Commencing on 28 March 1831, the Independent was published initially on Mondays, and briefly on Wednesdays, until 9 May 1831. From 18 May 1831, it was published on Saturdays continuously until 31 January 1835.[1]
Located in Brisbane Street, Launceston, the Independent's first publisher was Samuel Bailey Dowsett[2] who had previous experience as the publisher of the Cornwall press and commercial advertiser.[3]
In 1831, the publisher of the Launceston Advertiser,[4]John Pascoe Fawkner, engaged in a rivalry with the Independent. Both Fawkner and Dowsett used their newspaper columns for heated, personal exchanges.[5]
The Independent's office in Brisbane Street, Launceston, served as an agent for the Hobart-based newspapers: Colonial Times and The Tasmanian.[6][7] On 5 May 1832, Dowsett wrote an article in the Independent to farewell the editor of the Tasmanian, R L Murray, on his retirement.[8]
When the Independent ceased publication on 31 January 1835, the publisher at that time, William Mann, immediately started the Cornwall Chronicle: commercial, agricultural, and naval register in Launceston.[9][10]