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Honduras Gazette
	Honduras Gazette / front page of vol. 1 no. 1 of 1 July 1826 / via Readex
Type	Weekly newspaper
Format	Tabloid
Founder(s)	Magistrates of British Honduras
Publisher	James Cruickshank / to vol. 2 no. 88; Henry Whitney / from vol. 2 no. 89;
Editor	Magistrates / to vol. 1 no. 37; Cruickshank / to vol. 2 no. 88; Parliamentary committee / from vol. 2 no. 89;
Founded	1 July 1826; 198 years ago
Language	English
Ceased publication	in 1829‍–‍1838
Relaunched	29 September 1838 as Belize Advertiser
City	Belize
Country	Belize
OCLC number	28171403
Free online archives	vol. 1 no. 1 to vol. 2 no. 88
	Media of Belize; List of newspapers;

The Honduras Gazette, published as The Honduras Gazette and Commercial Advertiser, was the first newspaper and government gazette in colonial Belize. It ran from 1 July 1826 until sometime during 1829‍–‍1838, being succeeded on 29 September 1838 by the Belize Advertiser.

History

Prelude

In the 17th, 18th, and early 19th centuries, the Baymen's printing needs are thought to have been met by overseas presses and papers.^[1] On 6 December 1825, the settlement's Magistrates resolved to procure a press 'for the purpose of printing and preserving the records and laws of the Settlement.'^[2]^[3] Consequently, an iron letterpress was set up by James Cruickshank, whose first substantive work is thought to have been an almanac, published 'by authority of the Magistrates' on 9 March 1826.^[4]

Establishment

The first issue of the Gazette was published on 1 July 1826.^[5]^[6] It contained an introductory notice to the public, shipping, overseas, foreign, and local intelligence, government notices, and various commercial advertisements.^[7]^[8]

In their notice to the public, the Gazette editors committed themselves to rendering the paper 'useful, convenient, and amusing to the community.'^[5]^[6] The editors expounded on the advantages of an impartial press, noting‍–‍

[W]e feel satisfied that our present endeavour, humble as it may be, will raise us in the scale of the British Colonies. It will preserve our rights, encrease our Commerce, and improve our rising generation. Let us, therefore, ever remember, that the liberty of the press, is the palladium of all the rights—Civil, Religious and Political—which Nations, or Communities enjoy.
— Gazette editors, in first issue, 1826.^[5]^[9]

Run

Editorship

The Gazette is thought to have been edited by the Magistrates until 17 March 1827 (vol. 1 no. 38), by Cruickshank until 5 November 1827 (vol. 2 no. 88), 'when, on that day, the Legislative Assembly at their Meeting, in their Wisdom, took it out of his hands, by reason of his intemperence, and very properly appointed a Committee, for its better Government.'^[10]^[11]^{[note 1]} It has been noted that the Gazette's editorials were usually quite sharp, strident, or belligerent, especially in contradistinction with editorials in contemporary newspapers of neighbouring Hispanic republics.^[12]^{[note 2]}

Coverage

The Gazette covered local occurrences and legislative and judicial proceedings.^[9] Like other West Indian newspapers, it published government notices, shipping intelligence, and overseas and foreign occurrences gleaned from British, American, and West Indian papers.^[9]^[13] Especial attention was paid to reports received from neighbouring Hispanic republics, as the paper's audience were taken by the 'decidedly unsettled affairs' in these states.^[9]^{[note 3]} It has been noted that the Gazette, in contrast to contemporary newspapers of Hispanic Central America, focussed much more on mercantile affairs, as opposed to political ones.^[12]^{[note 4]}

Normal issues were usually four pages of 12 1⁄4 by 9 5⁄8 inches, with copy laid out in two columns. Issues were sometimes supplemented.^[9]

Circulation

The Gazette is thought to have had limited circulation, given its small audience (under 4,000), and relatively high cost of subscription ($8 per annum). This shortfall is believed to have been made up for by advertising revenue, which is similarly thought to have been sufficient, given the relatively high cost of advertising in the paper. Despite its small run, at least some issues circulated in nearby British settlements in the Bay Islands and the Mosquito Shore, and further overseas in the West Indies, England, and the United States.^[14]^{[note 5]}

Disestablishment

It is not certain when exactly the Gazette ceased publication, though its run is thought to have ended sometime during 1829‍–‍1838. A copy of the issue for 27 June 1829 is the latest extant copy known.^[15]^{[note 6]} The paper was succeeded on 29 September 1838 by the Belize Advertiser.^[16]

Legacy

The Gazette 's keen coverage of affairs in Hispanic Central America continued in later 19th century newspapers of colonial Belize.^[9] The paper is thought to have brought colonial Belize to greater attention in neighbouring Hispanic republics, as 19th century newspapers of the latter had largely ignored the settlement until after the Gazette 's founding.^[17]

