Carolina and such ports as shall be most convenient to the place where Congress shall be sitting -one other between the State of Georgia and the same port. The
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boats to be armed, and to be freighted by individuals for the sake of diminishing the public expense." Sometimes carrying perchance, oysters, potatoes, apples, &c.
In November, 1776, authority was given " to employ extra post riders between the armies, from their head quarters to Philadelphia."
The pay of the postmaster general was increased to $2000, in April, 1779.
In 1779, the post was regulated " to arrive and set out twice a week at the place where Congress shall be sitting, " to go as far as Boston, and to Charleston, South Carolina." In consequence of this alleged increase of business, the postmaster general was to receive $5000 per annum, and the comptroller $4000, meaning continental money, we presume, for in September, 1780, the postmaster general actually received but $1000, and the comptroller but $500. The surveyor $533, in specie. Besides these two officers in the post department, there was a secretary, who acted as clerk to the postmaster general. The comptroller settled the accounts and was the bookkeeper. There were three surveyors who were to travel and inspect the con- duct of riders, &c. There was also an inspector of dead letters, at a salary of $100 a year-now there are four clerks constantly em- ployed at this service, inspecting upwards of a million of dead letters in a year! The post riders furnished their own horses and forage,- and when much exposed, through any country possessed by the enemy, they had an occasional military escort.
GAZETTES AND THE PRINTING PRESS.
" These mark the every-day affairs of life."
THE early newspapers are by no means such miscellaneous and amusing things as our modern use of them might lead us to con- ceive. They are very tame, and the news, which is generally foreign, is told in very dull prose; very little like jest or mirth appears in any of them. Fruitful as Franklin was in amusing writings, it is really surprising how very devoid of Spectator-like articles his paper is , but very little has been furnished by his pen. He must have deemed it out of place for his paper, and therefore confined his essays to his " Poor Richard's Almanac," which was so favourably received as to call for three editions in the same year. Reflections on men and manners of that day, to which he was so very competent, would have been very interesting and judicious ; but I have found nothing. Probably the "even tenor of their way," in the days of his chief residence among us, excited no cause of remarks, and that it was chiefly since the Revolution that we began to deserve remarks on the changing character of the times and the people.
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But after every omission and neglect in such editors, old newspa- pers are still unavoidably a kind of mirror of their age, for they bring up the very age with all its bustle and every day occurrence. and mark its genius and its spirit, more than the most laboured de- scription of the historian. Sometimes a single advertisement inci- dentally " prolongs the dubious tale." An old paper must make us thoughtful, for we also shall make our exit; there every name we read of in print is already cut upon tombstones. The names of doc- tors have followed their patients'; the merchants have gone after their perished ships, and the celebrated actor furnishes his own skull for his successor in Hamlet.
" The American Weekly Mercury" was begun by Andrew Brad- ford. son of William, in Philadelphia, 1719, in company with John Copson. This was the first gazette ever published in our city. It was begun the 22d of December, 1719, at 10 shillings per annum. The general object of the paper is said to be " to encourage trade." It does not seem to be the spirit of the paper to give the local news, or rather, they did not seem to deem it worthy their mention. It might have been but " a tale twice told," for which they were un- willing to pay, while they thought every man could know his do- mestic news without an advertiser. Foreign news and custom-house entries, inwards and outwards, including equally the ports of New York and Boston, constituted the general contents of every Mercury.
In November, 1742, the publisher, Andrew Bradford, died, and the paper was set in mourning columns, &c., for six weeks. After this it continued by the widow until 1746, when it was discontinued probably from the cause of William Bradford, the former partner of Andrew, having soon after his death set up a new paper, called the Pennsylvania Journal.
In 1727, Benjamin Franklin projected the scheme of publishing a second, or rival paper; but his project being exposed to Keimer, he supplanted Franklin by hastily publishing his prospectus-a strange vapouring composition-and fell to getting subscribers. By this means he was enabled to start, and even to continue for nine short months, " the Pennsylvania Gazette." He had got only ninety subscribers, when Franklin and Joseph Breintnal, under the title of the "Busy Body," contributed to write him down in radford's Mercury. Thus won by conquest, Franklin soon managed to buy it for a trifle, as his own.
