An original 52 page issue of "The London Magazine and Monthly Chronologer" dated March 1744. This rare monthly publication was established in 1732 as a competitor  to The Gentleman's Magazine and is England's oldest literary magazine - see history below. 

King George ll was on the British throne while George Washington was celebrating his twelfth birthday! Henry Pelham was Prime Minister of England

The magazine publishes prominent essays on a variety of subjects taken from current news sources as well as poetical essays. A separate section entitled The Monthly Chronologer provides news items of interest from Britain (Domestick Occurrences) followed by Marriages and Deaths, Promotions, Bankruptcies, Mortality Tables, New Publications and Foreign News. 

Reports of actual Parliamentary debates (Proceedings and Debates in the Political Club) avoid governmental strictures by using fictitious reporters - in this case the names of Roman notables - see scan. 

The important news of the day was the Declaration of War against Britain by France and the counter declaration against France by the King - see scans. This marked the start of the War of Austrian Succession

An interesting account of the infamous Battle of Toulon is published by Admiral Matthews himself - Matthews and seven Captains were subsequently court-marshaled and dismissed from service for allowing the escape of the French Fleet out of port - see scan and below

On the domestic front the mortality tables for London confirm that approximately 35% of all deaths for the prior month were children below the age of 2 - childbirth was a risky affair at this time. 

 Progress is reported on the famous trial of J. Annesly vs. the Earl of Anglesey - see scan. Much excitement was being caused by sightings of a comet in London which was categorized as a "Great Comet" due to its level of brightness - see scan and below

 After six or twelve months the monthly issues were usually taken by the subscriber to the bookbinder for safe retention. In this case the issue has subsequently been dis-bound. At the end of the year the publisher would produce a cover page and Preface for the bookbinder to complete his work 

Good condition - visible binding holes to front and back pages - see scan. Page size 8 x 5 inches. 282 years old and a rare and important resource for the historian. 


The London Magazine is England’s oldest literary periodical, with a history stretching back to 1732. Today – reinvigorated for a new century – the Magazine’s essence remains unchanged: it is a home for the best writing and an indispensable feature on the British literary landscape.

Across a long life – spanning several incarnations – the pages of the Magazine have played host to a wide range of canonical writers, from Percy Bysshe Shelley, William Hazlitt and John Keats in the nineteenth century, to T.S. Eliot, W.H. Auden and Evelyn Waugh in the early twentieth century. Meanwhile, in recent decades the Magazine has published work by giants of contemporary fiction and poetry such as William Boyd, Nadine Gordimer, and Derek Walcott.

The London Magazine was founded in 1732 as The London Magazine, or Gentleman’s Monthly Intelligencer, a rival to the new, and popular, Gentleman’s Magazine.

Battle of Toulon (1744)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other battles in Toulon, see Battle of Toulon (1707) and Siege of Toulon.
Battle of Toulon
Part of the War of the Austrian Succession

British map of the battle
Date21 to 22 February 1744 New Style
11 to 12 February Old Style
Location
Off Toulon, Mediterranean Sea
ResultSee Aftermath[1]
Belligerents
Spain
France		Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Juan José Navarro
Claude de La Bruyère		Thomas Mathews
Richard Lestock
William Rowley
Strength
28 ships of the line 
4 frigates 
4 fireships		32 ships of the line 
2 frigates 
2 fireships 
1 hospital ship
Casualties and losses
149 killed 
467 wounded 
1 ship of the line scuttled		133 killed 
223 wounded 
17 captured[2]
1 fireship destroyed[2]

The Battle of Toulon[a] took place on 21 and 22 February 1744 NS[b] near the French Mediterranean port of Toulon. Although France was not yet at war with Britain, ships from their Levant Fleet supported an attempt by a Spanish force trapped in Toulon to break through the British Mediterranean Fleet.

The initial engagement on 21 February was indecisive, and the British continued their pursuit until midday on 22nd before their commander, Admiral Thomas Mathews, called off the chase. With several of his ships in need of repair, he withdrew to Menorca, which meant the British Royal Navy temporarily lost control of the waters around Italy and allowed the Spanish to take the offensive against Savoy.[3]

In his report, Mathews blamed his subordinate Richard Lestock for the failure to secure victory, and the issue was hotly debated in Parliament. At the subsequent court-martial, Mathews was held responsible and dismissed from the navy in June 1747, while Lestock's political connections meant he was cleared of all charges.[4] Another seven captains were removed from command for failing to engage the enemy and the investigation led to changes that required individual captains to be far more aggressive.