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    THE HISTORY OF BRITISH JOURNALISM

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    LITERATURE, SCIENCE, ART,

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    Untitled Article

    As a n immense relief to a week otherwise barren in matters of literary interest , comes Mrs . Grace Dalrymple Elliott ' s " Journal of My . Life During the French Revolution ; " an interesting book in every sense , both for the matter of the journal , the story of the authoress ; and the luxe of type and engraving which Mr . Bcntley has had the good taste to lavish upon it . As Mrs . Elliott was what is sometimes called a doubtful " character , " we may be sure that much curiosity will be excited as to her

    revelations ; and , as if determined that the appetite of the c urious should not be balked , the editor of the journal has favoured the reader with a glimpse of her in Carlton-house ; It is a matter of speculation in literary circles how such a document ever found its way into Mr . Bentley ' s hands ; but it is whispered that the family of Sir David Dundas , physician to George III ., at whose suggestion the journal was written for the amusement of his Royal patient , knew something of the matter . But we must not anticipate ; the

    book will receive ample and detailed notice in these columns . A curious work , entitled " Frederick the Great and his Merchant" ( Bentley ) , translated by Lady Wallace from the German ; a bombastical poem by Edward Fitzball , Esq ., author of " Nitocris , " styled " Bhanavar , " and issued with much luxury of type arid engraving ,- —these are the most notable , books of the week . " The subject of the last is borrowed from George Meredith s charming work , " The Shaving of Shagpat . " . Scarcely enough to satisfy the grudgings of the ' Published-Circular . Of works talked about , \ ve note a promise of some

    notes on Italy collected by Lord Broughton during many visits thither . Glad are we to welcome back a pen that has long been idle in literary work , busy as it may have been in political business . TJi . e friend of Byron , the author of the " Travels in Albania , " and one of the founders of the Weslmitister Review , the antecedents of John Cam Hobhouse are so thoroughly literary , that we can scarcely regard him in any other light , Tennyson ' s new poem , " King Arthur , " is much talked of , an d is even said to be in the press . To borrow a

    mercantile figure , should the bulk be equal in quality to the splendid sample of the " Mortc d'Arthur , " this will , indeed , bo his magnum opus . If it be not , the contrast will be so violont between the fragmcntal masterpiece and its surroundings , that the failure will be all the greater for the partial success . Sir "William Hamilton ' s " Lectures on Philosophy , " and another series of Mr . Helps ' s "Friends in Council , " are also to appear shortly . Certainly the foroign book-market is at this present time much busier than ours . In Paris the

    most notable appearances arc the three last volumes of the works of M . Brifaut , edited by his friends MM . Hives and Bignan . Madame Charles Keybaud ( the wife of the celebrated writer of that name ) has published three romances , called " Sidonic , " "Mis < 5 Brun , " and " Faustinc , " which have been received with great approbation . Strange to say , the Seventh Commandment is not broken by any of the characters , and yet the talcs have gained popularity . Surely a sign of the times , and one auguring better things for Franco ! Dumas is publishing in the Sticlc , as one of the results of lus Russian journey ( for Alqxandro lc Grand usually makes his travels as profitable to him as Mr . Albort Smith docs Jus ) , a scries of lettors on tho emancipation of the serfs m Russia , which is attracting attention . Tho series will bo a long one ,

    for ho has only got as far as tho yoar 085 ab wrhe oondita . M . Mignard , tho eminent archaeologist and littfoatvvr , hns just published a Provencal romance of tho fourtopnth contury , written by Girard do Rossillon , of which tho curious in suoh matters spoak in torms of high praise . In the German book world tho only groat novelty which calls for spcoial nolioo is a contribution to tho literaturo of Islamism , being a "Chrouielo of is 9 ty ° * Meooa , " by Cutb-cd-Din , a Mosloin who lived 990 of tho Kogira . ' To thoao who have mado taom . se . lves aoquaintod with Captain Burton ' s most interesting aboount of that oity , and of his adventures in penetrating to tho heart of Mo .

