Modern History Simplified: Learn all about Sir Charles Metcalfe (1835-1836)- Governor general of India and his achievements.

1. He was instrumental in completing the Amritsar Treaty with Ranjit Singh in 1809, which brought stability to Punjab and lasted until the first Sikh war in 1845. He was forwarded by Lord Minto I who was the Governor general at that time. 
2. He was known as the “liberator of the Indian press” after repealing the odious 1823 ordinance.
   1. Press Act of 1835
      1. A printer/publisher was required to furnish a thorough account of the premises of a publication under the new Press Act (1835), and to suspend operations if a similar declaration was issued.
      2. The fast proliferation of newspapers was facilitated by a permissive press policy. This statute was in effect until 1856, and it resulted in a significant increase in the number of newspapers in the country.

Metcalfe was India’s longest-serving Englishman. He arrived in India at the zenith of Lord Wellesley’s British power and stayed for 38 years.

His desire for reform drove him to outlaw slavery, sati, and infanticide in the Delhi territory as early as 1812. Metcalfe, as a member of the Council, persuaded Governor General Bentinck to include natives in the country’s governance. He was a capable civil servant with liberal views. His liberal press policy won him favor with the Indians who built Metcalfe Hall in Calcutta and erected his bust there.