34 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academi/. 



It was, therefore, mth. considerable interest that I lately received 

 some particulars of the existence in the Library of Worcester College, 

 Oxford, of pamphlets which, on closer examination (for which I am 

 indebted to the kindness of Mr. Pottinger the librarian), have proved 

 to be early weekly jonmals, printed and published here in Dublin, at 

 dates ranging from 18 to 23 years earlier than Thornton's "Dublin 

 Xews- Letter." 



The earliest of these "Worcester College pamphlets bears the follow- 

 ing title : — 



" A:n AccouifT OF the Chief OccuEEifCES of Ieeland, togethee 



wiiH some Paeticulaes feom England. 



From llilonday, 12th March, to Monday, the 19th March." 



It is a quarto tract, containing only eight" pages, printed here by 

 William Bladen in 1659. Bladen was the well-known King's printer 

 in the latter part of the reign of Charles I., and subsequently filled a 

 like post under Cromwell. This particular pamphlet, though not, in. 

 fact, so numbered, is evidently the fifth of a series, because its pagi- 

 nation is only "33" to "40," and the signatiu'e simply E in foui's. 

 It contains an account of the Irish Convention and a list of the- 

 members of the Convention. It has also news fi-om England. There 

 are, however, no advertisements in it. It will thus be seen that there 

 was published here weekly, for a brief time at least, a joiuTial, not 

 only of local affairs, but with English news. In an elementary fonn, 

 therefore, this little pamphlet constituted the earliest known form, the 

 infancy, in fact, of the Dublin press. A reproduction of this unique 

 number is, I think, a desideratum. 



The second is a more interesting journal. There are fifteen 

 consecutive numbers of it extant in the same library (Worcester 

 College). We also find that this weekly joui'nal has assumed a more 

 concrete name. It is called, "Mercurius Hibernicus," or " D'eland's 

 ' Intelligencer," " concerning transactions both domestic and foreign." 

 This time we find each weekly issue duly numbered. 'No. 1 was for 

 the week commencing "'from Tuesday, January 13, to Tuesday, 

 January 20," 1663, that is nearly four years later than "Bladen's 

 Joiu'nal." 



At this time Charles II. had been restored to the Thi-one for about 

 three years, and Bladen was no longer printer. In fact no printer's 

 name is given ; but it is stated that this joui'nal was " Printed for 

 Samuel Dancer at the signe of the Horse Shooe in Castle-street, 1663." 



