Madras is the oldest daily in that city. In all, five dailies in English are conducted by natives. There are in the Empire about 140 English and about 300 native newspapers. The largest circulation of the latter is 25,000, and most circulate a few hundreds. The vernacular press is for the most part bitterly opposed to the Government, and is generally edited by Bengalis.
Australasia and South Africa. Journalism in Australia began with the Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser (1803-04), of which but one complete file is in existence at the Sydney Government House. The history of journalism in Australia is scattered with failures from 1810 to 1860. But to-day the dailies and weeklies of large circulation are numerous. Though the press has been established in the small towns, the great journalistic centres are Melbourne and Sydney; and next to them, Adelaide and Brisbane. We may cite for Melbourne, the Argus, the Age, and the numerous journals devoted to building, mining, stock-raising, and shipping; for New South Wales, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian Star, and the Daily Telegraph; for South Australia, the Register; for Queensland, the Brisbane Courier. The Australian papers are remarkable for the large number of pages in an issue, larger in proportion to population and circulation than in any other country, particularly in the case of weeklies.
New Zealand's first paper was the New Zealand Herald (1841), now consolidated with the Auckland News. It was published for a year, revived (1863) by W. C. Wilson, and merged in its present ownership (1864). It is one of two dailies in Auckland. The Times, Wellington, is a typical and leading daily. A Maori paper, Te Pakio Matirki, is published by a former chief, Tawhiao. The newspaper has followed the colonist to Cape Colony, Natal, and to other British possessions in Africa, and throughout the world. Cape Colony has several weeklies and three dailies, of which may be mentioned the Cape Argus and the Cape Times, both daily and weekly.
France. The now flourishing Gazette de France (daily) is the oldest of all French newspapers. As the Gazette it was established at Paris in 1631 under the patronage of Richelieu by Théophraste Renaudot (1584-1653). It first appeared weekly with a monthly supplement, and afterwards as a semi-weekly. Being thus a continuous record (except for a slight suspension) of foreign and domestic events for toward three centuries, it possesses very great historical value. In its arrangement of foreign news first and home news last, it also set an example which has generally prevailed in French journalism. Before the close of the seventeenth century it began to give space to commerce, theatrical announcements, and advertisements. The Gazette Burlesque (1650-65), the first journal of the kind, aimed to be the chronique scandaleuse of Paris. The two types thus established were continued in the Mercure Galant (1672), which, under different names, commonly the Mercure de France, was continued, with short interruptions, down to 1853. The rather insipid Journal de Paris (1777-1819) is said to have been the first Parisian daily. During the Revolution journals sprang up rapidly as organs of the various parties, but they soon expired. Two, however, have lived till the present time: the Journal des Débats (1789) and the Moniteur Universel (1789), the official organ under the first Napoleon, The Constitutionnel, in which Sainte-Beuve began the Causeries du lundi, dates from 1815. In 1836 were established two cheaper papers, the Presse and the Siècle, now popular dailies. The Figaro, the modern journal de scandale, established in 1854, became a daily in 1866. It has had considerable influence on the lighter newspaper in England and elsewhere. The Charivari (1832), a journal satirique, has likewise been imitated in many countries. The Patrie, political, commercial, and literary, was a daily from the first (1841). Of all Parisian newspapers, perhaps the Temps (a daily, 1861) has the most solid reputation abroad. The Parisian political press is further represented by the Soir (1870), the Matin (1884), and many others. The Petit Journal (1863), the first French paper selling at five centimes (half the usual price), at once gained a circulation of 100,000. After arrangements were made whereby it could be furnished throughout France at the same price, its daily issue rapidly increased till it reached a million. French newspapers contain less news than the English or the American. Space is thus found for the feuilleton, a literary essay, sketch, or short story, an indispensable feature of the French journal. Paris is famous for her weeklies devoted to art, fashion, literature, and the professions. Outside of Paris, the larger towns support several dailies.
Belgium. Antwerp has already been mentioned as one of the places from which were issued the news-letters of the sixteenth century. They were succeeded by the Nieuwe Tijdinghen of Antwerp (1605?), on which were founded the Posttijdingen (1637-44) and the Gazette van Antwerpen (down to 1827). To the period 1640-50 belong the Nieuwe Tijdinghen of Bruges, the Brusselsche Gazette, and Le Courier Véritable des Pays-Bas (Brussels), which, as the official Gazette de Bruxelles and the Gazette des Pays-Bas, continued till 1791. At that time the most outspoken political journal was the Annalen Politiques of Linguet (often suppressed). The Belgian press, held in firm restraint during the Spanish, Austrian, and French rule, became practically free on the independence of Belgium (1830). Antwerp with its seven dailies has been far outstripped by Brussels, which has now about twenty dailies. The chief are the Indépendance Belge, the Etoile Belge, and the Journal de Bruxelles. At Antwerp and at Ghent dailies are published in Flemish.
Holland. The papers of Holland were long noted for the accuracy of their commercial news. Since 1830 they have given more attention to politics. At present the principal Dutch dailies are the Allgemeene Handelsblad and Nieuws van den Dag, both of Amsterdam; the Amsterdamsche Courant; the Journal de la Haye; the Haagsche Courant; and the Staats Courant—published at The Hague. Other places of active journalism are Haarlem and Rotterdam. Weeklies, several of which are illustrated, are also common.
Switzerland. The Swiss papers are devoted mostly to local interests. They are, however, well managed, especially the dailies at Geneva, Berne, and Lausanne. For tourists there is published at Geneva the Swiss and Nice Times, in both French and English.
