The Sun. — London, England, 1842-08-01 00:00:00

-- SYM .PTOMS OF IMPROVEMENT. Afte c the most severe and prolonged distress which this count= y has known in modern times, it gives us heartfelt satisf - Action to seo a few rays of light break in upon the gloom. It i ce , .tain that the fearful stagnation of the last three or four mo atEs has been in some degree acing to, the suspense about the: tariff, and to the consequent locking up of some conside r/Me classes of foreign commodities in bond till the reduced d cities came into operation. That event having taken place, ales of goods are resumed, and the seaports begin to display greater activity. The very favourable weather, also, not only wheers the spirits, but affords substantial ground for ho p in g -that food may be come ebeaper and more abundant, in which ca,e manufactures and trade cannot fail to receive a stimulus. We wish it were in our power to state that an improvement was already obvious in the condition of the manufacturing di , tricts of Yorkshire, but there appear to be no grounds for such an assertion. All we hear would lead to an oppc conclusion, and this is borne out by the re p orts of site state of trade during the week at, the seats of our siathe manufactures—except, perhaps, at Bradford . — Leeds M ple ercury. E AST-IND I A HOUSE. A S,pf,eial General Court of Proprietors c I East Indio Stock - was held on Friday, at the Comp' my's House in Lead enhall-street. EAST INDIA. BISHOPS ' .ALL. The CHAIRMAN (Sir J. L. tusl..;ilton) stated, that the Court was specially snmme,r4d, or the purpose of laying before the Proprietqrs, 'agreeably to the by-law, cap. 10, sec. 1, the drangbtor a Bill now before Parlia ment, , entitled • 4 A Bill, t/) enable her Majesty to grant Furlough Allowances to the Bishops of Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay, who return to Europe for a limited period, after resistin g in India a sufficient time to entitle them to the higiie,t scale pension." The CLERK, read the heads of, the Bill, which enables her Majesty to allow to any BishOp of Calcutta, who shall have 'resided for ten years in the East Indies, and to any Bishop of Madras or Bombay, who shall have re :sided for fifteen years in the East Indies, and who shall have received leave to return to EUr?pefor a period not exceeding eighteen months, a furlough allowance not ex ceeding the highest amount of pension which her Majesty is by law empowered to grant to any such Bishop, and 'for a period not exceeding eighteen months from the time of departure of such Bishop from the East Indies. RAJA OF SATTARA. The CHAIRMAN—I have also to acquaint the Court that it is further made special, on the requisition of nine Troprietors, to consider a motion relative to the ex-Raja of Sattara. The requisition, which has been already published in this journal, was then read, The CHAIRMAN said, it would be in the recollection of the Court, that this subjeot had been repeatedly before -the Court of Proprietors. It had undergone ,by them a an ost lengthened, laborious, and patient discussion, and, a fter that discussion the *Court had decided that they .ought itot to interfere in the business. Now, he con fesseeth at, out of respect to the opinion thus deliberately .expressed, and consistently with that opinion believing that no possible utility could. arise from the further dis cussion of this question and .perceiving that that very night:Mr. Hume would present a petition to the House of Commons on the subject of the liitja of Sattara, it ap• pean 11 to him that they ought not to proceed with the mpti on named in the requisition; and, therefore, he should mcto a " That this Court do now adjourn."—(Hear,) The DEPUTY-CHAIRMAN (Mr. J. Cotton) said he Kea ally seconded the motion. In his opinion the pro p os ed discussion could tend to no useful purpose whatever. llr. Minmorr said, he must pr. test against the mode which was adopted for producing some of the Tapers then laid before the Court. The motion was a-nade at seven o'clock in the evening, without any pre -vious notice that he knew of, and when there were very ffew Proprietors present. And what end did they answer ? Was it intended that they should judge the judges—that they should decide on the conduct of the Commission who sat in judgment on this case ? Here were parties criminating each other, and it was clearly impossible for that Court to decide on their difference. The CHAIRMAN said it was no fault of his that the papers alluded to had been granted. It appeared to him that the parties to whom they referred were crimi- _eating and recriminating ; and that, therefore, it was a ease in which that Court could not interfere. He haw so expressed his opinion when the motion for the papers was made. He was sorry the Hon. Proprietor (Mr. Marriott) had not, remained in his place on that occa sion, since, as there were so very few Members present,,, the motion possibly might have been defeated. General LODWICK said, he had given notice, by a lett ar to the Court of Directers; that he meant to move for -,1 9 document alluded to. . , The CHAIRMAN said, the lion. and Gallant f j ' ff i cer had no right to give none in that way. In • ~ c , io t of fact, there was no regular notice .whatsoever. Mr. LEWIS said, he ist..died.to know if it iv A& the prac tice of that Court,when,the Court . was F Melia, S'rm mooed to discuss a motion, to move an stki . "'"jou'rnin l eni of ihe Court ? The Citantara:e4tiiiPionipeteta tjr any Proprietor at any time to mavesi•he'lluisx's-taournment. . • ; Mr. Ltwas—leloolf e *P9r ..: thlia . as a JDOst disgraceful., combination be taimumtlaarten,, s bebind„the bar and a few gentlemen near nr . fq, imiepiepsmi m i ts i on 'or thi s most importa -- .1 L qii4iiiWelinK,u--;-(crles 0 ' . Fag') . - ' The CrtArnatatsiE-- - rf 0 t r tib ! p r oifirai o e , Tha s .: Tha d a : use ef the words-Pei-OW diegicful , '-ftilita - ibiiiation be tween gentlemen lettjettlitiaei luvrland - corttiiit. rrePrie tors. before it. IN .( ' wenlenbeWitvie.:Abat, iiCA ; , 0 1 11.cia4)gte,TrSt", prietor befor, th c . r yed.awn,,rn.Qt . tinc . an . ()iron y nci .' 1 jottrnment- -Me t , 40,apd vi,..iy few lei& t'qu' et, of Direct ~N knew t sil - Alf3tltic i l; Notlern'itibilld' be nii.ideti) -- (f 'ea* , hear.) JrzfEer ffkl I34tiviilPiavrietor wilt. raw t0 , rp ,, .• c Lt... ore-hoitoeutillifvkic• this r ,Coulpuay would so fr r forget his-iv tity• -...' 44 -(Ccoela In it1.40,a cornliinatiouto pre gent dieussiesast-fkikajo- ch ,,,, i , „ , . . ~,,t . 1 Mr . - Fna. - n.Eaoiob . s •Onala)e r ideny the miser 'Lion,y ft and lea/I %ay% ' , rlpti`eloi:,iia an'' honouiable man r e ina f:- - entretnan, o re rkellF,'' - ' ' ' "! • 61-. Lamas said he would riWitiOt'sldien he saw proper re ason for retracting. The HAV"Chairnian said there vat:: no combination betiveetk*ltileMen• behind the bar , and some of thatettiabrere--before it. That, however, would not car„,.4efsi-iatice o 'retract the expression he had in , "le use of. th'delber'e was it disgraceful combination. 3 le 'lust say thiitlVOthbination appeared to exist within me bar, or %ttehlAfp)yould not have been taken to prevent e,,ja hoss o. Sir rs• Oastrn - zta, said the Hon. Proprietor spoke of a conal'lnalion behind the bar. There was no such thing, Ile Ovi'. - R. Campbell) was prepared to state that he was not W . vare of the intended motion five minutes ago. Nr r. Lewis—ls there any other member within the ba' who disclaims the charge? This appeal was' followdby a general burst of " All ! - all!" from behind the bar. An Hos. DIRECTOR--The attack is most ungenerous and illiberal. The CHAIRMAN—I again say, That on!y five minutes before the Court meal stated my intention to move the nrijor..rnment. I did it on my own responsibility—(Hear, hezu.)—because I think it the wisest and the most riaalent course that could, under the circumstances, be adopted.—(hear.) Mr: No R nts-t-. The most discreditable course that could be adopted. Geical ROBERTSON denied that there had been any combination behind the bar. Every man had a right to adopt that course which he thought proper. When he heard of the proposed adjournment he stated that he would oppose.,it, and he adhered to that determination. Colonel SYKES said, that ever) thing he had read, 4lld •every thing he had heard, since the question of the ex- Raja. of Sattara was discussed, confirmed the deliberate conviction of his mind, that he had been unjustly con demned.—(llear, hear.) But, as he looked on the further disewsion of the subject to be utterly useless, mischievous and impolitic; he' fully concurred in the propriety of the motion, that the Court do now adjourn.