Star. — London, England, 1813-02-03 00:00:00

" • . , ailllallStegZENMEMMffegge- N IZSIONWNSI . EAST INDIA QUESTION. TO THE EDITOR OP THE STAR. Sta—Upon the subject of, the renewal of the East India Company's Charter, I venture to offer the fol lowing observations : That cannot be called a monorly, Which is open to evert purchaser of stock, who may, according to the sum he lays• out, become a voter at the General Coact% or a Director of the concern. - The tonnage allowed to private traders, enables merchants from every part of the kingdom to share the trade in a more direct manner. . If the whole trade is 'not taken up in this manner, sad foreign nations are able to invade it, the remedy ;.ems to be, an increase of the capital of the Com• may, or an extension of the privileges of the free merchants. The rest is the object of negociation, treaties, or Warfare. If the private merchants aro aggrieved by the oc casional regulations of the Company, they are en titled to indemnity for delay, demurrage, or loss of capital, by the Company or the Government—as the injury is occasioned by measures which respect -the Company's general interests, or the political exi gencies of the Government. They might for that purpose be protected by special Commissioners at' ' "home, or Consuls in India ; who might be allowed ' to give a summary and provisional decision in their faiour ' upon entering into bonds to justify their, claims hereafter before competent judicatures. • • 1 The general opening of the out-ports for *free . • trade, would bring on a violent competition between • them selves, as much against each other as against the Cdrnpany, which might win those who had the , smallest capital, and perhaps eventually injure the trade, and leave it more exposed to invasion by other nations. The great increase which would be made in the department of the Customs, would probably be ina dequate to check the increase of smuggling, and the revenue would be diminished, and the Government *would be deprived of a great part of the assistance ft receives from the political services of the Company in its present form. With the intention of renewing, from time to time, my observations upon this most interesting subject-- I remain, Sir, your obedient servant, • Feb. 1, 1815. VICTUSTIOR. TO TILE EDMIR OF THE STAR. a —The celebril ial for 6tn---- I .._ ,nty of your JournL _ indepen dence and impartiality, assures me that you' will readily give insertion to the following observations, which :ire submitted to public, consideration, with the intent of promoting the true interests of the. State. and the honour and welfare of amost gallant, meritorious Class of his Majesty's military Subjects. . The pending Renewal of the East India Com pany's Cl.arter has, for some time past, attracted much of the pulxc attention, and will very soon be bro t forward for Parliamentary discussion. The topic embraces sac a variatr of matter, Ng involves so many cmiterasat interests, that it promises to yield a wider field for debate that any other legislative pro position; though, at present, the main point in con troversy appears to be the extension of the trade, by admitting the Imports of India to the Out-ports of _ . • __.. this kingdom. This has thrown every other Gl*, into the back-ground, yet it is by no means of supe rior, nor even of equal importance to many points connected with the general question ; —an assertion that wili scarcely be denied, when it is recollected Ow our Indian Empire exceeds 400,000 square miles In extent, contains a population of 50,000,000 of souls, contributes a yearly revenue of sixteen millions sterling, and supports a regular Army of 140,000 soldie's, commanded by 3500 British Officers, exclu sive of an Auxiliary Force of 24 King's regiments of cavalry and infantry. - • Should no very material change be contemplated in the system by which the Government of India has • Zitherto been administered through the intervention of the Company, still, experience indicates the pro priety and necessity of some amendments in that system; and, of several points requiring particular regulations, none are more obvious than the consti tution and efficiency of_the Indian Army. It is stated, in a Letter of the Chairman and De -- ' puty-Chairman of the Court of Directors to the Right on. RU C EZAT DUNDAS, dated the 13th January, 1809, that the Company's Officers are a body of men who have deserved too well-of the Company and their country, to have real causes of discontent, and that it would be impolitic to adopt any system, likely to generate such causes, either among them or the glen they command." This position is incontrovertible ;' and it follows, in course, that to continue a system which hat gene rated rooted dissatisfaction, is ale impolitic; yet do the -East India Company, in opposition to repeated met. - prials of most respectfultendency and