The Press. — London, England, 1858-02-27 00:00:00

PIN W.. "'‘ RII THE PRE S S, FEBRUARY 26, 1858. THE CHARGE AGAINST MR. ISAAC BUTT, M.P. Tae Select Committee appointed by the House of Commons to try the petition of Mr. E. L. Coffey, accu sing Mr. I. Butt, M.P. for Youghall, of having entered into a corrupt agreement with Ali Moorad Khan, one of the Ameers of Scinde, met in No. 18 committee -room to commence its inquiry on Tuesday, and has continued to sit from day to day since. The members of the committee are—Sir James Graham (chairman), Mr. Bouverie, General Cod rington, Mr. Bright, Mr. Sergeant Kinglake, Mr. Sidney Herbert, and Colonel Wilson Patten. Mr. Roebuck, by whom Mr. Coffey's petition was pre sented, also sat on the committee to assist in the investigation, but without the power of voting; and Mr. Sergeant Deasy attended, under a like restric tion, on behalf of Mr. Butt. Mr. Butt appeared in the committee-room, accompanied by his friend Mr. Fagan, M.P. for Cork, and was accommodated with a seat next to his counsel. Throughout the inquiry a considerable number of members of Parliament and a large body of the general public have been present. Below is a summary of the evidence offered for the petitioner on the first three days. Mr. Roebuck having opened the case, called the petitioner, Mr. Coffey, who stated that in 1856 he abandoned the appointment of Postmaster-General of Scinde, worth 1,0001. a year, to become secretary to Ali Moorad Kban, one of the deprived Ameers of Scinde, and assist him in the recovery of property of which he had been deprived by the Indian Govern ment. By a written agreement witness was to have 3,0001., and he was verbally promised an annuity of 1,000/. besides for his life, if successful. His brother James, a barrister, introduced him to Mr. Butt, and a petition was presented to the House of Commons in June, 1856. Mr. Butt having told witness that he was not a rich man, witness mentioned it to the Ameer, who said that if Mr. Butt regained him his lands he would give 5,0001. Witness told Mr. Butt, who said it was very handsome. After some nego tiation with the India-house, Mr. Butt stated that the case was to be referred to the authorities in India, and that be should require another 5,000/. for going out to remunerate him for giving up his pro fession. In the month of August Mr. Butt told wit ness that he must go to Dublin to an important trial unless he had 5001. from the Amer. On the 11th of August witness brought him a cheque for 300/. Mr. Butt remarked, " I wanted 5001." Witness ad vised him to take it. He said, " It is crossed ; I would not pass it through my bankers for 1,0001." Witness consented to go with him to the Bank to get it cashed without passing through another banker, but Mr. Irwin, a friend of Mr. Butt, came in and rendered that unnecessary. The cheque was paid in three notes of 1001. each. Subsequently, Mr. Butt said that a despatch bad been sent out for reinstating the Ameer, and that he required 3,0001. then and the balance when he went to India. After some delay the Ameer and witness met Mr. Butt and Captain Langley at Mr. Butt's house. Finally, the Ameer, witness, and Mr. Butt went to the Bank, where the Ameer gave Mr. Butt a cheque for 2,0001. Witness went with the Ameer to Vienna, where he received a letter from his brother David Coffey in closing three bill-stamps for a gross amount of 8,0001., across each of which Mr. Butt's name was written. The Ameer and witness then went to Trieste, where witness left him. The Amear went to India. Cross-examined by Sergeant Deasy : Witness was dismissed by Mr. Butt, not by the Ameer. Mr. Butt said that he dismissed witness for impugning the lo3alty of the Ameer to the Bri tish Embassy at Vienna. The only person witness saw at the embassy was a gentleman in his sbirt• sleeves. Mr. Elliot, the secretary, came to him at his hotel. He did not disclose to his brother James the pecuniary transactions with Mr. Butt. His bro ther James, and his brother David, a solicitor, were both employed for the Ameer. When Mr. Butt told witness he not a rich man, they were walking in Cannon-row. There was no third person present at their conversations about money. There was a con sultation of counsel at Sir Fitzroy Kelly's house on the 15th of February, 1857. Mr. Butt had 25/. from witness for attending it; that was the only fee he had for professional assistance. The Ameer was to go to India in August. Mr. Butt said he was to go as quickly as possible. It was physically impossible for them to get to Trieste by the 27th of August. They got there the evening of September the 11th, and the packet had sailed the day before. Mrs. Parr and her son went with the Ameer and witness from Paris to Trieste. Mr. Butt had said that wit nessv introd uce d h er as hi s w ife to Mr. Elliot, at 1 teens, and she was now taking an active part in these proceedings to clear her name. Witness then read a memorandum, drawn up by himself, of his conversation with Mr. Elliot, which substantially