Page:History of American Journalism.djvu/45

 printed news-letter appeared Monday April 24, 1704, and was called The Boston News-Letter. It was printed on both sides of a half-sheet folio, 7 x 111 inches. Because it was dated "From Monday April 17 to Monday April 24, 1704," several writers on colonial journalism have erroneously set down the first date as that on which number one of volume one of the first Ameri- can newspaper was published. There were two editions of this first issue, for a typographical difference is found in the three copies that have been preserved. The copy of the New York Historical Society and that of the American Antiquarian So- ciety are alike, while the third, that of the Massachusetts His- torical Society, is clearly a second edition. (Harvard Univer- sity has a piece torn from the first issue.)

The publisher's announcement was in the nature of an ad- vertisement. It read as follows :

This News-Letter is to be continued Weekly; and all Persons who have any Houses, Lands, Tenements, Farmes, Ships, Vessels, Goods, Wares or Merchandizes, EC. to be Sold, or Lett; or Servants Runaway; or Goods Stoll or Lost, may have the same Inserted at a Reasonable Rate; from Twelve Pence to Five Shillings, and not to exceed: Who may agree with Nicholas Boone for the same at his Shop, next door to Major Davis's, Apothecary in Boston, near the Old Meeting-House.

All Persons in Town and Country may have said News-Letter Weekly upon reasonable terms, agreeing with John Campbell Post-Master for the same.

The early issues of this printed newspaper differed little from its written predecessors save that they had extracts from English papers. That of Number 1, for example, had an extract from The London Flying Post (December 2 to 4, 1703) about "a pre- tender, called King James VIII of Scotland, sending Popish missioners from France to Scotland," and another from The London Gazette (December 16 to 20, 1703) about "a most gra- cious speech made by Her Majesty to both Houses."

For the sake of comparison with Publick Occurrences all the American items of the first issue are reproduced :

Boston, April, 18 Arrived Capt. Sill from Jamacia about 4 Weeks Passage, says they continue there very Sickly. Mr. Nathaniel Oliver