Quebec Mercury
Encyclopedia
The Quebec Mercury was an English language
weekly newspaper
published in Quebec City
from 1805 to 1863.
The Mercury was founded by publisher Thomas Cary in respect and veneration of Canada
's link to the United Kingdom
. From 1828 to 1848 the Mercury was owned jointly by Thomas Cary Jr. and Pierre-Édouard Desbarats. The newspaper generally represented the economic and political interests of the English merchants, while its rival Le Canadien
(1806–1893) represented the economic and political interests of the French language
moneyed groups. The Quebec Mercury was deeply conservative, advocated for the assimilation of French Canadians, and sought to "unfrenchify" the colony. Cary perceived the rise of a French middle class and the French majority in the Assembly as a threat to the growth of Anglo-Canadian commercial interests. The newspaper survived until the 1950s.
Together, Le Canadien and the Mercury were the first truly political newspapers printed in Canada.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
weekly newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
from 1805 to 1863.
The Mercury was founded by publisher Thomas Cary in respect and veneration of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's link to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. From 1828 to 1848 the Mercury was owned jointly by Thomas Cary Jr. and Pierre-Édouard Desbarats. The newspaper generally represented the economic and political interests of the English merchants, while its rival Le Canadien
Le Canadien
Le Canadien was a French language newspaper published in Lower Canada from November 22, 1806 to March 14, 1810. Its motto was: "Nos institutions, notre langue et nos droits"...
(1806–1893) represented the economic and political interests of the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
moneyed groups. The Quebec Mercury was deeply conservative, advocated for the assimilation of French Canadians, and sought to "unfrenchify" the colony. Cary perceived the rise of a French middle class and the French majority in the Assembly as a threat to the growth of Anglo-Canadian commercial interests. The newspaper survived until the 1950s.
Together, Le Canadien and the Mercury were the first truly political newspapers printed in Canada.
External links
- The Quebec Mercury, in the Collection numérique of Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du QuébecBibliothèque et Archives nationales du QuébecBibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec is the Crown corporation acting as the provincial library and archives of Quebec...
.