The newspaper above referred to was The New York Mercury, printed, so the colophon of the fifth

number announced:

"By Hugh Gaine, at his Printing-Office on Hunter's Key, next Door to Mr. Walton's Storehouse, where all persons may be supplied with this Paper, at Twelve Shillings per annum, and Advertisements of a moderate Length inserted at Five Shillings each; Also, Printing done at a reasonable Rate, with care and Expedition."

Number 16 notified the public that

Subscriptions for this Paper are taken in by Dr. Jacob Ogden, in Jamaica; John De Hart, Esq., in Eliza beth-Town; Dr. James Newel, in Amboy; John and Uzel Ogden, Esq., in Newark; Dr. Charles Schaw Leslie, near Elizabeth-Town; Dr. Jonathan Dayton, at Springfield, in New Jersey; Dr. Schuyler, Esq., in New-Brunswick; Dr. Joseph Sackett, at Blooming-Grove, in Orange County; Dr. John Factor, Merchant, in Brandford; Dr. John McCurdy, Merchant, at Lime, in Connecticut; Mr. William Bradford, Printer in Philadelphia, and by the Printer hereof."

Its immediate success appears to have been slight, for no copy of the first issue is known, and but ten of the papers, printed in 1752, are now accessible. Yet in one way its influence is apparent, for the one really formidable rival, The New York Gazette, was promptly enlarged, so as to equal The Mercury in size, while the two other papers then printed in New York, Foreest's New York Evening Post and Zenger's Weekly Journal, were both quickly discontinued.'

The road of the new paper was not without difficulty. In the issue for November 12, 1753,

1 The dates of the discontinuance of these last two mentioned papers is in doubt, and they may have stopped before Gaine started The Mercury.

Gaine printed some of the proceedings of the New York Assembly, with the following results: '

"The House being informed that one Hugh Gaine, a Printer, in the City of New York, had presumed in his Paper, called, The New York Mercury, of Monday, November 12th, 1753, No. 66, to print and publish Part of the Proceedings of this House, particularly several Articles of his Majesty's Instructions to his Excellency the late Sir Danvers Osborne, Baronet; and the said Paper being produced and read,

"Ordered, That the said Hugh Gaine, attend this House Tomorrow, at 10 o'clock in the Morning.

"Ordered, That the Serjeant at Arms, attending this House, serve the said Hugh Gaine, with a copy of this Order forthwith. . .

Die Mercurij, 9 ho. A. M., Nov. 14, 1753.

The Order of the Day being read, for Hugh Gaine, the Printer to attend,

The Serjeant at Arms was called upon, to give an Account of what he had done for summoning the said Printer; and acquainted the House, that he had served him with the Order of the House, and that he was attending accordingly.

And thereupon the said Printer was called for, and appeared at the Bar of the House; and being asked, whether he was the Printer of the Paper, called, The NewYork Mercury, he acknowledged that he was; and then being asked, by what Authority he had therein printed and published an Extract of the Votes of this House; answered, that he had no Authority for doing it, and knew not that he did amiss in doing so; that he was very sorry that he had offended the House, and humbly asked their Pardon. The said Printer was then directed to withdraw.

Ordered, That the Consideration of what the said Printer offered in Excuse for himself, be postponed till the Afternoon.

1 Votes and Proceedings of the General Assembly," II, 358-9.

Ordered, That the said Printer attend this House at 3 o'clock this Afternoon.

Ordered, That the Serjeant at Arms acquaint him with this Order.

Die Mercurij, 3 ho. P. M., Nov. 14, 1753.

The House then proceeded to the Consideration of the Matters offered by Mr. Gaine, the Printer, in Excuse for his having printed and published Part of the Proceedings of this House.

Resolved, That the said Printer be reprimanded for his said Offence.

And being called in, he received a Reprimand from Mr. Speaker accordingly.

Ordered, That the said Printer be dismissed from any further Attendance, paying Costs.'