—(Hear.) Sir 11. WlLLotbaint . said, they were specially sum • mooed that day, , to,discuss a motion relative to the case of the Raja of Sattara, and he came to the Court with the full determination of expressiog his opinion on that case; but, fully agreeing with the course taken by the Hon. Chairman, founded on the total uselessness of such a dis cussion, he should abstain from uttering a single word on the question.- 7 -(4ear, hear.) But, when an Hon. Gen tleman said that, there had been a disgraceful combina tion between?•parties before and behind the bar to pre vent discussibli, 'he was surely bound to prove on what foundation his'-assertion rested.—(Hear.) Before he made so grave, so serious, so ungracious a charge, ho ought to be'aireit assured of the grounds on which he brought it _ . fdW . :ifra::—(llear.) lie therefore called on the Hon. Proprietor to, state the (*rounds on which he had made the accusation.—(flear.)' .. Mr. LEwis said the Court had only met for a few mi nutes, and the requisition had been read, when the Hon. Chairman Immediately roseup and proposed the adjourn ment ; and the -manner in which that motion seemed to be received by all the gentlemen within the bar, certainly conveyed , to his mind the impression that there was A combination to . prevent the discussion of this question: Such was his explanation of the expression' that he had used, and he, confined his retractation to ! that expl anat i on . Il e . th o dght the only opininn. ahat' could be enterta i ne d i n t h e public mind when .that short discussion went forth was, that the Court of Directors were afraid of discussing this question. - Yes ; they were perfectly a ware th a t most atrocious wrong had been done in this case.—(Cries of "No, no.") Let the Hon. Chairman withdraw the motion for adjournment, and he would prove his state ment to the satisfaction of the Court. And let him as sure the Court of Directors, that, notwithstanding the opposition Which he now experienced, it was his fixed determinatiots to bring forward this subject for discus sion in that Court. After fiome conversation, as to the proper mode of pro ceedine., ". Mr. WEEDING put it to the good sense, to the cour teous feeling, and, the kindness of disposition of 'the Hon. Proprioter,.not to press the matter further, but to ac quiesce . in the. adjournment. . The CHAIRMAN said, he wished to recal to the recol lection of the Court a very short speech made by an, Hon. Proprietor (Mr. D. Salomons) when an Hoti. Pro- : prietor (Mr. Fielder) moved for certain papers relative to Colonel Ovans and Mr. Willoughby, with reference to their conduct in the ex-Rajah of Sattara's case. The Hon.- Proprietor (Mr. D. Salomons) then said,- " Hp hoped his Hon. Friend was not going - to disinter the, . Raja of Sattara ; he trusted that that question was now O s ettled for ever. N ow , he le Chairman)' did think that the question was settled so far that there could be , no utility whatSeever in, still further discussing it in that Court: They had no, power, as he had formerly sa id , to set aside a proceeding which had been sane rtiro94,7,Manment o f India, by the Board of An trqrs.;a pc i r k r etre,Co ur t of Directors. The question, ,a irogig a l l b br , abae%ed, was now a b out to b e b rought j * _ :.. - - , _trifoie---:ittidther and' a igher tribu na l.- A mot i on - was . 1 -- ' ! thal-Very Evening to b 0 'submitted to the House• of.--Com \'47 niOns; on the presentation of a petiti on f rom the ex- Raja of Sattara. Eveh those who were most favour -. able to the ex-Raja would, he thought,Tbest co nsu l t h i s ‘ - ....interests by not. bringing questiona ga in befo re the Cour!, where they could not enact a 014 JoritY , after the decisi . em. whi h h - c had taken place. Those who were most ' an . xi. sus for the cause of the ex-Raja, if they looked wit : dispassionately at th e su bj ect, wou l d, he thought, agree a him that the most prudent course would be to ac ce( le to the motion, " That this Court do now a-I;mm." v. , itit; D ana St ed eo t a o loles said, that;when he made the obser s by the Hon. Chairman, the question ~ ; (esd in a different position from that in w hi c h it wa s at 1 4 - esent placed. That observation he would have adhered ;0 110 w, had not the; circumstances been altered. But the COttrt of Director s had not left the question as it was. r cooking at the 'papers which had last been laid before the i Court, he four.d t h at t h e C ourt o f Di rectors had a ll owe d r certain of at eir servants in India to sit in judgment on the acts of a Proprietor of that Court, and to give the lie to whatwias advanced by members of that Court. When this was the case—when they had those papers before them—Lie did.think, that those who had been thus tra duced i n those papers should have an opportunity of again . .reiterating those sentiments which they had for merly ' expressed, and which they conscientiously believed to be r ight. Mr. ASTELL said the whole argument of the Hon. Proprietor who had last spoken was decidedly in favour of the motion for adjournment. The Hon. Proprietor did not want to argue the case of the ex-Raja of Sattara, but he wished to have a di scuss i on , b ecause , as he said, the Coure: of Directors had permitted their servants in India to make observations on certain Proprietors. ' The Court of Directors had done no such thing. They hail not permitted, and they could not pre vent, ind;.viduals connected with the Bombay Govern ment from defending themselves. But now, it appeared, that that Court was to be made a tribunal to decide. on the differences between General Lodwick, Colonel Ovaree and Mr. Willoughby. This raising discussion after discussion in that Court would do great mischief to till.: Raja himself. The question on the last occasion had !been discussed for five days, and they had now no new facts before them. All the authorities competent to decii le on the question had decided against the ex-Raja. The, Government of India, the Board of Control, sa d the Court o f Di rec t ors had coincided in opinion. The Com t of Proprietors had also thought proper to confirm theii - judgment. They had come to this resolution, that the .ex-"Raja was most properly removed.—(" No, no.") - He in silted that the fact was so. The Court of Di rectors decided that he was properly removed, and so did the. Court of Proprietors, with the exception of two or theses , . gentlemen who would not be convinced by fact or ar gu ment. Were they then to go on ? Were they to le tve , five days' more discussion ? and if they did, what g. xx t effect was likely to be produced ? He did not tl tin k that those who had signed the requisition had ti et .ted the Court with respect. Of nine gentlemen who si gi ted it, there were he saw only four present. :Mr. FIELDER said that he, as an honest man, had in raved for the papers which had been alluded to, because t' aey contained the defence o f C o l one l O vens an d M r. 1 Villoughby against language which had been used in t hat Court, and which it:was a disgrace to hear within i hose walls. 'Mr. M. MARTIN contended that, as some of those I Rapers contained false accusations against members of 1 , hat Court, particularly against an Hon Baronet (Sir C. ?orbes), who was as just, honest, and honourable a man is ever lived, it was proper that a discussion should take place upon them. The CHAIRMAN highly eulogised the character of Sir C. Forbes, and denied that the Bombay Government had made an attack on him. Mr. WIGRASL said, if the Court of Proprietors chose uselessly and unnecessarily to discuss questions of this . uattire ' after they had been sol emn ly decided, they Would find, should they be on any occasion called on to !assist the Court of Directors in resisting any attack on their privilege, that their opinion would not carry so much weight with it as it they adopted a different course. Mr. NoRRIS contended that the case of the Raja of Sattara had not yet been properly discussed. Until the present time the papers produced had been defective. They had now before them the commission, and the evi deuce on which the Raja was dethroned. These they were nsat previously in possession of ; and, in their ab- sence, it was impossible to decide fairly on the case. Thei:efore, it was proper that the discussion should be ?en ewes. As to the majority which, on a former °c ea sion, decided the question against the Raja, he set no V alue on it, beeause it was composed of Directors. Mr. WEEDING did not conceive that the Hon. Pro prietor, who had last spoken, had shown good judg moo*, in speaking of the opinion of the gentlemen he'aind the bar as good for nothing. For his own part, he thought that the opinion of those whose time was passed in providing for the good government of India ought not to be so lightly spoken of. He had before declared his conviction, and he still ad ' hered to it, that the condemnation of the ex-Raja was `just. The only fault he found with those who had re inovedhins was that they had treated him too well. They sad allowed , him to carry off 50,0001., and given him A2.00Qi. :. a.year, which would enable him, by his intrigues, s . tolw i the eountryin a state of alarm. Sir' TI. - WILLoUGHBY was proceeding to descant on certain 'attacks . which had formerly been made in that (COurs An Mr; Willoughby, when ss 'The' en.On.NAN .interfered. They could not decide on matters of crimination and recrimination, of which, its fact. they knew nothing. The Court of Directors and the Court of Proprietors, had no right to -do more than lad been done: A statement had been made on one , ide's and ntranswer had been given to it. It was now for rthi public' and. the perties to settle the matter.