The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-07-10 00:00:00

' tions. The Jude:. however, epoke of their predict with a horror."
He (Mr. leteraird) knew Ms ltuckingliads and was happy to
confirm this opinion,d se lay, that trap his • ecqtaaintante
a Omit). impre,,e,eoa •teth wade in his mind tossed* him,
Mr. Buckingham's ent ml, eght under singulft disadvantages. He
bad no sooner publiebothis book of travels than he was accused of
having purloined many peisser *MU the journal of Mr. Banks.
Thin created a veins/se spinet-bine He (Mr. Kinnainls was
satietied this charge was ttefountleele As aciaci had ban instituted
lot the purpose of elaprovitig the betisutation. which was only de-
e leyee from the court s 4 Itr.fe. Hanlon basing granted perminioin
to take the denosinims et certain Mehemet who was in Egret.
The rokatto Jaunted wits an extensive propene s ; it was at one
period, under the management of Mr. Backinghans. worth 40,(100/.,
as was shown by the eircuSeruree of his having dialysed of a one-
tinirth share for itetteei. 'Costly previous to his banishment friss
Indic, it was made inde4ensitsle that the ownership should be
transferred, or its reference altottethee euppreued. A notice of sale
was armed- given by Magna Alexander and Co. and three penons
were actunliy tiastoiekted M tenelidates for the edit/ashy I one of
them was a p.m of a mealier pf Council, and it was evident tbat
an exertion would at all events be trade to have it given
_hp sore'
potion who was in the click of the Goverment. fete (Mr. K.l
Ishould regret if this free'disnesion were thus extirgulthed. It
enabled us at home to heospiainted with the real sate of our floe
vernmem in India. WWII theistical for the renewal of the Coin-
pany's Charier arrived, liwoidd be esteatined, net wily how the
'tech of the Cor,pany lead been philltable to the proler.etors, hut
how the Company had si • • • other great interests ea-
trusted to its char •e. Ti ‘,„ • press the Milos of their Sa-
vant. abroad wouhl he made • its influence would be sa-
il
tinguishal, that spirit di. petty hip, and tine heal in-
trigue, which surneueded and e 1 ern; Chit Cormier
going out to India. In erne eee, '
sr. e -Adam, he speke of him
only in his public character. ee" .ed any intently! of per.•
aural allustam ; but in 'meek ''gels government in India, bee
would say. that although he eel of its harshness. yet -Ire
hoped great hens its weuld be derived from the temeasary clews,
non of that iolituated pentad. by plecuykT fir a suborner importhe
ant as that Mahe freedom of the pass in Italia, that full cousidersal
to which it wesentided. He *AO condo& by moving, " That
there be laid before this t•ciute '4 Mimes of Council of Calcutta,
land all correspondence and ee that passed between the Council
I thee:met of Directors. and 17 cootereul. retettn to the press
in India. since May, j, ether
istrzy (a Hareems.) was o °phi.% that with napeet to thin'
case of,ooe Arsor—whose name was latrodured
antonget wary other took, touched upon in the very long special of
the lion. MI ember, theeelas.fir2 of that individual demi hi be • reason
why the Court !doubt abet*, from the consideration of his case new.
Mit were now to be coneietered,, it would be a rartinl line of tone
duet to investigate the airless complained of beset° they were sup-
plied with the justification of oleic I rovernment in India, which
watt texused. (Hear.) As neither Mr. Arnot, nor the esplana-
tMn of Government, bad yet reached this country, he was satisfied
the Court would feel the unfairness of entering into the subject.
(Hear, hear.) With respect to Mr. Buckingham, he had made
an appeal front the decision of the elevernment in India
to the faint of Directors, and secondly to the Board of Coss-
traul. Hy both, she conduct of the local government was ap-
proved, and both refused to disturb their decision. If Mr. Bucking-
ham had- any cause of complaint against the Council of Calcutta
fur any injury he sustained in his property, a court of justice was
the proper tribunal to which to appeal. if he were aggrieved, a
jury would no doubt award him ample damages--that was a case
for :ie own coneirleretian—but was one which as brought before
this Court should be considered as tomes twat jadice. This he
should consider a complete and decisive answer to the Honour.
able Geralsman, but as the legality of the procreedings in re-
' specs to Mr. Bucki-lhatn, and also the policy of the Govern-
mem in not upholding a free press had been called into
.ques.
