 Gifford and Robert Bisset were the chief writers, and the political philosopher James Mill wrote reviews.Described as "often scurrilous" and "ultra-Tory,"  the journal contained essays, reviews, and satirical engravings, notably by James Gillray.It grew out of the political ferment of the period and was a vocal element of the British Anti-Jacobin backlash against the ideals of the French Revolution.