In 1636 the Sallee Rovers had become very troublesome, and not only hindered British commerce, on the high seas, but even infested the English coasts. They had captured and carried into slavery many Englishmen, for whose release a 'Fleete of Shippes' was sent out in January, 1636. Assisted by the Emperor of Morocco, the nest of pirates was destroyed and the captives released. A full account of this expedition is given in a curious pamphlet, entitled, '_A true Journal of the Sally Fleet with the proceedings of the Voyage, published by John Dunton, London, Mariner, Master of the Admirall called the Leopard. Whereunto is annexed a List of Sally Captives names and the places where they dwell, and a Description of the three Townes in a Card. London, printed by John Dawson for Thomas Nicholes, and are to be sold at the Signe of the Bible in Popes Head Alley, 1637_.' This tract is illustrated by a large plan of Sallee, engraved on copper, with representations of six English vessels of war on the sea. After minutely describing the proceedings of the voyage, and giving a long list of the captives' names, the journalist winds up in these words: 'All these good Shippes with the Captives are in safety in England, we give God thanks. And bless King Charles and all those that love him.' At the end of the pamphlet is printed the authority for its publication: 'Hampton Court, the 20. of October, 1637. This Journall and Mappe may be printed.' There is an illustrated pamphlet of this period which I have not been able to see. It is entitled, '_Newes, and Strange Newes from St. Christopher's of a Tempestuous Spirit, which is called by the Indians a Hurrycano or Whirlwind; whereunto is added the True and Last Relation (in verse) of the Dreadful Accident which happened at Witticombe in Devonshire, 21. October, 1638_.' The _Weekly News_, begun in 1622, had been in existence sixteen years when the idea of illustrating current events seems to have occurred to its conductors; for in the number for December 20, 1638, there is, besides the usual items of foreign news, an account of a 'prodigious eruption of fire, which exhaled in the middest of the ocean sea, over against the Isle of Saint Michael, one of the Terceras, and the new island which it hath made.' The text is illustrated by a full-page engraving showing 'the island, its length and breadth, and the places where the fire burst out.' I have not been able to find a copy of the _Weekly News_ for December 20, 1638, either in the British Museum or elsewhere. My authority for the above statement is a letter in the _Times_ of October 13, 1868. As far as I have been able to ascertain, no other illustrations were published in the _Weekly News_, so that we must conclude the engraving of the 'prodigious eruption of fire' was an experiment, which in its result was not encouraging to the proprietor or conductors of the journal. [Illustration: TAKING OF THE CASTLE OF ARTAINE, IRELAND, 1641.]