THE LONDON PRESS The Times, which occupies the premier position among English newspapers, was started by John Walter on Jan. 1, 1785 under the name of the Daily Universal Register. Then, as now, it was printed in Printing House square, Blackfriars. The founder prom ised the readers of the new journal that it would contain nothing to wound anyone's delicacy or corrupt the mind, that it would abstain from unfair partisanship and scandalous scurrility, and that it would be a faithful recorder of legitimate intelligence. On Jan. I, 1788 its title was changed to The Times, and this great newspaper has ever since been the pre-eminent national journal and daily historical record. It came into existence when a new wave of democratic thought was spreading over Europe, and the French revolution was already brewing. Free expression of opinion in the press was still a thing of the future, and within a few years of the establishment of his paper Walter had several sojourns in Newgate and had to pay several fines for criticisms of the authori ties. One of his offences was the statement that the then prince of Wales and other royal princes had by their misconduct incurred the just disapprobation of George III.
John Walter the second practically took over the reins in 1803, and he also had to encounter the active opposition of governments whom he had occasion to criticise, including that of William Pitt. He introduced a better system of news transmission and steam printing (1814) with the result that he was able to make the proud announcement that i,ioo sheets had been impressed in one hour. In view of the newspaper and advertisement tax and other disabilities, it was a considerable achievement when in 1815, the year of Waterloo, the daily circulation reached 5,000. In twenty years this was doubled, in 1851 it had reached 40,000, and three years later it was over 5o,000, when its most circulated rival, the Morning Advertiser, had a sale of less than 8,000 copies. When John Walter the second assumed control The Times was a small four-page sheet. When he gave up control in 1847 it consisted of twelve large pages. Sir John Stoddart, later governor of Malta, was the editor for several years up to 1816. He was succeeded by Thomas Barnes, and when the latter's health began to fail much of the editorial work devolved upon Captain Edward Sterling, whose pontifical and sometimes explosive style caused Carlyle to say : "he mere than any other man was The Times, and thundered through it to the shaking of the spheres." Carlyle also called him "Captain Whirlwind," and the popular title of "the Thunderer" often given to The Times dated from his time.
In those days the most powerful *liter in its columns on foreign affairs was Crabb Robinson ; his place was taken at a later date by Henry Reeve.
In 1841 on the death of Barnes the editorial chair was taken by quite a young man, John Thaddeus Delane, whose brilliant career in this capacity lasted until 1877. His place was taken by Dr. Thomas Chenery, who died in 1884 and was succeeded by George Earle Buckle, who since his retirement in 1912 has won a niche in English literature by his life of Disraeli. Meanwhile since 1848 John Walter the third had been in command. He died in 1894, and was succeeded by Arthur Walter.
About the beginning of the 2oth century The Times had begun to feel the influence of the more go-ahead methods of the popular press, and there was a loss of circulation and revenue which be came a grave source of anxiety to its owners. It was a period when another great London daily paper, the Standard, was in extremis. Finally in 1908 Lord Northcliffe realised his ambition of long years and acquired the chief control of the "Thunderer," with A. Walter as chairman of the company which was created to carry it on, and Moberly Bell as managing director. It cannot be said that Lord Northcliffe's administration was consistently successful but he thoroughly remodelled the organisation and in creased its efficiency in all departments. There is no doubt that by the introduction of sound business methods he laid a solid foundation upon which the present remarkable prosperity of the paper is largely based. Under his rule the price of The Times at different periods was threepence, twopence, and a penny. At earlier dates the price had been: 1796, 6d. ; 1809, 62d. ; 1815, 7d. ; 1836, 5d.; 1855, 4d. ; and 1861 (on the abolition of the newspaper tax) 3d., at which it remained right up to the end of the 19th century. It is now (1929) 2d. On his retirement Buckle was succeeded as editor by Geoffrey Dawson, then a young man, formerly private secretary of Lord Milner and editor of the Johannesburg Star. In 1919, just after the war, he retired from the editorship owing to a difference of opinion with Lord Northcliffe and his place was taken by Wickham Steed. In 1923, when, follow ing the death of Lord Northcliffe, Major J. J. Astor, M.P., became its chairman and chief proprietor, Geoffrey Dawson again became editor. Major Astor secured the future independence of the paper by a deed establishing a body of trustees consisting of holders of various public offices whose consent would be required to validate any future transfer of ownership.