Since 1783, 41 Prime Ministers have come and gone. Nine heads of state have sat on the British throne. Scotland's history has unfolded in ways no-one could have predicted. And The Herald reported on it all.

The newspaper that began life 225 years ago as The Glasgow Advertiser, published from an unassuming side street off the Saltmarket, has undergone three changes of name, with 22 editors overseeing the paper's evolution. But the central principle of its creator remains at the heart of The Herald to this day. On January 21, 1783, founder John Mennons set out his vision for a national newspaper, and outlined the tenets that would guide him as The Herald's first editor.

A good newsman, he wrote, must "engage in the task of informing and instructing his fellow citizens, while preserving his mind as free as possible from any prejudice which might lead him to partial representation of the facts". And this week, as Scotland's favourite quality newspaper celebrated its 225th birthday, Scotland was assured that Mennons's commitment to accuracy, honesty and improvement remains the cornerstone of The Herald today.

On Thursday evening, a host of contemporary Scotland's most influential individuals gathered in the magnificent main hall of the Mitchell, Glasgow, for a civic dinner , hosted on behalf of the city by the Lord Provost, Bob Winter. The dinner celebrated not only The Herald's distinguished past and present, but also its unique and growing partnership with the Mitchell, Europe's largest reference library .

Charles McGhee, Editor of The Herald, told guests how the Mitchell's vast underground strong rooms held a historic series of bound leather volumes containing every edition of The Herald, dating back to the first newspaper of January 1783, when the paper was known as The Glasgow Advertiser.

Yet far from being simply a repository for the newspaper's past, he explained, the Mitchell had a critical role to play in helping The Herald flourish in an increasingly digital media environment.

Describing the partnership between the two famous Glasgow institutions as "unique and exciting", he explained how the Mitchell was now managing and developing the newspaper's digital archive, including the ambitious aspiration to digitise The Herald's unrivalled collection of six million photographs, which in itself provides a rich social history of Scotland over the past two centuries.

He said: "The challenge is to make our digital offerings as editorially attractive and as commercially viable as our print products have been for centuries.

"Personally, I'm still passionate about print and, although I accept newspapers will have to evolve radically to survive, I firmly believe that those which proactively innovate and intelligently invest will be able to claim their rightful place in the multi-media landscape that is rapidly taking shape."

Karen Cunningham, Head of Libraries at Culture and Sport Glasgow, said that a digitised archive was an aspiration shared by the Mitchell.

She said: "It's vital for Glasgow to record the social, political and economic history of the city.

"We have to look at funding, but it's certainly one of our priorities."

The event celebrated The Herald's success in the past and present - today, 88% of MSPs name it as their newspaper of choice.

As the keynote speaker at The Herald's anniversary celebration, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon spoke of politicians' sometimes fraught relationship with the press.

Describing the paper's collaboration with the Mitchell as "a stellar example of Scotland leading the way into the future", Ms Sturgeon praised the contribution The Herald has made to the Scottish nation in its 225-year history.

She said: "The Herald has covered the French Revolution, the American War of Independence, two world wars and the Spanish Civil War, all the way to the current war in Iraq. On the journey there have been disasters such as Piper Alpha, Aberfan and Ibrox, the assassination of Kennedy and 9/11.

"But not all news is of a tragic nature. There have been royal weddings, first men on the moon, Celtic winning the European Cup, Freuchie winning the village cricket title and, of course, the opening of the Scottish Parliament."

Ms Sturgeon continued: "All these events have been important in the history of Scotland and in the history of the world. The Herald has covered them all, and the Mitchell holds the record for posterity.

"The Herald is not a parochial newspaper," she added. "It's not just a Glasgow newspaper; it's a Scottish tradition and a testament to the Scottish people and the Scottish way of life."

Bob Winter, Lord Provost of Glasgow, also spoke at the reception. He noted the co-incidence of The Herald's 225th anniversary falling at the same time as the 500th anniversary of printing. An exhibition, taking its title - Guid Black Prent - from a line in a Robert Burns poem, marks the anniversary at the Mitchell Library.

The Lord Provost said of the partnership between The Herald and the Mitchell: "These two great Glasgow institutions have come together in celebration of the printed word and everything that it represents: information, education and the advancement of technology."

He said that the two institutions' work "not only charts the history, preserves and conserves the heritage, but, we are sure, contributes to the sustainability of the print newspaper today and in the future, which is vital to the city and its economy".

Although positive about the implications of technology in Scottish newspaper production, Mr Winter sounded a cautionary note, reminding the audience that there were limits to the power of computers.

"Machines can't write, take photographs or edit copy. They can't book advertising, man a switchboard or sell newspapers on the street," he said.

"So whether we're talking about production, printing in general, or about those who read what you produce, the most important single element - as it was 225 years ago - is people."

The Herald has progressed from its modest beginnings in an eighteenth-century side street. The readership is now larger than ever, with the 850,000-strong combined print and online audience dwarfing the hundreds who read John Mennons's first edition 225 years ago.

As the audience heard, the founder's commitment to honest, accurate and balanced reporting remains the bedrock of The Herald's journalism which has earned it its reputation as Scotland's leading quality national daily newspaper.