Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1914-10-08
OLD LONDON JOURNAL
GAZETTE ~ MOST VENERABLE
ssTrIsH NEWSPAPER.
Publication Hss for Two Hundred and
Fifty Year, oreiaIIy cnrurieied
tire Histery Of the Island
Emcfr~.

Modern newspaper enterprise has
somewhat dvarted the importance OF
the London Gazette. Britain's oldest
newspaper. which for $50 a has
officially chronicled the history Of the
country. Today Il Is practically only
used for such announcements as the
kings birthday honors list and legal
notices. Time was. however. when the
Gazette was the only medium through
which the public could learn any for
eign news or any public announcement
which royalty and statesmen had 10
make.
Nowadays such announcements.
while being sent to the London Ca
zetfe. are simultaneously communt
Gated to the more important nswspa-
pers. But even today the London Ca
zette Is controlled by the government.
and a particularly vatchfaI eye 10 kept
on the advertisements IN its pages.
which are regulated by law These
advertisements are mostly OF an Official
or legal character. Of which Il Is nee
essay to keep n record. and earn for
the nation about $4,000 a year. No
great manufacturer could obtain a puff
IN it's pages. ven though he we're will
ing TO pay $4,000 a line for IL. Alto
xsther. the Gazette yields the country
a profit Of about 100000 a year. al
though practically the only people
who buy il are government officials
and lawyers.
One Of the most curious facts regard
ing the London Gazette is that while IL
is Brftain's oldest newspaper. 1t is also
One Of the youngest. in the sense that
il was not until 1893 thar IL was regis
tered at the general post Office for
transmission by inland post as n
newspaper Previously IL had been re-
garded as 4 government publication
only. and a dispatched % H VI.
SIN this way escaping postal
charges altogether. But apparently the
government saw a way to reap a few
extra halfpence by having il regis
tered
The Gazette varies in size very con
siderahiy. Sometimes il consists mere
" OF page. and sometimes OF be-
tween four and five hundred. but the
price always remains the same. viz.
n shilling. There was one memor
able week in IS47. which was known
as the Railway Year. when so many
parliamentary notices had to be pub
lished thar the Gazette for the week
totaled about three thousand pages
One Of the most interesting numbers
Of the Gazette ever published was the
Diamond Jubilee number. the whole
paper being devoted TO an Official rec
ord Of that historic celebration
As an Illustration Of the importance
Of the Gazette in the old days. il
might be mentioned that as recently
as the Crimean war the Gazette was
the first to publish that important item
Of news. the victory Of Alma. At one
time the London newspapers had to
wait for the publication Of the Gazette
in order To secure such news Of public
importance n the LIST Of casualties.
which the war Office in those days sent
direct to Fleet street
II - the proud boast OF MessrsL
Harrison. who for more than one hun
drsd md thirty years published thu
London Gazette. that although kings
and cabinet minister's contributed 10
M during thu TINA rhey pub
MnhsA tha pApar. ana a1thouaA thou'
sands % employees we're Engaged on
the work Of producing the Gazette. nc
Official secrets sent 10 them for publ
cation have ever leaked out
The Gazette Is probably the only pa
per which returns the original copy to
It's authors along with the proof This
Is done IN the case Of communications
from soversigns and cabinet ministers