I Lion, as well as the character of Mr. Adams severely ammad.
I vetted upon, he would trespass a few observations on these
points. The Honourable Gentleman here proceeded to read the
several provisions of the statutes, which pointed out the nature
and extent of the powers to exercised by Governots.General and
the Courted its India, with a view of establishing the legality
of the authority which the Governor and Council exercisel
Much reliance had been placed upon the suspeneion of the censor-
ship of the press In ledia, and the substitute n of the restrictions in
its stead, as though it were• ireensled by this substitution to
establish a free press in India. Such was tot th?. intention of the
change, and the restrictions which prohibited any offensive com-
mentary. on theconduct of the Government in India ; any
RiobalZattoo disrespectful to the C
Court of Directors or the
of Cordele and which contained various other prole.
bleary regulations, fell far short of the idea we formed iss this court.
try of what constituted a free press. It was not es be eriendered at,
therefore, that Mr. Canning, In the House of Common., laughed
at the idea of considering these regulations as the esiebbehment of
a free press in India. Such was as remote hom the intention with
which tha censorship was removed, as it would be inconsistent with
the state of die population of India. Mr. Buckingham had
not to °Dolphin of any exercise of hush or arbitrary power.
The first infraftion of the restrictions instituted by the Ma is of
Wellesley, was in libel written by Mr. leuckineham en the Go-
vernor of Modems, in 1149. This rolled flir the marked expression
of the censure of Government. whereupon Mr. Buckingham made
an ample apology, and accompanied his expression of regret witbs
promise that the offence should not be repeated : but a short period
wee scarcely permitted to elapee, before a similar attack wan made
at the seine Governor, and this attack was followed up be turner.
ous attacks on many other peso's connected with the Indian Go-
vernmmr. The Marquis of Hastings himself, in his rapacity of
Conttander-to*Chis‘-abe Bbdirp offs/Imnd and the Ckm—die
whole Adminfefriton wefe mine tibieets of general and indis-
criminate moron. He really was not Jeeed to admire the for.
• • • which Iliduced the Marstuis di lasting' not to have ex-
seised the iser vested in gfm, which he was at length obliged to
resort to, the min defiance of Goverment by ,Mr. Bucking-
bons. But e woos maintain, that an far from Lord Hastings I
not agreeing It, opinion with the enured (as had been
asserted), he exposited in a letter, which was to be found
In his own hand-writing, the necessity. of suppressing the,
publication of this paper. if it persisted in the coarse I
it had adopted. The strongest warning on this subject,
was to be found in this document, which esdiblished the eo.opera-
non of the Marquis of Hinting% and his full concurrence in the
proceedings of the rest of the Government. With nepect to the
conduct of Mr. Adam daring his aeministradon, he had been fur-
nished since he carne into Court with three testimonials highly
Ismottrable to the ability with which lie discharged the duties of
.the situation to which he had been called. These acknowledge-
ments of his services were to be found in a letter of the Governor
of Bombay to a near relative, dated the lath of .tugust, 11123,
which Still/11 the general sentiment of respect and admiration
that prevailed towards him throughout all India. The second
acknowledgment was contained in the approbation of a get.-hil
meeting af the inhabitants cf Calcutta, at the expiration .es the
period administration, in which approbation the very Mr.