conclusive arguments, inflexibly adhere to their ungracious re sutve for the establishment of 'partial, distinctive al lowances to their Officers and men serving under the different Presidencies. Can any thing be more equitable and reasonable, that that those troops whcr serve the same masters, in the same hemisphere, with equal honour to them selves and advantage to their country, should be on the same footing in respect to pay and allowances I Each portion of the British Possessions in India is essential to, and cannot be separated from, the gene ral interests of the Empire. Mr. RANDLE Jecasox, at a general meeting of the Court of Proprietors, held at the India House on the 22d ult. very Justly ob served, that is Bombay and Madras were the out works of Bengal and the whole Indian Empire." Are the men who defend the outworks less entitled to the countenance and liberality of their employers, than those who protect the body of the place Surely not Equal exertions, judgment, and prowess, are expected from the former, as from the latter; they are not inferior in any point which constitutes the mi litary character, and as their services have ever been productive of equal advantage to the State, they slam ally look for equal compensation, proportionate to the duties and responsibility of their relative rank ;Ind appointments; nor can their dissatisfaction oa ~:;~~ ~. . • L. :oar- # 1 " this account tease, until the unmerited iNthiefion, which proves alike injurious to the King's and Com pany's Officers serving unSist the Presidencies of Madras and Bombay, is annulle4, Bet, the predominant causes of discontentin-ths Indian Army, tvhich prevail *not partially, but are• felt by the whole Body, and can only be remedied by the will of the Sovereign, or an Act of the 'Legisla ture, are Rsrsriaion in Rani, and Exclarion firan supreme Command. The Company's Army, though it consists of 140,000 European and Native soldiers (cavalry, ar tillery, engineers, infantry, and marines) musters no man in it of superior rank to that of Major General ; and, of late years, their oldest officers have been su perseded, excluded from *appointment to either of the three Chief Commands in that service in which-they *have been reared,. and, thus, virtually denounced incompetent to hold those situations to which they were taught to look up, when they embraced their" Profession. The whole career That is open to the Company's Officers is this—From Cadet, he may be promoted to Ensign, Lieutenant, and Captain ; then he-is per mitted to advance to the rank of Major, Lieutenant- Colonel, and Colonel, and subsequently to that of Major General, where be is ordered to halt, and is for ever precluded from aspiring to those higher grade r tions, which are open, not only to his countrymen and companions in arms—hit Majesty's British Official— but also to Foreigners in British employ. • The East India Company's Officers possess, in an eminent degree, the feelings of Englishmen and the pride of soldiers : Bred to arms from their youth, and honoured with his Majesty's Couunissiop, they reject all idea of inferiority to any other description of mi litary men. They have uniformly displayed great professional knowledge and distinguished valour, and the resolute bravery and persevering fortitude of their men, on the most trying occasions, have been no less conspicuous. They have bled most freely in the air vice of their country. Justice and Policy forbid that they should longer be excluded from a due and full share of military rank and honours. .9 A discontented military corps can never be consi dered in an efficient state. The danger totenppre hended from the probability of their zeal and emula tion sinking into hopeless despondency and passive indifference,, is l as great as from the possibility of ge. neral commotion, in consennenee of combined resis tance to measures which have too long excited jea. bowies and animosities highly injurious, in their ope ration, to the public service, and which, if not recti fied, must ultimately destroy that unity of soul and harmony of aelion, so necessary to the support of dis cipline and the advaniement of national prosperity. I conceive it a duty due to the community, to urge these matters for the serious consideration of Ministers and the Court of Directors; and should Parliament and the Company avail themselves of the propitious moment which a renewal of the Charter must afford, to open to the view and place within the reach of the Company's soldier, every degree of rank, honour, and reward, usually • cOnferred- on the British warrior, 1 am fully persuaded it will give complete and waiver. sal satisfaction, and tend more than any other mea sure, to establish permanent discipline and efficiency in the Indian Army, and to ensure the stability of our valuable and extensive possessions in the East.