—(Hear.) e s '1,r..,... Tau- at rser said, he was exceedingly surprised ‘ ,74 Ozt,son . se that' had heen taken. A series of paper had been laid ercire theni preparatory to discussion, and they f Vere Mini klietiely ' feet 'by a motion for adjournm,nt. : t rlie ,- ;'dliChnients which had been last produced were tessentially' necessary to the right understanding of the case ; but even the papers that were for . merly laid before, them, garbled as they were, furnished .. to his ' mind sufficient proof that an innocent man had been depOseds and that an individual had been sent into exile who at that moment ought .to be seated oe the throne of Sattara. They bad now obtained the evidence laid before the commission, and the report of the Sattara commissioners founded on that evidence, and he would say, that being in possession of these docu ments, the 'Court was emphatically called on to recon sider the case. This was one reason for not adjourning thO:Cdurt without discussing this question. Another reason was, that he had looked into the papers connected with the Raja's case, that had heen laid before the House of Commons. and he believed that as surely as the house in which they were then sitting had an existence, so surely did those papers afford an unanswerable refusa tion of every charge that had been brought against the Raja. But not only had he procured documents from the Journal-office of the House of Commons, but he had procured other documents of a most important nature. He was prepared to state what they were, what was their history, what was their nature, and what svas the conclusion to which they must inevitably lead. That conclusion was, that the Raja had been dethroned by the foulest machinations that were ever practised against any human being. He would give them a sample of the evidence, even on the question of adjournment, to prove that they were bound to go on with this discussion. The evidence which he held in his hand would convince every impartial man that the Baja was unjustly dethroned, and consequently that the discussion .should proceed. As a reason for opposing the adjournment of this debate, ho should proceed to show that the Reja had been the victim of a guilty conspiracy, proceeding even to the extent of forging the handwriting of the Raja's Mi nister, and procuring by large bribes the use of the Raja's seals. The first document he would refer to was a letter from the Raja to this agent, in London, dated ' Benares, April 3, 1842 ; and having named the Vakiel of the Raja then sitting near him, he would say that never had a more upright, laborious, self-denying, or devoted man appeared on behalf of a fallen sovereign. Ho was a pattern to all placed in similar circumstances. The Raja, with the letter referred to, sent documents, copies of which had been given to Sir James Carnac when at Sattara. The first was the deposition of Bapuji Anund Rao. "In the course of last year (1837), after the Secret Commission had set at Sattara, Haibat ltao, Atmaram Luksuman, and Vishwanath Rao, the last being the head of the Raja's jamdarkana, or household treasury, and myself, formed a conspiracy for the purpose of bringing down the wrath and power of the Bombay Go vernment on his Highness the Raja of Sattara. To effect this,' we resorted to the fabrication of papers and letters, by means of which we had no doubt that we should be able to accomplish our purpose. Our proceedings, however, having been prematurely discovered, I deemed it prudent to wait on the Raja Bhosley Sennaputtee, Commander-in- C hief of his Highness's forces, and make an open confession of all we had done, soliciting at the same time forgive ness for the past.—Barun ANUND RAo." Thelsecond was the deposition of Haibat Row, a person employed in the Raja's Household Treasury ; taken at Sattara on the 16th November, 1838:—" Some time in 1837, Balajipunt Natoo, and Balajikasi Kibey (the Resident's head na 'tive, and Natoo's intimate friend), sent for Atmaram Luksuman and myself, and taking us to a• private apartment, asked if we were willing to forge some papers in the name of his Highness the Raja of Sattara, promising us a jageer of ten thousand rupees (1,0001.), besides a . lac of rupees ready money (10,0001.) We agreed, and shortly after we forged and took the papers to them. Balajikasi Kibey took a copy of them. These papers were letters we wrote in the name of the Raja, and only' required 'his Highness' seals to be affixed, (to make 'them appear genuine.) Balajipunt Sato° and BalajikasiiKibey then directed us to get the letters sealed ; but before this was done, they took us to the Resident, Colonel °vans. The Resident addressed us and said, that if we would consent to the terms proposed by Balajipunt Natoo 'and Balajikasi Kibey, he would be responsible for the payment of the money. On this as surance being made by the British Resident, we returned and got the seals impressed upon these documents by Janoo Bandaree, the jaindar (or keeper of the Raja's seals, called Sikkah and Mortub).—HAJBAT RAo." The CHAIRMAN—May I ask you, are those papers before the Court ? Mr. FIELDER—Not a syllable of them. Mr. G. THOMpSoN—Let the requisition be real. The requisition was then read, which referred to " the papers ' recently laid before the Court of Proprietors,' relating to the case of the Raja of Sattara, in connexion with ' those previously laid before the Court.' " The Cnainstait; wished to know whether the papers now referred to bylhe Hon. Proprietor were before the 'Court ? ' ', Mr. THO3IPSON would not answer the question at that I moment. 'He would now show cause why the Court should notadjourn. He had these papers and documents of a most important kind, and he would state them. By s so f the the h charges a R r a g t voting for.the amendment of the chairman it was sayin g to the public that they were . afraid to go into th e pape rs . .was rrhe in le n e oc p e co nt ,• " i t c h t a io t n he up w o a n s h u l t s te m rl i ; d guiltless that attributed to . him, and which were medethteground.s of his deposal ; and lse firmly believed 4t if he had had those means of "vindicating himself, - which were within the reach of persons in these more fa voured realms, he would have come forth with unspotted reputation.—(Heax.) lie had devoted no small portion , THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, AUGUST 1, 1842. 1 f his time to these papers, and his opinion was that the Raja was not guilty. If other persons examined these p a pers with the same care, that would, he thought, be their opinion also. Of the authenticity of the locuments that were before him he had no doubt whatever; there was nothing secret about them ; he could give the Court the names, dates, and places con nected with them; they had shed a new light on the sub j net. They proved to him the absolute inocence of the Raja ; that ne had been the unseemly victim of false accusation ; and that the great error of these proceedings tn•d been secrecy, aided by the wicked plans of the ma lignant enemies of the Raja. He had had enemies ; he (Mr. Thompson) could point to their names and .heir hiding places. He was surprised at the motion for adjournment. What was the motive of the Directors ? Did they desire that the Raja should not be found inno cent ?—(Hear.) Was that the conduct of honourable men who wished to do their duty ? Would not such men have said they had rather prove themselves in error, than that the Raja should be found guilty ?—(Hear, hear.) Had the court of Directors felt as they ought, they would have let it be shown that the Raja was inno cent.