None of these notices-not even half a dozen linesever find their way into the columns of the Post at a less price than half a guinea, while the larger lists are often charged at the rate of from 57. 58. to 77. 78. ; and every one who reads the Post must have been struck with the number of these fashionable receptions, with lists of all who were present, which grace the columns of that journal from after the Easter holidays until the end of July, when "the season" comes to a close. The course of the Post has of late years been, as a rule, somewhat independent or neutral in relation to the political questions of the day; but on some subjects it takes a decided course, and enunciates its views with great clearness, and advocates them with much vigour.

There is no more prominent feature in our existing morning journalism, than the space it devotes to dramatic and musical criticism. It is due therefore to the Morning Post to say, that it was the first of all the London papers to introduce the practice of giving systematic notices of the drama, the opera, and con

certs.

I have not made any allusion to Mr. Algernon Borthwick, as having been for the last twenty years supreme in the managerial department of the Morning Post, because the fact is so universally known as not to need a specific reference.

VOL. I.

27

CHAPTER XVI.

PRESENT METROPOLITAN DAILY PAPERS.

THE TIMES.-PART FIRST.

Its Origin First Appearing under the Title of the Daily Universal Register-The Logographic System of Printing— Mr. Walter's Addresses to the Public-First Theatrical Notices given by the Times-No Leading Articles in its Early History-Character of its First Contents-Retirement from the Management by the first Mr. Walter-Accession of the second Mr. Walter Government Persecution of the Times.

I NOW come to the Times,-the greatest journal the world has ever witnessed, and which would be well worthy of a volume to itself, did the plan of this work admit of my devoting that amount of space to it. The Times was not the original title. It was started in the beginning of 1785 under the name of the Daily Universal Register, and did not adopt the title of the Times until the 1st of January, 1788. Mr. John Walter, grandfather of Mr. John Walter, the principal present proprietor of the Times, was the originator and sole proprietor of the Daily Universal Register. To the reason which he gave for changing that title to the title of the Times I will presently advert. The predecessor of the Times, as well as the

Times itself for some years, was printed by a process called the Logographic system, which at the time excited considerable interest in typographical foundries and in composing-rooms. It was partly the invention of a Mr. Henry Johnson, and partly of Mr. Walter himself, both of whom were so sanguine that it would constitute a new era in printing, that two letters patent were obtained to secure the right to themselves to use that mode of printing. One of these letters patent was dated November 9th, 1788, and the other October 16th, 1790. Its great feature consisted in having cast in one piece of metal such words, or terminations of words, as were in most frequent use, instead of the universal practice, at that time as now, for the compositor to pick out every individual letter to form whatever words he may have had to set up. Knight Hunt says, in his "Fourth Estate," that in order to print in accordance with this new mode, it was found necessary to send an order, on a particular occasion, to a type foundry in these words :-" Send me a hundredweight, made up in separate pounds, of 'heat,' 'cold,' 'wet,' 'dry,' 'murder,' 'fire,' 'dreadful robbery,' 'atrocious outrage,' 'fearful calamity,' and 'alarming explosion.' So great an aggression on the existing mode of printing newspapers or books, excited, as might be expected, great hostility, both on the part of master printers and of compositors in their establishments. Still, in the face of all the opposition which Mr. Walter had to encounter, he

resolutely persevered in practically carrying out his ideas in relation to logographic printing. When the publication of the Daily Universal Register had reached its 510th number, and had thus been printed logographically more than a year and a half, he issued an address to the readers, in which he complains in energetic terms of the opposition, mingled with enmity, with which he had to do battle. "My enemies," he says, "have not only openly attacked my plan, but have insidiously attempted to undermine it; but it being founded on a firm basis, I have stood the test unshaken, while my assailants have been defeated with an exposition of their ignorance, malevolence, and envy." Mr. Walter concludes his address to the public in the following language:"Embarked in a business, into which I entered a mere novice, consisting of several departments, want of experience laid me open to many and gross impositions, and I have been severely injured by the inattention, neglect, and ignorance of others. These reasons, though they will not excuse, will palliate and account for the errors which have appeared in several of the books published at the first working of the logographic press; for, in fact, these errors were not owing to any defect in the art of printing logographically, but to the readers and editors, whose duty it was to correct the press sheets. Complaints, however, will now subside, the cause having been removed, and every branch of the business being at present superintended by men on whose skill, industry,

and integrity I can implicitly rely. I shall lay my plan before the public in the Universal Register of tomorrow."

In a second address to the public, which Mr. Walter published in his paper the day after the one to which I have just referred, he adverts to "the impediments and difficulties which he had to encounter in the management and regulation of the system." One of his greatest difficulties is thus explained by himself:-"The whole English language," says Mr. Walter, "lay before me in a confused arrangement. It consisted of about 90,000 words. This multitudinous mass I reduced to about 5000, by separating the parcels and removing the obsolete words, technical terms, and common terminations."

a failure.

"After," he says,

Having proceeded in his experiments thus far, Mr. Walter thought he was in a position to put his new system to a practical test by printing "The English Dictionary;" but the experiment was comparatively severe labour, unremitting attention, and a heavy expense for the compositors, whom I was obliged to pay by the week, instead of by the quantity printed, I discovered many serious objections to this essay, particularly that a great number of the words distributed through the founts were useless, being seldom called for in printing; that by the rejection of them the founts might be lessened, and the cells for the types increased in space, the narrowness of which was found extremely inconvenient."