-- I am, Sir, your most obedient servant, 2d Februar-y, 1813. ASIATICUS. ENGINEER EXPERIMENTS. :=,~' Monday se'nnight an experiment was made on board his Majesty's sh p sVenera ble and Dadalus,at Spithead, with a view to ascertain the efficiency and use of light 24-pounder guns (which those ships are fitted with) as a substttute for the guns in common use carrying the same weight of shot. The desirable thing to effect is, to make ships of small rate throw as heavy weight of shot as possible, and thus without a heavy weight of metal, which is found to strain the ships in blowing weather. This experiment demonstrated, that the light 24- pounder guns, weighing 33 cwt. each, when double. shotted, will not carry their shot beyond 450 yards t ; whilst the common 24-pounders, but which weighl nearly 50 cwt. will throw lA?ee shot from 1009 to 1200 yards. The consequences would be, that an English ship, fitted with these light guns, meeting with an enemy armed with the usual weight of metal,, might, by distant firing, become disabled before the light guns' would reach her adversary ; and, of con sequence, the shot from the light guns, even at a closer distance, would lodge itself in the ship's side,' while that of her enemy would go through bath sides. In the experiment made on board the Venerable, 20 rounds were fired from the same guns, midi first' I 41, and then (or the gun heated) 4lbs. of powder, in-I the short space of 19 minutes ; but k was attended with very considerable recoil, much jumping of the gun toward the close, the fire from the muzzle (the gun being also shorter than the usual ones) cattle 1 in-board, which is an inconvenience, attended with danger, particularly in a rwo.decked ship. The gun was elevated three degrees, when it carried about 450 yards; but once, by mistake, when elevated ontyl one and a half degree, the shot dropt into the waterer about 200 yards distance. The light 24-pounders are not on Gover'.: principle, not having any chamber.— The experiment was conducted by Captlm MitNN, of the Venerable, and several Officers of the Navy, and Colonel SALMON, an Officer of the Royal Artillery. On Friday se'nnight Captain Qualms:, of the CIUESCENT, having reported very favourably of the chain cables used in that frigate, an experiment was made in Plymouth-yard, by order of the Admiralty, on a chain cable, and one made of hemp. The first experiment was made in the.forenoon, in the patience of numerous spectators, a heavy "strain" being hove on both for the purpose of ascertaining which could bear the greater purchase. At twelve o'clock the iron chain broke, while the hempen cable was not in kind. In the afternoon of the same day a seclandl experiment was made, when the iron cable again broke.—We would suggest that a hasty Inferences' prejudicial to the use of iron cables, should not be' drawn from such experiments, as they only, prove the existence of a faulty link in the chain. The broken link should have been replaced by a sound one. In &her words, every individual link should be /wowed before the chain be considered perfect. Every person acquainted with the nature of metallic materials will subscribe to the propriety of gar 314teMegt. _ % of R. Neale, Esq. who had accepted the office of Escheatior of Munster. ApAwArra:at iRo - lizzialmet HOUSE OP COMMONS. FEBRUARY 2. The House met, and proceeded to swear such Members as had not previously taken the oaths ; among those sworn, we noticed Sir Jona NNWPORT, Mr. GRATTAN t Sir SAMUEL. RAMILLY O the Right Hon. WILLIAM FITZGERALD (Chancellor of the Ex chequer for - Ireland), Lord Ronny SiTMOUR, Sir RMISZR GRAHAM, MT. RIGBY, Mr. BLDCZDURNS I and /fr. WRATH TALL. The SPEAKER acquainted the House that the Petitioners complaining of undue returns for the' opderoseutioned places had not entered into recog nizances according to the Act. The orders for tak ing the several Petitions into consideration were con sequently discharged :-the City of Cork, the Town of Hythe, the Borough of Grampound, the Borough of Aldborougb, the Borough of Downpatrick, and the Borough of Camelford. The SPEAKER then called the attention of the House to a point of law which had arisen respecting the petition complaining of an undue return for Gal way; He had received a special Report on the sub ject from the Commissioners appointed to examine the sufficiency of the sureties of the petitioners. He would awe the question which those Commissioners hid raised, his own opinion upon it, and the line of conduct which he bad in consequence adopted ; and it would then be open to any Member of the House to iestitate whatever proceeding he might think ne cessary. The House would bear in mind, that there were two petitions complaining of an undue return for the county of Galway. With respect to that from the unsuccessful candidate, all the forms were com plete; but, with respect to the one from certain Electors of the