So far as known, the only other issue of Gaine's press in 1752 was Hutchin's Almanac for 1753, no copy of which is extant. From England, however, he made importations and opened a book store, from the first being in fact more a bookseller than a printer. The earliest list of his importations, as well as a number of others, is given in the Appendix, both as illustrating the extent of his business and the literary taste of the times. He also carried a full line of stationery, and his office was one of the two places in town where tickets for the theatre were sold.

The early years of the newspaper and book shop were wandering ones. In May, 1753, The Mercury contained a paragraph announcing that "The Printer hereof takes this opportunity to give Notice of his Removal from the House of Mr. Roger

According to Smith's History of New York (II, 199) the Assembly wished these instructions given to the public, and this was but a "sham process for punishing a printer, who had republished in a newspaper that part of the thirty-ninth instruction, only the substance of which he was ordered to reveal."

Magrah, on Hunter's Key, to that wherein Mr. Josiah Crane, lately lived, opposite the Old-Slip." In 1754 another removal was made, The Mercury of May 6th informing the public that "The Printer hereof is now removed from the House he formerly lived in, at the Old-Slip, to that lately possessed by Mr. Anderson, Taylor, next Door to Mr. Robert G. Livingston's, in Queen-street, between the Fly and Meal-Markets.'

With No. 165, printed October 6, 1755, the printer assumed a name for his office by adding to the colophon "Printed by H. Gaine, at the Bible & Crown in Queen Street," which he henceforth used on both his newspaper and books, and which in time came to be almost as identifying as his own name. Finally, in May, 1757, one more change was made, which The Mercury announced as follows: The Public is desired to take Notice, That, this Day, the Printing-Office formerly kept in QueenStreet, will be removed to the House next Door to Doctor William Brownjohn's, in Hanover Square, near the Meal Market; where all Manner of Printing-Business will be done with Care and Expedition; and where may be had, all Kinds of Blanks, stamped agreeable to the late Act of Assembly." In 1758 the death of his landlord threatened him with yet another migration, and The New York Gazette for August 28th of that year advertised as

To Be Sold,

The House in Honover-Square [sic] belonging to the Estate of Bartholemew Skaats, deceased, now in the possession of Hugh Gaine: 'Tis three Story high, has two 2 No. 91, May 6, 1754. 3 No. 247, May 12, 1757.

1 No. 39.

Rooms on a Floor, with a good Kitchen, Cellar, and Cellar Kitchen, a Cistern and Pump in the Yard, with the Privilege of a Passage to the Dock. For Title and Conditions of Sale apply to Jacoba Skaats, at her House near the White-hall, Executrix to the said Estate.

The difficulty was solved by Gaine purchasing the property, the executors conveying it to him by a deed dated April 30, 1759.' In April, 1763, notice was given that " The first of May the Printing-Office at the Bible and Crown, in HanoverSquare, is to be removed to Rotten-Row, next Door to that Corner opposite the Merchants' Coffee House," but this proved a short-lived habitat, for in October another notice read that 66 Hugh Gaine Acquaints the Publick, that this Day he removes his Shop from Rotten-Row to the House he formerly occupied in Hanover-Square; where, as usual, all Persons may be supplied with Books and Stationery Ware, on the most reasonable Terms." Here he kept his printing establishment and bookshop until he retired from business, or nearly forty years, and Philip Freneau wrote truly, when he remarked of Gaine, in one of his poems, that he ". . . Dwelt in the street call'd Hanover Square,

(You'll know where it is, if you ever was there) Next door to the dwelling of doctor Brownjohn, (Who now to the drug shop of Pluto is gone) But what do I say whoe'er came to town,

And knew not HUGH Gaine at the Bible and Crown."

One peculiarity of Gaine, which differentiated him from his fellow Scotch-Irish, was an apparent preference for the Church of England, rather than 1 See Appendix.

2 No. 623, October 3, 1763.