[ London Times ]
This newspaper, most correctly known simply as The Times, began publication in 1785 and continues to this day.
The edition of October 3, 1859, carried a report of some diplomatic maneuvering between the French, Spanish, and British governments shortly before the beginning of the Spanish-Moroccan War (1859 - 1860), a brief conflict initiated by the Spanish in defense of some of their North African settlements. The discussion of the diplomatic situation includes the following brief mention of "The Emperor," who would be Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, more commonly referred to as Napoleon III, who was a nephew of the original Napoleon and, after serving as French president, declared himself the Emperor of France and ruled as such from 1852 - 1870. Apparently he liked Newfs, as the following tongue-in-cheek remark indicates:
The Emperor, it appears, occasionally walks about the grounds [of his Imperial residence in the seaside town of Biarritz] with a fine Newfoundland dog, held by a string; and the serious manner with which the quadruped walks by his master and looks up to his face, and the readiness with which he obeys his orders without murmurs, suggested to a sprightly habitué that he would not be unqualified for a portfolio.
There is no need for alarm, however, on the part of the most nervous holder of office, and the fidelity of this noble creature (the Newfoundland in question) need not disturb his slumbers. He would probably know as much of the Imperial mind as any of the biped Ministers — perhaps more than any of them — during a téte-à-téte.