Show THEN AND NOW BY courtesy of mr richard holton formerly employed in the office of the northampton england Ner mercury oury we are enabled to examine a jac fao simile of its first issue dated may 2nd and 1720 it is a diminutive affair of twelve pages seven aud and one half inches long by six inches wide the first being entirely eb occupied by the title and imari imp imprint riat nt A comparison between it and the present form of the mercury which is an ably conducted eight page inch paper enables a person to form an adequate idea of the progress of journalism during the period named was obtained by means of photography and zinc plates care was taken to have it upon paper similar to the kind used in 1720 consequently an exact counterpart is the result the presented a copy as a souvenir to each of its subscribers the little 1720 clipet furnishes furn isbee the public of that time with the mortuary report of the city of london for the ten d days from april to april the total number of dece dents being some of the causes of douth death are stated in language that would not in our day be considered polite here is a sample bit of information which is indicative of the times in which it was given from the general ioe floe letter in lombard street april 26 they write from paris that arch era being appointed to take up all beggars and vagabonds and to send those who are not able to work to the hoo hoi petals and those who are to mississippi of which letter latter were sent seat away the had bad laid hands on divers daveni trading people of credit and killed three that resisted upon which the leonle rose upon them killed eleven of the archers and wounded many more the next day there was the like insurrection when several more of the archers were killed the parliament have assembled on this occasion and made a representation thereof to the government the following shows how hew matters were dismissed with a few lines in those days that would burden several columns io in aur times Y yesterday Dat erday eight men and one woman received sentence of death at the old baily amon among f them john keine for mur murdering doring his wilb wife george davis for robbing the sword blade company and elizabeth cranbury for poisoning her father in law with arsenic robert coles was convicted of 0 felony for embezzling his master the lord Cob bama bams lewels jewels to the value of 1600 or 1700 delivered to him to 10 carry to the lady Cob Co bhama liams father till their return out of the country the evidence against him was very full and not in the least contradicted only himself said he did carry the jewels according to the directions about thirty three were ordered for transportation william pit esq is chosen mem 1 ber of parliament for bridgwater in the room of mr doddington deceased last week the oxford stage stag e coach was robbed between uxbridge udbridge Ux bridge and london by the same highwaymen as is supposed who robbed the bristol mail one of them having a sear scar on his forehead as was likewise a gentleman on Fin finchley ebley common by a highwayman n who took from him forty four id em then cut his horses girths births anu rode off with his booty the latter of these robberies was committed in sight of four wagons some days dayis ago a woman beat another who was her lodger so unmercifully on the breast that she murdered her upon the spot for which piece of barbarity she is committed to the gatehouse gate late house A man lately taken up near maidenhead thicket and charged with robbing the cirencester Ciren cester stage coach has been examined by a justice of the peace who has committed him to reading reading goal he is said to be a butchers butcher s son of theme thame in oxford shire |