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Dr. Medhurst was a frequent contributor to its columns; Dr. W. A. P. Martin, the veteran missionary who is still alive and as active as ever, regularly wrote for the paper, and in its columns many public questions of real moment at the time were threshed out to a satisfactory conclusion. Mr. Shearman died after a short illness on March 22, 1856, and, in informing its readers of the event, the Herald described him as “an unoffending man whose departure could not be un- accompanied by regret.” The paper was continued by his executors until May 17th, when it passed into the hands of Charles Spencer Compton who remained editor and proprietor until 1861. He was succeeded by Samuel Mossman (1861-63). During the régime of R. Alexander Jamieson (1863-66) the daily shipping list developed into the North China Daily News, a small three-page paper, con- taining a shipping list, about three columns of letterpress, and a number of advertisements.
The next occupant of the editorial chair was R. S. Gundry (1866-79), and under his direction the paper was immensely improved. The Herald was increased in size, a daily leading article was introduced, and in 1870 the Supreme Court and Consular Gazette, a small weekly periodical devoted almost entirely to legal reports, passed from the hands of its proprietor, D. Wares Smith, and became
the paper. Practically verbatim reports of every important case in the Supreme and Consular Courts have been published since that time, and to the present day great care is devoted to full and accurate reporting of every legal case of interest. It was during Mr. Gundry’s editorship also that an index of the North China Herald was published half-yearly,
Mr. Gundry was succeeded by Mr. G. W. Haden (1877-78) who had been his sub- editor. The next editor was Mr. F. H. Bal- four, who brought to his work the know- ledge of a sinologue, and steered the fortunes of the paper ‘for nearly six years (1881-86). He was the author of “ Taoist Texts” and several other scholarly works. Mr. Balfour, who is still living, retired in 1886, and his place was taken by Mr. J. W. MacClellan, his sub-editor, who is best remembered by his short history of Shanghai. During his editorship the late Mr. R. W. Little joined the staff as sub-editor, and when Mr. MacClellan retired in February, 1889, Mr. Little was appointed editor by the proprietors.
Mr. Little brought to his task a vast store of local knowledge—he came out to the East in the early sixties, and from 1879-81 was chairman of the Council. Mr. Little was to the fore in everything affecting the welfare of the Settlement, and he wrote
THE COMPOSING ROOMS,
amalgamated with the Herald, the title of which now became the North China Herald and Supreme Court and Consular Gazette. Under Mr. Gundry’s editorship, too, the amount of letterpress in the daily paper was increased. Mr. Gundry is still familiar to Far Eastern residents as the founder of the China Associa- tion, of which, until recently, he was presi- dent. He continues to write with authority on Eastern affairs, and many important memoranda on questions of Eastern policy have been addressed to the Foreign Office by him. With the amalgamation of the Herald and the Supreme Court and Consular Gazette particular attention was devoted to law reports, which have since been one of the features of
with an almost infallible judgment. He was one of the original members of the Mih- ho-loong Fire Company, a keen member of the Shanghai Rangers, and took a prominent part in the A.D.C. Known as “ Uncle” Bob to the whole Settlement, he had hundreds of friends and not a single enemy. Under his able guidance the North China Daily News added to its reputation as a reliable chronicle of Eastern affairs. His energy was boundless. He would work in the office until 2.0 a.m. and be down the same morning by g o'clock, a feat that none of the younger members of his staff could attempt. When he died, after a short illness, on April 21, 1906, Shanghai lost a brilliant
TWENTIETH CENTURY IMPRESSIONS OF HONGKONG, SHANGHAT, ETC.
speaker, a graceful writer, and one whose name will be remembered with affection on the China coast for many years to come,
HARRY L. GILLER, Secretary and General Manager.
Mr. Little’s length of tenure was a valuable asset to the paper, but on his death the growth of the Settlement, and the feeling that the paper should extend its scope beyond purely local considerations, led the proprietors to adopt a new policy and secure the services of a trained journalist. To this end they obtained the ‘services of Mr. H. T. Montague Bell, who for ten years had been on the foreign staff of The Times in various parts of the world. “Old custom” dies hard in Shanghai, and of course there were some who, at the outset, criticised every departure from the traditional policy of the paper. Its main features, however, have been conserved, though the advent of new blood has led to several improvements in the form and size of the North China Daily News. Just before Mr. Little’s death the old and cumbrous eight-page paper was changed to one of twelve pages of a more convenient size. Latterly there has been an addition to the number of columns devoted to letterpress, and a further increase is contemplated.
The offices of the North China Daily News and Herald occupy a prominent position on the Bund, whither they were removed from 2, Kiukiang Road, in 1902. The offices had been in Kiukiang Road since 1887, and prior to that date at 24, Nanking Road (to 1866), and at 10 and at 15, Hankow Road.
Mr. Shearman was the original proprietor of the paper, and Mr. Compton purchased it from his executors. Then Messrs. Broad- hurst, Tootal, and Pickwoad became partners in it, and finally the late Mr. Pickwoad was the sole owner. Mr. Balfour acquired an interest on assuming the editorship, and in
1906 Messrs. Pickwoad & Co, formed a private limited company to take over the paper.
Besides the Herald, a Shanghai Calendar was published in 1852 from the same office, containing a list of foreign residents in China, and a variety of useful information. In a few years this developed into the “Hong List,” which at one time included China and Japan, but now confines itself to North China.
The North China Daily News of the present
