PERIODICALS 539 iv. 211; Timperley, Ency. of Lit. Anec., 1842; C. Knight, The Old Printer ami the Modern Press, 1854, and Passages of a Working Life, 1864-65 ; Memoir of Robert Chambers, 1872 ; The London Cat. of Periodicals, Newspapers, &c., 1844-84 ; Mitchell, Newspaper Press Directory, 1S46-S4 ; Nay, British, and Irish Press (fuule, 1874-84 ; The Bookseller, Feb. 1867, June and July 1868, Aug. 1874, July 1879. India and the British Colonies. The first Indian periodical was the Calcutta, Monthly Register (1790), which lasted but a short time. A Calcutta Literary Gazette came out in 1830. In 1844 appeared the first number of the Calcutta, Review (1844), which is still the most important serial of the Indian empire. The Bombay Quarterly Review was founded in 1855. Madras had a Journal of Literature and Science and the Oriental Magazine and Indian Hurkuru (1819). The Religious and Theological Magazine was produced at Colombo in 1833. The Christian College Magazine was commenced in 1883. At Singapore the Journal of the, Indian Archipelago appeared from 1847 to 1855. The Chinese Repository (1832), edited at Canton by Morrison, dealt with the farther East. See " Periodical Literature in India" in Dark Blue, 1872-73. Hubbard (Newspaper Directory) estimates the existing periodicals (omitting newspapers) of British North America at 652. The number of weekly, monthly, and quarterly publications of Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand is placed by the same authority at 570. The Melbourne Review (1876) deserves special mention. FOREIGN. France. We owe the literary journal to France, where it soon attained to a degree of importance unapproachcd in any other country. The first idea may be traced in the Bureau d Adrcsse of Theophraste Renaudot, giving the proceedings of his conferences upon literary and scientific matters (1633-42). About the year 1663 Mezeray obtained a privilege for a regular literary periodical, which came to nothing, and it was left to Denis de Sallo, counsellor of the parliament of Paris and a man of rare merit and learning, to actually carry the project into effect. The first number of the Journal des Savants appeared on 5th January 1665, under the assumed name of the sieur d Hedouville. The prospectus promised to give an account of the chief books published throughout Europe, obituary notices, a review of the progress of science, besides legal and ecclesiastical information and other matters of interest to cul tivated persons. The criticisms, however, wounded alike authors and the clergy, and the journal was suppressed after a career of three months. Colbert, seeing the public utility of such a periodical, ordered the abbe Gallois, a contributor of De Sallo s, to re-establish it, an event which took place on 4th January 1666. It lingered nine years under the new editor, who was replaced in 1675 by the abbe de la Roque, and the latter in his turn by the president Cousin in 1686. From 1701 commenced a new era for the Journal, which was then acquired by the chancellor de Fontchartrain for the state and placed under the direction of a commission of learned men. Just before the Revolution it developed fresh activity, but the troubles of 1792 caused it to be discontinued until 1796, when it again failed to appear after twelve numbers had been issued. In 1816 it was definitively re-established and replaced under Government patronage, remaining subject to the chancellor or garde-des-sceaux until 1857, when it was transferred to the control of the minister of public instruction. The present organization much resembles that of an academy. The members of the commis sion are elected, approved of by the minister, and divided into assistants and authors, the latter furnishing at least three articles per annum at a fixed and modest rate of payment. All communica tions are discussed at fortnightly conferences. Louis Anguste de Bourbon, sovereign prince of Dombes, having transferred his parliament to Trevoux, set up a printing press, and was persuaded by two Jesuits, Michel le Tellier and Philippe Lalle- man, to establish the Memoires pour scrvir a I Histoire des Sciences et des Arts (1701-67), more familiarly known as the Journal de Trevoux, long the best-informed and best-written journal in France. One feature of its career was its constant appeal for the literary assistance of outsiders. It was continued in a more popular style as Journal des Sciences ct des Beaux-Arts (1768-75) by the abbe Aubert and by the brothers Castilhon (1776-78), and as Journal de Litterature, des Sciences, ct des Arts (1779-82) by the abbe Grosier. The first legal periodical was the Journal du Palais (1672) of Blondeau and Gueret, and the first devoted to medicine the Nouvellcs Decouvertes dans toutes les Parties de la Medecine (1679) of Nicolas de Blegny, frequently spoken of as a charlatan, a term which some times means simply a man of many ideas. Religious periodicals date from 1680 and the Journal Ecdesiastique of the abbe de la Roque. The prototype of the historico-literary periodical may be discovered in La Clef du Cabinet des Princes de I Europe (1704-6), familiarly known as Journal de Verdun, and carried on under various titles down to 1794. Literary criticism was no more free than political discussion, and no person was allowed to trespass either upon the domain of the Journal des Savants or that of the Mercure dc France without the payment of heavy subsidies. This was the origin of the clandestine press of Holland, and