Notes and references

Explanatory footnotes

^ The first resolution, brought to Assembly by Westby, seconded by Maskall, and carried unanimously, read‍–‍
Resolved, that the Public will not from this time be liable to any further charge of, or expence arising from, the Printing Establishment of this Settlement (except the contracts already entered into) but that the present Printer shall be allowed the use of the Printing Press during the pleasure of the Public.
— Proceedings of Assembly of 5 March 1827, in Gazette (anon. 1827, p. 3 of supplement, Cave 1976, p. 27).
^ For instance, editors of the first 31 issues often questioned the existence and viability of Belize's Hispanic neighbour-states, implying a negative answer to these queries (Roché 2021, paras. 22-23).
^ Affairs in these states are covered (at least) in each of the Gazette 's first 88 issues. Coverage in the first 31 issues (to 27 January 1827) has been described as 'very critical' of the existence or viability of the Hispanic republics, with later coverage becoming more factual and analytic (Roché 2021, paras. 22-23).
^ Some of the paper's commercial advertisements were even published in Spanish, with copy written or translated by a fluent slave or indentured labourer (Roché 2021, para. 15).
^ The Settlement's population in 1826 was 2,787 white and free Coloured residents and 2,410 slaves; in 1829, 2,516 white and free Coloured residents and 2,127 slaves (Martin 1834, p. 410). Gazette annual subscriptions cost $8, while standard ads cost 15s per instance. In comparison, subscriptions to contemporary West Indian weeklies averaged $6 – $8, while subscriptions to Jamaican dailies averaged £5. 6s. 8d. Standard ads in Jamaican papers averaged 6d – 9d per instance (Cave 1976, pp. 26–27).
^ The Gazette issue for 16 May 1829 seems to be the latest one cited in overseas British and American papers (eg anon. 1829a, p. 2 and anon. 1829b, p. 2). Copies of the first 157 issues are held by the Bodleian Library (from vol. 1 no. 1, ie 1 July 1826 to 27 June 1829), and of the first 53 by the British Library (vol. 1 no. 1 to vol. 1 no. 53, ie 1 July 1826 to 30 June 1827) (Cave 1976, p. 34). A portion of the first set has been digitised by the library (vol. 1 no. 1 to vol. 2 no. 88; cf the online catalogue). All of the latter set has been microfilmed by the library (British Museum Newspaper Library reel 458), and digitised by Readex (cf the Latin American Newspapers series).

Short citations

^ Cave 1978, pp. 166–167.
^ Cave 1976, p. 22.
^ Burdon 1933, p. 288.
^ Cave 1976, pp. 22–24.
^ ^a ^b ^c anon. 1826, p. 1.
^ ^a ^b Cave 1976, p. 25.
^ anon. 1826, pp. 1–4.
^ Cave 1976, pp. 25–26.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Cave 1976, p. 26.
^ Cave 1976, p. 23.
^ anon. 1827, p. 3 of supplement.
^ ^a ^b Roché 2021, para. 11.
^ Roché 2021, para. 13.
^ Cave 1976, pp. 22, 26–27.
^ Cave 1976, p. 28.
^ Cave 1976, p. 29.
^ Roché 2021, paras. 17-18, 21.

Full citations

anon. (1 July 1826). "vol 1 no 1". Honduras Gazette. Belize: James Cruickshank. pp. 1–4.
anon. (17 March 1827). "vol 1 no 38". Honduras Gazette. Belize: James Cruickshank. pp. 1–4, with supplement pp. 1-4.
anon. (11 July 1829a). "Guatemala". Newbern Sentinel. Vol. XII, no. 587. New Bern, N. Car.: Thomas Watson. p. 2.
anon. (6 August 1829b). "London Mails". Cheltenham Chronicle. Vol. 20, no. 1041. Cheltenham, Glos., Eng.: S. Y. Griffith & G. Cunningham. p. 2.
Burdon, John Alder, ed. (1933). From 1801-1840. Archives of British Honduras. Vol. 2. London: Sifton, Praed & Co. hdl:2027/mdp.39015028737016. OCLC 3046003.
Cave, Roderick (1975). "Printing comes to Jamaica". Jamaica Journal. Vol. 9, no. 2–3. Kingston: Institute of Jamaica. pp. 11–18.
Cave, Roderick (1976). "Printing in Nineteenth-Century Belize". Library Quarterly. 46 (1): 20–37. doi:10.1086/620464. JSTOR 4306599. S2CID 144005676.
Cave, Roderick (1977). "American Bibliographical Notes : The Printing of the Honduras Almanack". Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society. 87 (1): 195–199. ProQuest 1305089289.
Cave, Roderick (1978). "Early Printing and the Book Trade in the West Indies". Library Quarterly. 48 (2): 163–192. doi:10.1086/630053. JSTOR 4306937. S2CID 143968810.
Cundall, Frank (1916). The press and printers of Jamaica prior to 1820. Worcester, Mass.: American Antiquarian Society. hdl:2027/hvd.32044024430100. OCLC 621457.
Everitt, John C. (1986). "The Growth and Development of Belize City". Journal of Latin American Studies. 18 (1): 75–111. doi:10.1017/S0022216X00011172. JSTOR 157205. S2CID 145650510.
Landarech, Alfonso María (1967). "Historia del periodismo de Guatemala". Revista conservadora del pensamiento centroamericano. 16 (76): 14–28. OCLC 6141951.
Martin, Robert Montgomery (1834). Possessions in the West Indies. History of the British colonies. Vol. 2. London: Cochrane & McCrone. hdl:2027/hvd.32044009927740. OCLC 1155228020.
Roché, Raphaël (2021). "Mur de papier, barrière de la langue". HispanismeS. 17 (sn): sn–sn. doi:10.4000/hispanismes.13470. S2CID 246336963.