The Pennsylvania Gazette began in 1728. The braggart style of Keimer's prospectus is a little curious. His eccentric mind led him to throw it into an alphabetical order, and to embrace, in ency- clopedia form, the whole circle of the arts and sciences! This ar- rangement was abandoned as soon as Franklin became editor. Some specimens of his braggart manner is thus displayed, to wit : " Where- as many have encouraged me to publish a paper of intelligence ; and whereas the late Mercury has been so wretchedly performed as to be a scandal to the name of printing, and to be truly styled non-
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sense in folio, this is therefore to notify that I shall begin, in Novem ber next, a most useful paper, to be entitled the Pennsylvania Ga- zette or Universal Instructer." The proposer, (he says,) having dwelt at the fountain of intelligence in Europe, will be able to give a paper to please all and to offend none, at the reasonable expense of ten shillings per annum, proclamation money. So far, it possessed Dr. Johnson's character of a good advertisement : it having "that promise which is the soul of a good advertisement !"
But he transcends even the superlative degree ! It will, says he, exceed all others that ever were in America, and will possess, in fine, the most complete body of history and philosophy ever yet published since the creation ! Possibly he meant this extravagant praise for his intended extracts from Chambers' great Dictionary, for he adds, that a work of the self-same design has been going on in England, by no less than seven dukes, two viscounts, eighteen earls, twenty- two lords. and some hundreds of knights, esquires, &c., and withal approved and honoured by the wisest king-even the very darling of heaven-King George the First ! Such advertisements could not secure patronage now, and as he eked out his great work for less than one year, it is presumed his gins did not ensnare the wary of that day. Alas ! his visions of hope ended in a prison before the year had filled its term.
In October, 1729, the Gazette was assumed by B. Franklin and H. Meredith, and they promptly state in their prospectus their in- tention to discontinue the alphabetical extracts from Chambers' Dic- tionary, and from the Religious Courtship-subjects surely incom- patible enough for newspaper readers. Soon after commencing, they advertise that, because of their increase of patronage, they will print twice a week,-delivering half a sheet at a time on the old subscrip- tion price of ten shillings.
The Gazette under their management gained reputation; but, until Franklin obtained the appointment of postmaster, Bradford's Mer- cury had the largest circulation. After this event, the Gazette had a full proportion of subscribers and advertising custom, and became profitable.
Meredith and Franklin separated in May, 1732. Franklin con- tinued the Gazette, but published it only once a week. In 1733, he printed it on a crown half sheet quarto. Price ten shillings a year. In 1741, he enlarged the size to a demi quarto half sheet. In 1745, he reverted to foolscap folio. In 1747-8, the Gazette was published " by B. Franklin, postmaster, and D. Hall," and was enlarged to a whole sheet crown folio, and afterwards by a great increase of adver- tisements to a sheet, and often to a sheet and a half demi. On the 9th of May, 1754, the device of a snake, divided into eight parts, (the number of the then colonies united against the French and In- dians,) was affixed, with the motto " Join or die."
In May, 1766, it was published by Hall and Sellers, who con- tinued it until 1777 but suspended it at the visit of the British army.
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Afterwards it was published once a week until the death of Sellers in 1804. Afterwards by others.
The Pennsylvania Journal and the Weekly Advertiser.
This paper was first published on Tuesday, December 2d, 1742. It was printed on a foolscap sheet. The day of publication was changed to Wednesday. Printed by William Bradford.
About the year 1766, the imprint was changed to William and Thomas Bradford. This paper was devoted to the cause of the country, but it was suspended during the possession of the city by the British.
William Bradford died in 1791. Then the Journal was continued by his surviving partner subsequent to 1800. It was finally super- seded by " the True American."
The Pennsylvania Chronicle and Universal Advertiser .- Contain- ing the freshest advices, &c.
The Chronicle was published weekly, on Monday. The first number appeared January 6th, 1767, by William Goddard, at ten shillings per annum. This was the fourth newspaper in the Eng- lish language established at Philadelphia, and the first with four columns to a page, in the colonies. The second and third years it was printed in quarto, and the fourth year again in folio. It was ably edited-having the celebrated Joseph Galloway, Esq., and Thomas Wharton, Esq., as secret partners. It gained great circula- tion. It became at last too tory in its bias to stand the times. It continued till February, 1773.
The Pennsylvania Packet, or the General Advertiser.
This was issued from the press, in November, 1771, by John Dunlap, once a week. In 1783, he sold out to D. C. Claypole, who printed it three times a week, for about a year, and afterwards, daily, making it the first daily paper in all the United States.
Mr. Claypole having been enriched by its publication, sold out his right to the present Zachariah Poulson, by whom it was continued in very great patronage, under the name of the "American Daily Advertiser."
