1748

1748

 * //The London Gazette//**

//The London Gazette// was a periodical that came out roughly every three to four days and would cover the goings on that occurred between each issue. Much of the material brought up in each issue involve politics, goings on with the royal family, keeping up with British Naval activities, and recently published works. Most published texts tended to focus on religion, math and science, and politics. Each issue is only a few pages long. This means that it was most likely meant to be a quick read and an easy means to catch up on local news and publications. The //London Gazette// also included a good number of global events in their issues. It was not restricted to exclusively English happenings.

January, 1748

For the month of January, //The// //London Gazette// focused very heavily on foreign affairs. Most notably, the Gazette was concerned with the French, Spanish, and the Dutch. The first issue of the month brought up an increased tax or "duty" on most forms of alcohol or tobacco imported from other countries outside of Britain. There was even notice of a prohibition of gold and silver lace imported from other countries. These high tariffs and embargoes suggest political unease between Britain and the other European powers. While the British and the French have never truly gotten along throughout their history as global powers, it was interesting to see that foreign affairs consistently made the Gazette's front page. Because I was curious as to the cause of this power struggle, I decided to look up what was happening during this period. As it turns out, the year 1748 is a part of the famous power struggle between France and Britain known as the French and Indian wars. This explains why there is so much interest in French affairs. A number of the Gazette issues discuss the whereabouts and actions of French royalty. //The London Gazette// also makes note of the number of French ships sighted in the area and whether or not those ships were large enough to carry guns or pose a threat to Britain. This was also a point in history where being a privateer became a legitimate profession. A privateer is essentially a privateer is a government sanctioned pirate. Many of these issues also include adverts or notices at the end where it publicly announces who needs to claim monetary rewards such as a prize for capturing a French ship. One particular notice was for a crew who did just that, and the notice was in the //Gazette// the whole month. This most likely because they just leave the notice in the paper until those individuals come and claim their reward. There are also notices for each of the bankruptcies that occur in London. This was probably embarrassing for those individuals who had their financial troubles posted in the local magazine. Under the advertisements section there are also several issues which list the various, recent publications. Many of the advertised publications for the month of January were religious in nature. For instance, Stephen Weston, D.D.'s //Sermons on Various Subjects, Moral and Theological// is featured in several issues of the Gazette.

February, 1748

//The London Gazette// continues to to post on the whereabouts of the French royalty in Europe. There is particular interest in The Prince of Orange, who at this time was William IV. William IV had only recently moved to The Hague in the Netherlands. He would soon be appointed to the position of field marshal of the Dutch army. He was also the director of the Dutch-East India Company, thus making him a very important leader for the French. The British were obviously very interested in his actions considering the war between Britain and France and William IV being a wealthy enemy of influence. One of the publications that came out in this month was //The Adventures of Roderick Random// by Tobias Smollet. This novel is loosely based on the author's own experiences at sea while employed by the Navy. This goes to show the amount of impact that the military had on everyday life for many people during this point in history. One of the Gazette's issues enumerates several appointments to political positions made by the King. Most of these positions were justice appointments. There was also a description of a council meeting with the King. In this meeting the King reminds the council that the other European powers are working together against Britain. The Gazette also reported on a prison fire that occurred. Included in that particular issue was a response written from the prisoners that were in the fire at the time. Both in one of the January issues of //The London Gazette// and in one of the February issues there was an ad for new cure-all pills that came out. In the ad, it warns people to be wary of forged pills, and it gives people an accurate description of what the real pill box and pills should like in order to prevent people from being fooled. It turns out that these particular pills were one of the first products where people actively tried to make forged copies and sell them to people to scam them out of money which is why the ad warns people about such a situation. There were also issues of the Gazette where the King's acts and proclamations are written out. A notable act is one where the King gets a subsidy of poundage from all imported goods. He also gave a proclamation which serves to remind people that it was the French who declared war on Britain in 1744. He also reminds people that this means that there is no trading to be done with the French by any means, and that he is aware that some of his subjects are known to be continuing trade with the French. In no uncertain terms, the King lets his subjects know that this is unacceptable. The final issue of //The London Gazette// for the month of February posts the lottery, and it sets a date for the drawing.

