EARLY AUSTRALIAN JOURNALISM.

Thames Star, Volume IIII, Issue 1766, 31 August 1874, Page 2

EARLY AUSTRALIAN JOURNALISM.

" Hisloricus," in the " Bunyip," has an interesting paper on Early Australian Journalism. After remarking on the protracted intellectual darkness which' reigned over New South Wales up to the commencement of the present century, and the total absence of anything like old world news under six months old, and then with nothing like regularity. Ho observed that " George Howe, a native of St. Kitts, in the West Indies, after being engaged for some years as a printer on a London paper, found his way. in 1800 to the new southern city, Sydney, accompanied by his young son. In March, 1803, this public-spirited and worthy man induced the Government (at thii time of a moist absolute character) to, favor his idea of actually publishing a newspaper; and on the sth March, 1803, appeared the startling novelty in a garb forming one of the most amusing literary contrasts to the modern Sydney Morning Herald, the Melbourn ' Argus, or the Australasian, that can be well imagined. With very limited means and a salary of only £60 a year from the Goernment, we may suppose that the type of poor Howe's printing office was neither j copious nor of a very new and choice character. His great trial, however, was in procuring paper. War price prevailed, war risks greatly increasing the price •of all imports. Communication ' between England and the colony ' was irregular, and en the part of the British Government scandalously so; and the new undertaking seems to have had a very considerable share of the vicissitudes caused by paper, and sometimes ink. * run out' and ' famine prices.' The new paper,was designated the Sydney Gazzette and New South Wales Advertiser, and its painstaking protector appeared to bo editor, compositor, pressman, distributor, accountant, and cashier, and iactotum. It was very badly printed on four pages of foolscap, and its address to the, public was as simple as its other features. It spoke as follows :—' Innumerable as the obstacles were which threatend. to oppose our undertaking, yet wo arehappy toaf- vfirm that they are not insurmountable, however • . . ■ a task- before us. The utility of a PAPER in the Cojony.as it must open a source of solid information, will, we hope, be universally seen and ac» 1 knowledged. We have courted the assistance of the ingenious and intelligent . . . . We open no channel to political discussion or personal animadversion ; information is our only purpose; that acknowledged, we shall consider that we have done our duty in an exertion to merit the approbation of the public, and to ensure a liberal patronage to the ' Sydney Gazzette.'" Correspondents were informed that two slip boxes would be put up during the entering week, one in front of the Government Store, Sydney, the other in the window of the Court House, Paramatta (twenty miles from Sydney!) for the reception of such articles of information as persons who are possessed of the means may think proper to contribute. The Home news of the day was rather stalo; as for instance, the great fire at Woolwich Arsenal on. the 20th May, 1802, became news at Sydney on March, 1 sth, 1803! Among geographical information is given at the same time, the announcement? of the ship Castle of Good Hope, of. a thousand tons, rcachiug Sydney by way of Bass,s Straits insted of going round Van Diemen's Land, which considcra't^fe shortened her voyage and hereby saved the ljves of many cows. Amongst other heads of intlligence is a list of prices showing poultry to be 5s to 6s the couple, and potatoes 12s - per 101b., a pretty good proof that the early settlers had wisely turned their attention to the growing of this valuable root, which wo are told cannot be raised in South Australia. The publisher, as I have already" hinted, was frequently in difficulty through lack of suitable paper; and I remember to have seen a freind's cabinet of curiosities a copy of his weekly printed 'on Chinese paper, the produce of rice straw, ' and which gave the printing anything but an English appearance*or oountenance. Sometimes the journal appeared on tea paper, and at other - times *in colors of various hues, stained paper being employed when white was not obtainable, / poor Howe not being over particular, as the following announcement of January 1805, with which I concludes the present

letter, will serve to show:—" Wanted to Jmrchase, ony quantity of demy, medium, olio po^t, or foolscap paper, for tho use of printing; and which if by accident from damp or slight mildew, rendered unfit for writing, will answer the purpose,"