Political Journals. 247 



ing knowledge through every part of the civilized 

 world; they convey, in an abridged and agree- 

 able manner, the contents of many ponderous 

 volumes, and frequently supercede the appearance 

 of such volumes ; and they record every species of 

 information, from the most sublime investigations 

 of science to the most trifling concerns of amuse- 

 ment. When the future historian shall desire to 

 obtain a correct view of the state of literature and 

 of manners, during this period, he will probably 

 resort to the periodical publications of the day, as 

 presenting the richest sources of information, and 

 forming the most enlightened and infallible guides 

 in his course. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



POLITICAL JOURNALS. 



THE method of announcing political events, and 

 the various articles of foreign and domestic intelli- 

 gence, which usually engage the attention of the 

 public, by means of Gazettes or Nezvspapers, seems 

 to have been first employed in Italy, as early as 

 the year 1536/ It was in that country that these 

 vehicles of information received the name Ga- 

 zetta/ which they have ever since retained/ 



f The first Gazette is said to have been printed at Venice, and to have 

 been published monthly. It was under the direction of the government. 



g The word Gazetta is said, by some, to be derived from Gaze, r a, a 

 Magpie or Chatterer ; by others, from the name of a little coin called Gazetia, 

 peculiar to the city of Venice, where newspapers were first printed, and 

 which was the common price of these periodical publications ; while a 

 third class of critics suppose it to be derived from the Latin word Gaza-, 

 colloquially lengthened into the diminutive Gazetta, and, as applied to a 

 newspaper, signifying a little treasury of news. Curiosities of Literature* 

 vol. i. p. 271. 



h Those who first wrote newspapers were called by the Italians Mc 



