CHAPTER LVIII. THE NATIVITY AND NON-AGE OF MELBOURNE JOURNALISM.
SYNOPSIS:—The First Manuscript Newspapers.—Fawkner's " Advertiser."—The First Printed Newspaper.—Demise of the " Advertiser."—" The Port Phillip Gazette."—Arden and Strode. —" The Port Phillip Patriot."—Fawkner Redivivus.—" The Port Phillip Herald."—Cavenagh and Ken: — " The Weekly Free Press.—" The Times."— " The Standard."—" The Courier."—" The Albion."—" The Observer."—" The Port Phillip Christian Herald.— " The Church of England Messenger!'—•" The Melbourne Family Herald."—Mr. Finlayson and " The Temperance Advocate."—" The Victoria Temperance Pioneer."—" The Telegraph."—" The Melbourne Weekly Despatch."—•" The Times" Gives Up the Ghost.—•" The Herald" Changes its Name.—Its First Publication as a Daily.—" The Melbourne Argus."—Mr. William Kerr again at the Helm.—Sheriff's Sale of " The Melbourne Argus."—Demise of " The Melbourne Argus."—The First Appearance of " The Argus."—Wilson and Johnston, Proprietors.—Wilson Committed for Libel.—First Appearance of" The Argus " as a Daily.—Demise of " The Gazette."
mO branch of this work reveals more amusing reminiscences than the early journalism of the city, its humble origin, and the obstacles that beset the birth and growth of our first newspapers; the petty feuds and rivalries that distracted the little commonwealth of our "Fourth Estate ;" the personnel, peculiarities and bickerings of the proprietors and editors; their abuse and "slang-whanging" of each other; and the narrow and distorted views they took of the responsible positions they filled. T h e proprietorial and editorial squabbles were, however, matters of little or no m o m e n t to the reporters, or " Recording Angels " of the period, w h o usually fraternized in the most agreeable way with each other; and so long as they got through their week's work, and drew their week's money, troubled themselves not a straw about the contentions of the higher powers. They were a light-hearted, easy-conscienced, free-handed lot, w h o cared not a jot about the atra cura, and all the troubles in its train. Regardless of to-morrow, they took each to-day as it came, and so m a d e their pilgrimage through this world with an average share of its enjoyments. M a n y a queer and racy incident might be recounted of them, a few samples of which will crop up in a subsequent part of this notice. T h e first Melbourne newspaper (as it must in courtesy be styled) was a miserable " rag," a sheet of what was known as uncut foolscap, ruled and bi-columned, and presenting eight columns of very inferior reading manuscript matter. It was brought out by the irrepressible J. P. Fawkner, w h o would be always first in everything, and thefirstnumber was published under the following style and title :— THE M E L B O U R N E ADVERTISER P O R T PHILLIP AUSTRALIA No. i, written for and published By
J O H N P. F A W K N E R . January 1st Monday 1838 Melbourne V O L . 1st.
The caligraphy is the most creditable part of the affair, except that as it is evidently transcribed from Fawkner's " copy," it treats all the laws of punctuation, and some of the orthography, with supreme indifference. Fawkner, though a m a n of m u c h reading, or rather miscellaneous " cramming," had no culture, and his weakness for capital letters and no stops or pauses of any kind in his very profuse contributions to the colonial Press stuck to him during his life. T h e Advertiser is a small Fawknerian Epitome, for with the exception of a long mercantile advertisement from Mr. W . F. A. Rucker, and two or three smaller ones, it is Fawkner all over. T h e leader is thoroughly Fawknerian, so is the only