March, 1748

The month of March appears to be a slow one, or at least, it is for //The London Gazette//. The first few issues of the month cover a series of exploits by the British Navy in capturing French ships. Something of interest that gets pointed out in the Gazette is that some of the ships they were capturing were French ships flying the British colors. This is a rather devious strategy, however it still seems to be failing in the sense that the British are still cognizant of the situation and inspecting all ships they find at sea. Notably, the Prince of Orange is given an heir over in The Hague on March 8th. In Britain, the King promotes a few more justices, captains, and lieutenants. For the past few months, there has been mention of issues with British cattle. It has only been referred to vaguely as the "distemper." There have been several notices in the Gazette that the King would have an official stance o this issue in the near future. So, in mid-March, there were several issues that were ten to eleven pages long compared to the usual three to four. These few issues of the Gazette had the official statement from the King in regards to the distemper of the cattle. It turns out that this distemper is a disease that can develop in livestock such as horses and cows. As a countermeasure, the King mandates that any and all cattle displaying sign of the disease are to be isolated and put down with haste. There are pages and pages of instructions and legal information concerning the nature of the disease. Obviously, cattle is a livelihood for many people during this period, and destroying your stock is costly. It can be very expensive for the people and the government to deal with.

April, 1748

After reading through four months of //The London Gazette//, it has become evident that its primary focus is to describe and enumerate current, European events. There is little to no information within this periodical pertaining to social or artistic achievements. The closest the Gazette comes to associating with the arts is listing recent literary publications in the advertisement section towards the end of each issue. Most of April's issues of //The London Gazette// focused on troop mobilization. Particular attention is paid to Russian troops moving into Poland. Similarly, French troops are always being reported to be moving north towards Zealand which is a part of Denmark. Apparently, there was "internal strife" in the Netherlands which is why the French moved in to assist and why the Prince of Orange took up residence in the Hague. The Prince of Orange's son is even baptized in the Hague. It is interesting to see that a French prince is born outside of France and baptized out of his homeland. In Poland, the Queen's priest died in her apartments from a seizure and is discovered by Russian soldiers. In one of the issues of the Gazette, there was a series of exchanges between the Lord Lieutenant General and the governing body of Ireland. The purpose behind the Irish politicians writing to the Governor of Ireland was to express their gratitude for his diligence in providing for the kingdom. They compliment the Governor on his kindness and generosity to his subjects. They are also thankful for his observance of their religious and civil liberties. It is interesting that the Irish would write so generously of a British official governing them. It is no secret that the Irish were incredibly resentful of the British control at this time.

May, 1748

The month of may was an interesting one politically. Early in the month, there was an account of a Naval expedition in the Caribbean against Hispaniola's Port Louis. The governor of the port was given the chance of surrender. He only had to agree to the British's terms. The governor needed to empty the garrison of men, and relinquish their weapons to the British. Those surrendering were allowed to keep whichever slaves that were essential to them. Any nonessential personal slaves would then be taken under British control. The "keys to the castle" must also be handed over to the British upon surrender. These terms apparently were not accepted for it was reported that a battle ensued. The British took control of the port, however it was not without sustaining losses on their part. In Britain, the King had a council meeting where it was let known that he would be taking a leave of absence. He appointed several people to manage things while he intends to be away. In that same issue of //The London Gazette//, the King refers back to his firm stance on trading with France being prohibited. However, he hints that he has been in negotiations with the other European powers, and the possibility of trade resuming was likely in the near future. Meanwhile, in the Hague, the Prince of Orange keeps being delayed from going to Breda. First, it was because he was meeting with a British ambassador, then it was because his advisers did not deem it wise.

