824
THE
CHRONICLES
OF EARL Y
MELBOURNE.
I have met with but two numbers of the Advertiser in its altered guise. One is dated 9th April, 1838, as N o . 15, vol. 1, and is printed in very abominable letter on some material resembling old half-baked coarse tea-paper. It is a small 'single sheet, not m u c h larger than its first parent, but altogether a marked improvement in style. Its "get-up" could not be compared with any newspaper n o w in existence, but large allowance must be m a d e for the circumstances and exigencies of the times in which it lived. It is all very well for the denizens of the present day, the readers of our morning and evening journals to laugh scornfully at the Fawknerian efforts, but the probability is that they would have done no better, possibly not so well, were they contemporaries of the plucky and redoubted "Johnny." T h e motto of the rehabilitated journal was " W e A i m to Lead, not Drive;" and a "leader" regularly appeared but it was in reality little more than a paragraph. In the present instance the subject was a castigation of the Government for wharfage neglect. Amongst the advertisements are three, which as the first of the kind in the country deserve special mention. M r . A. J. Eyre, of Collins Street, intimates his being about to leave the colony, and all claims against the firm of Wilson and Eyre, and himself personally, are to be rendered for adjustment, and all accounts owing settled forthwith. Christopher Poining had " c o m m e n c e d as T o w n Herdsman, and is ready to take charge of milking cows or other cattle by the day or week. Terms is. per head." T h e first auction sale is thus launched upon public attention. " G. Lilly, Collins Street, offers for public competition some dairy cows, perfectly suitable for the use of private families—are perfectly quiet and gentle, having been broken-in at a large town dairy in Sydney;" also, "gentlemen's, ladies', and children's wearing apparel, after the cattle sale on 24th April." There is, likewise, a short summary of English news, and extracts from the Sydney journals. T h e paper n o w has a regular imprint o f — " Printed and published by J. P. Fawkner, at the Melbourne Advertiser Office, Melbourne." T h e terms were 10s. per quarter if paid quarterly ; if paid yearly 50s. ; single paper is. Advertising : 4s. for every advertisement not exceeding eight lines, and 3d. per line after. It is announced that the "columns of the Melbourne Advertiser are m u c h wider than any other colonial newspaper." N o . 17, 23rd April, is enlarged to a double-sheet or eight pages, and gives a rather lengthy precis of English intelligence. T h e " leader " advocates an increase to the Government Survey staff; and a " leaderette" sets forth the wants of Melbourne, from a resident Governor to clearing the streets of tree-stumps. Both seem to have been written by Fawkner, but are revised by some mending hand, and the first is tolerably well done. Various items of colonial and local news are given, and there is an excerpt describing the " outbreak of Civil W a r in Canada." T h e Protestant Bishop of Sydney was then on a visit here, and some of his movements are chronicled. A- ship of war, the "Conway," arrived from Sydney. There is a good show of advertisements, including a notification, the first of its kind, viz, H . Kettle, Painter and Glazier, w h o " c o m m e n c e d business in Elizabeth Street, and hoped by strict attention to gain the support of the public." A reward of £2 is offered for the recovery of a lost gold ring engraved with a heart and cross; and H . Cooper had for sale claret and bottled sherry in three dozen cases, and Malaga sherry in casks. T h e imprint is transferred from the tail to the head of the paper, under the title ; and the place of publishing is given as in Flinders Street. A n elaborate scale of charges with conditions is put forward as a postscript in diamond type, viz. : — T h e paper was to be published every M o n d a y ; single copies, is.; quarterly (if paid when called for) 10s. ; credit, 12s. 6 d — o n l y two quarters' credit given. Advertisements: Subscribers, 4s. for first eight lines, every additional line, 3d. ; non-subscribers, 5s. forfirsteight lines, every additional line, 4 d. Advertisements received till Saturday evening at 6 p.m., but persons wishing to do so could, on paying an extra charge of 2s. 6 d , have the privilege to "insert a short advertisement on a M o n d a y morning before 8 o'clock p.m." Mr. Bonwick, to whose interesting work I a m indebted for some items of information about the Press up to 1840, supplies a few amusing details of the first three newspapers, the Advertiser, Gazette, and Patriot. T h e Advertiser no sooner appeared in an imprinted form than legal obstacles interposed, and led to its suppression. B y the Colonial law, a printed newspaper required to be licensed, and the Advertiser was not licensed. T h e Press Laws of N e w South Wales were then
