218

living and working in that city.

It is regrettable that in the file of the Apollo
(title changed to the Chestertown Gazette with the
issue of July 26, 1793) there is little local news,
and almost no Indication of the problems or the prog-
ress of the printers. Typographically, the Apollo
was one of the most attractive issues of the Maryland
press of the 1790^!s; and if Gerrish had anything to
do with the planning and set-up of the paper, he was
a good craftsman - whatever his faults. In respect
to content, it was like other newspapers of its age;
its news space was devoted to foreign dispatches, de-
bates of Congress, political essays, and verse; there
was almost no local information except what could be
gleaned from advertisements.

On December 31, 1793, this notice appeared:

The friends and patrons to the Chestertown gazette
are most respectfully entreated by the editor, to
dispense with his publishing, separate from the
paper, the Proceedings of Congress, as the expense
attending it would be nearly equal to two-thirds
of the subscriptions; to be able, however, to lay
before his readers, the debates in Congress, he
intends, whenever any foreign or domestic occur-
rences shall arrive, to publish a supplement. He
hopes his generous friends will readily grant him
that indulgence, as George Gerrish could not pos-
sibly have had any other object in view, at the
time of issuing the proposals, than to induce
people to subscribe, receive their money, and make
off; his conduct shortly after our commencement in
this town fully justified such a proposition. The
printer takes the present opportunity to make his
grateful acknowledgements for the very distin-