was that while on the Continent he had perceived from the Times that the Guards had been ordered out to India—that this circumstance portended a gloomy state of affairs in that country; and that, having had no information of what was passing in the East since he had left England, he would be glad to know in what condition the Bombay Presidency was. if that Presidency were in a state of disaffection, his opinion was that the presence of the Ameer there might em barrass the Government, and that he was perfectly ready to place himself under the orders of Sir H. Seymour. He had no doubt of the Ameer's loyalty, or of his wish to serve the English Government ; but, not being aware how the rebellion was progress ing as regarded the Bombay Presidency, he was de sirous of consulting a person in the positaon of the British Ambassador as to the Ameer's remaining or proceeding. Though be firmly believed that the Ameer was most anxious and willing to aid the Bri tish Government with all the resources of his coun try, yet he knew that his Highness was very sore because he had rot been presented to the English Court, and had declared that he could not understand the reason for that omission. Sergeant Deasy then put in a letter from Sir H. Seymour to Mr. Butt enclosing a statement from Mr. Elliot of the same conversation. Sir H. Seymour (whose handwriting was recognised by Sir J. Graham) wrote that he would prefer Mr. Elliot's recollection of any such conversation to his own. No man was more accurate or more guarded in his statements, and his memory was singularly faithful. Sir Hamilton added that he was afraid Mr. Coffey was either a very incorrect reporter or had a most detective memory. _ _ Mr. Elliot's version of the story, as nearly as we could catch its purport, was, that he saw Mr. Coffey in September last at his hotel, and that he conveyed to him the impression that the fidelity of the Ameer was not to be depended upon. Mr. Elliot then asked him plainly whether he thought the Prince in tended to join the insurgents ; to which his reply was nearly as follows !—" I don't say that I believe him to have come to any such determination ; but you know what the Asiatics are. The Prince con siders himself, and with undoubted reason, to have been hardly used by the English Government and the East India Company, and I believe that on arriving in Scinde he would join whichever party be found to be the stronger." Mr. Coffey then said that he thought it would he very imprudent to let the Ameer go out in the present state of India. " Mrs. Coffay," who took part in the conversation, observed that to permit the Prince to go out would be an act of madness ; and both of them appeared to be of the same opinion. Mr. Coffey offered to detain the Ameer if he received a hint that such a step was desirable, and he even undertook to take him back to England if that were thought best. Another communication from Sir H. Seymour to Mr. Butt, dated 15th October, 1857, stated that the case against Mr. Coffey was so clear that his Excel lency should have thought all further explanation unnecessary. But, by way of making assurance doubly sure,lhe begged to inclose a short statement drawn up by Mr. Booth, one of the attaches of the embassy, who is apparently the " gentleman in the shirt sleeves." Mr. Booth's statement declared that Mr. Coffey called at the legation and said that he was travelling with an Indian prince who had visited England to press his claim to some territory. Bnt, that claim not having been attended to, the Prince was then on his way back to Scinde in a frame of mind which made it extremely probable that on his arrival there he would espouse whicheverside seemed the stronger. Mr. Coffey added that he thought it would be highly imprudent to allow the Prince to go on to India, and offered to take him back to England if such a course were deemed advisable. Cross-examination of the petitioner was resumed. He had stated in a letter to Mr. V. Smith that he bad been informed that Government sent out Mr. Butt as their authorised agent to overtake the Ameer at Trieste ; that Mr. Butt dismissed witness, and put Mr. Irwin into his place as secretary, and Captain Langley into that of interpreter; that the delay in the Ameer's journey was caused by want of funds ; and that the accounts which he had furnished to the Ameer were correct, and specified every sum that he had received and paid. This letter was dated 25th November, 1857. Mr. Butt was to have 3,0001. before leaving for India in cash, and 7,0001. secured by bill, on the understanding that he went to India, and employed his exertions with the Indian Govern. ment. Witness told his brother that, if Mr. Butt failed in his engagements, he (witness) was respon sible for the 2,0001. which Mr. Butt had received. That was to impress on his brother the necessity of urging Mr. Butt to go to India. A letter from the Ameer to Mr. Butt was put in, complaining that " Mr. Coffey had been keeping him uselessly in that strange country