    hammedanism , under the disguise of a true believer , this work will possess great interest . Italy adds little to the library , but the cognoscenti of Rome are anticipating with , much curiosity De Rossi ' s work on the " Catacombs , " which , though long announced , has not . yet made its appearance . Apropos of Rome , it will not be out of place to mention that , among the crowds of English visitors now awaiting the Heir Apparent in the Eternal City , is Mrs . Browning , whose fragile Ital

    health drives her to the sunny clime of y . From Australia , we Lave intelligence of a pleasant book of travels , entitled , "A Trip to Tahiti , " by W . K . Bull . ( Melbourne : E . Ray and Co . ) Mr . Bull , it appears , is a gentleman who , having nothing better to employ his time ; hit upon the curious notion of taking a pleasant trip to the South Sea , and has brought back with him the materials for this book . Mr . Bull , it is said , like his great prototype , displays very anti-Gallican tendencies ; for he is never so happy

    as when he is having a fling at the JJrenen . It may afford some satisfaction to adventurous tourists to learn that Mr . Bull did not find his trip to the realms of Queen Pomafe a very expensive one . Starting from Melbourne , and spending six months in the islands j it did not cost him more than 140 / . Before quitting this antipodean wanderer , we are tempted to subjoin one of has anecdotes , which goes far to prove that candour and good sense are not wanting among the damsels of these climes . It seems that a certain young lady at Raratonga was taken to be married to a o-f-nflfinian . the match havin < r been entirely con

    cocted between the parents , without consulting the parties principally interested in the slightest way . The ceremony ( which appears to have been performed according to the ritual of the English Church ) proceeded until the lady was asked , " Wilt thou have this man for thy husband ? " To which she replied , " No . " " No ! " why not ? " " Because , " said the bride , with the most unreserved sincerity , " because I don't like him . " The three judges of Fate for the Crystal Palace are reported to be hard at work upon their Burns ' s " Odes "—doubtless repentant by this time of the awful task . Many suggestions appear in the public prints as to the mode and conduct of the ceremony ; how the name of the fortunate bard is to be announced ; how the chosen poem is to be recited to '

    the populace ; whether the bard himself is to be the mouthpiece , or whether the golden lines are to roll forth upon the majestic accents of Mr . Phelps ; all these points are powerfully exciting the atteution of the hopeful aspirants and of the Directors of the Crystal Palace . Let us hope , meanwhile , that taste and good counsel will prevail , and that the great model of the Olympic games will not be neglected . Surely some actor may be found sufficiently imbued with classic lore to impersonate the president of the games in appropriate costume , and to bind tho wreath of laurel upon the brow of the happy bard . Let tho whole mattor be arranged according to the best information on the subject , costumes , altars , processions of music , as correct as possible , and wo arc quite sure that tho public will derive a compensating amount of amusomont , if not of instruction .

    The History Of British Journalism

    THE HISTORY OF BRITISH JOURNALISM . The History of British Jotimalism . I 3 y Alexander Andrews . Two vola . Riolmrd Bentloy . Mr , Andrews in tho present volumes has token fjossossion of ground whioh may be considered as Ittlo , if at all , ocoupiod . Mr . Knight Hunt ' s book upon tho " Fourth Estate" was nothing more , as its author admits , but a few contributions hurriodly thrown togothcr towards a history of newspapers . Its compiler was constitutionally moapablo of performing any task that required steady industry and laborious research , oven if his many ongagoinonts upon tho dail y press had not . fully occupied his tinio . A number ot lectures delivered at various litorary institutions , ' a number p'f articles scattered about in magazines and reviews ! with incidental allusions in biographies and encyclopaedias , can hardly havo done more than prepare the way for suoh a work as the one before us . Anything that oan be said of tho importance of tho subject treated oan sonrcoly

