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The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907–21).
Volume XIV. The Victorian Age, Part Two.

IV. The Growth of Journalism

§ 23. The Scots Observer

Mention should be made of William Ernest Henley’s effort to establish, in 1889, The Scots Observer as a literary review and an organ of imperialism, to be issued in Edinburgh, so that the Scottish capital might rival London in the possession of a weekly review, as it had done in quarterly reviewing and in daily journalism. Henley summoned to his colours the most famous Scottish writers of the day, but, in a couple of years, it was found necessary to transfer the paper to London, and to alter its title to The National Observer. Even so, unfortunately, it did not find room for permanent growth.

A position of its own was achieved by The Economist, which for seventeen years was under the editorship of Walter Bagehot, of whose great critical powers, primarily, but not exclusively, devoted to the elucidation of economical and political questions, something has been said elsewhere.