solutely from the conduct of the Tribune, and will henceforth, until further notice, exercise no control or supervision over its columns. HORACE GREELEY.

May 15, 1872.

The Tribune issues an almanac. In 1841 Greeley commenced the publication of a Politician's Register, containing a compilation of the votes of the several states in 1836, 1838, and 1840. This was found to be both valuable and useful to our nation of politicians. Edwin Williams, the well-known statistician, had previously collected and published such returns, but put in this compact form as Greeley published them, was an excellent enterprise. This little pamphlet was afterward enlarged and improved; calendars, calcu lations, and other interesting facts were added, and the publication was called the Whig Almanac. It went by this name till 1856, when the title was changed to that of the Tribune Almanac, by which name it has since been known. It has a full astronomical department, gives all the election returns, important political movements and platforms, short essays on the topics of the day, and statistics of value, and has become, in its way, as much of an institution as the Tribune itself.

The issue of almanacs from newspaper offices is a very old idea. Indeed, they precede newspapers in the history of printing. John Foster printed one in Boston in 1678. William Bradford's first piece of work in Philadelphia was a sheet almanac in 1687. This appeared seventeen years before the News-Letter was published, and thirty-eight years before Bradford issued the first newspaper in New York. Benjamin Franklin originated Poor Richard's Almanac, and James Franklin, the "nephew of his uncle," inserted the following advertisement in his Newport (R. I.) Mercury of Dec. 19, 1758, of the curious contents of this almanac for the following year:

Fuft Published,

And to be SOLD by

James Franklin,

At the PRINTING OFFICE,

Poor Richard's Almanack

B

For the YEAR 1759,

CONTAINING,

ESIDES the usual Calculations, a plain and easy Process

for making HARD-SOAP, in which certain unerring Rules are laid down for the Workman to know the Strength of his Lees.-How to make Ashes from green Vegetables far fuperior to Wood afhes; very advantageous to Soapmakers, who will find one Bufhel of Afhes, thus prepared, worth four Bushels of common Wood-afhes, the Duft of the Vegetables being thereby almoft formed

Newspaper Almanacs.

571

into Pot-afh.-Some very useful and approved Prescriptions in Farriery; particularly, how to cure a Horfe when foundered; of the Pole-Evil, when broke, or not broke; and of the Botts.-How to deftroy Moths, Bugs and Fleas, at a very trifling Expence, and without any Inconveniency.-The Advantages of Fortitude. -True Happiness, where to be found.-Man's Dependance on his Creator.-Of Reputation:-The Pride of Science, and Self-sufficiency expofed-The abfurdity of Parfimony and extravagance. How to recover and preferve Health.-A very neceffary and interefting Description of Love.-Rules for taking a wife; well worth the Attention of all that would fecure Happiness in a married State.-Of Contentment.-Rules for taking a Hufband; calculated to promote the Happinefs of the Fair Sex.-Of Friendship; fhewing the Expediency of Reconciliation with Enemies, and the Danger of defpifing even the meaneft.-A fafe and fure Remedy for Convulfions, that fo frequently prove fatal to Children in breeding their Teeth.-Of Ridicule.-Of folid Glory; or the Way to become truly Great and Eftimable.-An effential Point in Generalfhip, explained and recommended by one of the greatest Warriors of Antiquity; highly deserving the Perufal of all who are defigned for the profeffion of Arms.-And a Letter of the celebrated Cicero to his Son Marcus, fill'd with noble and juft Sentiments.-With wife Sayings, &c. &c. &c.

Here is an advertisement of another almanac of the last century, the contents of which were more like those of a modern stamp. Edes & Gill, publishers of the Boston Gazette, issued one from their office in 1770. There were no election returns then, no republic, no political platform except a "Liberty Song" and a few inklings of the approaching Revolution, no yacht clubs, no yearly quotations of stock sales. These old newspaper publishers gave what they had, and Edes & Gill made out this interesting list:

EDES & GILL'S

North-American ALMANACK,

AND

Maffachusetts REGISTER,

For the Year 1770.

Being the Second after BISSEXTILE or LEAP-YEAR. Calculated for the
Meridian of BOSTON,

Latt. 42 Deg. 25 Min. North.

CONTAINING,

A Prospective View of the Town of Boston the Capital of New-England; and of the Landing of Troops in the Year 1768, in Confequence of Letters from Gov. Bernard, the Commiffioners, &c. to the British Ministry-EclipfesExtract from the Life of Publius Clodius Britano Americanus, continued- A Lift of the Importers and Refolves of the Merchants &c. of Bofton—A Table in Sterling, Halifax, Maffachusetts L. M. & O. T. Virginia, Pennsylvania, and NewYork Currencies-Courts in Maffachusetts-Bay, New-Hampfhire, Connecticut and Rhode-Ifland- -Judgment of the Weather, Suns and Moon's Rifing and Setting, Time of High Water, Feafts and Fafts of the Church of England, &c.— A Lift of the Hon. His Majefty's Council, and the Honorable Houfe of Reprefentatives Judges of the Superior and Inferior Courts, Judges of Probate, Registers of Deeds, High Sheriffs and their Deputies-Officers of the Admiralty and Custom-Houfe-Notaries Public-Poft-Office-Juftices of the Peace thro'out the Province, and for each County-Barristers at Law-Prefident, Overfeers, &c. of Harvard College-Minifters, Churches and Religious Affemblies thro' the Province-Officers of the 14th & 29th Regiments in Boston-Officers of the

Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, with the Names of the Captains of faid Company, from its Incorporation-Officers of the Troop of Horse GuardsOfficers of the Boston Regiment-Field Officers of the several Regiments through the Province-Officers of Castle William, and the Batteries in Boston-Coroners-Officers of the Town of Bofton-Fire-Engine Men-Lift of Commiffioners and other Officers of the Revenue, WITH THEIR SALARIES!Liberty Song-Parody Parodiz'd-A New Song, to the Tune of the British Grenadier, by a SON OF LIBERTY-Public Roads, with the best Stages or Houses to put up at-Quakers Yearly Meetings in New-England-Difference of the Time of High Water at several Places on the Continent, &c.

