Horniman Circle was built in front of the Town Hall, on a large open space known as Bombay Green. In the 1830s, it became the premises of the Asiatic Society, Mumbai. The Society was formed in 1804, by Scotsman Sir James Mackintosh, aimed at “promoting useful knowledge, particularly such as its now immediately connected with India.”
Bombay Samachar was established in 1822, making it the oldest continuously published newspaper in India. The bilingual newspaper was published in Gujarati and English. It was founded by Fardunjee Marzban, the first Indian editor of a newspaper who also established the first vernacular printing press in India and the production of Gujarati type.