EIGHTEENTH CENTURY.
709
1761. James Adams, printer, a native of the orth of Ireland, introauced ihe first press at ilmuigtoii, a port and post town in tbe stale of lelaware. North America.
1761, Aug. 5. Died, Mrs. Mart Cooper, an (tensive bookseller and publisher at the sign of le Globe, in Paternoster-row, London. She was 18 widow of Thomas Cooper, bookseller.
1761 . Died, John Meres, printer in the Old lailey. He printed the Hutorical Register.
1761 . The stamp duty upon newspapers raised } a peiiny,£4 1<. Sd. per 1000,beinga discount f two per cent. All unsold stamps, whether, latnaged or otherwise, were allowed as returns. The paper was sold to the public at 2id. ; to the rade at 4t. per quire of twenty-five papers ; laper \3s. 6d. per ream.
1761,-Ort. 26. Died,Mti. Penny, printer to he East India Company.
1761. A college of Jesuits possessed a printing liouse at Villagarsia, qu. in Spain ? in which t,hey published Opuscula Grteca ad tuum Senti- narii Villagartieiuii, 12mo, tppis Seminarii. The book is licensed by the Provincial of the Jesuits at Valladolid.
1761, The Norwich Gazette, printed and sold by John Crouse.
1761, March 17. The Cottager, No. I.
1761, April. The Library, No. 1.
1761, March 1. The ProtestanVt Magazine.
1761, April. The Lauyer't Magazine, No. 1.
\7Ql, April. The Mathematical Magazine, hj G. Witchell, T. Moss, and others. No. 1.
1761 , June 1 1 . The Genius. This paper, the production of George Colman, esq. wasongiiially published in the St. Jameft Chronicle ; and in point both of style and matter, it is perhaps su- perior to the Connoisseur, and, therefore, the abruptness of its termination forms a subject of regret. It extended but to fifteen numbers, published at irregular periods.
1761, Oct. 1. The Court Magazine, No. 1.
1761, Oct. 17. The Beasoner, No. 1.
1761, Oct. 17. The Free Enquirer, fio. 1.
1762. In this year a schism occurred among the members of tlie stationers' company, headed by Jacob Hive, a type-founder and printer. He called a meeting oi the company for Monday, May 31, being Whit-monday, at the Dog tavern, on Garlick-htll, to " rescue their liberties" and choose master and wardens. Hive was chosen chairman for the day; and standing on the upper table in the hall, he dianked the freemen for the honour they had done him — laid before them several clauses of their two charters — and pro- posed Mr. Christopher Norris, and some one else, to them for master, the choice falling upon Mr. Norris. He then proposed, in like manner, John Lenthall, esq. and John Wilcox, gent with two others for wiirdens, when the two first nominated were elected. A committee was then appointed by the votes of the common hall, to meet the first Tuesday in each month at the Horn tavern, in doctors' commons, to inquire into the state of the company ; which committee consisted of twenty- one persons, five of whom (provided the master
and wardens were of the number) were empow- ered to act, as fully as if the whole of the com- mittee were present. July sixth, being the first Tuesday in the month, the newlyeleeted master, about twelve o'clock came into the hall, and be- ing seated at the upper end of it, the clerk of the hall was sent for and desired to swear Mr. Norris into his office ; but he declined, and Mr. Hive officiated as the clerk in administering the oath. A boy then offered himself to be bound ; but no warden being present he was desired to defer until next month, when several were bound, some freemen made, and others admitted on the livery ; one of whom, at least, frequently polled at Guildhall in contested elections. Previous to calling the meeting just described, Mr. Hive published a pamphlet on the Charter and Grants of the Company of Stationers, with Observations and Remarks thereon ; in which he recited vari- ous grievances, and stated the opinions of counsel upon several points. The twentieth page con- cludes with the line, Exeudebat, edeqat, donabat, Jacob Iliee, Anno M. DCCLXII. It is not known that any particular notice was taken of these proceedings; or of " this rebellious election of a master and wardens," as Mr. Nichols calls it in his index.
1762, March 29. Died, Thomas Page, an eminent stationer on Tower-hill, London.
1762. William Goddard, a printer of New York, introduced the first press into Providence, the chief town of the county of Providence, in Rhode island. North America.
1762. James Johnston, a Scotchman, intro- duced printing into Savannah, a post town of Georgia, Norm America.
1762, Nov. 29. Peter Arnet, a feeble old man of seventy years of age, was convicted of writing the Free Inquirer, in which was con- tained some remarks on the five books of Moses, and being deemed blasphemous, he received sentence in the court of king's bench, to be im-
Srisoned one month, to stand twice in the pillory uring that time, and afterwards to be sent to Bridewell, and there kept to hard labour for twelve months ; to pay a fine of 6s. 8<i. and give security for his good behaviour during life ; himself in £100 and two sureties in £60 each. 1762, May 29. The Briton. This political newspaper was commenced by Dr. Smollett upon the day that the earl of Bute was elevated to the premiership. Smollett had been originally a whig, but gradually became something like a tory, and devoted his talents to the interests of that party in church and state, but with little success. This raper was soon given up.
1762, June. The North Briton. Immediately after the publication of the first number of the Briton, John Wilkes, esq. started the above paper, and taking the opposite side in politics, became the most eminent party paper of its day. At this time the public was inundated with a swarm of newspapers and essayists, for and against lord Bute's administration. The publication of the North Briton was repeatedly suspended by war- rants, the imprisonment, outlawry, and exile of
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