Page:History of Bengali Literature in the Nineteenth Century.djvu/267

EARLIEST BENGALI JOURNALISM — 248 date it first became bilingual. From the above article in the Christian Observer we learn that it was written in English and in Bengali even till 1840. It would seem therefore that it continued in this state till its cesssation in 1841. As to whether the paper had an unbroken existence from 1818 to 1831, we can determine this from indirect evidence. On every issue of 1831 and 1832, we have the numbering as volumes xiii and xiv respectively. Its first publication was in 1818, so that till 1831 we naturally expect 13 volumes to have been published, assuming its continued existence till that date: and this is confirmed by the numbering quoted. From this the conelusion is inevitable that from 1818 to 1831 (or rather to 1840) it had a continuous existence, although unfortunately we have got no file preserved from 1821 to 1831. In 1881 it was published on every Saturday, as the head-note ‘Serampore. Published every Saturday morning” indicates. From 1818 to 1831, therefore, it was a weekly paper published every Saturday morning. From 1832, it became bi-weekly, as the head-note on the files of that year show—‘ Published every Wednesday and Satur- day morning.” But from November 15, 1532 it became Saturday weekly again and probably continued so till April 24, 1837. After 1851, it was still a weekly paper. In 1818, its editor was J.C. Marshman and he probably continued in that office till 1834 ; for in the issue of November 15, 1834 we find this remark “চন্দিকাসম্পাদক মহাশয় দর্পণের বিষয়ে যে অনুগ্রহ প্রকাশক উক্তি লিখিয়াছেন তাহাতে আমরা বিশেষ বাধা হইলাম তাহার এ উক্তি দর্পৈকপার্শে স্ুপ্রকাশিত হইল। কিন্ত এক বিষয়ে তাহার কিঞ্চিং ভ্রম আছে তিনি লিখিয়|ছেন দর্পণ পত্র প্রথমতঃ ৬ডাক্তার কেরী সাহেব