ABSTRACT
The Press was the principal medium through which Western ideas of freedom and democracy permeated the minds of the middle classes, and it may be justly regarded as one of the greatest British contributions to Indian national development. This contribution was made almost entirely by non-officials, often against strong opposition from the British Indian bureaucracy. The rudiments of the Press may be seen in the organisations of news writers under the Mughal Empire. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries governments in England generally regarded the Press with dislike and suspicion, and made numerous attempts to discourage it and to limit its activities. The Chief Secretary, Adam, who had never approved of the Press policy of Lord Hastings, was officiating as Governor-General in 1823, and at once decided to deport Buckingham. His Minute, quoted by Margarita Barns, sets out clearly the ground of his notice.