Of this paper, we have a few words of special notice. It is more properly municipal and domestic than any other which we know. It seems composed to suit the family hearth and fireside comforts of good and sober citizens, never flaunting in the gaudy glare of party allurements; never stained with the ribaldry and virulence of party recrimination. It is patriarchal,-looking alike to the wants and benefits of all our citizens, as common children of the same city family. It is, in short, a paper like the good old times from which it has descended, and like the people of the former days, its recent most numerous readers, it carries with it something grave, discrimi
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native, useful, and considerate. In January, 1840, it was merged inte the North American.
The Pennsylvania Ledger, and Weekly Advertiser.
This Ledger was first published in January 28, 1775, by James Humphreys, Jun., at 10 shillings a year. He started to act impar- tially, but after the British got possession of the city, it was turned to their interest. The last number was published May 23, 1778.
The Pennsylvania Evening Post.
Was first published Jan. 24, 1775, by Benjamin Towne, in quarto, three times a week ; price three shillings a quarter. This was the third evening paper in the colonies. It continued to be published till the year 1782.
Story and Humphrey's Pennsylvania Mercury, and Universal Advertiser.
The Mercury came before the public in April, 1775, and was pub- lished weekly, on Fridays, on a demi sheet, folio, with home-made types. It was short-lived, for the whole establishment was destroyed by fire in December, 1775.
The German Newspapers printed previously to the year 1775, were these :-
As early as May, 1743, a German newspaper was started in Phila- delphia, by Joseph Crellius, entitled the " High Dutch Pennsylvania Journal."
By an advertisement in the Pennsylvania Gazette, of September 1751, I find there was at that time "A Dutch and English Gazette, in both languages, adapted to those who incline to learn either .- Price five shillings per annum.
Another German paper was established about the year 1759, by Miller and Weiss, conveyancers,-the former ones being discontinued. It was printed for them about two years by Gotthan Armbruster.
Anthony Armbruster, in 1762, began a new German paper, which he published weekly for several years.
H. Miller's German newspaper was begun in 1762; and for some time there were two German and two English newspapers publishing in the city.
Der Wochentliche Philadelphische Staatsbothe.
This newspaper was first published in the German language, in 1762, by Henry Miller, weekly-afterwards twice a week, on demi size.
In 1768, the title was changed to " Pennsylvanische Staatsbothe," i. e., the Pennsylvania Post Boy. It thus continued until May, 1779 when the paper ended.
A public Journal was printed at Germantown, in the German lan
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guage, as early as the summer of 1739, by Christopher Sowel. Its name, Englished, read-The Pennsylvania German Recorder of Events. In 1744, it was continued by C. Sower, Jun., under the name of the Germantauner Zeitung; this continued till the year of the war of 1777.
It results from the foregoing notices of our newspapers, that sixty years ago there were only three newspapers published in the city, viz .- two in English and one in German. In contrast with the pre- sent numerous sentinels, watching the public weal, and their own, how diminutive the two weekly affairs of that day appear! At the present day the greatest innovation in these "folios and maps of busy life," which meet the eye, as a change for the worse, are the numer- ous wood-cut signs hung out from the columnar lines, like signs from their street-posts, and like them interrupting and disfiguring the whole perspective view. It is an inconsiderate as well as annoying display; for in the very nature of things it ceases to arrest attention whenever it becomes so common as to be like a wooden block set at every man's door.
The first in the colonies was the " Boston News Letter," begun in 1704; the second was also in Boston, and called the Boston Ga- zette, begun in 1710. The third was commenced in the same year, in Philadelphia, and called the American Weekly Mercury. New York began its first paper in 1725; Maryland in 1728; Rhode Island and South Carolina in 1732; Virginia in 1736; Connecti- cut and North Carolina, in 1755. At the commencement of the Revolution there were thirty-nine papers in a course of publication ; and of them but eight have a present continuance. In 1835, there were about 1200! It may be curious to add, that these vehicles, now so numerous here, are of so modern an invention, as that the first paper in England was nearly a century after the use of printing there. " The London Gazette" began in November, 1665, as a weekly concern, and has been published on to the present day. The ori- ginal Gazette, signifying a little treasury of news, began at Venice about 260 years ago. For the first thirty years it was only published monthly, and in manuscript, such was the jealousy of the govern- ment.
The Progress of the Printing Press.