it was that country which for the next hundred years supplied the ablest periodical criticism from the pens of French Protestant refugees. During that period thirty-one journals of the first class proceeded from these sources. From its commencement the Journal des Savants was pirated in Holland, and for ten years a kind of joint issue made up with the Journal des Trevoux appeared at Amsterdam. From 1764 to 1775 miscel laneous articles from different French and English reviews were added to this reprint. Bayle, a born journalist and the most able critic of the day, conceived the plan of the Nouvellcs de la Rfymb- lique des Lettrcs (1684-1718), which at once became entirely success ful and obtained for him during the three years of his control the dictatorship of the world of letters. He was succeeded as editor by La Roque, Barrin, Bernard, and Leclerc. Bayle s method was followed in an equally meritorious periodical, the Histoirc des Ouvrages des Savants (1687-1704) of H. Basnage de Beauval. Another continuator of Bayle was Jean Leclerc, one of the most learned and acute critics of the 18th century, who carried on three review s, the Bibliotheque Univcrselle ct Historique (1686-93), the Bibliotheque Choisie (1703-13), and the Bibliotheque Ancienne et Modcrne (1714-27). They form one series, and, besides valuable estimates of new books, include original dissertations, articles, and biographies like our modern learned iriagazines. The Journal Litteraire (1713-22, 1729-36) was founded by a society of young men, who made it a rule to discuss their contributions in com mon. Specially devoted to English literature were the Bibliothiquc Anglaise (1716-28), the Memoires Litteraircs de la Grande Brctayne (1720-24), the Bibliothiquc Britanniquc (1733-34), and the Journal Britannique (1750-57) of Maty, 1 who took for his principle, "pour penser avec liberte il faut penser seul." One of these Dutch- printed reviews was V Europe Savante (1718-20), founded chiefly by Themiseul de Saint-Hyacinthe, with the intention of placing each separate department under the care of a specialist. The Bibliotheque Germanique (1720-40) was established by Jacques Lenfant to do for northern Europe what the Bibliotheque Britannique did for England. It was followed by the Nouvcllc Bibliotheque Germanique (1746-59). The Bibliotheque Raisonnee des Ouvrages des Savants (1728-58) was supplementary to Leclerc, and was succeeded by the Bibliothiquc des Sciences ct des Beaux-Arts (1754-80). Nearly all of the preced ing were produced either at Amsterdam or Rotterdam, and, although out of place in a precise geographical arrangement, really belong to France by the close ties of language and of blood. Taking up the exact chronological order again, we find the success of the English essay-papers led to their prompt introduction to the Continent. An incomplete translation of the Sficctator was published at Amsterdam in 1714, and many volumes of extracts from the Tatlcr, Spectator, and Guardian were issiied in France early in the 18th century. Marivaux brought out a Spcctatcur Francis (1722), which was coldly received ; it was followed by fourteen or fifteen others under the titles of La Speciatricc (1728- 30), Le Radoteur (1775), Le Babillard (1778-79), &c. Of a similar character was Lc Pour ct le Contre (1723-40) of the abbe Frevost, which contained anecdotes and criticism, with special reference to Great Britain. Throughout the 18th century, in France as in England, a favourite literary method was to write of social subjects under the assumed character of a foreigner, generally an Oriental, with the title of Turkish Spy, Lettrcs Chinoiscs, &c. These produc tions were usually issued in periodical form, and, besides an immense amount of worthless tittle-tattle, contain some valuable matter. During the first half of the century France has little of import ance to show in periodical literature. The Nouvellcs Ecclesias- tiqucs (1728-1803) were first printed and circulated secretly by the Jansenists in opposition to the Constitution Unigcnitus. The Jesuits retaliated with the Supplement des Nouvclles Ecclesiastiqucs (1734-48). The promising title may have had something to do with the temporary success of the Memoires Secrets dc la Republiquc des Lettrcs (1744-48) of the marquis d Argens. In the Observations sur les Ecrits Moderncs (1735-43) Desfontaines held the gates of Philistia for eight years against the Encyclopaedists and even the redoubtable Voltaire himself. It was continued by the Jiigcmcnts sur quelqucs Ouvrages nouvcaux (1744-45). The name of Freron, perhaps the most vigorous enemy Voltaire ever encountered, was long connected with Lettrcs sur quelqucs Ecrits de ce Temps (1749- 54), followed by L Annee Litteraire (1754-90). Among the con tributors of Freron was another manufacturer of criticism, the abbe de la Porte, who, having quarrelled with his confrere, founded Observations sur la Litterature Moderne (1749-52) and L Obscrvatcur Litteraire (1758-61). A number of special organs came into existence about this period. The first treating of agriculture and domestic economy was the Journal Economique (1751-72) ; a Journal de Commerce was founded 1 Matthew Maty, M.D., born in Holland, 171S, died principal librarian of the British Museum, 1776. He settled in England in,1740, published several books, and wrote the preface to Gibbon s first work, Etude de la Litterature.
Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 18.djvu/565
This page needs to be proofread.
