Garrett was a linguist and a scholar of several languages such as Canarese (Kannada), Sanskrit, Tamil, Persian, German and Latin.
[6] Mary Sophia Garrett, John's daughter married to Benjamin Lewis Rice, an eminent historian, archaeologist and educationist, who also served as the first director of the Mysore State Archaeology Department[6] John Garrett and Mr. Jenkins were appointed as Canarese missionaries in 1840, and were authorised to start a printing press in the Bangalore Pettah, which was the part of Bangalore under the jurisdiction of the Mysore State.
Before this, printing in Canarese was done at the Vepery Mission Press, Church Street, outside Madras, which was established in 1779.
Even though printing at the Bangalore Press started in 1840, the earliest books in the collection of the British Museum are from 1841.
One of these paintings at the Museum of Sydney, The Rocks, part of the Caroline Simpson Collection, Clyde Bank, shows the Wesleyan Mission Chapel, re-built by Rev.