—(Hear.) They would have taken every oppor tunity of ascertaining all the facts. They would have said, " Our servants may have misled us ; their excellent character and long services induced us to believe they were correct ; but if you can show that our judgment was not sound—if you have papers from which you think the Raja was unjustly dethroned, let us know those faults in order that we may come at the truth of this matter." Such would be the feelings and language of gentlemen desiring to govern" India upon principles of justice—of doing justice there to all people, from the prince on his throne to the ryot in his hut. Several Directors loudly protested against the use of these documents. They reflected upon the character of the resident, Colonel Ovans, who was an officer of honour and integrity. The CHAIRMAN again moved that the Court do now adjourn. Mr. THOMPSON said he had no desire to implicate any British officer, but he must do justice to the innocent man who had been dethroned, As for motions of ad journment, they would have no effect upon him. He should stand his ground.—(Order, order.) Gentlemen might cry order, but he would meet the cry with " justice," " justice," though late, to a cruelly injured man. The next document he would read was the exa mination of this man. (By whom examined?) By the Raja. A PROPRIETOR—I could get fifty such depositions. I don't believe a word of them. Mr. THOMPSON-But you believed the depositions against the Raja, and condemned him without giving him a single copy. Now you are for ruling these of mine out of Court. Is this justice ? " Examination of Haibat Rao, at Sattara, on the 23d of November, 1838, with reference to the above Depo sition. " The prisoner having been enjoined to speak the truth, the following questions were put to him in the presence of the Raja : " Q. Do you still adhere to the statement you made in your deposition, as to the persons therein named and the circumstances mentioned ? A. Yes, Balajipunt Natoo and Balajikasi Kibey took Atram Luksuman and myself to the Resident, in order to remove any doubt we might entertain as to their means of fulfilling the pro mises they made regarding the jageer of ten thousand rupees and the lac of rupees cash. On obtaining the Re sident's sanction we forged the papers. " Q. How many letters and papers did you forge with the Raja's seals ?—.A. Eleven letters and twenty-five other papers ; altogether thirty-six documents. " Q. How many persons were there in the conspiracy? —A. Atmaram Luksumun, Nishwanath Rao, Bapuji Anund Rao, myself, and Janeo Bhandari, the keeper of his Highness' seals. "Q. To whom were the papers given, and how many are there still remaining ?—A. Atmaram Luksumun gave me one letter and two other papers, and the rest were in the possession of the other three individuals. The three documents which were in my possession I took to Mahin, (near Bombay), and put them for safety into the hands of Luchman, a Brahmin ; and Nana Gurao, Bhawu Leley. and Atmaram Luksumun informed me that they had found a man who could forge the hand writing of Bella Sahib Chitnis, his Highness' secretary. " The above is a true and correct statement of the facts." This document is attested by three witnesses ; and here, Sir, let me state the only feeling of reluctance I experience in bringing these papers before you—it is a feeling of compassion for those who, if not shielded from the malice of their enemies, when these things shall be known in India, may fall the victims of the enemies of the Raja. I throw on the Court of Directors the so lemn responsibility of protecting these persons. I ask for them safe conduct to Bombay, and an examination there before a Judge of the Supreme Court. If you let the mail depart without taking steps to defend these persons, on your heads be the guilt of any injury they may sustain. I shall now give you the simple, narrzaive of Rungoo Bapojee, now in your presence. If you doubt it, call him to your bar and examine him. " The Raja's two agents, Eswunt Row, and Bugwunt Row, and myself, were at this time in Bombay. We received a letter from the Raja, instructing us to direct Haibut Row, who was then at Mahim, on leave, to repair, without delay, to Sattara. There - was also a letter addressed to Haibut Row himself. We sent the letter and the mes senger who brought it to Haibut Row, and requested him to come to us at Bombay. He came that even ing. We told him to pass the night there, and to set out early the followin7 morning in the boat which bud been ordered` "for The next morning he manifested great reluctance to proceed ; protested that he had done nothing, and shed tears. A few days after wards we received orders from the Raja to proceed to the house of a person named Nana Gurao, Mahim, and to j .obtain from him certain papers Which Haibut Row had left in his possession. We all three went to Mahim, found out Nana Gurao, and told him our errand. He acknowledged having certain papers, but refused to give them up, saying, Haibut Row was indebted to him. We thereupon sent for Lukhsmun, the Brahmin, Haibut Row's ser vant. whom he had left behind, and asked Lukhsmun whether this was the case. He said it was, and that he was desired to pay the money ; . on which we told him to pay Nana Gurao, and Nana Gurao then delivered up the papers, and made the above declaration, which was written by Govind Lukshmun, an inhabitant of Mahim, for Nana Gurao. The two agents and myself carefully examined the three papers, One of them, inserted below, was filled up as a letter written by his Highness, and as if recognising Haibut Row as one of his ernts. The two others were 'dank. To every oue of them we found that the genuine seals of his Highness had been affixed, the papers themselves being utter forgeries.—RuNooo BAPOJEE. London, July 16, 1842." Now, Sir, take another deposition. It is the deposition of Atmaram Luksumun, (abbreviated) taken at Sattara, on the 22d of November, 1838. (This person was brought from Poonah, at the requisition of the Raja.) Addressed to the Resident, Colonel Ovans.— " I am rcquainted with Gundput Rao Kibey, the nephew of Balejiliasi Kibey ; through him I became acquainted with his uncle, to whose house I was taken. Bala iikasi Kibey asked me to get the Raja's seals, for forging papers. I said I would, but I did not succeed in my attempts • to get them. Balajipunt Natoo mid Kibey again sent for me and Haibat Row, and promising us a jageer of ten thousand rupees, a lac of rupees in cash, and also a pension from the Bombay Go vernment, took us to the Resident, Colonel Ovens. The Resident promised that all this should ba given to us. Depending then upon this assurance, we returned and cot the Raja's seals from Janeo Bhandari ; after which Haibat Rao, Vishwanath Row, Bapuji Annul& Rao, and myself, affixed them to the forged papers. Bhawu Leley, on a subsequent occasion, took some of these from my handkerchief. This is a true and correct statement.— (Signed) ATMARAM Luasumuts." Now, Sir, for one from the Keeper of his Highness' seals. " Deposition of Janeo Bhandari, the person having the custody of his Highness' seals, taken on the 29th November, 1838. —Vishwanath Rao, Atmaram Luksumum, and Haibut Rao, spoke to me on the subject of the papers, and said t hat if I would join them in their project, Balajipunt Natoo an d Balojikasi Kibey would be the means of ob taining for us a jageer of ten thousand rupees in money, besides a pension for all of us, guaranteed by the Resi dent, Colonel Ovans. After this I gave up the seals, which Haibat Rao put upon the papers, and returned to me. This is all I know of the circumstances. (Signed by Wamonaji Morishueer, for) JANOO BHANDARI, (Not knowing how to write.)" Mr. MARRIOTT said, he thought the Court had a:right to know whether these papers were before the Court. The CHAIRMAN said, they were now brought to light for the first time. They appeared to consist of the depo sitions of a single native, and he did not hesitate to say he did not believe a single word of them.—(Hear, hear.) He would ask the Court whether they aught to allow such papers to be read.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. WEEDING said, that Colonel Ovans's character required no defence at his hands, but he would ask whether the Hon. Proprietor should be at liberty to send these depositions forth to the public; he should like to know whether any gentleman was to read libels in that Court.—(Hear, hear.) He believed an Hon. Gentleman must possess 1,0001. stock for a year before he could speak in that Court, but the Hon. Proprietor was possessed of only half that stock.—(Hear, hear.) The CHAIRMAN ' said, by courtesy, if not by law, a Proprietor of 500/. had for some time past been allowed to address the Court ; but it did appear to him a most extraordinary thing that a Proprietor should speak upon a subject, and when it came to the vote he should be obliged to walk out of the Court.