Now read the advertisements in the newspapers of December and January, 1871-2 and of 1872-3, of the World Almanac, the Public Ledger Almanac, the Atlantic Monthly Almanac, the New York Herald Almanac, the Evening Journal Almanac, in contrast with these of the ancient publications. These announcements are each a column or more in length. The Herald Almanac is 240 pages in size, and filled with all sorts of information that every body is constantly seeking to know. Then the New York Observer issues. its Year-Book, which is also an almanac and a book of reference in all religious matters; it contains 200 pages. These are all newspaper almanacs, and are splendidly printed.

About Christmas, annually, the number of these publications on sale in London and Paris is really fabulous; but they are so funny, so useful, so grotesque, so valuable, so edifying, amusing, and attractive in contents and illustrations as to circulate largely and freely. Father Time, with his scythe, is represented in all manner of laughable and instructive forms and shapes, wholly regardless of the later introduction of the splendid mowing machines and reapers in the harvests of the world. Many of the curious almanacs are issued from the offices of the illustrated and comic papers, and are sent to the United States and sold in large numbers and at high prices. The shares of the Tribune are now distributed, it is believed, as follows:

Statues of Franklin and Greeley.

573

Thus the Tribune and Greeley have prospered journalistically from 1841 to 1872, a long and eventful period in the history of a newspaper and of the nation. The Tribune is a leader. It has become so by the efforts of one man. Assistance, of course, he has had, and in abundance, and the establishment has gained much from other minds; but the strong, individual character of Greeley has placed the paper where it is. It is a great paper, and if its founder and manager was less of a politician, and more free of crotchets and isms, the Tribune would be a powerful rival of any competitor. It will continue to be a leading paper of the country, and its editor-in-chief may yet be chief magistrate of the republic. ¦ The shareholders have faith enough in it to propose a new building in 1872-3, an idea they have had since 1867. The project, we are told, is now to be carried into effect in a way to surpass any newspaper building in America. If this be done, it will require half a million of dollars, or thereabouts, for the new printing palace. We shall hope to see the work begun and finished. Then that already renowned square, with the Times, Staats Zeitung, Sun, and Tribune buildings, of magnificent architectural proportions, and the colossal bronze statues of Benjamin Franklin and Horace Greeley, one opposite the Times office, and the other in front of the Staats Zeitung establishment, one with the Pennsylvania Gazette of 1732 in hand, and the other holding out the New York Tribune of 1872 to the people as they pass, will be one of the attractive spots of the metropolis.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

ALL SORTS OF POLITICAL PAPERS.

THE FIRST NEWSPAPER IN TENNESSEE.-THE KNOXVILLE WHIG.-PARSON BROWNLOW AND ANDREW JOHNSON. THE ALBANY REGISTER. THE PLEBEIAN, NEW ERA, MORNING NEWS, GLOBE, AND AURORA.— SLAMM, BANG & Co.-THE REPUBLIC.-CHEVALIER WIKOFF AND DUFF GREEN.THE ALBANY ATLAS.-THE WAR OF THE ROSES. -THE SPRINGFIELD REPUBLICAN.-SAMUEL BOWLES.-ARREST IN NEW YORK.-CONTROVERSY WITH DAVID DUDLEY FIELD.-THE FIRST JOURNAL IN THE OIL REGIONS. ONE of the sons of New England, named Roulstone, a printer of Massachusetts, opened a printing-office in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1793, and issued therefrom the Knoxville Gazette, the first newspaper in that state.

The Knoxville Whig, published in East Tennessee since 1839, has been a remarkable paper, politically considered. It was published by William G. Brownlow, known as the "Fighting Parson," for more than a quarter of a century. Its name and that of its editor is on the page of newspaper history. The Whig has been a vigorous. political journal, and nothing else. Newspapers, in a Northern point of view, were rare in the South. Some idea of the character of the editor of the Whig may be obtained from the following appeal to his constituents in 1845:

TO THE VOTERS OF THE FIRST CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT OF EAST TENNESSEE.

FELLOW-CITIZENS,-Having been nominated for Congress in this district by a meeting of the Whigs of Greenville, during the late term of the Circuit Court; and having received various calls, by letter and from esteemed friends in person, in every portion of this large district, to permit my name to be run for that important trust, I take this method of responding to all concerned.

I have repeatedly said, both on the stump and through the columns of my widely-circulated paper, that I would never declare myself a candidate for any office within the gift of the people, as office was not my aim, but the good of my country. *

*

* * * *

a

If elected, as I am told I will be, there will be peace and a final cessation of all hostilities here, because I will then abandon my editorial pursuits forever, and devote my time and talents to the interests of the people. In that event, too, consummation most devoutly to be wished for," I request all aged men, cripples and idiots, widows and orphans, who are entitled to pensions, or whose fathers and husbands are entitled to receive them, to meet me at the courts in each county in this district before I go on to Washington, and I will arrange their papers and procure them pensions, and even back pay, where they are entitled to it, as many are. I will take the same trouble to serve Democrats that I would Whigs, and all without fee or reward, as I consider the eight dollars per day, paid me by the government, sufficient to compensate me for thus serving my constituents!

The Locofoco candidate, Mr. Johnson, hopes to succeed, because he is a tailor