county, the Commissioners for exa lt!the sureties, although they found the sureties sufficient, yet entertained a doubt whether the Act of the 47th of the King, enlarging the time in which the recognizance: would be reported to the Speaker, extended the time for examining into the sufficiency of the said sureties. To enable the House ' to form an opinion on this subject, he would recall to their mind the state of the law. The Act of the 28th of his present Majesty, directed that all peti-• tioners complaining of undue returns should enter into recognizance: within fourteen days after 601 presentation of their petitions, either before the Speaker of the House dt Commons, or, if above 40 miles from London, before a Magistrate ; and that in case those recognizancea were not entered into within fourteen days, the Speaker should report the same to the House, and the orders for taking the' petitions into considerktion should• be discharged.— In 1793, however, in consequence of the inconveni.' ence which, in the case of a petition from Drogheda, was found to iesult from so strict a limitation, the term was extended to twenty-eight days, with this proviso, that the extension*uld be applicable- not to the entering into recognizanccs, but to the reCeiv ing of the report of those recognizances. Now the farts respecting the Galway petitions were these : the petition was presented on the Bth of December ;' the recognizances were entered into in Dublin oa the 17th of December, clearly within the fourteen days prescribed by die Act; but the aseassistation into the 'sufficiency of the sureties did not . take place until the , of January. The question of law at issue there fore was, whether or not the examination of sureties must take place within the fourteen days prescribed by "the Act for entering into recognizance& ? It ap-, peered to him, that if it were so ruled, the Act for extending the time of receiving the report would be rendered nugatory. Under this impression he had not thought it his duty to Aport the case to the House as one in which the due formi of the law had not been complied with. At the same time it would be open to any Hon. Member who might entertain a different opinion to call the nttention of the House to the subject on some future day. Sir J. NEWPORT thought that the Speaker had I pursued the precise line of conduct which the Act in question prescribed. ' Mr.W.DUNDAS presented a Petition from Dun bar, and Mr. PROTHE ROE a Petition from Bristol, praying for the extension of the East-India Trade.— Ordered to lie on the Table. Mr. CANNING presented a Petition from the Trustees of the Liverpool Docks,. praying for Parlia mentary aid. The Chancellor of the Exchequer having signified the consent of the Crown, the Peti tion was referred to a Committee. Mr. liAßVEYpresented a Petition from the Arch deacon and Clergy of the Archdeaconry of Norwich 1 against the Catholic claims.—Ordered to lie on the 1 able. Sir JOHN NEWPORT gave notice that On Thursday he would move to refer to a Committee the , various reports that had been presented to Parliament relative to public education ht Ireland. On the modem of Mr. BANKES, the order for Aending the Vice-Chancellor's Bills a second time on 'Monday was discharged ; and a new order made for Thursday se'nnight. . , . Mr. ROBINSON gave .notico.that he would to enorrow move that. the. House should resolve itself 4nto a Committeior the whet House, to consider the 43d of the King, respecting the exportation of naval stores. I Yesterday her MaJerry, Princesses Etizairrstsnd On the motion of Sir J. NEWPORT, accounts MART, attended by Lady THYRDZ, arrived at the were ordered to be laid before the House,. of the ' Queen's Palace from Windsor. In the course of the Drawbacks and Custom Duties in Ireland, from 000 , day 'they were visited by the PRINCE Rzorcr, the to 1813, distinguishing the ports and the years, of she; DIIiMS4A YORK, CUMBERLAND, and CAMBRIDGE. in expence of managing the Iteve ed of the same, of , the evening the Quzzw and Palm:sus dined with the the produce of the Excise f or t h e lik e per i o d, o f t h e ' Duke of CUMBERLAND i at his apartments in St. expence of managing the Excise, ttc. James's Palace. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER gave notice drat Monday her Royal Highness the Princess of WALn at he would, to-morrow, move f or arrived at her residence at Kensington Palace, front respective Comnfittees of the whole House, to take her house at Blackheath, where her Royal Highness into consideration some difficulties that had occurred intends to remain until Friday next. l in the execution of the Acts relating to Local-To- Monday, the 25th ult. the friends and admirers el keno, and to the Tax on Pwycity. LordCASTLEREAGH, adverting to sonseomis- Mr. Fox, dined, in honour of his birth-day, in the ball-room of the Black Bull Inn, Glasgow. WILLIS)' :ions of names that had taken place in the Vote of ' BfulLnia ' Esq' of Tillyhewn, : Thanks to the army in the Peninsula for the victory' in the Chatr—Atss• Annan OSWALD, Esq. of Shieldball, Croupier. The of Salamanca, gave notice that he would to-morrow standing and well-known sentiments of the friends of Iropose to supply the deficiency. Constitutional Liberty—and the healths and memories On the motion of the cHascii.wa of, the Exile. en of th iti us ar sm dis: T int:V an s:7o: r tha w t e th re e rece suc i c v esses ed wtli QUID new Writs were ordered for the Borough of St. ' Michael's, in the room of G. R. Hubbard. Esq. who Alexander mig ht lead to a speedy, honourable, and 44 Ad accepted the Stewardship pf the Chilt e r n H u n.l ialtin g peace ; ' and that of the abolition of Coo - N i sad for the Borough oi Waf Or d 1 1 • 1) root sthe sandal 16"1 " 2 / 7 9" 814 wilt) tort marked B"Nw batipn. CATHOLIC QUESTION. Mr. GRATTAN, conceiving that the 25th of the, present month would be a convenient day for the purpose, gave notice that on that day he would more for a Committee oE the whole House, to take into consideration the state of the laws regarding and al. fecting his Majesty's Catholic subjects in these realm,. in consequence ot, and agreeably to, the Rosolutioas passed in the last Session of the last Parliament. THE EVENING STAR. LONDON. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY S, ISM From the private advice: received by the Gotten. burgh Mails of yesterday, we are enabled to add a• few interesting particulars from the seat of war in the; North. It is stated in the letters from Gyttenbargk that Lord CATHCART has set out to Join the Emperor Acernansa at Warsaw, whither the latter is now supposed to be. MURAT is said to have resigned the command of the 44 Grand Army" to BERTIUILR• What the latter it pleased to call his head-quarters, are now at Kuti aersdorif, near Frankfort on the Oder. The line of the Vistula, therefore, is now abandoned to the vic. torious Russian armies. That Konigsberg and Dant zic are now occupied by the Russians, cannot, we think, be reasonably doubted: The corps of Marshal MACDONALD, in the retreat through Samogitia, committed the most dreadful ra vages, and it is added, that 6000 of them had tail down their arms. The same letters add, that 7cr 8000 fugitives, who lad been collected at l'Umigs berg by MURAT to cover MACDONALD'S retreat from the Niemen, had mutinied anfl dispersed. The condition of the French prisoners in Russia is deplorable in the extreme. Humanity shudders at the recital of their sufferings. No argument an be so well adduced against any new conscription in France as the following letter : we trust it wiU have proper influence in that country : PRIVATE LETTER PROM ST. PETEREBURDIfi DATED DECEMBER 29. 44 The Cossacks are laden with plunder. Gen. WINZINGERODE says, 'that he saw with one of them more than 500 louis d'or. The misery and horrors of the retreat of the Trench)* beyond any thing that can be conceived. I had it from an eye-witness, that the Cossacks sell the prisoners for 50 copper coins each,• to the peasants, who buy them for the pleasure of murdering them, and then return their clothes to' tbe Cossacks. They dig holes in the earth and bury dam alma& alive. Ken, dm/Ws sad dren, are engaged in this horrible-mark, and will give you a wiceo.ble idea of the suns of taupe:Won is which the people are against desk inhamaneminket The prisonees die by thousands on their way to de south, frog the coldp want of eloaths, and rope nourishment." Bills were yesterday received in London, drum from Berlin and Hamborgh direct. This is* striM• ing proof of the fragile state in which BONAPAITZ* Empire in the North now is. The following communications afford great hopes, notwithstanding the prevalent rumours to the con trary, that MADISON will not be re-elected Resident of the 'United States. Indeed the Cork letter states, that General CLINTON has actually been elected President : OCISX ,*N. 2Z " Intelligence has been received by a Vessel just arrived bete from Lisbon, after a short passage, that previous to ber sailing, accounts had been received there from Baltimore, which stated, that the Election for President had taken place at Washington, and that General CuurroN, having a majority of votes, was elected President, in the room of Mr. Manssow." " PLYMOUTH, FEB. I. fi Arrived the American ship Union, Captain OLMSTEAD, of and from Philadelphia, bound to Boor deans, with cotton, &c.--she is a fine ship of about 400 tons, mounted 12 guns, which she throw over board in the chace—she was captured on the 18th nit. about 20 leagues to the westward of Boardman after a chace of S 6 hours, by the lan frigate. The Union left Philadelphia on New Year's day, at.r . hith time Mr. Marresois was not re-elected, and it was very doubtful whether he would or not." sir 11 111