SSS Scely's Wend 



nii>;It1y Conin^uiy ; l)iit of lli« iiicaninjr 

 •if llie latter wuiil llicy iiiivc iiouccuiiac 

 lEiution. 



FREE PRESS I\ I>1DI.A. 



Tn llic course of conversation, one or 

 two iiilelli!;cnt men renini ked tliey miicli 

 fJcsired tlie means o!' ieadiii;; ihe nkliars 

 (tiovvs|iapcrs), and tliat, had tliuy means 

 and liberty of |)rintiiia; itiein, there wore 

 jdeiity of jicrsoiis at the jiresideneics 

 mIio could and would I)e employed in 

 transiatiiip: tljc ir contents inio Persian 

 :ind Il!n<loos(anec. Now, thought I^ 

 H.'od lorhid! The English aio inarvel- 

 lonsly fond of iniprovemcnis and refor- 

 inalions (or amelioialions, as ihoy are 

 tailed) in political eeonoiny and in ihe 

 condition of the people, and would wish 

 to make tlieir ynbjects abroad as en- 

 lightened, and, conseipimf I}', as power- 

 I'nJ, as tlieir masters. We are pushing 

 Willi rapid strides to convince the natives 

 «)f Imiia of our weakness, and of their 

 own consequence and ])hjsiealstrengt!i. 

 T«o more liajipy nnxies could not have 

 been liit upon for the ftnllierance of this 

 VTcsirablc object than a free press and 

 the atlenipled conversion of t'.ie Ilindocs 

 Jiiid Mnssnlinans: with the former a 

 liopeless undeit-.ikiiig. and witli the lat- 

 ter nllerly impraelicable. Hut the 

 mischief arising from the iittempt is in- 

 curable, and alter-generalions will have 

 to depioro the excessive love (d' the 

 X'iiiglish for improvements and innova- 

 tions. Eternally atlempting to modify 

 ;;«(! correct insliliilions and established 

 forms, wc go on incessantly, and by re- 

 action produce greater evils tiian ttiose 

 \ve have vainly endeavoured to cure. 

 'J'hus it is in the lantlahle wi:;lj to con- 

 vert, and in giving to the natives of 

 India (ihut iiicsiiniable Idessiiig to us) 

 a free press. The natives of India liave, 

 for a series of years, under oin- mild and 

 bcnelicentgovernmeni, l)een happy and 

 jirospcrous, williont the aid of politics to 

 amnsc and cdit'y them. They arc con- 

 tented, and could not possibly be under 

 H more humane and generous govern- 

 ment than llmt of tiie Britisli. Oh ! 

 110, exclaims Ihe wcll-n>oaning pliilari- 

 throi)isl ; instruct and improve their 

 minds — nothing can belterdiffuse know- 

 ledge than an unshackled picss: they 

 arc our fellow-men, ourAsiatic brethren. 

 Yes, replies a factions, ambitions, and 

 iietHly demagogue; tell them tlieir 

 weight in the scale, of nalions, tlieir suf- 

 ferings, the usurpations they have expe- 

 rienced, what Ihey arc capable of, and 

 what they might achieve it they diil but 

 know ihcii owu imi»ortance and the iii- 



'ers i>f Elora, 



Kignili(;aneo of their eontjuerors. Now,, 

 allowing both Christians and qnidnnncs 

 to spring uji' (ogellier like imi.shrooms, 

 the country would be plung'd iutocon- 

 fnsion and ultimate ruin, and llic mass 

 of liie population be infinitely worse oil" 

 than before — no (losilivo good done to, 

 them, and an irreparable injury done to 

 ourselves and posterity. 



I am Ircc to coafess, notwitlislanding 

 tli(! innate and invincible abhorrciK'c 

 with vvhich 1 \ iew any arbitrary proceed- 

 ing in a goveiJinieiit l.nvards its sub- 

 jects, that ihe ajiplicalion of an educated, 

 wcaltliy, and reslless body of peo|)le, to 

 Ihc ligiit of discnssing the conduct and 

 merits ot (!ie governnicnl, ought to bo 

 re«;eiv((l villi caution and distrust, as 

 there is no knowing, when the spirit is 

 0)ice aifn/i;iic(/, win re it may end ; anit 

 il'wetnistonrhope in thegeod behaviour^ 

 or sense of projiricty, or feelings of at- 

 tachment or gialilude in the heteroge- 

 neous mass which coii)|iOscs the popn- 

 lalipn of Im.'ia, wc shall, when loo late, 

 find ourselves uiosl miserably dcccivcil. 



Hai)pily for the niollu r country and 

 tlie I caee of India, the Supreme (Jo- 

 vernment have, by Ihe late restrielions, 

 put an end to Ihe evil ere it arrived at 

 any growth; :ind for wliicli jndicious 

 measure Mr. .Tohn Adam, tlie lale Go- 

 vcruor-Geneial, anil his coadjutors, de- 

 serve the vvarniesi [iraise. Rnnjcel 

 Sing, a powerful and iiideiJtndent prince, 

 jiossessing .superior talents and great re- 

 sources, legnlajly gcLs the English 

 pai:ers, and any efoice ntnrcraux relat- 

 ing to OS he has regularly transcribed, 

 and sent to his piincipai olliccrs. J J is 

 ambitions mind, as well as successful 

 career, his known wish to enlist Euro- 

 pean ofiicers in his service, and his nnirc 

 than probable occasional intercourse 

 with Knssia, render him an object of 

 deep interest, and under many sii.s- 

 picious circurnslances that liavc of laic 

 occurred in that quarter, I am snr|)rised 

 that we have no Brilisli resident at his 

 coiirf. 



In tlicse observations, elicited by Ibo 

 remark made by one of Shah Safit's 

 guests about freedom of discussion and 

 getting the newspapers printed in the 

 native languages, 1 could not have fore- 

 seen that the day would have arrive^ 

 when four native newspapers would 

 have been established in Calcutta ; and 

 that when the government of the country 

 require, for their otcn security, that tlio 

 publishers of newspapers and periodicals 

 .slio;ilil be under certain restrictions, and 

 be fuinislitd with a licence, thai an 

 address 



