its News describes the seizing of Judge
Jefferies, in his attempt to escape from the anger
of his enemies. Besides this interesting morsel
of intelligence, the paper has sixteen lines of
News from Ireland, and eight lines from
Scotland; whilst under its News of England,
we have not very much more. One of the
items tells us, that "on the 7th inst. the
Prince of Orange supt at the Bear Inn,
Hungerford." There are other headings,
such as "Forrain News" and "Domestick
News." Each item of intelligence is a mere
skeleton—more in the nature of memoranda,
or notifications of events, than accounts of
them. "Further particulars" had not been
invented then.

By Anne's time, journalism had improved,
and—when the victories of Marlborough and
Rooke, the political contests of Godolphin and
Bolingbroke, and the writings of Addison,
Pope, Prior, Congreve, Steele, and Swift,
created a mental activity in the nation which
could not wait from week to week for its
News—the first daily paper was started. This
was the Daily Courant, which came out in
1709. Other such journals followed; but
three years afterwards, they received a severe
check by the imposition of the Stamp Duty.
"All Grub Street," wrote Swift to Stella, "is
ruined by the Stamp Act." On the 7th of
August, 1712, he writes:—

"Do you know that Grub Street is dead and
gone last week? No more ghosts or murders now
for love or money. I plied it pretty close the last
fortnight, and published at least seven penny
papers of my own, besides some of other people's,
but now every single half sheet pays a halfpenny
to the Queen. The 'Observator' is fallen; the
'Medleys' are jumbled together with the 'Flying
Post;' the 'Examiner' is deadly sick; the
'Spectator' keeps up, and doubles its price; I know not
how long it will hold. Have you seen the red
stamp the papers are marked with? Methinks it
is worth a halfpenny the stamping."

Grub Street was not, however, so easily put
down; and from that time to the days of
Dr. Johnson, newspapers had considerably
increased in number and influence. In the Idler
the Doctor says:—"No species of literary men
has lately been so much multiplied as the
writers of News. Not many years ago, the
nation was content with one Gazette, but now
we have not only in the metropolis Papers for
every morning and every evening, but almost
every large town has its weekly historian,
who regularly circulates his periodical
intelligence, and fills the villagers of his
district with conjectures on the events of war,
and with debates on the true interests of
Europe."

In Dr. Johnson's day, the newspaper press
was fairly set upon its legs, and it has gone on
with some few vicissitudes to its present
condition. As illustrations of the antecedents
of the modern newspaper, we now purpose
giving, at random, a few curious extracts from
the earliest of them.

The Daily Courant, dated March 1, 1711,
contains the following announcement of a
publication which is still read with delight,
and which was destined to play an important
part in the reform of the coarse social manners
of the time. It runs thus:—

            "This day is Published,
"A paper entitled THE SPECTATOR, which will be
continued every day. Printed for James Buckley,
at the Dolphin in Little Britain, and sold by
A. Baldwin, in Warwick Lane."

In the first number thus announced, which
was written by Addison, the Spectator says:—
"As my friends have engaged me to stand in
the front, those who have a mind to
correspond with me may direct their letters to
Mr. Buckley's, in Little Britain."

Hogarth never painted a more graphic
picture of a horseman of the last century than
that drawn in the Postman of Saturday,
August 10, 1710. It is presented in the form
of a hue and cry after a stolen horse.

"A Full Face, Round shoulder Middle sized
Man, with a light Bob Goat's Hair Wig, a snuff-
coloured Secretary Drugget coat, the trimming the
same colour, 2 waistcoats, one of Black cloath, the
other blue, trimmed with silver lace, Black cloath
breeches, a Mourning Hatband, wears a cane with
a silver Head, made to screw at the top, a
seafaring man, stammering in his speech, his name
William Tunbridge but goes by the name of
William Richardson, rode away from 7 Oaks in
Kent the 20th of July last, with a Sorrel Horse
full 14 hands high, a star in his forehead, white
feet behind, high mettled, loth to have his hind
feet taken up, Bob Tail, a black saddle stitched
with silver, Tan Leather stirrup Leathers with a
slit crupper buckled on the saddle with 2 buckles.
Whoever gives notice of man or horse to Mr.
Adams, Postmaster of Seven Oaks, shall have a
guinea reward and reasonable charges."

The Daily Courant of Thursday, March 15,
1711, puts forth the announcement of a
performance at the Haymarket Theatre, "on
the 1st of April," to which the Bottle
Conjuror's promised feat must sink into a mere
common occurrence. A gentleman was to sup
off several children "to the music of kettle-
drums." The same advertisement appeared
in the Spectator on the day after, namely,
Friday, March 16:—

"On the first of April will be performed at the
play house in the Hay Market an Opera called the
Cruelty of Atræus. N. B. The scene wherein
Thyestes eats his own children is to be performed
by the famous Mr. Psalmanazaar, lately arrived
from Formosa, the whole supper being set to
kettle drums."

Scattered through the journals of 1712 are
advertisements of a patent medicine, which
has not wholly ceased to be imbibed by the
ailing of 1850. The Spectator of April 18th
has it thus:—

"Daffy's famous Elixir Salutis prepared by
Catherine Duffy, the finest now exposed for sale,