The revolution of 1848, like the revolutions that had gone before it, gave birth to a multitude of short-lived journals. There were 89 different political journals started into ephemeral existence in Paris during the late commune, from Mar. 19 to May 27, 1871. When the late emperor Napoleon was president of the republic, a law was passed obliging the author of every newspaper article to affix his name to it. In 18o2, the press laws were incorporated, with increased stringency, into a Decret organlque Mr in Presse. Louis Napoleon, during the empire, relaxed the stringency a little. The republic holds newspapers in as great bondage as did its imperial predecessor. .Among the most important daily papers published in Paris are the Francats, Pays. SOrle, Presse, Dilate, nee, Journal Oflieiel,.Chartrari, and Relgium.—In the 1 40,5%. °unifies an illtt;trated- war gazette, called'thq taretudoighe, was first published in 1605; It was the precursor of the Gazette ran Anheerpen. which survived till 1805. During the Spanish and Austrian rule, each town had its privileged newspaper, but the press was considerably fettered lu the expression of political opinion. Under the French rule, most of these journals disappeared or sunk into insignificance. The :lnaa/a3 PoWipes was a political journal of considerable popularity during century. Since the revolution of 1830, the press has been subject to few restraints, the newspapers have been numerous, and some few of them well conducted. The Indepeud 'ince a large circulation, and exercises considerable political influence. It is the property of a company of bankers, and is conducted by a Frenchman of talent and liberal sentiments. The MOniteur Beige was instituted as the official organ of the ministry in 1830. Le Nerd, a Russian organ published in Brussels, is conducted with great ability. A large circulation is enjoyed by the Journal de Bruxtlles, the Emanet pation, and the Etoile Beige—all papers in the interest of the parti mitre. and supplied with correspondence from Rome. The Echo de Bruxelles and the Journal de Belgique are independent papers. The Precurseur d' Anvers, and the Esca at of Antwerp, have a good circulation—the latter is at once ultramontane and ultra-democratic.
Holland.—The earlier newspapers of Holland were in some respects, particularly in the accuracy of their information, in advance of those of other countries, but gave far more prominence to commercial than to political intelligence. They all bore the name of Courant appended to the name of the town where they were published. Though subject to no censorship since 1813, it was not till 1830 that they began to comment on political occurrences. At present the principal Dutch journals are the Allgemeene Handelsblad of Amsterdam, and Amsterdam Courant; the Harlemsehe Courant; and the Journal de la Haile, De Nederlandsche Stoompost, and Slants Courant—published at the Hague.
Steitzerl«nd.—Switzerland being a confederation of states, each with its own institu tions, the Swiss newspapers have a very local character; but they are numerous, and some of them have of late years greatly improved in character. The Suries Times, pub fished in Geneva, and printed in both French and English, is now frequently quoted in all countries.
Germany.—Though in Germany the Relationen, above alluded to, were in some sort the precursors of newspapers, yet no serial newspaper, properly so called, seems to have existed till 1615. Frankfort was the first town that possessed Its journal; next followed
Fulda, Hildesheim, and Herford. The earliest Leipsic newspaper was instituted in 1660. The first newspaper with a staff of foreign correspondents was the Hamburgsehe Correspondent; but uo German newspaper can be said to have had any political weight till the institution of the Allgemeine Zeitung, founded by Cotta in 1708, now published at Augsburg, which still takes rank as the first paper in Germany. During French ascendency, the German papers were little more than echoes of the Parisian; but a number of journals of a more national character sprung up during the war of liberation. The abuse of the liberty of the press after 1830 led to the imposition by the diet of restrictions of a somewhat severe character on newspapers. Although width, the last 20 years there has been a decided improvement in the literary and political character of the German newspapers, the socialist law of 1878 is a severe restriction of the liberty of the press. Among the principal Berlin daily papers are the Vos,sisehe Zeitung, the Nord deutsche Aligemeine Zeitung (semi-official), the Nene Preussische Zeituvg (usually known as the K•euz Zeitung), Post, National-Zeitung, and Vol•s-Zeitung. The Allgemeine Zeit ung, published at Augsburg, is a very influential and well-conducted journal.
Austria.—The Austrian newspapers have partaken of the advance in the newspaper press of Germany. The most important of them is the Wiener Zcitung, with its evening reprint, the Wiener Abendpost, not either in a literary or political point of view, and the Neue Freie Presse.
Paly.—We have mentioned the early Notizie Scritte or gazettes of Venice. The news-sheets which followed them were in disfavor with the see of Rome; and a memor able bull denouncing them was issued by Gregory X111. Up to 1847 the newspapers of Italy were small, politically insignificant, and subject to a strict censorship. With the accession of pope Pius IX., a flood of political journals made their appearance, one or two of which only were conducted with any approach to talent, and few lasted above a year. In the Sardinian dominions there continued to he no fewer than 45 political papers pub lished in 1852, 41 of which were printed in Italian and 4 in French. Of that number a great many soon afterwards collapsed. The removal of the former restrictions of the in other parts of the kingdom of Italy has started into life a number of newspapers: 17 political and 10 partially political papers are now published in the dominions of Victor Emmanuel, besides 31 periodicals, many of which answer more or less to our ideas of a newspaper. Few of these newspapers are as yet of much promise. The leaders are poor, no great social or commercial questions are discussed, and each journal is the mere advocate of one or other of the political parties. Perhaps the best of them on the 'whole are Il Diritto and L'Opinione, which may be compared to some of the second-rate French papers. The Gazetta ligiciale del Regno d'Palia is the ministerial organ, and L' Balk, published in France, is looked upon as the organ-of the department of foreign affairs. Humorotts newspapers, after the model of our Punch, arc abundant. The Voce della Verita is the paper which advocates the cause of the pope. La Liberia and Il T'anfalla are published in Rome; Genoa issues its Carrgre Mercantile; Milan, La Pexs0vei2aza; and Naples. the Pa ng°lo and Pada.