Two Hundred Years Old

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 50, 20 February 1945, Page 6

Two Hundred Years Old

JOURNALISM IN ROMPERS

UNIQUE SCOTTISH NEWSPAPER

INTERESTING LOCAL DISCOVERY

We -have had handed to us> an original copy of a newspaper 'The Aberdeen's Journal' which is almost two hundred years old. This paper was as is shown printed in Aberdeen and is dated 'From Tuesday December 129 th 171 to January ,")th 1948.' The value of the paper now, is difficult to assess although on the day of issue, it was worth only twopence. The printing is done in the style then in vogue when printers appeared to be very laekadaisacal in the manner in which they splashed their letters around and two printers seldom spent a word the same. As an example of this the letter 'f; could be used also as an 's' and in most cases was although 's' or 'c' could also be used. At the time the paper was published, England was engaged in the War of Austrian Succession. France Bavaria and Prussia were fighting Great Britain and Austria. Britain was also at war with Spain and had been with 1739 owing to the pleasant habit indulged in by the Spanish of raiding English ships at sea ai\d snatching men to serve in their own ships. The following are extracts from the 'Aberdeen Journal,' the first of which is a type of weather report. "The Accounts which we receive of the late Hurricane are full of manj- disastrous Effects; of 30 sail of ships which were lying in the road of Cuxhaven two only escaped either perishing or being driven ashore." A live recruiting campaign was also apparently in force: — "A Dutch Officer is arrived here to enlist Volunteers for the LandService of the States-General.

Privateers were quite the thing for the journal states: —

"Their High Mightinesses have lately published a Placart for the Encouragement of Privateers by which they are not only to lie exempted from the obligation of giving up one Man out of Three for the Use of the Fleet but arc like-wise promised upon taking any of the French Men of War or Privateers, a Reward of 150 Florins for every Man alive before the Engagement, and likewise the same Reward for every Pound Weight of Bill computing together the Weight of Metal each each Gun carries on board the said ships and as farther Encouragement all Men of War, Privateers and other Ships thus taken are to belong absolutely to the Captors without any Deduction whatsoever."

The Jews were also in for their 'chop' as is .shown I) 3' the paragraph: "The Jews in this Kingdom have offer'd his Majesty to arm one hundred ships of Force at their own Charge,, if he will but give them Leave to build a Synagogue in the Metropolis." The Farmers-General Avere also being forced to 'cough up' just, then: "The Comptroller of" the Finances sent not long ago for the Farmers General, and told them his Majesty expected they should pay the Prizes in the present Lottery as fast as they Avere draAvn: Upon this they expressed some Reluctance, and desired to have some time to draAV up their Remonstrances. The Comptroller told them, That as for Time it Avas precious: and as for Remonthey would be A'ain; the King (George llnd) had already considered the Point and would bt obeyed: but added, That the King did not desire to constrain them, since there were others content to take their Farm upon themselves, nnd who, to obtain it. would do this and more" The Great Mogul appeared to be on the warpath: "We have some private Letters from Hamburgh which say, That the Great. Mogul has entered Persia with an Army of 200,000 j Men." The Journal also went in tor the discounting of rumours: "As the Publick may be alarmed with the Report which ran so currently Yesterday upon the Exchange j that a I Contract is negotiating for the Delivery of 100 000 Quarters of Wheat to our mortal Enemy the French, we hope every Englishman Avill judge so tenderly of his Neighbour as not to believe it possible Avhen our Allies the Dutch have totally prohibited all Commerce with that perfidious Nation." (Apparently, howeA'er, there were a few ships after all which had entered Bordeaux laden with corn for the Journal goes on to state) —"If these were Private TradDelinquents should be punished. BuMJk.their Voyage was in Virtue of ;i contract that is a JGBB it mu,t be a .Transacion

among persons of No Small Distinction. We will not pretend to guess who the JOBBERS may be: but it was very imprudent of the French to Blab such a Secret."

Smuggling was going on in full force at the time of the war, each individual doing his best to make as much out of the occasion for himself as possible. Naturally the Government looked with horror upon this dishonourable method of cheating them of excise and such was the absolute dispicability of the trade that the Aberdeen Journal apparently did not even care to mention the Avord. It put a succession of dots instead as follows. We hear that it having been af-. firmed in a certain II— — Assembly, that the Practice of Sm g would never have ariscen to its late Pitch but for the Encouragement of some 11 fj — Persons, ONE, who seemed to be Severely W rung, exclaimed loudly on the Occasion, and affected to clear himself and his Friends by calling for such Proof as he knew it was impossible at that time to adduce*. (All very enlightening but not very lucid). Also contained in the Journal is a report of a Court Martial: On Tuesday last the Court Martial pronounced Sentence on Captain Fox; 'Acquitting him of the Charge of Cowardice.; but finding him Culpable as to his Conduct in lying inactive some time with his Mizen-J*opsail aback and not earing down to Mie Tonant alledging part of his Behaviour owing "o the had advice of some of his officers. l*e v ii- <i - ,i rvfoic dismissed from the Command of the Kent." (Let. us. bear a moment with Captain Fox). In the same manner we also learn that: ''The Mob have rose on the Magistrates of Toulon on Account of the Great Scarcity of Corn." (The Magistrates apparently represented the 17th centurj' edition of the Internal Marketing Division). t It is rather hard to imagine the latter part of the following being printed in a newspaper today—

