Poetry of the Anti-Jacobin / Comprising the Celebrated Political and Satirical Poems, of the Rt. Hons. G. Canning, John Hookham Frere, W. Pitt, the Marquis Wellesley, G. Ellis, W. Gifford, the Earl of Carlisle, and Others.

by Unknown

THE STAR.

The Star, the first London daily Evening Newspaper, was started in 1788 by Peter Stuart, brother to Daniel Stuart, of The Morning Post. Its first editor was Andrew Macdonald, author of Vimonda, a tragedy, and other works: and after him another Scottish poet, John Mayne, author of The Siller Gun, was editor. Robert Burns was offered an engagement to write poetry for it, at the rate of one guinea an article per week. The arrangement was not completed. It was to Peter Stuart that Burns addressed his “Poem, written to a gentleman who had sent him a Newspaper, and offered to continue it free of expense”. The facetious Bob Allen, of whom Charles Lamb has such pleasant reminiscences, was for many years a contributor to this paper. Subsequently, Dr. A. Tilloch, editor of The Philosophical Magazine, was for many years editor of The Star. After Oct. 15, 1831, The Star became incorporated with The Albion newspaper, under the title of The Albion and Evening Star.

The Star was during many years the leading newspaper on the Whig side, Campbell the poet being one of its writers after 1804, when he was engaged at a salary of four guineas a week. The clear profits of this paper in 1820 were said, on apparently good authority, to amount to £6000.