First Newspaper

Early Years Of Australia's First Newspaper

The latest production of the Trustees of the Public Library New South Wales under the William Dixson Foundation is obably the most interesting to date: The facsimile edition of e first year’s issues of Australia’s first newspaper, The Sydney azette.

VIPLETE volumes of the Gazette are very rare collectors’ items this facsimile edition was taken the volumes bequeathed to the Public Library by the late Sir am Dixson. It is, therefore, ly fitting that the Trustees .of Foundation that he set up at ;ame time should devote some e income to producing the pre volume which will be of mdous importance to everyone isted in the early history of Aus small printing press was in d amongst the cargo on the Fleet and this was used for ng Government handbills by irst printer in Australia, George es, presumably a convict. was succeeded in 1802 by ge Howe, also a convict, and in Governor King decided that it desirable that the Colony have wspaper—so they might be fitted by useful information be ispersed among them.” we was thereupon instructed to :ct materials weekly” and pro a newspaper. Apart from buy “new fount of letters” (which the appearance of the paper badly needed), the Governor i shifted the responsibility, ;ial and otherwise, to Howe jugh an officer ran a censoring ver copy before printing). 3 Government gave him the use e press but he had to pay his with advertisements and sales, he indications are that he met most of the usual trials attend pon setting up a new newspaper, some others due to the isola d{ the Colony. He had to make vn ink; paper supply was always lit; he was the complete staff reporter, editor, compositor, :r; had to go out and distribute >aper himself and then become wn debt collector. His life for was one of poverty and hard but he continued to run the te until his death in 1821, when s taken over by his son, Robert, he died in 1829. The Gazette out of existence in 1842. 3 early years of the Australian

Gazette have been recognised as a faithful account of NSW history. It contained no comment or political discussion—obviously it could not, under the circumstances—and con fined itself to fact. And, these days, the student will find as much to in terest him in the advertisements as the letterpress.

The issue of Sunday, June 26, advertised; A Spacious DWELLING HOUSE, containing three Rooms and two Clofets; with excellent Garden, high in cultivation, in which are fifty Peach, Quince and other Fruit Trees; and a Well conftantly fupplied with excellent Water. . . Fituate at the Upper End of Pitt’s Row.

The price was not given, but it would be interesting to know how much a piece of land capable of taking Fifty Peach, Quince and other Fruit Trees would bring, on that spot, 160 years later.

In the issue of July 10, 1803, a new Eating House (“Victuals Dressed

in the English Way”) was advertised “near the New Windmill, on the Rocks.”

“Rosetta. Stabler refpectfully acquaints the Public,” the advertise ment said, “that she prepares Boiled Mutton and Broths every day at 12 o’clock and a Joint of Meat Roafted always ready at One.”

Vifitors from remote Settlements, Mariners, etc., were reminded also that they could always get Accom modation at a moderate expence with Rosetta.

The news columns of the issue of June 12, 1803, contained the account of the return of “His Majefty’s Ship, Investigator, Captain Matthew Flinders,” and, in the same issue, the Captain himself contributed some sailing directions for successfully negotiating the Torres Straits.

The indiscriminate use of the letter “f” in place of “s” is baffling to the modern reader. This was common practice at this time, but there appears to have been no rule about Howe’s use of the device as he also used “s” as “s”. It could have been that he was still badly in need of the “fount of letters” that Governor King had ordered for him.

The facsimile edition is in the same size as the original, and printed on specially made paper as near as possible similar to that used in 1803.

(Sydney Gazette, 1803-1804.

Trustees of Library of NSW in con junction with Angus and Robertson Ltd. £3/3/-.)