 Preceding it was the short-lived "Melbourne Advertiser" which John Pascoe Fawkner first produced on 1 January 1838 as hand-written editions for 10 weeks and then printed for a further 17 weekly issues, the "Port Phillip Gazette" and "The Port Phillip Patriot and Melbourne Advertiser".But within eighteen months of its inauguration, the "Port Phillip Herald" had grown to have the largest circulation of all Melbourne papers.It was founded and published by George Cavenagh (1808–1869).