John Clark Marshman writes that the Governor General Lord Hastings 'brought with him from England very enlightened views on the subject of the press, which were greatly in advance of those then in vogue at the India House, and among leading functionaries of government in India.'

In 1799 Lord Wellesley had introduced rigid press censorship in response to remarks and disclosures that had caused political difficulty. 'On 19th August 1818 Lord Hastings abolished press censorship without giving any reasons. However he attached restrictions so severe that if literally enforced they must have proved fatal to all freedom of discussion. But after they had been passed, the Judges of the Supreme Court, who were known to be generally unwilling to interfere with the liberty of the press, had on one occasion refused to grant a criminal information. Lord Hastings was, moreover, extremely averse to inflict on his administration the stigma of banning an editor. The regulations, therefore, soon became a dead letter, and the press became practically free.'

William Yates writes: 'On his removal to Calcutta he united himself with the junior Missionaries of the Society, and took a most active part in all the measures they adopted for the establishment and extension of the mission. In the Printing department he commenced operations on a very limited scale, with only one press, in a contemptible mat hut adjoining the house where he lived. This establishment he continued to enlarge as providence enlarged his means, and raised it from the most insignificant to one of the most efficient in the city. To the honour of Mr. Pearce it must be said, that belonging as it does entirely to the Society in England, it never cost them one farthing, from its commencement to the death of its founder. On the contrary, it every year contributed to the objects they were engaged to support.'

Pearce intended to keep a regular journal, which he did for a considerable period, but the pressures of business became too extensive to continue. He 'destroyed the whole', and all that remains is a fragment from 1818 describing the first few months.

"Dec.10. Being convinced of the probable good that will arise from a journal, if brief yet regular, I have endeavoured to write a little very frequently, that I and others may trace the rise and gradual progress of the Calcutta Baptist Missionary Printing Establishment, which I doubt not, will in a few years, if not checked by the frown of providence, be very extensive. When I am laid in the grave, and forgotten as I deserve to be, may this establishment be a blessing to the nations of India.

It was in the middle of June this year (1818), that under a conviction of duty I left Serampore, and after some hesitation settled in Calcutta. A short time after this, the Union of Baptist Brethren already formed here, received me into connection with themselves till the direction of the Society as to our future steps was received, without any stipulation or engagement whatever as to my setting up a Press on their account.

On the first of July brother Lawson and myself, with our families, removed into the house lately occupied by Mrs. Murray, whose seminary we purchased, as our wives were willing to superintend it. During this month, on account of the objection expressed by Mr. Ward, nothing was done in the way of a Printing office, though in common with my Brethren, I by this time earnestly desired it.

On the evening of the Monthly Prayer Meeting with our Independent Brethren at Boitakhanah in August, they repeated a wish they had before expressed, that I would use some types they had previously purchased of Mr. Ward and print for them their Tracts. After consultation with my Brethren I agreed, and gave orders for the building of a mat house for a printing office. On 24th I received the Bengali types from Mr. Keith, and employed a compositor for sorting them in my study.

I then purchased a secondhand press of Mr. Heatley, and on 3rd September put to press a form containing two little Tracts "Good Counsel," for Mr. Keith, and "Select Hymns No. 1," for our Auxiliary Society, of each of which we printed 3000 copies. On the 26th of the same month we published Mr. Keith's "Ram Hari sirdar." 3000 copies, and ordered a second press. This was necessary, as during this month we obtained, through the kind influence of Mr. Townley, orders from the Calcutta Bible Society for 5000 copies of Mr. Ellerton's Gospel of John in Bengali and English.

In October we got both presses into operation, commenced Ellerton's Gospel and Pearson's Bengali Tables for Schools, and published Mr. Townley's "Authority of the Scriptures," 3000 copies, on the 3rd; and Mr. Keith's "Mali and Darwan," 3000 copies on the 20th. In this month we also purchased some English types for Ellerton's work, and paid for both our presses.

In November we became, through the good offices of Mr. Irvine, more intimately connected with the School Book Society, and received from them commission to print a Bengali and English Geography with notes, for which we ordered a smaller sort of Long Primer Bengali from Serampore. We published on the 7th brother Lawson's Life of Fatik Chand, 2000 copies, and received from brother Chamberlain a few Hindustani Hymns in the Persian character, which we could not print, on account of the imperfection of a fount we had otherwise intended to purchase.

In December we published 1000 "Pandit and Sirkar" in Bengali and English, and 2000 Bengali only, with 2000 of "The True Dershan," first part being the first Tract in the series ordered by the Auxiliary Society. It was embellished with a frontispiece by brother Lawson. We completed likewise the printing of a set of Bengali Tables by Mr. Pearson for the Calcutta Book Society.'

This brings to an end Pearce's account of the first few months of the Press's existence.

William's sister Anna (Samuel's second daughter), named after her maternal grandmother, was born in 1795. She lived in Birmingham and was a member of the Cannon Street Chapel. Her brother persuaded her to join him in Calcutta to work for the better education of Indian girls which he felt was so vital.

Anna arrived on 15th December, 1822 and joined William Pearce's wife and Mrs. Lawson on the staff of the Calcutta Boarding School. She married Dr. William Carey's youngest son Jonathan, a Calcutta solicitor, in 1824. It was an abiding satisfaction for Dr. Carey that one of his sons should be wedded to the daughter of his most revered friend. With Mrs Yates she was involved in the administration of the Girl's School until her death in 1832, aged 35.