Philadelphia may claim some peculiarity under this article, for Mathew Carey for many years printed his quarto edition of the Bible in standing separate types, being the first and only instance of so great a collection of standing type in the world ! Christopher Sower too, at Germantown, printed in German the first quarto Bible ever attempted in the United States. Both Sower and B. Franklin were ingenious in their profession, made their own ink, and cut their own wood cuts, before either of them were attempted by others. Frank- lin even cast some of his own type ornaments. Jacob Bay and Jus tice Fox, both made type for C. Sower, in Germantown.
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You may see, in my MS. Annals, in the City Library, page 282, a specimen of R. Aitkin's small Bible, of 1781, made of importance enough to require the aid of congress, and by them most formally given. It is a curiosity. There were as many as four hundred and twenty-five books and pamphlets, in original works, all printed in Philadelphia before the Revolution,-a fact in our literary annals but very little known.
I had before spoken of the press at Philadelphia being established earlier there than in Old Virginia, or in Old New York. I since observe a reason, of which I was not before aware. There was a fear (not felt at Philadelphia) of the too free use of it by the colo- nists for refractory purposes. I see that in 1683, (the time of the settlement of Philadelphia,) the governor of Virginia was instructed, not to allow any person to use a printing press upon any occasion. In 1686, Governor Randolph, of Massachusetts, forbade any one to print without his consent. Four years before, the general court of Massachusetts determined that there should be no press used but at Cambridge, and then only under the inspection of two licensers : this was " to prevent any abuse of the authorities of the country." 1 Pennsylvania never had any such restrictions, and therefore William Bradford set up his press there as soon as the city was founded. The New York governor stopped the press in 1733, in the case of Zenger, the printer ; and the governor of Virginia, when advertising a reward for pirates, had to send to Philadelphia to get the printing done, in 1718; and, on another occasion, "he thanked God that they had no press !"
The first successful type foundry in America was by Ronaldson, at Philadelphia; begun in 1796. He was a Scotchman by birth- acquired a fortune, and founded, near his foundry, a very tasteful public cemetery, the first of the kind among us.
Thomas Dobson gave the first impulse to book printing among us. He also came from Scotia, soon after the peace. Before his time, five or six printers used to club, to print a Testament, &c.
Robert Bell, in south Third street, in the house next north of St. Paul's church, had a bookstore and printed sundry works by sub- scription-larger works, probably, than has been supposed-for in- stance : I have his octavo edition of an Appendix to Blackstone, so printed in 1793, and he therein proposes to print his second edition of Blackstone's Commentaries, in four volumes, quarto, at three dol- lars per volume, and to allow gentlemen who may have his former edition in octavo, to return the same in part payment of the latter. At the same time, he announces that he is then publishing by sub. scription, in one volume, octavo, Furguson on Civil Society, for ten shillings.
The original printing press, used by Dr. Franklin when a jour- neyman in London, is preserved and owned by the Philosophical Society, in Philadelphia.
I had occasion to see and inspect the subscription list, and to note
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the residences of the subscribers to Goddard's newspaper, for the year 1767. It consisted of 351 individuals south of High street, 284 on the north side, and 385 in the country and neighbouring pro- vinces-making in all 1020 persons. These facts may be deemed desirable information to modern publishers, and therefore they are here preserved.
In looking at their names, they manifestly present the elite of the city, and the men of prosperity among the tradesmen. They besides, present to our present view their " whereabouts" then.
I observe that High street then presented but very few names- but among them I see Charles Thomson, secretary, Dr. Benjamin Franklin, John Biddle. Water street is filled with the names of the gentry, such as, Reese Meredith, many of the Whartons, Sharp Delany, George Clymer, Robert Morris. Front street, too, was then a gentry place-having such as Nathaniel Allen, Benjamin Chew, Thomas Mifflin, James and Clement Biddle, William Peters, seve- ral Fishers and Whartons, Fishbournes, and Alexander Wilcocks. In Second street, Richard Penn, James and William Logan, James and John Pemberton, Thomas Bond, several of the Morris family, Benjamin Levy, Blair McClenachan. In Chestnut street, Benjamin and Christopher Marshall, Tench Francis, John Murga troyd, Nathaniel Morris, Isaac Norris, John Lawrence, George Emlen, Dr. Thomas Græme, Israel Pemberton. In Walnut street, Joseph Galloway, Esq., Robert Harding, Priest, Joseph Beakes, Joseph Bullock. Persons " to the place native born" will -readily recognize such names as among the old and respectable families of the city.
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