The Mercury was founded by publisher Thomas Cary in respect and veneration of Canada's link to the United Kingdom.
[1] From 1828 to 1848 the Mercury was owned jointly by Thomas Cary Jr. and Pierre-Édouard Desbarats.
[2] 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 Anglicise the colony.
[4] Together, Le Canadien and the Mercury were the first truly political newspapers printed in Canada.