250 Political Journals. 



of the eighteenth century there was no publica- 

 tion of this kind in the United Colonies, The 

 first newspaper printed in America was the Boston 

 News-Letter, begun April 24th, 1704, in the town 

 whose name it bears, by B. Green. The second 

 was the Boston Gazette, which commenced towards 

 the latter end of the year 1720, by Samuel Knee- 

 land. The next year a third was published under 

 the title 'of the New-England C our ant, by James 

 Franklin/ Between the last mentioned year and 

 1730, three other newspapers were published in 

 Boston* though some of them appear to have been 

 soon laid aside. As the first printing work done 

 in North-America was executed in Massachusetts, 

 so in that colony the earliest, and, for a number 

 of years, the most vigorous and successful exer- 

 tions were made for the establishment and circu- 

 lation of political journals. 



The first newspaper printed in Pennsylvania 

 was The American Weekly Mercury, by Andrew 

 Bradford, the publication of which commenced 

 December 22, 1719. The first printed in New- 

 York, it is believed, was by William Bradford/ 

 October 16th, 1725, under the title of The New- 

 York Gazette. The first paper published in Rhode- 

 Island was the Rhode-Island Gazette, by James 

 Franklin, before mentioned, who began the pub- 

 lication in October, 1732. The first in Connec- 

 ticut was by James Parker, in 1755; and the 



l James Franklin was a brother of Benjamin Franklin, who after- 

 wards became so conspicuous as a man of science and a politician. Ben* 

 j amin was at that time employed as an apprentice in his brother's office, 

 and contributed much to render the Courant popular. 



/ The family of the Bradfords deserves to be mentioned in honoura- 

 ble connection with that of the Greens, in the annals of American print- 

 ing. The press of Samuel Green was the first introduced into New- 

 England; and the presses of Andrew and William Bradford were, 

 it is believed, the first established in Pennsylvania and New- York. It is 

 remarkable that there has been, for more than a century past, in both 

 these families, a constant and respectable succession of printers, 