—(Hear, hear.) H e did not think it was treating the Court with proper courtesy to read such papers, reflecting most atrociously, he must state, on the character of Colonel Ovans. Mr. THOMPSON—He was not bringing any charges against Colonel Ovens ; he was there to show reasons for going into a new examination of the case of the Raja of Sattara. The CHAIRMAN.—I must put it to the Court whether this should be allowed to ge on.—(" Hear, hear," and great confusion.) Mr. THOMPSON would ask, if they objected to these depositions, what were the depoisitions on which the Raja was deposed ? He observed that the allusion to the amount of his qualification was contemptible. He had invested 1,2501. to give him a right to sit in that Court. If it was all he could spare for that purpose, his apology must be that he had not enjoyed the same means of making wealth as many around him. He had had to carve his own fortunes, and had laboured hard for what he pos sessed, and had gained it in the cause of justice and hu manity. Let them go to Parliament and get an act to raise the qualification. Possibly that even might not put him down. Who knew but he might purchase another 5001. of stock, and still be amongst them ? They might, in order to annihilate him, annihilate the Court. of-Pro prietors ; but they would, by so doing, annihilate them selves. His opponents had him at a disadvantage. He could not use their , weapons. He would not degrade I himself by resorting to them. Sir, lam not here for any factious purpose. I abhor faction and :cabal. Our country is cursed by faction. I would not walk from Cornhill here for the sake of annoying you ; but I am left without discretion in the course lam taking. Should I fail to stand upon my right, and to reveal what I know and believe, I should be a traitor to truth, and the vic tim of the hitt:Test self-reproach. But you will not hear these papers, because they are not o ffi cial, although they were given to your own pet Governor, Sir James Oarnac, and ought to have become , o ffi cial. Well then, I will go to the papers which you yourselves have furnished to Parliament, and which I have examined at the Journal office of the House of Commons, in the handwriting of your own clerks. To prove the authenticity of these documents, I will read you a letter from an officer in your service to the very Colonel Ovens referred to in the deposition : " CAPTAIN F. DURACK TO LIEUTENANT-COLONEL OVANS, RESIDENT AT SATTARA. "Sattara. September 26, 1837. " Sir,—l have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of yesterday's date (not found in the Par liamentary Papers) together with its accompaniment, and in reply to subjoin the following statement : "2. Some days after my return to Sattara, from leave of absence on medical certificate, in the month of June last, Lieutenant Horne, who had been performing the duties of Line Adjutant in my absence, mentioned to me that a young lad of the name of Pundurung, and a person calling himself Hywut Row, had called upon him, and said, that they had been instructed by one Bhawu Leley to say, that if he, Bhawu Leley, were handsomely rewarded, he would procure certain treason able papers connected with the conspiracy . in which his Highness the Raja of Sattara, and his minister Govind Row, were implicated. " 3. Two or three days after Lieutenant Horne had related the above to me, I received a visit from Pundu rung,• who made a similar statement to me (and which, on a subsequent occasion, I desired him to commit to paper), I replied, that if Bhawhu Leley had anything of a treasonable nature to communicate, he had better come to me and do so. Pundurung said he would tell him so, and retired. " 4. On the evening of the 11th, Bhawu Leley called at the house of my puroso (clerk), Auund Row, and stated that he was anxious to be introduced to me, and re quested permission to accompany him on his going to office in the morniug. " 5. On the 12th Bhawu Leley came, accompanied by the agents, Pundurung and Hywat Row ; the two latter were dismissed. I then met him in my office, and in the presence of Lieutenant Horne and Anund Row, he re peated the substance of the matter contained in No. 2 : after which he was desired to call on the 14th. He did so, when I told him if he would call on the 16th I would be able to give him a definite answer regarding the ad vance of money he had so earnestly solicited. "6. As you were at this time hourly expected in camp, this affair was not mentioned to Colonel Lodwick at all, but on your arrival, the 16th of June, I reported the circumstances to you, and requested instructions as to what part I should take in the business ; and in reply received your commands to sift the matter, if possible, to the bottom, with authority to advance a sum not exceed ing two hundred rupees, to pay the expenses of Bhawu Leley's trip to the place where those papers were said to be ; also, to pass a note to the effect, that he would be afterwards rewarded according to the services he per formed. " 7. On the 16th, Bhawu Leley called, and I told him he might have one hundred and fifty rupees for his ex- penses. He accepted the sum on the condition of being rewarded on his return with the seditious documents. "8. On the 18th of June Bhawu Leley received from me one hundred and fifty rupees for the assigned purpose, also a note of hand, of which No. 3 is a copy. In return I received his autograph Memorandum, No. 4, in which the individuals are named to whom the sedi tious letters had been - addressed, together with his re ceipt for the money, No. 5 : he then departed. " 9. After the lapse of a month, Bhawu Leley called upon me, and reported that he had been unable to find the persons in whose possession the docgments were, but that the said persons would be at Poona during ,the fes tival of the ' Nag punchinee,' and of his intention to pro ceed thither, and to return in the course of fifteen days with the pepers. I replied, 'As you have failed to pro duce them within the given time, it becomes necessary for you to return the money.' He said, Very well, I will do so.' " 10. You will probably recollect my naming this cir cumstance, and your desiring inc to give him a further trial. " 11. When Bhawu Leley returned with the money, he said, • I am not the bad man you take me for, and if you will allow me fifteen days more, I will then satisfy you.' I replied, Very good, take the money again, and recol lect your promise to return with the papers fifteen days hence.' He then left me, saying he would fulfil his promise. 12. A day or two after that he started, I believe, for Poonah, since which I have seen nothing of him. " 13. The foregoing is, to the best of my recollection, a faithful narrative of what passed. " 14. A statement from Lieutenant Horne is appended, No. 6; also one from Anund Row, No. 7. " 15. The zubbannee (or deposition) which accompa nied your letter, is herewith returned. (True Copy.) (Signed) "F. DURACK, Staff Officer. " W. H. WATHEN, Chief Secretary : " Mr. Thompson then read the whole of the •depositions referred to in the letter of Capt. Durack. A PROPRIETOR-How do you know those papers were ever in the hands of Sir James Carnae? Mr. Tilostesort would not answer that .at present.— (Loud cries of " Question.") Mr. M. SMITH (a Director) hoped the discusion would be allowed to go on, as it would show the necessity of newly constituting that Court. Let the libels go forth, and it would give strength to the hands of the executive in obtaining an alteration. Mr. HOOG hoped the general Court would support the Chair. The Hon. Proprietor was not to hold at defiance or treat with contempt the authority of the Chair in reading depositions and papers which were not sworn to. He hoped the Chairman would express his opinion strongly upon the subject. The CHAIRMAN said he had expressed his opinion in the first instance as to the conduct of the Hon. Pro prietor, and was of the same opinion still, and moved again that the Court adjourn. Mr. THOMPSON—I dare you to adjourn the Court. The law will not permit you.