The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-08-14
Mtscellameolts.
HISTORY OF NEWSPAPERS.


AT late meeting of the British Statistical
Society in London, the following paper was
read by Mr.. p. L. Smmonds:
In 1886, there were but newspapers publish
ed in London, all of them at weekly intervals
In 1909 the number had increased to Is, of
which | was published daily In 1924 there
were daily 6 weekly, 7 three times week, 3
haltpenny posts, and the London Gazette twice
a week.
In 1892 13 daily, and 20 semi-weekly and
weekly papers. In 1886, when the stamp duty
was 4d. the total number of stamps issued for
the United Kingdom was 35,576.057 In 1889,
5S,5l7 S62. The consumption of stamps has,
therefore, increased GA per cent since the re-
ducton of the duty. The Oldest existing Lon
don papers are, the English Chronicle, or
Whitehall Evening Post, which was started IN
l747; the st. James's Chronicle, l76l; and the
Morning Chronicle, 1869. The Oldest existing
Provincial papers are, the Lincoln Mercury,
published at Stamford, 1895; the Ipswich Jour
nal 1897; Bath Journal, l7f2; Birmingham
Gazette, 17ll; Chester Courant, 1898; Derby
Mercury, 1912. The Oldest paper in Ireland is
the Bedford News Letter, which was COM
menced in 1887. In Scotland, the Edinburgh
Evening Couranl is the oldest paper, having
been first published in 1705. Newspapers are
printed in every county in England with one
xception-Rutland. In Wales, there are six
counties in which papers are not published, viz.
Anglesea, Cardigan, Denbigh, Montgomery,
Pembroke, and Radnor In Scotland there are
Is out of the 80 countless and in Ireland, only
out of the 33 cou..ties. In England there are
no daily papers published out of London. There
are papers published in Guernsey, in jersey.
and s. in the Isle Of Man-al unstamped.
SO far back as 1905, under Henry w., jour
nal, called the Uercure de France appeared
regularly in Paris, and was published by Richen,
Brothers, booksellers, till 1885, when DIR. Re-
naudot took it up, and carried it on till l6l4-
1t was continued by Messrs. Freseller and La
Rirere till 1872, when it was called the Mercure
| Gallant, which name il retained until l7l0, when
! it assumed the name of the Garde Meuble Par
nessee. In IVA it resumed its old name OF
Mercure de France; and IN ZIG took that OF
Nouveau Mercure; but in 1921 resumed once
NOR, its original appellation, and retained it till
the Revolution. 1t forms collection OF nearly
| 1000 volumes The total number Of journals
| and periodicals IN Paris in 1870, was 3D. The
number published Immediately before the Revo-
luton was 1863, Of which II were political, and
| 1872 of literary, scientific, religious charac-
ter. The number of provincial journals at that
date was between 20 and so Paris has now
| upward OF 81 daily papers, the average sale OF
which exceeds 10000 copies per diem, while
London has only daily papers, with a sale OF
| about $4,000 per diem. The total number oil
periodical journals pu )ished in France IN 1897,
was 776, of which 1926 belonged to Paris
The first Journal published in the United
| States was the "Boston News Letter." which
appeared in 1904 No sufficient data exist fol-
computing, with any degree of accuracy the
number of copies of newspapers at present an
nually circulated in the United States; but =