Next week another satiric poem was addressed to certain
“Spectators” who had two urns.
“One flows for B. and M----r warm with praise,
And one for M----o bitter gall displays.”
For B. read Brown (John), the owner of the Gazette; for M----r,
Mower (Nahum), the proprietor of the Courant; and M----o for
Mungo Kay. Mungo Kay is credited by the Gazette in an obituary
notice of him in 1813 on his death on September 18th, as having
as editor for nearly seven years justified his choice of motto:
“Aninos Novitate Tenebo”--“I will hold attention by means of
novelty.” This was not meant to be satire but a tribute to his
efforts to obtain the earliest intelligence. The Herald early
began its “extra special additions.” In 1812, before it had been
a year in existence, the Quebec Gazette reprinted such a special
edition with the following acknowledgment:
“We beg the editors of the Herald to accept our thanks for their
attention in transmitting the intelligence of the surrender of
General Hull. This is not the first time that the public has been
indebted to them for early intelligence.”
News in those days was hard to obtain, but even if a month late
it was read with avidity, for the Napoleonic wars, involving the
peace and security of the mother country and their own colony,
which became involved in all British quarrels, found a passionate
source of interest in the truly colonial loyalists of Montreal,
who were surrounded by ill-wishers, secret or open, on all
sides. It is amusing, however, to read the account of the Battle
of Waterloo under the single line caption “Highly Interesting
Intelligence,” the art of display headlines not then having
become so pronounced.
The news of the victory of Waterloo reached Montreal in July,
1815. Montreal in its joy bethought itself of the widows
and children of those who fell in the fateful battle and in
consequence of a meeting called in the courthouse an amount of
£2,717 16s 8d was soon raised, which was later added to largely.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account