—(Loud disapprobation.) Mr. SALOMONS rose to order, and said, that as it was the opinion that the papers the Hon. Proprietor was about reading ought not to be read, he should desist. Mr. TuoatesoN persisted in proceeding. The CHAIRMAN thought that, unless order and regu larity were preserved in their discussions, the Legislature would think the Court of Proprietors a useless body. Aspersions had been cast by the Hon. Proprietor on men in the service of the Government of India— a course unworthy of any man, and especially of one usu ally assuming to himself the character of liberality. There was no ground for further discussion. The Court of Directors thought the Raja a guilty man ; the Hon. Proprietor thought him innocent. Mr. THOMPSON persevered, on the ground that he was :peaking to the adjournment and he was again called to order. This led to a desultory and rather hot discussion. in which the Chairman, Mr. Weeding, Mr. Fielder, and others took part ; and Mr. THOMPSON declared that he would say all he had to say; and would now proceed to show that documents had been kept back for eleven months, which showed the innocence of the Raja. Mr. LEWIS asked whether the object of the motion for adjournment was to deprive hiAu of his right to be heard on the original motion ? The CHAIRMAN replied in the affirmative. Here there were again loud and general cries of " Question," in the midst of which Mr. THOMPSON declared he would proceed, having the honour of an innocent man to advocate as well as to vindicate the honour of that Court and that of the Queen. The Raja was a proud man, was opposed to the Brahmins, and was not likely to conspire with them to plot against the power of the Government of India. He would show that the plots were all on the side of the enemies of the Raja, aided by the whole strength of the Bombay Government. His next case should be taken altogether from the Parliamentary unprinted papers,which were also under the roof of that House. The Hon. Proprietor then went into a very lengthened argument to prove that a document purporting to proceed from the mother of Govind Row, the Minister of his Highness, and containing evidence of the Raja's guilt, was an utter forgery; that the forger himself had confessed his criminality to Colonel Ovens, in September 1837, and , delivered up all his papers ; but, although Col. Ovens had before given to the Government of Bombay, a to tally different account of the authorship, he nevertheless concealed the existence of these documents for eleven months, and only then divulged them on the accidental discovery of the plot by the Raja. These papers we will publish hereafter. The first account of the petition of Govind Row's mother, criminating both her son and the Raja, was in a letter of Colonel Ovans, dated 7th July, 1837 ; and, although the deposition of the forger was given to Colonel Ovans by the man himself, personally, on the 20th of September, Colonel Ovens only sent the depositi o n and accompanying documents on the 16th August, 1838. Mr. Thompson contended that he had now proved the necessity of going into the discussion of the whole question. The fact was, that owing to the disagreement with the Bombay Government arising out of the seizure of the Raja's jagheers, a host of enemies had appeared, and had succeeded in the ruin of the Raja. He would remind the Court of the case of Hastings, as described in an article attributed to Mr. Macaulay. Warren Hastings, who had, like a god, swayed the destinies of the native States in India, was at one time all but ruined by the ma chinations of the Brahmin Nuncomar. The ma jority .of the Calcutta Council were opposed to Hastings. this out. Th e y cons id ere d him as a fallen man ; and The natives (says the revi ewer ) soo n found they acted after their kind. Some of our readers may have seen, in India, a cloud of crows pecking a sick vul ture to death—no bad type of what happens in that country, as often as fortune deserts one who has been great and dreaded. In an instant, all the sycophants who had lately been ready to lie for him, to forge for him, to pander for him, to poison for him, hasten to purchase the favour of his victorious enemies by accusing him. An Indian Government has only to let it be understood that it wishes a particular man to be ruined ; and, in twenty-four hours, it will be furnished with grave charges, supported by depositions so full and circumstan tial, that any person unaccustomed to Asiatic mendacity would regard them as decisive. It is well if the signa ture of the destined victim 13 not counterfeited at the fort of some illegal compact, and if some treasonable paper is t not slipped into a hiding-place in his house. Hastings was now regarded as helpless. Immediately charges against the Governor-General began to your in. They were eagerly welcomed by the mjority, who, to do them justice, were men of too much honour knowingly to countenance false accusations, but who were not suf ficiently acquainted with the East to be aware that, in that part of the world, a very little encouragement from power will call forth, in a week, more Oateses, and Bed• toes, and Dangerfields, than Westminster Hall sees in a century." he (Mr. Thompson) would now proceed in the course he had marked out for himself in case the debate had gone on in a regular way, and should not be affected by anything that had passed. What he had now said was but prelimnary matter. Sir, it is now a year and a half since the members of this Court were told several times, during a debate on the case of the Raja of Satturn, that the discussion was pre mature, and that it was necessary for them to be ac quainted through the official papers, with the facts of the case, in order to their arriving at a just conclusion. At last, Sir, we have the most important papers, in a printed farm, in our possession. We have long had all the Court of Directors thought it prudent to give us, and we have for three months been in possession of an autho rised copy of the proceedings of the special and secret Commission by which the Raja was tried and found guilty. In the debate to which I have referred, the Members of this Court were also told to wait and learn the decision of the Executive. The expectation was raised by more than one member of the Board of Direc tors, that the decision might be in favour of the Raja. These excuses for procrastination no longer exist. On the Ist of April, 1840, the Court of Directors, with some most honourable exceptions, bestowed their warm com • men•lation on all the proceedings connected with the dethronement of the Raja of Sattara, and this Court has, since that vote, and for the second time, by means of the votes of the Directors themselves, decided that it is inexpedient to interfere with their responsible executive in the affairs of Sattara. More re cently, however, we have had an opportunity of pos sessing ourselves of the grounds un. which the au thorities in India proceeded, as well as of certain facts and documents of the most important kind ; and it ap peared, therefore, to many of the members of this Court, that the interests of truth and justice required a reconsideration of the case. It is under these cir cumstances that we are assembled to-day. To lay the basis for a discussion that should embrace the informa tion which we possess, the proposition of my Honturable and Learned Friend was introduced. I believe its truth may be abundantly demonstrated. Sir, permit me to lay before you a plain statement of the motives by which in common with others, I am influenced in again taking up this question. Sir, we have a deep conviction that the Raja of Sattara is an inno;ent man—entirely in nocent—(Hear, hear.) We believe him to be utterly guiltless of all the charges which have been brought against him, and made the grounds of his deposal. We as firmly believe that bad he been permitted the means of vindicating himself—those means which are within 1 the reach of the meanest offenders in these more favoured realms, he would have come forth out out of the inquiry with unspotted reputation—pure in proportion to the rigour of the investigation ; if to rigour had been united righteousness.—(Hear.) Having de voted, many of us, no small portion of our time to the minute examination of the papers before the Court—an examination throughout the whole of which our facul ties have been quickened, by the recollection of tha oppo site opinions which many in this Court have publicly avowed—we conscientiously believe that there is evidence of a false conclusion having been arrived at by those who sat in judgment on the first charge brought against the Raja. We think we can make this apparent. and effec tually purge the character of the Raja from so much of the stain as has been attached to it by the recorded opi nion of the tribunal before which he was brought.