342 NEWSPAPERS are numerous, but very ephemeral. The long- est-lived and best known is the Tradicionista of Bogota. The "Panama Star and Herald," which can hardly be classed as a Colombian paper, has considerable commercial importance. In Mexico the oldest and most important daily is the Siglo XIX. ; there are also the Univer- sal, Revista Universal, Idea Progresista, and Iberia, all published in the city of Mexico. At Vera Cruz the Pensamiento is an important paper. In Cuba the chief journals are the following, at Havana: Diario de la Marina, Espaila, Progreso, and Voz de Cuba. Three dailies are published at Cienfuegos, two at Santiago, two at Matanzas, and two at Sagua la Grande. The first American newspaper was issued at Boston, Sept. 25, 1690. It was printed by Richard Pierce and published by Benjamin Harris, and was intended to be issued once a month, but was immediately suppressed by the authorities. The only copy known to be in existence is in the state paper office in London, and it is headed "Publick Occurrences, both Foreign and Domestick." The " Boston News Letter," published by John Campbell, appeared April 24, 1704, and continued to be issued weekly till 1776. It was followed by the " Boston Gazette," Dec. 21, 1719 ; and the "American Weekly Mercu- rie " was issued by Andrew Bradford at Phil- adelphia, Dec. 22, 1719. On Aug. 17, 1721, James Franklin, elder brother of Benjamin Franklin, established at Boston the " New England Courant " (weekly), which soon be- came involved in a violent controversy with the Rev. Increase Mather and other ministers on the subject of inoculation, and was so free in its remarks on public affairs, that in 1722 the legislature issued an order forbidding James Franklin " to print or publish the ' New England Courant ' or any other pamphlet or paper of the like nature, except it be first supervised by the secretary of this province." James Franklin's name was consequently taken from the paper, and that of Benjamin, then but 16 years of age, and an apprentice in the office, was substituted. In the " Courant " he began his literary career, and at this period he was one of the most frequent and pungent of its writers. On Oct. 16, 1725, William Brad- ford, father of Andrew Bradford of Phil- adelphia, began the publication of the "New York Gazette," the first newspaper issued in that city. In 1728 Benjamin Franklin estab- lished in Philadelphia the " Pennsylvania Ga- zette," which continued under different pub- lishers till Nov. 3, 1845, when it was merged in the " North American." In 1754 four news- papers were published in Boston, two in New York, two in Philadelphia, and the " Virginia Gazette" at Williamsburg, which was first issued in 1736 by William Parks, who had pre- viously published for nine years the " Maryland Gazette" at Annapolis. In 1776 seven were published in Massachusetts, one in New Hamp- shire, two in Rhode Island, four in Connecti- cut, four in New York, nine in Pennsylvania, two each in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina, three in South Carolina, and one in Georgia in all, 37. These were all weeklies, with the exception of the "Advertiser" of Philadelphia, which was semi-weekly. Dur- ing the revolution the principal journal in Bos- ton was the " Gazette," established in April, 1755. In this journal John Adams, under the signature of Novanglus, wrote in 1775 a se- ries of papers in defence of the colonial cause. The "Massachusetts Spy," edited by Isaiah Thomas, the historian of American printing, was established in Boston March 7, 1771, and removed to Worcester in 1775, where it is still published under the title of the "Worcester Spy." In New York, during the revolution, Rivington's "Royal Gazette," established in 1773, was a zealous supporter of the royal cause, and was discontinued soon after the peace of 1783. In 1797 was established the " Commercial Advertiser," now the oldest of New York newspapers. In 1800 the number of newspapers in the United States had in- creased to 200, of which several were dailies, the first daily having been the "Pennsylva- nia Packet, or the General Advertiser," called afterward the " Daily Advertiser," which con- tinued to be issued daily from 1784 to 1837. In 1801 the "Evening Post" was founded by William Coleman, and William 0. Bryant, Wil- liam Leggett, and Parke Godwin have been its editors. The " National Intelligencer " was founded at Washington by Samuel Harrison Smith, and was first issued as a tri-weekly on Oct. 31, 1800. Joseph Gales became connect- ed with it in 1807, and continued its editor till his death in 1860. In 1812 he took into part- nership his brother-in-law, William W. Seaton, by whom the journal was edited till January, 1865. It was issued as a daily from January, 1813, to 1869, when it was discontinued. From 1800 to 1810 the number and circulation of American newspapers largely increased. By the census of 1810 the number of journals was 359, of which 27 were dailies, and the total annual issue was 22,321,000 copies. In 1824 there were 11 daily newspapers in Philadel- phia and 12 in New York, with a circulation varying from 1,000 to 4,000 copies. In 1828 the whole number had increased to 852, with a yearly issue of 68,117,796 copies. In 1830 the number was estimated at 1,000. The cen- sus of 1840 returned 1,631 newspapers, with a yearly issue of 195,838,673 copies; in 1850 the number had reached 2,526 newspapers, with 5,142,177 circulation, and a yearly issue of 426,409,978 copies; in 1860, 4,501 news- papers, 13,663,409 circulation, yearly issue 927,951,548 copies; and in 1870, 5,871 news- papers, 20,842,475 circulation, yearly issue 1,508,548,250 copies. Rowell's "American Newspaper Directory " (New York) gives the following table showing the number of news- papers published in the United States and territories and British America in 1874:
