The Canada Constellation 1799-1800

On July 20, 1799, the first edition of the "Canada Constellation", Upper Canada's earliest independent newspaper, was published at Niagara by Gideon and Silvester Tiffany, two brothers who had come from the United States. Gideon had at first held the post of King's Printer of Upper Canada and, with Silvester, edited the government-sponsored "Upper Canada Gazette". Suspected of American sympathies, the Tiffanys lost their government support in 1797 and were succeeded by Titus Geer Simons. Their subsequent efforts to operate the "Canada Constellation" without government aid were thwarted by limited population and the difficulty of collecting subscriptions. The last issue appeared about July, 1800.