ON Wednesday evening, January 5, 1848, the gentlemen connected with the
city and county of Aberdeen gave a splendid entertainment to Mr David
Chalmers, the present proprietor of the “Aberdeen Journal,” in
celebration of the centenary of that newspaper, it being exactly one
hundred years that day since its first number was published.
The art of printing was introduced into Aberdeen in the year 1622, by
Edward Raban, the “Laird of Letters,” as he styled himself, who printed
the first Aberdeen Almanack, “long the only work of its kind in
Scotland, and, as such, acquiring a sort of proverbial celebrity. The
password of pious Mr Turnbull, in the novel of _Red Gauntlet_—‘a plague
on all Aberdeen Almanacks’—will readily occur to the reader.”
Raban commenced business in Aberdeen under the auspices of the
magistracy and University, and one of his successors in trade and
patronage was Mr James Chalmers, son of the then Professor of Divinity
in Marischal College, the projector of the “Aberdeen Journal,” and
grandfather of its present proprietor. “Early in life,” said Mr David
Chalmers, at the centenary celebration above alluded to, “my grandfather
commenced business, as Printer to the City of Aberdeen, and was but a
young man when our country became convulsed by the bold and chivalrous
attempt of the last of the Stuarts to regain the throne of his
ancestors. My grandfather, himself a Protestant, warmly embraced the
cause of the House of Hanover, and through his press and his pen, gave
wide circulation to principles of attachment to the reigning sovereign.
This made him rather a marked man; so that his life was sometimes in
danger; and he had on one occasion to fly from his own house, and seek
refuge in that of a friend in Old Aberdeen, a Professor in King’s
College. In the memorable spring of ’46, the town of Aberdeen had a
visit from the royal army, on its way to the field of Culloden. My
grandfather joined the king’s standard, and took part in this battle,
which forever crushed the hopes of Prince Charles and his gallant and
devoted followers. The services of my ancestors were for a time rewarded
by an official appointment, namely, that of receivers of the rents of
some of the forfeited estates in this county; but these were soon after
restored; and are now happily in the hands of their rightful owners. At
this period, there were in Edinburgh but two papers, the ‘Evening
Courant’ and the ‘Caledonian Mercury’: and one in Glasgow, which has
long ceased to exist. It is known that, at this period, the Government
of the day had much to do in order to efface the painful recollections,
and to appease the angry feelings of the people, justly irritated and
incensed by the needless cruelties which followed that fatal fight.
They, therefore, felt anxious to see the principles of loyalty and good
order widely diffused among the population of the North. My grandfather,
impressed with the same views, engaged in the undertaking which has
given birth to the present meeting. During the progress of, and
subsequent to, the rebellion of ’45, he had published occasional
reports, or what would be now called bulletins, of the state of public
affairs; but it was not until the beginning of 1748 that the ‘Aberdeen
Journal’ took the form of a regular newspaper. From that period, it was
published by him, with varying success, until the year 1764, when he
died, and was succeeded by my venerated and respected father, who
conducted it until his death, in 1810. It then fell into my unworthy
hands; but with this consoling reflection, that during the last twelve
years of his life, I had had the privilege and the happiness of aiding
and assisting him in the laborious duties and distracting cares of an
Editor. Such has been the birth and parentage of the ‘Aberdeen Journal,’
whose life now presents the somewhat singular feature of having reached
its hundredth year during the lives of three successive generations of
the same family.
The few following extracts from No. 1. of the ‘Journal’ will give some
idea of newspaper writing one hundred years ago, and also indicate the
state of public feeling at that day towards our Gallic neighbours:
“As the publick may be alarmed with the report that ran so currently
yesterday upon the Exchange, that a contract is negociating for the
delivery of 400,000 quarters of wheat to our mortal enemy the French, we
hope every Englishman will judge so tenderly of his neighbour, as not to
believe it possible any merchant can entertain so pernicious a thought,
or be such a traitor to his country, at a time when our allies the Dutch
have totally prohibited all commerce with that perfidious nation under
the severest penalties.”
“However the report yesterday might arise, of a particular contract for
sending 400,000 quarters of wheat to France, it is certain that an
article from Bourdeaux, in a late Dutch Mail, mentions that a large
number of English ships, laden with corn, had put in there, and caused a
sudden plenty in the midst of scarcity; adding, that these ships had
sailed under a pretence of being bound for the Mediterranean. If these
were private traders only, who ventured thus to risk their fortunes, in
contempt of their duty and allegiance, the affair deserves to be
particularly enquired into, that the delinquents, if taken, may be
punished. But if their voyage was in virtue of a contract, that is a
_jobb_; the business is the more iniquitous, as it must be a transaction
among persons of no small distinction. We shall not pretend to guess who
the jobbers may be; but it was very imprudent of the French who were to
be essentially served, to blab a secret that may prevent their friends
here from making a little more profit of our present plenty.
“We hear that it having been affirmed, in a certain H—— Assembly, that a
practice of sm——g would never have arisen to its late pitch but for the
encouragement of some R—— H—— persons, one, who seemed to be severely
wrung, exclaimed loudly on the occasion, and affected to clear himself
and friends, by calling for such proof as he knew it was impossible at
that time to adduce.”
While the initials and dashes in the last quotation form a striking
contrast to the out-spoken manner of the press now-a-days, the following
_jeu d’esprit_ denotes the unchangeable and everlasting grumble against
taxation:
“NO MORE GAMBOLS.
’Twas merry at Christmas, when money was plenty,
And taxes took off not above five in twenty:
But how is it possible mirth should arise?
Now all that can make it is under Excise.
When light is not free in the worst of dull weather;
Wheels pay, if we ride; if we foot it, shoe-leather.”
Such was the “Aberdeen’s Journal” a hundred years ago. Its first number
contained 39,560 separate pieces of type; its 5217th No. extends to
above 750,000, or in other words 3 of the 48 columns of the present
paper contains an entire reprint of the first No.
----------------------------