"By Letters from Jamaica we have an Account of the gallant Behaviour of Capt. David Commander of His Majesty Sloop, Merlin who since, going to the A Vest Indies in 1744 has taken no less than; 20 French and Spanish Privateers —Had every Commander oh that Station acted his part as well we should have none of those Complaints we daily receive from several parts of the Great Mischief done by the Enemie's Privateers." (A splendid piece of propaganda althoughas a result 'Every Commander's' family living in Aberdeen probably cancelled its subscription to the Journal). In the next breath we learn that — "The two ships brought in by Captain Brodie of the Merlin turn out but poorly and will be but a poor recompense for the Loss •of his Right Arm in the Engagement." Apparently the Dutch were something like the Italians are today for we lind a paragraph tucked away which states—"At last we are assured that a Declaration of War against the Dutch is in the Press ? which is to serve as an Answer to the Piacarts whereby they have broken olf all Commerce with us."

It is also interesting to note that when talking about invading a place o reountry, the. word was a cross between 'excursion' and 'invasion, ' namely 'incursions' (i.e. to make incursion). we suppose, one country 'incurded' another.

The danger of playing with gunpowder seems to have been brought to the fore even in 1748, lor a par in the Local and General column states—"They write from Paris that the Apothecary who was to have made an Experiment of a new invented Kind of Gun-powder, in the presence of Marshal Saxe j having cmploped a Person to dry a quantity of it for that Purpose, by some Accident or other it took Fire and blew up the. Operator and the House and did considerable Damage in the Neighbourhood." (Some sort of secret weapon we presume) .

Accompanying this is the sad news that—"The Benson (Captain Brown), from Liverpool to Antigua, is taken be a French Privateer and carried into G uardaloupe."

The lack of a 'middle-man' such as. the lied Cross is today appears to have, been sadly missed, for another paragraph states—"The Genoese persist in their unjust Resolution not to release the Prisoners' they have of ours unless their own Hostages lie released likewise." (Dashed presuming of them } what!) hi the same par we also learn that —"A Resolution has been taken to pay the Arrears of all the Reg - ments and this AVeek, a large Remittance will be made to the Army. (Ni ee for. the. Army). Something, after the nature of apoligy is ths statement —"We arc

creddably informed that the Paragraph extracted from the London Gazette viz. 'That Sir John WedJ » derburn's Lady had petitioned for, and got an Allowance to her Family,' is entirety without Foundation." A mention of the forthcoming Congress to be held at Aix-La-Ghappelle is also made. The peace was finally signed at that Congress and was known as the Peace of Aix-La-Ghap-pelle. A 1 Ithe nations restored their conquests except Frederick the Great of Prussia. Fred hung on to Silesia and was the only one to finish up with more than he started with. So much for the War News.. An advertisement (price 2/6 for the first time and 2,/- for each time afterwards —expensive in the days Avlien a square meal could be bought for a penny) also appears at the foot of a proclamation issued by the King for £ a General Fast and Humiliation of the Publiek.' It states— "That on the 29tli of last Month were amissing Three promissary Notes of the Aberdeen and Company, one for 10s and two for 20s each and of the Bank of two or 20s. Whoever brings them to the Publisher of this Paper shall have two Guineas Reward and no Questions asked." (Probably an 18th century Police trap, and the unfortunate finder would in all probability be seized and deported to some God-for-saken spot the minute he stepped inside the door). In conclusion, we reprint a piece of poetry which appears in the issue of the Journal exactly as it is written. It must, be noted that almost every time an 'F it should be interpreted as *s\ It may be coincidence, but from the following verse it would appear that people in 1748 were, faced with something of the same problems that we are today. No more GAMBOLS Twaf merry at Cliriftmas, when when Muney was Plenty, And Taxaf took oft' not above Five in Twenty: But how is. it pofTible mirth fhould arife Now All that can mak it is under Exife. When Light is Not free in the worft of dull Weather, Wheelf pay, if we wride; if we Foot it Fhoe-Leather. ?