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HISTORY OF PRINTING.

1789, Jan. 31. The Loiterer. The condnctoi of, and the chief contributor to this publication, was Mr. James Austen, M. A. of St. John's college, Oxford ; and it is but justice to say, that, notwithstanding its locality of plan, the Loiterer is written with a great share of abili^, ▼ivacity, and hnniour; it terminated with the rixteendi number, March 20, 1790. . . 1789, ifarch22. Died, John Gregory, many years printer of the Leicetter Journal, and alder- man of that corporation. He was descended of an ancient famdy, settled at Baveness, in the parish of Aahover, in the county of Derby. His behaviour through life, as a tradesman, husband, father, and as a ma^trate, he discharged with such openness of heart, and upright conduct, that his loss was long felt and regretted by a large circle of friends and acquaintance. He served the office of mayor in 1781. John Gre- gory, one of his sons, who succeeded him as printer of the Leieetter Journal, died in 1806 ; and another, Joseph Grego^, M. A. vicar of St. Martin's and All Saints', Leicester, died in 1802. Mr. John Price, who married Fanny, the alder- man's only daughter, succeeded to the business.

1789. The IHary. This newspaper was com- menced by William Woodfall, on his own ac- count. It is to this gentleman that the political world stands indebted for the foundation of re- porting the debates of parliament in a proper manner. Aided by an uncommonly retentive memory, and incited by this advantage, he ex- plored a path hitherto unknown, and commenced a career of neat but unprofitable labour, the fa- tiguing and difficult task of giving a report of the debates of parliament on the night of the

STOceeding. In this line he attained the highest egree of celebrity, as well for the fidelity of the report, as the quantity and rapidity of his exe- cution. Before his tipie a very short sketch of the debate was all that the newspapers attempted to give on the same night, and the more detailed reports were deferred to some subsequent day. Without taking a note to assist his memory, with- out the use of an amanuensis to ease his labour, he has been known to write sixteen columns after having sat in a crowded gallery for as many hours, without an interval of rest. He took pride in this exertion, which brought him more praise than profit. It wore down his constitution, which was naturally good ; and when other papers, by the division of labour, produced the same length of details with an earlier publication, he yielded the contest, and suffered his Diary to expire. After that time he employed his talents in various publications. In 1784 he was invited to Dublin, to report the debates upon the commercial propo- sitions; at which time, so great was his fame, crowds followed him through the streets, eager to catch a glimpse of a man whom they considered as endowed with supernatural powers.

1789, July 1. Died, John Denton, a native of the northern part of Yorkshire ; and though bred a tinman, from a taste for letters kept a bookseller's shop for some time in the city of York ; about 1780 be went to London, where,

seeing a Bpeakiog figure, made by some foidgner, he completed another in a very short time, and by that means accumlated much money, by exhibiting it in various parts of England. The speaking figure he afterwards sold to a printer, in the ci^ of London, and made a writing figure. His abilities in the chemical line woe very conspicuous ; and he afterwards translated Pinetti's Booh of Deceptions, with notes ; from his knowledge in chemistry he obtained the art of plating coach harness, ace. which he carried on jointly with the business of a bookseller, in Holbom, for some time. In this business he unhappily formed a connexion with a person notorious for making plain shillings; those pow- ers that assisted him to make several mathe- matical instruments, as pentegraphs, &c. enabled him to imitate the current coin in a manner that deceived the best judges, and held the court seven hours upon his trial, at last he was acquit- ted of coining, but convicted of having the imple- ments for coining in his possession, for which he was executed on this day, at Tyburn, together with John Ward, George Green, and John Jones.

1789, July 14. Dr. Withers found guilty of publishing a libel on Mrs. Fitzherbert. He was sentenced to pay a fine of dG50, to be imprisoned one year in Newgate, and find security for his good behaviour for two years ; himself m £500, and two in £100 eadi. He died in Newgate, July, 1790.

1789, Aug. 12. The duty on newspapers was raised from three half-pence to two-pence, or £8 per thousand, being a discount of four per cent. Price to the public, four-pence ; to the trade, 7s. per quire of twenty-six papers. In 1794, paper rose from 16s. to 18s. 6d. per ream, and after- wards to 20s. per ream. In July, 1794, the price to the public was raised to four-pence half- penny, and to the trade to 8s. per quire of twen^- six papers.

1789. A small volume, containing the LonPt Prayer, in one hundred and fifty languaoet, edited by Gustavus Bergmann, bears Uie im- print of Ruien, in LiiJand, (i. e. in Lironia, a province in Russia).

1789, Oct. The Attic Mitcellaay, No. 1, concluded in two volumes.

1789, Nov. 23. A logugraphic printer sen- tenced in the court of king's bench to pay a fine of £50, a year's imprisonment in Newgate, to stand one hour in the pillory, to enter into secu- rity for seven years, himself in £500, and two sureties in £100 each, for a libel on the duke of York.

1789, Dec. 8. Mr. Perrt-man, printer of the Morning Herald, convicted of publishing a libel on the house of commons, regarding the trial of Warren Hastings, esq.

1789, i>«;.9. John Stockdale, bookseller, in Piccadilly, London, was tried before lord Ken- yon, and a special jury for a libel upon the house of commons, reflecting upon their conduct in the impeachment of Warren Hastings. Mr. Thomas Erskine was counsel for the defendant ;

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