THE
CHRONICLES
OF EARLY
MELBOURNE.
821
item of local news about a "Cock and Bull" story of one Cummerford murdering two constables and a soldier—and Fawknerism glimmers through the rest of the advertisements. T h e "leader" is a most unique specimen of bombast and bumptiousness overlying a thin stratum of truth and prophecy, and as the oldest " Literary (?) Curiosity" in the colony, it is well worth reproducing in these pages. T h o u g h generously promised to be " given away to householders " a charge of sixpence per copy was made, but in -consequence of the manual labour involved in working it off, the circulation was limited to about a dozen copies, and the public, instead of indulging in a free read, as at present outside the newspaper offices, were obliged to go inside Fawkner's Hotel to ascertain the " latest intelligence," where they had the Advertiser as a counter-lunch, washed d o w n by a shilling's worth of tipple. A few numbers only of this " weekly " were issued, and I believe there is only one set of it in existence. T h o u g h not easy of access, I was fortunate enough to secure a perusal, and a cursory review of a periodical so rare and exceptional cannot be devoid of interest. N o . i (at least the copy before m e ) is wholly in Fawkner's handwriting, a legible scroll enough, but with a character that to a close inspection evidences a certain nervousness on the part of the quill-driver. It is a sheet of paper bi-sected with red lines, and consists of one leaf (two pages) and half a leaf, or one column, on the third page, the fourth being blank. S o m e Assistant-Editor appears to have attempted a revision of several of the Fawknerian expressions, but only to render them mostly undecipherable. N o . 2 (8th January) shows some improvements in get-up, appearance, and penmanship. The foolscap is of better quality. T h e whole is in Fawkner's writing, and very legible, evincing no sign of the sub-editing disfigurement of the first number. There is an increase in advertisements, including a lengthy catalogue of commodities on sale at Batman's store. S o m e of those in N o . i reappear, and of course had to be re-written, as there could be no " lifting of type." A Mr. Weatherly intimates that " h e sells the best wheaten bread at the lowest possible price, and, to those w h o wish it, he allows one month's credit," an agreeable bit of intelligence, no doubt. A blacksmith and farrier (name not given) had his forge in full blast adjoining Fawkner's Hotel, south side of Collins Street, between Queen and Market Streets, and his advertisement tersely announces, " All work of the above branches performed quickly and neatly." T h e veterinary surgical fees are not stated, probably through professional delicacy; but some of the anvil prices are unmistakably specified, as " Horses shod, cash, 7s. 6d.; credit, 9s. 6d.; all other work in proportion." T h e Fawkner Library, previously noticed, appears to have assumed a circulating character, for the proprietor thus appeals to his constituents to roll up and wipe out the arrears scored against them :—" Those of the Subscribers w h o took Credit when they favoured the establishment [the library] with their Support, are most Respectfully informed that it is usual to Pay up all arrears at the beginning of a n e w year." Amongst the shipping items, the " T a m a r " is reported as having, on the 7th January, arrived with sheep from Launceston, and by her came a Hobart T o w n paper. There is no "leader," to make up for which is a "Poet's Corner," embellished with an original effusion of two verses commencing' •' Oh! what a pure and sacred thing Is beauty curtained from the sight.—"
and they are simply eight lines plagiarized verbatim from "The Fire-Worshippers," in Moore's Lalla Rookh! T h e only local news consists of an unintelligible narrative of a murder committed by a convict named Cummerford, w h o is thus described:—•" A light well-made youth about nineteen he has rather a prepossessing look and a very Mild Vice, small fine Neck and remarkably large Upper H e a d the lower part is very small and the chin recedes towards the Neck so as to make a very strange appearance when looked closely into." This "small fine N e c k " was afterwards stretched by the hangman, for Cummerford was arrested by two bush-hands in the employment of Mr. W e d g e — one of the earliest settlers—shipped off to Sydney, and tried and executed these. N o . 3 (15th January) is of same size and appearance as its predecessors, but written by an amanuensis. S o m e of the advertisements are repeated, others are new, and there is a " Poet's Corner,"
