TIMES, THE, is the largest and most important daily newspaper in England and in the world. It was founded toward the end of the last century by Mr. John Walter, a London printer. In January, 1785, he established The Daily Universal Register, which he con tinued to publish until January, 1788, when he changed the name to The Times, or Daily Universal Register, afterward shortened to The Times. The publication, until the close of the century, remained undistinguished by any extraordinary merit or success. But in 1803, a son of Mr. Walter, also named John, became joint-proprietor and sole manager; and under his guidance it soon became remarkable for the accuracy and freshness of its news and the independence with which it expressed opinions on social and political questions. Reporters and correspondents were engaged with great discrimination, and their best services were secured by prompt and liberal remuneration. The younger Mr. Walter acted himself as manager and editor. In 1805, the Times made an attack on lord Melville's administration at the admiralty; and the Walter family were in conse quence deprived of the lucrative post of printers to the board of customs, which they had held for 18 years. At that time, there was, in consequence of the war, a great demand for continental news. The letters of the Times' correspondents abroad were transmitted through the regular channels, but the packets were stopped by the govern ment, and Mr. Walter was informed that he would be supplied as a favor, like the other newspapers, with official information. He declined to avail himself of this offer, and it was then he took means to secure the special and early transmission of news for his paper. His success was remarkable ; and on many occasions the public dispatches were anticipated. Thus, the Times announced the capitulation of Flushing two days, and the result of the battle of Waterloo some hours before the arrival of the regular dispatches. An increased circulation was the reward of these efforts, and the only limit to the increase of circulation was the impossibility of throwing off a sufficient number of copies of the paper by the hand-printing press. Mr. Walter saw the importance of introducing steam
printing, and so early as 1804, he encouraged an ingenious compositor, named Martyn, to complete a machine he had invented; but Mr. Walter the elder, who was then alive, was less sanguine, and the scheme fell to the ground. Some years later, Frederick Koenig, a German, invented and patented a new press, which could be worked by the steam-engine, and Mr. Walter became his patron. He gave him, in 1814, an order for two machines, which, in anticipation of opposition on the part of the pressmen, were put up in premises adjoining the office. On Nov. 29, in the same year, it was announced to these men that the paper had been printed by steam, and that there was no further occasion for their services. 'It is very creditable to the proprietors of the Times that no advantage was taken of the violent language used by the workmen on this occasion, and that their wages continued to be paid while they remained without employment. Under the old mode of going to press, about 250 copies could be printed per hour; but with the new machine it was possible to take 1100 impressions in the same time, so that the Times had a means of increasing its circulation not at the command of other news papers. From this time Mr. Walter intrusted the superintendence of the literary depart ment of the paper to Mr. Thomas Barnes, the first editor, born in 1785, who remained in the same situation until his death in May, 1841. Mr. Barnes wrote few articles, but he fixed on the subjects to be discussed, and displayed great ability in giving uniformity of tone and point to the articles passing through his hands. It was during his editcrship that a series of leaders by Mr. Edward Sterling obtained for the paper new political and social influence, recognized by the name then applied to it, of "the thunderer." It was in his time, too (1834), that O'Connell attacked the accuracy of the Times' reports of the parliamentary debates, and was signally defeated by the testimony of those whose speeches were said to have been tampered with.