"intelligence office", 1764 & 1768

[Joel S. Berson]

"intelligence office", 1764 and 1768, interdates OED  1692--1856.

The two earliest I found from Early American Newspapers:
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New-York Mercury, published as The New-York Mercury; Date:
01-09-1764; Issue: 637; Page: [2], col. 1.  Article datelined London,
October 27.  I note also the "take their R's off", which I'm sure
someone here can explain; perhaps a branding (or sewn letter?)
standing for "rogue"?

"Yesterday about noon a publican in Shore-ditch, and one Mr.
Phillips, who keeps an intelligence office in Finch-lane, were
brought before Alderman Dickenson at Guildhall, by a large body of
sailors, who charged Mr. P. with having taken divers sums of money
from sailors at the publican's house, under pretence of getting the
government to take their R's off, which the sailors believed was only
a deceit".
-----
Boston Gazette, published as The Boston Gazette, and Country Journal;
Date: 07-25-1768; Issue: 695; Page: [3],  col. 2.  A useful
(earliest?) description of what someone opening an intelligence
office does.  (The OED may need to expand its definition!)  Note the
various types of workers wanted or offered.

"There is now opened ... an Intelligence Office.---If any Merchants,
Masters of Vessels or others, have got any Sort of Merchandize Goods,
Vessels, Lands, Houses, Negroes or Servants, to sell cheap for Cash,
or any Vessels to Charter, Houses, Lands, Shops, Rooms or Lodgings to
Let, by entering them in this Office, Paying Two Shillings lawful,
may soon be inform'd of Purchasers, Charters, or Hireers [sic]; and
those that wants to Purchase, Charter or Hire any of the above, shall
be inform'd gratis where, if any, be enter'd in the Office.---If any
Person has got any Money to lend, or wants to borrow Money, if they
apply to this Office and pay Two Shillings, both Wants may soon be
supply'd, and the Obligations drawn between them at said Office, and
the Secret kept.---If any Masters want Journeymen, or Journeymen
Masters; if Men or Women wants Places of Service, by a[ttend]ing to
this Office and paying Two Shillings, the Parties may soon be
supply'd---The Intelligencer assures the Public, that he created this
Office to serve them as well as himself, and with no Design to
Prejudice any other Profession, and therefore hopes that in this
Undertaking he has given Offence to none; but if his Designs should
prove serviceable, it will give great Satisfaction to him, who begs
to subscribe himself the Publick's
      Most humble Servant, D. Leigh
N.B. Choice good and fine Bottle Beer brewed in this Province, to be
sold at the above Office, by the Dozen Bottles, for Three Pounds ten
Shillings Old Tenor per Dozen---If the Bottles are returned or
exchanged, the Beer to be Forty Shillings Old Tenor per Dozen."
-----
"Intelligencer" -- new sense?

I doubt if no one was offended by the competition from this new
undertaking -- particularly the publisher of the Gazette, who likely
was offering some of the same services himself!

We have here an early example of eco-friendly recycling, with bottle
deposits.  (The deposit is about 40%! -- 30 p. on a 70 p. bottle.)

Finally, "Old Tenor" held on long past the ode to his demise.

Joel

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