On this day Charles Metcalfe took over as acting Governor-General of India from William Bentinck.
Metcalfe had studied at the new Fort William College in Kolkata.
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During the year he was acting Governor-General, he instituted major changes. The 1835 Press Act restored press freedom, which had been taken away by the repressive 1823 law. This gained him great popularity with the public but soured his relations with the East India Company. Metcalfe Hall in Kolkata had been built to honour him for his contribution to press freedom. He later worked as Lieutenant-Governor of the North-Western Provinces, Governor of Jamaica and Governor-General of the Province of Canada.
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