University of Virginia Library

MAGAZINE, &c.,
PUBLISHED IN NEW JERSEY BEFORE 1775.

This work was begun at Woodbridge by James Parker,
in January, 1758, and was continued monthly more than
two years. Each number contained forty pages, octavo.
Although this was a valuable literary work, and but one of
the kind was then published in the colonies,[2] there was not
a sufficient number of copies sold to defray the expense of
printing, &c. It was, therefore, discontinued, after being
published twenty-seven months. Ten years after, a large
number of the copies were sold by the printer for waste
paper.

The editor was the honorable Samuel Nevil, under the
signature of Sylvanus Americanus. Judge Nevil was from
England, and had been editor of The London Evening Post.
He had received a liberal education, his knowledge was
extensive, and his writings commanded considerable attention.
He was a judge of the supreme court of New Jersey,
speaker of the house of assembly, and mayor of the city
of Amboy. He died at Perth Amboy, in November, 1764,
aged sixty-seven years.

After the American stamp act was passed by the British
parliament, and near the time it was to be put in operation,
a political paper was privately printed in "Woodbridge,
which attracted much notice. It was entitled "The Constitutional
Courant, containing Matters interesting to Liberty—
but no wise repugnant to Loyalty." Imprint, "Printed
by Andrew Marvel, at the Sign of the Bribe refused, on
Constitution-Hill, North America." In the centre of the
title was a device of a snake, cut into parts, to represent
the colonies. Motto—"Join or die." After the title,
followed an address to the public from the fictitious printer
and publisher, Andrew Marvel. This paper was without
date, but was printed in September, 1765. It contained
several well written and spirited essays against the obnoxious
stamp act, which were so highly colored, that the editors
of newspapers in New York, even Holt, declined to
publish them. See Appendix L.

A large edition was printed, secretly forwarded to New
York, and there sold by hawkers selected for the purpose.
It had a rapid sale, and was, I believe, reprinted there, and
at Boston. It excited some commotion in New York, and
was taken notice of by government. A council was called,
and holden at the fort in that city, but as no discovery was
made of the author or printer, nothing was done. One
of the council demanded of a hawker named Lawrence
Sweeney, "where that incendiary paper was printed?"
Sweeney, as he had been instructed, answered, "At Peter
Hassenclever's iron-works, please your honor." Peter
Hassenclever was a wealthy German, well known as the
owner of extensive iron works in New Jersey. Afterwards,

other publications of a like kind frequently appeared with
an imprint, "Printed at Peter Hassenclever's iron-works."

Only one number of the Constitutional Courant[3] was published;
a continuance of it was never intended. It was
printed by William Goddard, at Parker's printing house in
Woodbridge, Goddard having previously obtained Parker's
permission occasionally to use his press.

This political paper was handsomely commended in some
of the periodical works published in England, after the repeal
of the stamp act.