for fifteen days," and without information. " To-day," said the Ameer, " am suddenly informed that Mr. Butt has arrived in Vienna, at which I was exceedingly pleased." '207 Mr. Coffey, re-examined by Mr. Roebuck : Tho understanding was that Mr. Butt should use his influence in Parliament and with the Board of Con trol and the Government to further the Ameer's cause. The 8,000/. was earned by Mr. Butt by pro curing the despatch to be sent out from the Board of Control to India. The Ameer told witness that he was answerable for the amount if the despatch was not sent. His brother David's bill, which included his brother James's fees, was still unpaid. Mr. Butt told him what was wanted was a number of members of Parliament, not lawyers. Mr. Butt made two motions for papers, but took no other step in Par liament. The conversation about money was before the motion for papers, and expressly referred to future steps in Parliament. Mr. Butt had said that, if the Ameer made it worth his while, he would enter heart and soul into the matter, and carry his views for him ; but he was poor, and could not undertake so great a task unless he was paid. Mr. T. Williams proved the payment into Glyn's bank to Mr. Butt's account of certain notes on the 22nd August last. Mrs. Parr deposed that she lived at No. 17, Bond street, and her profession was trafficking in opera boxes. Sha went to Paris quite independently of the Ameer. She travelled with him through Vienna to Trieste. Mrs. Parr then contradicted Mr. Elliot, and corroborated Mr. Coffey, respecting the conver sation at the hotel at Vienna. She had subsequently been again to Vienna and seen Mr. Elliot, and men tioned to him that she had been called in a telegram "Mrs. Coffey." Mr. Elliot admitted the error, which arose from his seeing her in the same room with Mr. Coffey at the interview. She put in a letter ' from Mr. Elliot to that effect, and also another to the same effect from Sir H. Seymour. The Ameer was enraged with Mr. Coffey for wishing to push on, as he wanted to stay and shoot. Here Sergeant Deasy called Meer Ali Akbbar, who produced two letters written to him by the Ameer, one from Paris, the other from Trieste. The letters were objected to by Mr. Roebuck, as not being signed nor in the Ameer's handwriting. They, however, bore his seal, and, after a consultation with closed oon, were admitted. In the first the Ameer complained of 'sing robbed by " this son of Satan," and required 2,000 rupees to be sent to him forthwith. In the second, he com plained bitterly of having been delayed on his journey by " this Satan," and directed Meer Ali to show the letter to "the superior gentleman," mean ing Mr. V. Smith, and to Sir G. Clerk, as his excuse for not getting to Bombay sooner, "to perform services for the English." Meer Ali further deposed that the Ameer had told him that he had paid 6,5001. to Mr. Coffey, and that his account was not satisfactory. Witness saw the account. The items were put together ; no dates were given, and there were no vouchers for what had been paid. Mrs. Parr's cross-examination was then proceeded with :—The Ameer and Mr. Coffey came to my house frequently. Mr. Butt was there more than four times in 1857. At Frankfort I heard Mr. Coffey urge the Ameer to proceed on his journey. I doubted the Ameer's sincerity, for Meer Ali himself told me that the Ameer bad spoken untrue things about him to Mr. Coffey, and about Mr. Coffey to him. Mrs. Parr was] then cross-examined as to an alleged attempt to extort money, by threatening to publish a life of some gentleman, on the 24th or 26th of January, 1854, and the names of a Mr. Hawke and of Mr. Edwin James, Q.C., were mentioned. The witness admitted that Mr. Hawke had called on her, and she detailed the circumstances which. she under stood the Sergeant to allude to, but strenuously denied the criminal part of what was insinuated, or that she had ever seen Mr. Edwin James. Mr. Sergeant Deasy asked to be permitted to call witnesses, but the Chairman said that it could not be done at that stage, and that the subject was quite collateral. Mrs. Parr wished to be permitted to call witnesses as to her respectability—several M.P.'s and other gentlemen of position. (A laugh.) By the Chairman : Mr. Butt told me that he expected to be employed in India by other princes in the same position as the Ameer, and to come home rich. That was all he told me about money arrangements. He said that Mr. V. Smith had offered a compromise to the Ameer. The witness then further impugned the accuracy of Mr. Elliot. The Chairman read a letter from Mr. Butt to Mrs. Parr, dated I:ith February, 1858, in which he stated that he did not throw the slightest imputation on her. The Cashier of the London Joint-stock Bank proved the payment of the Ameer's cheque for 2,0001. and gave the numbers of the notes. He did not know Mr. Butt. The Committee then adjourned till twelve o'clock on Friday, when the examination of Sir J. W. Hogg and Mr. R. D. Mangles was proceeded with. A