— ( (Hear.) In addition to all these motives, we have, Sir, another. Documents never before printed—hitherto wholly unknown, yet of the most remarkable and im portant character—of the authenticity of which we have no doubt, and the full history of every one of which we are prepared to give—have come into our hands. We have examined them with care ; they have shed new light upon the subject ; they have deepened, if it were possible, our impression of the Raja's innocence; they have compelled us to regard him as the unsinning victim of a foul conspiracy ; they have strengthened our belief that the great error throughput these proceedings has been the secrecy with which they have been carried ; which secrecy, involving As it did, at every stage, the ignorance of the accused, combined with the eager de sire of the Government to receive evidence of a prejudi cial nature, has aided the wicked plans of the Raja's ene mies. I say enemies. We can show that he had ene mies. We can point to their names, and their abodes, and their deeds of darkness and iniquity. We can de monstrate the existence of a plot, long, latent, and con cealed, but at last ripened into execution by the un happy difference between the Government and the Raja, in reference to the Jagheers. With such motives did we come before you to-day to bespeak your patience in the first instance, and your conscientious verdict in the last. It cannot but be that you desire that the de posed Raja should be proved an i nnocent man. Surely. Sir, you would rather .have it proved tbat you had done wrong than that he was guilty. You will not refuse to one, who, from the ground of his heart, after the most anxious and pains-taking inyiiry, believes him to be guiltless, a full and fair opportunity of say ing what he deems caleulated to dispel the mists in which the ' case . has been shrouded. Gentlemen, at no time does the:upright judicial func tionary lend a more willing ear than when there appears in court an individual who proffers. evidence in favour of the accused. To thelooennocetK country be it spoken, that even after contlemn#42ll, j mkey,en while the cOn detnned is suffering bis I ... ept i eny4 f tlirre is ever a di3posi tion to review procee.disanOrtp save, the innocent from undeserved punislMiept:`:sli#lllx be said that sucli is the case in referentatO 6+617 court . bit: this ? No Matter: I have a plain duty'ib perkiMotrld will discharge it. I am determined, thht if yeicpOtterevere in withholding justice, you shall be withoUt extinse.. I shall now proceed to prove that the commission, by' his Highness the Raja of. Sattara, of the crimes laid to his. Charge, was morally im possible. In order to establish this, I must carry you back to the early history of this ,Prince. His father died in 1808, when he was hut eleven years old. His education devolved uon his mother. It had been the policy of the Brahmin Ministers, from the year 1749, when they assumed the reins of,Government, to keep the nominal princes in a sort of honourable, but not limited confine ment, and to circumscribe their learning as well as their liberty, by making their accomplishments to consist in horsemanship and the use of the bow, rather than in reading and writing, and the science of government. The I mother, however, contrived to teach her sons letters 1 during the hours of midnight. Herself a hater cf the Brahmins, she taught her offspring to cherish strong feelings of dislike towards those who had for many years monopolized the power of the princes of Sattara. Her eldest son, the man you have depose :?, was not slow to profit by the lessons he received ; and, before he left the fort of Sattara, he might be said to have received a tole rable education ; still one, however, which entitled him to be regarded with the utmost indulgence. I have this week conversed with a Gallant Officer, who was at the battle of Ashta, which, as all who hear me know, was fought on the 20th of February, 1818, and decided the fate of the Prishwa. On the death of Gokla, the leader of the Mahrattas, and the dispersion of Bajee Rao's troops, the attention of seven or eight of the British ca valry was attracted to a female and several youths who were at a distance under a tree. The soldiers gal loped towards them, and one of the youths, who held a sword, was called upon to give it up, which, however, he repeatedly refused to do ; his mother, in the meantime, calling out in great distress the name and titles of her son. The Gallant Officer I have referred to, reached the spot just in time to receive, on his own weapon, a blow aimed by one of the troopers at the life of the brave young man, who had resolved to die rather than yield up his sword. That youth was the Raja of Sattara, and the officer is Colonel Pringle Taylor. My friend said, " I could not help gazing with admiration on the calm dignity, the undaunted courage, and the perfect self-possession of the young Prince. The im pression produced upon my mind by the scene I then witnessed, was most favourable. From what I recollect of the Raja on that occasion, I should be most reluctant to believe that he was capable of a mean or unmanly action. He seemed rejoiced to fall into the hands of the British, and I have no doubt had separated himself from Bajie Rao for that purpose." Sir, I have discovered nothing in the subsequent career of this Prince, that be lies the promise of his youth. Dignity, courage, a high sense of honour, and an extraordinary degree of can• dour, mixed I am ready to acknowledge, with a lofty notion of his dignity, and proud descent, appear to me to be the most obvious and controlling ingredients in his character.—(Hear, hear.) This, I think, I shall be able to show in my future remarks. On the 11th of February, 1818. the fort of Sattara was taken, and the standard of his Highness set up, and an assurance was given to the Mahratta people that, on the release of the Prince from the hands of Bajee Rao, he should be placed:at the head of an independent sovereignty. Sir, I will not admit the generosity of this act—l am willing to admit its policy, and I can go no further. On the 20th of February, as I have said, the young Prince was rescued, and came into our camp with dignity, confidence, satisfaction, and joy. On the 9th of May, he made his entry into Sat tara, surrounded by British officers, and detachments from all our corps, and took his seat on the throne in full Durbar. Let us now see how this youth of 21, hitherto shut out from the affairs of the world, whose all of useful learning had been obtained during the stolen hours of the night, while his attendants slept, conducted himself in his new, responsible, and trying circum stances. Captain Grant Duff was, as you know, ap pointed over him, with the designation of political agent, and on the 25th September, 1819, a treaty was concluded, securing to him, his heirs, and successors, perpetual sove reignty over certain districts specifiedin a schedule annex ed. I am aware thatin the 74th page of the last series of Sattara papers, an attempt has been made (I cannot help saying a most unfair one) to press the evidence of Capt. Grant Duff into the cause against the Rajlt. But to my mind the evidence of Captain Grant Duff goes directly to show the readiness with which the Prince corrected whatever errors he had been led into by his early education, when those errors were judi ciously and kindly pointed out. The passage quoted in the Report of the Commission I shall notice by-and-by ; for the present let me say that according to the account given by Captain Suthe r l an d.—(S ee " Sutherland ' s Sketches," Calcutta edition, page 164.) " The young Raja proved himself of good disposition, and suffi ciently intelligent ;" and although at first somewhat un reasonable in regard to the allowance which he deemed necessary to support his dignity, yet, upon being told by the agent what sum the Government had for the present assigned him, the year passed without any excess of expenditure."