Palmer, whose recommendation of Mr. Ettekingham had been so
strongly relied upon by his advocate, that day concurred, as did
also the golden: en (Mr. Fergesn) who had been his Counsel in
(Lered cries of hear, hear.) The third ard last testimony
in favour of Mr. Adam's conduct was that of Lord Amherst, who
accompanied the exprersion of the satisfactory manner in which he
!pd admireistered the affairs of India, with an expression of regret
that 'literate of health was such as would deprive him of his future
assurance—as, by losing that assistance. he Mt that he had lost
" the staff on which he had principally leant." This he thought
was a satisfactory vindication of Mr..itlem against the imputa-
tions thrown out againet hint. As to a free press in India, it
should he remembered that all institittione in society were
relative to the degree in which they promoted the happiness of the
j community into which they were introduced. And as one insthution
may be well calculated fa: a people in an advanced sate of civilie
Cotton, so it may he vet r unfit for the well-being of a people who
were not an. (Hear.) This was a consideration peculiarly appli•
cable to the state of the press in this country and in India. A free
press was well suited to a free country, but was inconsistent with
' such a despotic government as prevailed in India. It would only
tench the people there that a foreign yoke ought to be shaken °free
Ithat every country had a right to its own peculiar form of laws and
government, sand would terminate in stimulating a slave popula-
tion to submit the present Government, and establish a dominion
of their own, and enrich themselves wish the plunder and rapine
of the India) empire. The Honourable Gentleman proceeded to
point out the incompatibility of the present situation of society in
India with the establishment of scree pees.; and concluded a very I
I able speech. by proposing an amendment " to adjourn generally,"
which lie sit. beequentlr withdrew, as lie thought it would be the
better way ,erectly to negative the proposition of the Honourable
Mover. _ . _

Sir J. 31a.3.n0n sr knew 111 r. Adam for thirty years, mid felt it
his duty to vindicate his character form the aspersions which had
been thrown upon it. He never met a man of more round judge
meet, calm temper, and deliberate wivdoin. Front a knowledge
formed by experience. he was of opinion, that a free press was a
dangerous and unnecessary institution to establish there. There,
Was net in India, as in Lngland, a public formed of artisans,
merchants, and other such classes. The Europeara were mostly
cipher in the military or civil service. This was not ivhat
was meant by the public in 8141,414 For such persons a free
pram was unnecessary. And for the natives it was dangerous
to introduce, as it supplied them with notions of government and
law, which, from the nature of our connexion, it was impossible
they could practically enjoy. The Hen. Baronet went into an in-
' termini: detail of the state of aoeie.y in India ; and although he
admiral .he talent and industry of Mr. Buckingham, yet he ap.
inured et* the conduct of Government in discourtenancing the
estaLlisl mint of a free press, which was not suited to the infant
state of swi etc there.

Mr. I) rx )x never heard his Honourable Friend (Mr. Kinnaird)
under nx re distressing circumstances than on the present occasion.
Notwitlis theingenuity with which he had endeavoured to
disentangle the Alarquis of Hastings from the conduct of the In.
dian Gomm:nem towards Mr. Buckingham, it satisfactorily ap-
peared he was 16 party to those proceedings.--" Keep me frum my
friends" was an edage of which they had that day a specimen in
the advoc.tcy of the Honourable Gentleman. Mr. Buckingham
went out as a free mariner : he was heard of only, however, as a
political W3it.T on public affairs ; he was adverse to the establish.
I ...went of a free press in India, on the grounds stated, as unnecessary
and dangerouri.
C. Fun era was formerly of opinion, which he still retained.
fast India ran no Mauch a state as to render it advisable to eats.
Mist' there a ree press. The press there ought to be surrounded
by restrictioas.4 which may not be necessary to regulate it in more
civilised cow- tries. Nevertheless, he was of opinion, that Mr.
Burlingham , tad been most harshly and oppressively dealt with.
Ile would net er go so fur as is say, that nothing but the very
safety of 'nail...itself could :;us:ify or excuse the oppression with
which he was risitcti. If it were necessary that 3 r. Bucking.
ham staiulti bet moved, it might have been done without injustice;
his property sta .ald have teen protected ; his feelings should not
lace beet: outrat tad a they l:al Leer.. iii. Duainghtm had, it