Newfoundland Mercantile Journal, Newfoundland, 1816

The bold printers behind Newfoundland’s second newspaper – and how they helped to advance the province’s 4th estate.

When Alexander Haire and Robert Lee received permission to publish the Newfoundland Mercantile Journal in 1815, it marked a major turning point in the history of printing in Newfoundland and Labrador. Up to that point, the governor kept a tight grip on the press – no newspaper could be printed without official approval, and John Ryan’s Royal Gazette had been the sole newspaper in the colony since its founding in 1807.

That changed when lawyers in London advised the governor that he no longer had the authority to block new printing ventures. Haire and Lee were quick to take advantage of this shift, becoming the first to challenge the government monopoly on news and information. Their Mercantile Journal was only the second newspaper to appear in Newfoundland, but its arrival signalled a broader rise of an independent press – one that made the government more accountable for its actions and encouraged citizens to speak out on political issues.

Interestingly, despite this new spirit of competition, the printing offices of the Royal Gazette and the Mercantile Journal appear to have been on friendly terms. In 1817, when a devastating fire swept through St. John’s and destroyed the Gazette offices, Robert Lee stepped in to help. His own house and press survived the blaze, so he printed the Royal Gazette for Ryan until the older printer could rebuild.

At some point after the fire, the business partnership between Haire and Lee came to an end, with Lee taking over the Mercantile Journal entirely. The paper continued under his direction until it ceased publication in 1827 – leaving behind an important, if often overlooked, chapter in the story of Newfoundland’s early press.

Image:

Memorial University of Newfoundland – Digital Archives Initiative. https://collections.mun.ca/digital/collection/nl_mercantile/id/4/rec/1