KENTISH GAZETTE, Canterbury, England, Jan. 10, 1794

• Uncommon 18th century publication

A handsome issue of the 18th century from this famous town, with two decorative embellishments in the masthead & ornate lettering in the title.
Page 3 has a quite brief--yet notable--report from Paris on the arrest of Thomas Paine: "Anacharsis Cleotz and Thomas Paine, deprived by a Decree of the Convention of their Seats, have been arrested, and seals put upon their paper." 
Thomas Paine is arrested in France for treason. Though the charges against him were never detailed, he had been tried in absentia on December 26 and convicted. Before moving to France, Paine became famous for authoring Common Sense. Paine later moved to Paris to become involved with the French Revolution, but the chaotic political climate turned against him and he was arrested and jailed for crimes against the country. 
Four pages, red tax stamp on the front page, good condition.

Background: This 1795 edition of the Kentish Gazette is more than a newspaper; it is a museum-grade "time capsule" from the volatile dawn of the modern world. Adorned with a strikingly ornate Georgian masthead and the prestigious red-ink Royal Tax Stamp—a literal mark of the Crown’s "tax on knowledge"—this issue captures England at a fever pitch, gripped by the existential threat of the Napoleonic Wars and the domestic "Bread Riots" of the Great Scarcity. Unlike the brittle, yellowed newsprint of the modern era, this rare specimen is printed on durable, high-rag-content linen paper, preserving its crisp typography and vivid advertisements for everything from stagecoaches to lost estates in breathtaking detail. For the discerning collector, it offers a visceral, tactile connection to the 18th century, standing as a sophisticated centerpiece that marries the elegance of Enlightenment-era design with the raw, unedited drama of British history.