»88
HISTORY OF PRINTING.
in one day as would occupy two bookbinders a week in the ordinary way, besides degrading a very pretty art to a most toilsome task of heavy labour and little skill in one of its processes.
1823. The Singapore ChronieU, established on the island of Singapore, at the extremity of the peninsula of Malacca. At Grst it was issued at irregular periods, then once a fortnight ; and in 1833 it was enlarged and issued weekly, in which state it continues. In 1823, the Anglo- Chinese college was removed from Malacca to Singapore, and a printing establishment was brought from Calcutta, where the missionaries commenced their labours hy working off a Siamese version of the Book ofGemtit.
1823. James Silk Buckingham, proprietor and editor of the Oriental Herald, published at Calcutta, was banished from India, unprepared and without trial, because he chose to say " that a clergyman of the church of Scotland was not the fittest person to be made a clerk of sta- tionery." With regard to the Indian press, it may be observed, that the first adventurers into that region, solely intent on the meaiu of amassing enormous wealth, had little appetite for any literary or intellectual gratifications. As, however, emigrants multiplied and their stay in India Itssumed more of a permanent character, the example of some illustrious indi- viduals kindled a spirit of enq uiiy, not surpassed at home, and scarcely equalled unless among the most active intellectual circles. The human mind once roused to exertion, soon betters itself in every direction from philological and historical research, our countrymen sought to proceed to political enquiry, particularly into the constitu- tion and administration of that singular and anomalous system under which they were governed. A free press, however, in a society composed on one side of a mere army, and in the other of a people subjected to immemorial despotism, and into whose mind such an idea never entered, was certainly , a very critical measure. The marquis of Hastings, however, attempted it, he proclaimed the freedom of pub- lication without previous censorship, as accom- panied, however, with a series of warnings as to the limits within which this permission was to be exercised. Mr. Buckingham, a bold and clever adventurer immediately availed himself of this permission, and began a journal, which so addressed itself to the newly awakened curiosity of the Indian public, that in a short time it yielded a revenue of £8,000 a-year. As it was always found to be the more acceptable and profitable in proportion as the strictures upon the mighty of the land were more decided and piquant, the paper, in spite of repeated warnings from the government house, assumed always a character more and more offensive to the ruling powers. This state of things came to a crisis when the marquis left India, and the ministra- tion devolved upon Mr. Adam in the interval, pervious to the arrival of a new governor-general. Mr. Buckingham having then committed an offence, supposed to excc«d the atrocity of his
former misdeeds, was banished from India on the ground of an old law, which empowered the grovemment to take this step.* Mr. Amott, in whose hands he left the journal, and who con- ducted it in the same spirit, soon experienced a similar treatment; and the whole concern 'Was entirely broken up.
1823, January 20. Advice was received of the establishment of a Bengalee newspaper, under the title of Sunghand Cmcmuddy ; or the Moon of Intelligence, ^ited by a learned Hindoo, and the first articles relate to the liberty of the press, and trial by jury.
1823, July. Examiner 4r Political Economist.
1823, Oct. 9. Local Ohtener.
1824, Feb. 25. Died, Luke White, esq., M.P. for the county of Leitiim. He rose by slow degrees, from being the poorest to the richest man in Ireland. He commenced business as an itinerant bookseller, at Belfast, and was in the practice of selling by auction his pamphlets and imperfect volumes, in the'public streets of Belfast. The knowledge be thus acquired of public sales, procured him the situation of clerk to an auctioneer in Dublin. There he opened a small bookshop, became eminent in that line,.'uid sold lottery tickets, and by his speculations in the funds, and contracting for government loans, he acquired his enuAious wealth. His property amounted to j£30,000 a-year real estate, and £160,000 in money and securities. This, which remained after the enormous sum of £200,000, expended upon elections, he bequeathed by will amongst his children, five sons and three daugh- ters. His son, Samuel White, esq. succeeded him in the representation of the county of Lei- trim. — ^It was said that his eldest son offended him by refusing to offer himself a candidate for Dublin, with a promise to support the catholic cause. He died in Park-street, Grosvenor- square, London.
1824, March 8. Died, Matthew FAOLKNEa, formerly proprietor of the Manchester Heraid newspaper, and a very respectable bookseller in the market-place of that town. We have, at page 775, given the manner by which Mr. Faul- kner lost an independent property, acquired by previous habits of severe industry, and the closest attention to business, for the expression of
- In Aa(mt> 183S, Mr. Buckingham, being then M. P.
for Sbeflleld, obtained a committee of the home of commons to investigate into his claims and to enable him to recover compensation from the East India Company, for the loss and damages sustained bj him in the suppres- sion of his paper at Calcutta. The preamble recites, "tbat by an expenditure of ^so,000, he, with great exettlooa, sncceeded in establishing at Calcutta a joomal whiA yielded ;^,000 aimually, and that he possessed thirty- three shares of this Joamal. He was banished, his paper suppressed, and property to the amount of ^40,000 was destroyed. All this was done without trial or conviction-" The committee declared " that as by the ordinary oooxse of law there was no remedy, compensatian should be awarded hy the authority of parliament." When ths measure came t>efore the house it was thrown out. From some motive, of wMch we are not aware, Mr. Backing- ham retired from parliament, and is now in America.
On August 3, I83S, the press of India was freed oT its restrictions by the voluntary act of the governor general in council.
Diaitized bv
