THOMAS ROBINSON, WAR CORRESPONDENT & POOL REPORTER FOR THE BRITISH PRESS, IS SENT "TO COLLECT THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS WHICH TAKE PLACE IN THE PENINSULA"

ALS - NEWS ARTICLE SENT TO SIR CHARLES STUART FOR CENSORSHIP

THE EARLIEST KNOWN USE OF A WAR CORRESPONDENT AS A POOL REPORTER, WHO DESCRIBES THE BRITISH WAR PRESS AS "DEVOURING MONSTERS WHICH WE POOR JACKALS HAVE TO PROVIDE WITH FOOD"

AN EXTREMELY COLOURFUL MEDIA LOOK AT THE PENINSULAR WAR - FRONT LINE POOL REPORTING FROM THE THEATER OF WAR JUST ISN'T WHAT IT USED TO BE - OR IS IT?

THIS DOCUMENT IS COVERED BY OUR WRITTEN, SIGNED AND SEALED
LIFETIME GUARANTEE OF AUTHENTICITY

Sir Charles Stuart, KCB, KTS, GCB, Baron of Rothesay
His Britannic Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Portugal

Transcription of Cover Letter:

[Lisbon - Monday December 17th, 1810]

May it please your Excellency,

     Being employed by the Editors of the newspapers to collect the most important events which take place in the Peninsula. I beg leave to enclose for your Excellency’s perusal and correction a slight sketch of the intended Paragraph which with your permission I shall send home to my Employers.
      Your Excellency will not wonder that considering the devouring monsters which we poor Jackals have to provide with food, that I should easily grasp at an occasion so resplendent as the enclosed. – I have the honor of subscribing myself.

Your Excellency’s
Most devoted
Humble Servant
Tho’s Robinson

Transcription of Article Submitted for Approval:

    Monday the 17th Dec^r [1810] being the Queen of Portugal’s Birthday was chosen by his Majesty’s Representative at Lisbon [Sir Charles Stuart, His Excellency the British Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Portugal] for the ceremony of presenting the Colours to the Marine Brigade. This fine body of men being drawn out on the Great Square of the Inquisition, the windows and tops of all the houses were lined with the Inhabitants of the Great Metropolis to witness the gratifying sight. His Majesty’s Minister [Sir Charles] with his suite, accompanied by the Admirals and Commander in Chief [Wellington] and other Officers, whom either duty, pleasure or Health, called to Lisbon from the Army, advanced to the middle of the Square opposite of the Battalion, began the ceremony by firing a salute in honor of his Excellency, and afterwards the flank Company proceeded by a Magnificent band of Musick with the Commanding Field Officer of the Battalion, and two Eldest Ensigns at their head, marched out to where the Minister stood, who taking the Colours from the two Serjeants who carried them after taking the covering off, presented them to the two Ensigns, at the same time delivering a most eloquent, neat and appropriate speech, in which he expatiated upon the Sobriety and Good Conduct of the Corps, and of the various and important duties which they were called upon to fulfill, he pointed out to them in the Strongest terms: The Wisdom, Energy and Celerity with which all the functions of the Government they came to assist were fulfilled, and of their inexhaustible stores of knowledge, as Priests, Statesmen, Generals and Sea Officers.
     Whilst his Excellency was delivering the excellent harangue his attendants were very properly employed in bestowing their smiles and favors upon the surrounding Crowd of beautiful women, and many a tender heart and dark pair of Eyes fell victim to the impassioned Glares of these Enamoured Swains – To add to the novelty and variety of this splendid scene, all the Officers of the British Navy and Army were in their best attire – The former looked rather shabbily in their dingey Regulation Blue and White when compared to all the variegated colours of the Rainbow which the diversified costume of their fellow Warriors displayed, a Costume which has happily met with the most perfect concurrence of that sage Warrior [Wellington] whose tactical knowledge has justly placed him at the Horse Guards, to Rule over, the Red, the Blue, the Yellow, the Green, Velvet Waistcoats, laced Pantaloons, Talavera Buttons, Polish Jews Caps, and Be-jewelled fingers, of the champions of the world, and it is perhaps no small compliment to the discernment of that venerable Man [Wellington], that all these intelligent and ardent spirits – who have emerged from the Recesses of learning in Great Britain for the sole purpose of hereafter reciting the acts of Valour they have witnessed at a distance, have not only adopted the System of dress worn by these distinguished Military Characters, but by a happy Combination of all the various parts of what they have noticed as most particular in their dress, they have rendered the puny efforts of the Tailors of Harlequin, at Sadlers Wells, and Covent Garden perfectly contemptible, rivaling the bearded Pard and Ourang Outang and that great Repository of nature Mr Peacocks, who now must hide their diminished heads, when they contemplate the ferocious looks of these warlike Whiskered Youths.
   The Speech being concluded, the Troops saluted their Colours, the Band playing God Save the King, which was re-echoed from every true English & Portuguese Heart, and the Battalion then marched in slow time by his Majesty’s Minister, and embarked in their Boats in the same manner as they came. After this His Excellency gave a Grand Entertainment to all the officers of the Navy, Army, and Marines, and the Evening concluded with a Grand Gala at the Opera House, in which the unrivalled Musick of Marco Portugallo and the combined efforts of the whole Corps de Ballet tickled the Ears, and feasted the Eyes of a most numerous and brilliant audience, after which the Company retired to their different avocations, but as this part of the festivity is Lewdere cum Sacris we must drop the curtain."

