The Economist’s original issue and prospectus, published 5 August 1843.

And lastly—if we required higher motives than bare utility, to induce that zeal, labour, and perseverance against all the difficulties which we shall have to encounter in this work—we have them. If we look abroad, we see within the range of our commercial intercourse whole islands and continents, on which the light of civilization has scarce yet dawned; and we seriously believe that FREE TRADE, free intercourse, will do more than any other visible agent to extend civilization and morality throughout the world—yes, to extinguish slavery itself.