    be ian exaggeration , and the history of the struggles of a free press is the history of all good and wholesome reforms . Whatever advantages we now enjoy have only been obtained by an earnest , steady suffering hand-to-hand combat with the governing classes . The work is not yet complete . The wartax upon paper yet trembles in the balance ; let it be kicked over . The censorship of printing and speaking is gone forever ; the censorship of plays still remains . Even as we write , and while we are pitying the Emperor of the Trench in his Montalembert defeat , our own infallible Government is contending in Ireland with a number of Moore ' s prophetic Almanack 1 We could see the absurdity of this if it had happened in Paris : shall we be

    equally clear-sighted when the folly is enacted nearer home ? ¦ B i Mr . Andrews must not be taken as a perfectly reliable guide , although he has been nibbling at bis subject for some years past in the pages of the New Monthly Magazine . He has collected names and dates with ordinary British Museum research ; he has gathered much of the floating gossip concerning the very recent press celebrities , or the contemporary men of the . day , and he has arranged his materials in chronolog ical order , for which he deserves the thanks of his readers . His work is necessarily imperfect , because it covers too wide a field , and is too great a : task for anyone man to perform for love , money , or fame . Hardly one date

    or so-called fact of literary history will bear the test of a rigid examination , and no man can be pro * nounced an unerring guide who has to deal with , hundreds of such slippery items . The ordinary , or extraordinary pay of literary labour would hot compensate any writer for the time expended and the expense incurred in obtaining a perfect verification of details ; and it is no discredit to Mr . Andrews to say that a thorough history of British . ¦ Journalism can only be produced by an enthusiastic capitalist , or with the funds of a learned society . Going through our author ' s two volumes , we will present our readers with some of those heads of information which he has been the first to gather and arrange in

    a chronological f orni . ; # Setting aside the English Mercurie , which long held its ground as the first reputed English newspaper , but which has lieen proved to be a forgery , the list begins with news-books , bearing some such title as the following : — " Newe Newes , containing a short rehearsal of Stukely ' s and Morice ' s Rebellion , " 4 to , 1579 ; publications which continued up to 1 G 20 , inclusive . The first of any regular series of newspapers

    preserved in the British Museum , is dated 23 rd May 1622 , and entitled "The Weekly Newes from Ital > Germanic , &c . London : printed b y J . D ., for Nicholas Bourne and Thomas Archer . In 1610 the editorial " we" was adopted by the printer , who was the ostensible director of the paper , to whom all letters were addressed . This plan continued until about 1740 , when they were sent to the author .

    A few years later—about 1645—we come upon a crop of " Mercuries , " the name whioh the newspapers of the timo then assumed . Some of them were remarkable for odd titles , as " A Preter-pluper * feet Spick-and-span new Nocturnal ; or , Merdurie ' s Weekly Night Newes , " 1645 . "A Wonder ! A Merqurio without a lye in his mouth , " 4 to , 1648 . Tuo great press-writer at this time was March ' monfc Hedham ( born 1620 , died 1678 ) , who , like many of his modem imitators , was not particular on which side he wrote . Contemporary with , and antagonistic to Hedham , was John Birkenhead , wha was assisted by Peter Hoylin . These three men may bo oonsidorod as tho principal Moroury writers

    of thoir time , and their organs came out at hr 3 t once a wcok , afterwards thrioo , but certainly never daily . It is at this period ( 1648 ) that tho first advortieomont appeared , inserted in tho Impartial Intolliffonoor by a gentleman at Qaudish , in Suffolk , offering a reward for two horses that had been stolen from-hiin , Tho first illustrated paper was also a Mercury ( London ' s Intelligencer ) , which came out in 1643 with a varioty of rude woodcuts . , About 1647 tho press was put under official restrictions , and n licensor was appointed whoso name

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    LITERARY CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK .

    Literature, Science, Art,

    LITERATURE , SCIENCE , ART ,

    Untitled Article

    No ; 460 / January 15 , lggg . ] THE -LEADER . 7 S

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 15, 1859, page 73, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2277/page/9/