The National Register. — London, England, 1809-04-02 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. APRIL L E I ST- I It' 1.1 110 USE. A Quarterly General Court of the Proprietors was held on Wednesda. The Chairman acquainted the Court that he had received the Report of the Committee appointed by the House of Commons to investigate the abuses of patronage iu the ap pointments of writers, cadets, &e. for India, which, by permission of the Court, watt then read, It contained a full detail of all those appointments which, is the course of the Inquiry of the Committee, appeared to have been obtained throdgh undue inffnence, or through some pecu niary induceMent, an acquitted, hi . the most unequivocal manner, the Directors of having had 'any knowledge of, or participation in those abuses. Mr. JAciisoN trusted, after the Report which had been just read, which filled him with horror at the moral de pravity exhibited throughout the Whole of it, and which was so perfectly new to him, that the Court would pause and take some step likely to stop the Course of . abuses so enormous. if some strong and prompt measure was pot quickly adopted, no man could be surprised when the re. newal of the Charter of the Company should • be applied for, that that renewal should be refused, and the Coni pany be completely annihilated. It was impossible for the Company to bow under such a report, without the dan ger of utter extinction. Had the propositions submitted to the Court in the year 1800, for the suppression of pa tronage, but which had been over-ruled by a majority of 140, obtained, he could not say by the fairest means, been agreed to, it cause for this report could not now exist, and abuses so foul would have been stopped in limine. He firmly hoped that the Directors would not now falter in their course, but would reader every aid in their power towards furthering the inqUiry iow goinc , forward ; and if any do cument, likely to throw new lig ht on the matter in ques tion, yet remained in their possession, that they would produce it to the House of Commons without delay. The Chairman proposed the followinc , Resolutions : " that, on account of the increase orbusiness, a Military Secretary shall be appointed,' with a salary of 1090/. per an nuni, - • _ _ " That two Assistant Secretaries shall be appointed for Indian correspondence, with a salary of 6001. per annum each. And, " That a Seminary shall be formed for the education of Cadets for the Company's service, independent of the Royal Aca. demy at Woolwich." _ _ Thum Itcsolutions were agreed to, remaining subject, how ever, to the future consideration of the Court. REPORT OF THE SELECT CO NQIITT EE OF TUE C93IIIIONS A PrOIIIIT.• ED TO INQUIRE INTO THE ABUSE OF EAST INDIA PA, TROWAGE. This Report contains a voluminous detail, of which we con ceive that a brief abstract will be sufficient for the general Reader. A number of abuses have been brought to light ; but it is satisfactory to know that there appears no proof whatever either of corruption or connivance on the part of any one of the Directors, A remedy has been proposed by the Committee as a check on the purchase of such appointments, namely, " That a bond shall be given by the parent, guardian, or friend of every person receiving a nomination, containing a penalty to be paid on any future proof that a valuable consideration was given for such appointment." This retrospective provision appears, how ever, to demand a strict inquiry, and a very serious discussion. The following are some of the instances of abuse quoted by the Committee, from which it appears, that the patronage of the Directors was perverted to improper uses by inferior agents : 221 CADETSUIPS. The sales of those nppointmems were extremely numeron4. They were sold at from 150 to 300 guineas. The general agent in this branch of the business was Mr. Anticslev Shee, who was represented by Mr, Bankes, the Chairman of the Committee, as having grossly prevaricated. A great number of other names are mentioned, which it is not necessarsy to lay before the public. as they merely neguciated an exchange from Bengal to Madrai, and vice versa, Here follows a detailed account of the measures employed by the Company for the prevention of those► ;ambles, We shall not enter into the history of precautions, which experience ltati proved to be toetfectual. ABUSES 01" PATRON:IOE ! The Tempter saw his time, the work he plied : Stocks, anti subscriptions, pour on every side; Till, all the demon makes his full descent In one abundant shower of cent per cent, Sinks deep within him, and poi , ,esses whole, Then dubs Director, and secures bis soul 1 I'o PE. T 9 THE HONOUR ABLE THE CO%IPAIIK OF MERCHANTS TRADING TO THE LAST INDIES. GCNTLEMrN, I liave carefully inspected the Report of the select Commit tee appointed by the United Commons to enqire into the disposal of the Patronage of the Last-India Company. What do I there find ? It strikes use, as it struck this Select Committee, that " the human mind, 'fertile. in self-deception, accommodates itself with wonderftil facility to overcoming scruples, or applies a perverse ingenuity to . evading all restrictions, which stand in the way of present interest," Gentlemen, this is a try ing crisis. We live in an age of in quisition, which, unless followed up by reformation, will termi nate in revolution. The princes of Leadenhall 7 street, as well as greater princes than they, must submit to senatorial investi gation, and defer to the dictates of popular Opinion. Your dynasty, Gentlemen, is not quite ancient'enoughlo sanctify its abuses. Though you have subdued the great continent of Asia, you must not expect to deceive the most enlightened people in Europe. One thing rather gratifies me. lam Pleased to ob serve, if such a discovery can at all please, that corruption journies eastward as well as westward ; and that the good men of Leaden4lall may finally shake hands With the great men of St. James's. We, it seems, have all sinned, Let him whO is without sin, therefore, cast the first stone, There is much dis tinction, civically speaking, between good men and true mei, ; hut ought it not to be matter of regret, unquestionably and he minently, that good men are so seldom true men also ? Where, however, is the particular enormity, it may he said, of an East-India-Director, as in the case of George Woodfoul Thelluson, even though a Member of the British Commons, permitting his "first cousin," Woodford, to acquire nearly 10,000/. by East , lndia Appointments ! What if, to say the best of it, his " patronage and confidence appear to have been most grossly abused," do not these amicable accommodations conti nually take place ? Neither dead gentlemen, as in the cases of Mr. Devaynes, and Sir Lionel Duel!, nor dead ladies, as Lady Leigh and Lady Lumm, tell tales, or attempt to disclose the secrets of the prison-house :--why then should living gem'snen, or living ladies, be compellable to condemn themselves and in jure those whom their exertions were intended to benefit ? 0, this impertinent 'modern system of inquiries !—O, these Smiths and Wardles of onr age ! As for Mr. Etches, who seems to have got about 7 , 15/, partly through niy Lord Castlereagh, by selling an East-India Ap.. pointinent or two ; when we learn all this was "on account of ' Servict performed for the Government," what loyal subject, considering other rewards of the same.description, can obt;co WRITERSIIIPW. E. J. Smith nominated a Writer to Bengal.—F. Magniac the same.—These appointments were given by Mr. G. Thellusson to his cousin,' J. A. Woodford. These appointments were sold for 3500/. each, through the agency of Mr. Tahourdin, • 11. Gardiner, a Writership, also given by Mr. TheHinson to ?Ir. Woodford. This was sold by Mr. Tnhonrdin for 3000/. under an undertakiog that he was to procure a Living at 300/. per auu. fur a friend uf Mr. Woodford. lOW a