//**The Castle of** **Indolence**// by James Thomson

//The Castle of Indolence// was published in the year 1748. It is a long poem consisting of about forty pages. It is broken up into two cantos, "The Castle Height of Indolence, and it's False Luxury; Where for a Little Time, alas! We lived right Jollily" and "The Knight of Arts and Industry, and his Achievements Fair; That, by this Castle's Overthrow, Secur'd, and Crowned were." The first canto is about how the wizard of the Castle of Indolence seduces people to coming with him to his castle of luxury. The castle and the surrounding land are beautiful and peaceful. Initially, when the wizard is trying to convince people to go with him to his Castle, they are skeptical of such a seemingly perfect place. The wizard then expedites the process by touching the onlookers and overwhelming their senses, and so they follow him. The people in Indolence are seduced by all of the luxury and grandeur. As a result, they become idle and develop disease which are all derivative of or synonymous with laziness. In the second canto, The Knight of Arts and Industry comes of retirement in order to vanquish the wizard of Indolence. The Knight turns the beautiful castle and surrounding space into a wasteland. He then returns to retirement in a rustic, dirty village.

This poem was intentionally written in the style of Edmund Spenser which is why it bears such striking resemblance to the //Faerie Queen//. Thomson even adapts the same rhyme scheme as Spenser. There are also glaring thematic and plot based similarities too such as the Knight's quest to vanquish the evildoer. Thomson's poem however, straddles two opposing views on the subject of retirement. On the one hand, Thomson paints this beautiful image of luxury and ease that comes with retirement. When the Wizard of Indolence is describing this to his audience, even the skeptical wise folks cannot help but be enticed by such a lifestyle. Luxury and peace of mind are very alluring. On the other hand, Thomson shows the reader the dark side of retirement which is indolence and idleness. The people living in Indolence begin to develop diseases. They are rescued by the Knight of Arts and Industry. Ironically, the Knight of Arts and Industry comes out of retirement in order to fight the Wizard. It would seem that Thomson views retirement as an acceptable venture as long as one remembers their true nature and is capable of action. It is important that people do not become idle in their retirement.


 * Conclusion (Synthesis)**

Looking at all of the information that I found in my periodical, it was very focused on foreign policy. I was curious as to why //The London Gazette// was so concerned with all of the military and political goings on in Europe at the time. It turns out that 1748 was the final year in The War of the Austrian Succession. This war was a part of the much larger war, The French and Indian War which spans nearly a hundred years. The War of the Austrian Succession involved nearly all the major powers in Europe which is why there is detailed descriptions Russian, Polish, Prussian, French, Italian, and English roles in this war. This particular war also gave the French Prince of Orange a significant amount of power because of his involvement in the Netherlands. In fact, in the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle which concluded this war, one of the requirements was for the French to pull out of the Netherlands. His role in the war is also why the Gazette follows him so fiercely.

The supplemental text I used, //The Castle of Indolence//, was actually posted in //The London Gazette// during the six month period I chose to read. That is the only concrete connection the periodical and the poem share. This particular periodical did not focus on the arts or literature in any substantial way. The Gazette was much more intent on informing people of world events, war, industry, and laws. In that sense, the poem is connected to the Gazette in that it involves industry. It is an allegory for what happens after you retire from a life of work and toil. The periodical only seemed to suggest texts, poems, or volumes which were based on philosophy, theology, or science (particularly Newton). Thomson's poem can definitely fall under the philosophy category even though it is an allegorical poem. The issues discussed relate to the philosophy of class structure. Typically, retirement is a luxury of the upper class and not something afforded to the poor. Ultimately, these two bodies of text can be seen as entirely separate from each other.

Thomson, James. __The castle of indolence. An allegorical poem. Written in imitation of Spenser by James Thomson. __ London, Printed in the Year MDCCXLVIII. [1748]. __Eighteenth Century Collections Online __. Gale. University of Maryland College Park. 12 Apr. 2015