   Sir Charles Stuart, as the British Foreign Minister in Lisbon, was well known for his extravagant Dinners, Balls and Galas; invitations to such were avidly sought by those who had to pass their time in Lisbon Society during the War. It seems in passing a bit odd that Robinson takes such a shot at the Navy dress blues. It also reflects quite an interesting set of "ground rules" in terms of reporting where all newspaper articles to be filed back to England first had to pass muster with the Envoy. In the event, we find this to be an unusual and particularly entertaining diversion from the blood, sweat, and tears of the battlegrounds. But this was a time of relief in the capital as Wellington's masterful defense works, the Lines at Torres Vedras, had recently staved off French Marshal Massena's advance on Lisbon and driven him back into Spain. For the nonce it was a time of balls and galas and the pool reporter was clearly sucking up to the Minister Plenipotentiary, no doubt to keep getting those important invitations. Still a very nice piece of Peninsular War Media History.

      At this time, it was customary for news reports of the war to reach England either through military despatches (see Admiral Berkeley letters 1810) which would appear in the Gazette in London, or through Merchantmen (see Gen Trant Letter Oporto 1813) in the normal course of business. This however was to change in the Peninsular War when the first known "special correspondent" and the first known "pool reporter" were used to report upon a foreign war.
     Our belief that this document represents the earliest known use of an English War Correspondent as a "pool reporter" is based upon the following information. Henry Crabb Robinson - no relation that we can yet determine - a noted Continental Scholar, was sent with Sir John Moore on the Coruña Expedition, "being the first English journalist who acted in that capacity." He returned to England. In 1810 Thomas Robinson, in this letter details that he is: "employed by the Editors of the newspapers to collect the most important events which take place in the Peninsula." As he refers to newspapers in the plural and further reports them as "devouring monsters", it is our opinion that he was a pool reporter representing the common news gathering interests of the English press at large.  
     “When the Spaniards rose against the French in 1808, [Henry Crabb] Robinson was entrusted by the conductors of the ‘Times’ with the duty of special correspondent in the Peninsula, being the first English journalist who acted in that capacity. He landed at Coruña, the first letter appearing on 9 August 1808, the last on 26 Jan. 1809. … He heard the cannonading, saw the wounded and French prisoners brought to Coruña, waited till the enemy had been driven back, when he embarked for England, reaching Falmouth on the 26th. He reoccupied his post in the ‘Times’ office till 20 Sep 1809 when he left to begin his terms at the Middle Temple.”
[Henry Crabb Robinson (1775-1867) diarist – Dictionary of National Biography, edited by Sidney Lee, McMillan Company, London 1909]

Notes

"Harlequin" Harlequin (Arlecchino in Italian, Arlequin in French) is the most popular of the zanni or comic servant characters from the Italian Commedia dell'Arte. Though a minor supporting role, it is always brilliantly dressed in a costume of many colours. The role and character's origins are the subject of great debate.

"Sadler Wells" A saucy Theater then on the outskirts of London which began with the discovery of a mineral spring by Richard Sadler, in Islington (North London) and still in existence in its sixth reincarnation. Founded 1683.

"Covent Garden" An area in Central London dominated by shops, street performers and music halls and the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, which is also widely known simply as "Covent Garden".

"Ourang Outang": is Orangutan - known for its colorful face

"Bearded Pard": This is a Shakespearean reference culled from Jacques' famous "All the world's a stage speech" ["As You Like It", Act 2, Scene 7] where it appears as the line: "Then a soldier, Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard". Usually thought to mean: as hairy as a leopard, in this case more likely a "dandy" leopard. This likely was meant to comport with Robinson's latter comment about "the ferocious looks of these warlike Whiskered Youths.

Lewdere cum Sacris - Appointed trysts
                                                                                                                    Sadler Wells Theater circa 1808

Marco Portugallo - Marcos Antônio da Fonseca Portugal was born in Lisbon in 1762 and died in Rio de Janeiro in 1830. He studied under the composer João de Sousa Carvalho at the Patriarchal Seminary, the only music school in Lisbon at that time. He began his career as an opera composer in 1786, when he was appointed maestro at the new Salitre Theatre in Lisbon. In 1807 the Royal Family and court fled to Rio de Janeiro, as a consequence of the first Napoleonic invasion. The composer, however, chose to remain in Lisbon and was forced by the French troops to direct a new opera to celebrate the French Emperor’s birthday in August 1808. What he actually directed was a new version of the opera Demofoonte, originally composed for La Scala, Milan, in 1794. In January 1811 he left for Brazil, together with his brother Simão Portugal, and following his arrival was immediately reappointed mestre de capela of the Royal Chapel. Upon its inauguration in 1813, he was also appointed director of the Teatro de São João, Rio de Janeiro. During the years he spent in Rio, he dedicated himself principally to the composition of sacred music.

Document Specifications:  A fine handwritten ALS cover letter and very fine news account draft signed by Thomas Robinson as Pool reporter for the English Newspapers and dated by reference Monday, December 17th 1810. Folded letter measures 10" tall x 8" wide (252mm x 204mm). On two folded sheets (forming eight pages) of gilt-edged, cream stock, wove paper, watermarked "H WILLMOTT 1808", with a piece missing from the lower left front of the cover letter and some edge toning along the right side of the cover letter page (as shown). News Account draft has what looks to be a match head burn mark as shown. Writing is on four pages as shown. This is a scarce look into the media/government relationship that existed in the Peninsular War, and a delightful period piece with many relevant references to events and places of the day. We believe this to be the earliest known field report of an English War Correspondent Pool Reporter and as such an exceptional piece to any collection. From the Stuart Correspondence.

 Offered by Berryhill & Sturgeon, Ltd

End of Item - BSL - 1810 Robinson Pool Report

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