THE CHRONLCLES OF EARL Y
MELBOURNE.
825
very stringent. There could be little difficulty in obtaining the license from Sydney, providing certain essentials were forthcoming, which were rather inconvenient. T h e Editor, Proprietor, and Printer had to enter into bonds for their good behaviour in the management of the concern, and two sureties of solvency and repute to the amount of ^"300 each should become collateral security ; and should there be any change as to the locale of printing and publishing, a renewal of the bonds was also In addition to penalties no charge could be legally m a d e for either newspaper or imperative. advertisements without the license; and Fawkner, m u c h as he was attached to his bantling, bottle-fed with such difficulty, did not care to incur any further risk, and the " E v e " of our newspaper press was suffered to die out a victim to the mandate of the C o m m a n d a n t — t h e first Executive prohibition in the Colony. Melbourne was, however, destined not to remain long without a successor in every way superior to the deceased journal.
"THE PORT PHILLIP GAZETTE."
When the year was entering its fourth quarter, the first journal legalized in Port Phillip made its appearance. Mr. George Arden had arrived in Sydney from England. H e was young, well educated, possessed of considerable ability, and a fluent, though florid, writer. H e and Mr. T h o m a s Strode, who had been connected with the Sydney Herald, determined upon trying their fortunes in the new Colony. They had not very m u c h capital to start with, but managed to secure a used-up wooden press and a heap of old type, thrown aside by the Sydney Herald as utterly unserviceable ; and with this valuable "plant" they arrived in the Bay on the 19th October, 1838. Strode repaired at once to Melbourne, but a sight of the stumpy, muddy, struggling, miserable township, so discouraged him, that he was on the point of returning the way he came, until two of the merchants, Messrs. John Hodgson and W . F. A. Rucker, m a d e him such offers of encouragement as induced him to remain. A n d so he stayed and lived on amongst us during the lifetime of the Gazette, and for many a year after. It was so recently as M a y , 1880, that he died at a very advanced age at Richmond. T h e new firm of Arden and Strode had taken the precaution of obtaining the necessary newspaper license before leaving Sydney, but formidable and unlooked-for troubles awaited the inauguration of their n e w undertaking. U p o n Strode's shoulders, as the printer, the most of them fell, and as an instance of the starting of a newspaper under difficulties, nothing can be more conclusive than the subjoined extract from Bon wick :— " T h e glorious mountain of disordered type was deposited on the floor of a newly-finished house in Queen Street, between Bourke Street and the present Wesleyan Chapel (now the Bank of Australasia), Collins Street. N o friendly compositor was near to help our adventurer; not even a 'printer's devil' His worthy lady, like a good genius, came to the rescue. She could at least pick out a lot of 'bs' and 'ds.' But the type had to be cleaned, and where was the lye? After trying the ashes of various woods, the she-oak was found to be the best for the purpose, and pronounced a stronger alkali than soda, which was then is. 6d. a pound. T h e whole was sorted in the cases, the press wasfixed,the stone was smoothed. N o w for the rollers ; the composition on these was so hard that the very axe failed to m a k e an impression. With a bold heart Mr. Strode set about making new ones. But what was he to do for a cylinder, and not a tinsmith in the place ? " While at this harassing employment, his friend was preparing his articles, sorting type, procuring advertisements, and obtaining subscribers. "With 80 names they had in Sydney, they soon showed a list of 300 copies secured. T h e eventful day came. Notice had been given that on Saturday, 27th October, 1838, at nine o'clock, the door would open, and the light pour forth upon the colonists. T h e little temple of the Muses was soon surrounded, and, in true English style, a battering attack began, because the Gazette was not quite ready. Doors and windows had to be securely barricaded. At noon the leaden images of thought had done their work, the crowd retired to read, and the poor unaided printer, exhausted with his wonderful fortnight's labour, retired to rest.