—(Hear.) The agent reported, that " the good disposition of the young Prince very much assisted him in arranging the affairs of the Principality. I found no difficulty.' says he, " in obtaining his confi dence, and he frequently told me things which I should otherwise never have become acquainted with." His revenue in 1620 amounted to about 150,000/. a-year, with a prospect, on the improvement of the waste lands, of 180,000/. In March, 1821, Mr. Chaplin, the Cem missioner at Poona, reported to the Bombay Govern ment that he had "personally witnessed the general prosperity and good order that prevailed throughout the Raja's territories, and the satisfaction displayed by all classes of the people under his management. The Raja expressed his gratitude and respect for the British Go vernment,and his:determination to be regulated in every act of his administration by the wishes of that Government. —(Hear.) He was by no means eager to be emancipated from restraint, and intended, when his authority was increased, never to adopt any measures without con sulting the Resident at his. Court. He spoke most kindly of the anent, Captain G. Duff; and, says Mr. Chapman, " I left him impressed with a very favourable opinion of the good sense and judgment, and the respectability of the acquirements which his Highness evinced, both at this interview and on the occasion of a visit at which I received and entertained his Highness on the following day : " This was in March, 1821; on the sth of the fol lowing month, in the twenty-fourth year of his age, the entire management of his Principality was committed to his charge,and the Political Agent became a Resident et his Court. What was the Raja's future conduct? Such as most fully to justify the change in his condition; it was such as realised the most sanguine hope entertained respecting either his ability or his sincerity. The excel lent advice given him by Captain Duff was followed out with the most scrupulous attention, and his dominion continued to flourish for years under his wise, en lightened, and benignant sway. He considered (says Captain Sutherland) the laws and revenue regulations introduced by Captain Grant, so like the laws of the Modes and Persians, that on the next Political Agent (Major-General Briggs) suggesting some alteration cal culated to be beneficial, the Raja, like a true Hindoo, ob jected, saying, that they had so long worked so well, that he would rather continue them as they were than run tne risk by altering any portion, of injuring them as a whdle, Next, let me refer the Court td a minute of the Governor of Bombay, Sir John Malcolm, in 1829, describing the Raja's territories as " well go verned," the Raja himself as " doing justice to the trouble that had been bestowed on his education ;" de scribing also the towns and villages in many of the jagheerdars as "in a better condition than any under British rule in the Deccan ;" and further, that " justice in most cases was administered in a way fully as satis factory to the inhabitants as under our improved sys tem." Let me refer, also, to the opinion expressed by this Court during the same year. In a political letter to Bombay, August 19, 1829, the Court declare that •they are " impressed with a highly favourable opinion of the administration of the Raja of Sattara. He ap pears to be remarkable among the Princes of India for his mildness, frugality, and attention to business ; to be sensible of what he owes to the British Government, and of the neccessity of maintaining a good understanding with it; nor does he, in his intercourse with your officers, furnish any grounds of complaint, except an occasional manifestation of that jealousy of our controlling power, which it can hardly be expected that any native Princes, however well disposed to us, should entirely suppress. Again, on the 21st September, 1831, the Court says : " The information which your records supply, as to the proceedings of the Raja of Sattara, continues to confirm the highly favourable opinion we had formed of his dis position, and of his capacity for Government. His ad ministration of a certain jagheer is described as having been distinguished for good sense and disinterestedness. His conduct to the dependent jagheerdars was just and conciliatory ; and in his general government, while he appears to have seldom stood in need of your advice, he seems to have been duly sensible of its value on the few occasions when it was offered." And on the 11th of June, 1834, the Court wrote another political letter to Bombay, in which they say :—" With respect to your suggestion, that we should confer upon his Highness some testimonial of our sense of the public spirit and liberality, by which he is distinguished among the native Princes of India, it is for you to inform us what it should be. Again, as if never weary of expressing their admiration of the Raja of Sattara, the Court addresses another letter, dated the 26th September, 1834, - after describing him as " a Prince whose administration is a model to all native rulers (I, Sir, should have said to all rulers), they say " He appears to be most attentive to business, superintend in.' ' every department of his Government without the aid of a Minister. He confines his own expenses, and those of all under him, within fixed limits. He pays all his establishments with perfect regularity; but when, in any year, his resources are inadequate to his fixed expenses, a rateable reduction is made from all allowances, not ex cepting his own. * * * By his frugal and care ful management, the Raja has kept free from debt; and as he does not accumulate, he is enabled to expend large sums in liberality and in the improvement of his country. We have read with great pleasure the following passage from Lieutenant-Colonel Robertson's despatch :—" He also maintains a well-regulated school at Sat tara, in which he has teachers of great respecta bility, both as to character and attainments. This seminary was closely examined in all its details last October, by a very competent judge, the Rev. Mr. Stevenson, of the Scottish mission, who, I am happy to say, expressed the highest satisfaction with it, and did not scruple to say, he considered it a far more useful es tablishment than the College at Poona. In this seminary his Highness teaches Mahratta, Sanscrit, and the sciences usually taught in that tongue, Persian, and English, as well as arithmetic, surveying, and other kinds of know ledge useful in the transaction of public business. In this school his Highness has a number of youths of his own caste, and relations of his (whose forefathers despised all such tuition), training up for his public service, and this is one of the causes why the Brahmins are hostile to him." Then, Sir, comes the resolution of the Court on the 22d of July, 1835, voting the Raja a sword; nil*: then, the memorable letter which accompanied it, of Intr cember 29, 1835. But, strange to say, though voted for eighteen years of " exemplary fulfilment of the duties of, his elevated situation;" for eighteen years of " con duct calculated to promote the prosperity of his domi nions and the happiness bf his. people;" for eighteen years of, undeviating rectitude reflecting the • highest honour on his character, and justly raising his reputa tion in the eyes of the Princes and people 'of India"— strange to say, this sword, voted, fabricated, jewelled, ' packed, directed, and transmitted (and, I suppose,• pro perly insured), was never given to the Raja ; and, of course, neither the letter, so carefully and beautifully written. The Hon. the Court of Directors reaped the " high gratification"—the " unqualified satisfaction and pleasure"—they luxuriated in unalloyed feelings of " ap probation," " respect," " applause," "esteem," and " re gard," and subscribed themselves his Highness's " faith ful friends"—but, his Highness never got the sword. It seems, indeed, to have cut their love. And yet, on the 22d of November, 1837, we find the same Court taking occasion to express " the pleasure" they feel—(it must be gratifying to us all, and to the Raja in particular, to find the Directors enjoying so much pleasure)—the plea sure they feel from the Resident's reports of the Raja's administration ef his jagheers. Such has been the con duct of our faithful and loving friends the Hon. the Court of Directors. We owe the mention of this de spatch to Mr. John Forbes ; it has never seen the light. Let me turn for a moment to the conduct of the Raja subsequent to his misunderstanding with the Govern ment. How did he act when the Resident at his. Court demanded some of his subjects, suspected of conspiracy in the matter of the Sepoys ? The Raja gave them up instantly. •In an hour from the time of the demand they were at the Residency.. How did ho appear before the Commission ? " I shall never forget the scene," says General Lodwick ; " he came in with the proud and high dignity of a sovereign. The whole people of Sattara had turned out—many of them were in tears." how did he part with Colonel Lodwick ? As the bust means of evincing his desire to be reconciled to, and conciliate me, the Raja had placed at my dis posal 19,000 rupees for the formation of a lake on the Mahablaysvvur Hills, a work I had originally suggested 'to him, and he knew to be a favourite scheme of mine ; observing that I might apply the sum either to that work, or to the completion of the unfinished road through his-territory to Poona, and lie would in that case assign 20,000 rupees the next year to the lake. And when the news of my -recall reached him, his Highness begged me not to quit his Court without receiving a public entertainment from; him and when that was de clined, asked, as a last token of friendship, that I would permit his servants to bear the palankeens of myself and family from Sattara, and his camels to carry my bag gage, and that I would write to him from England. How did he receive Colonel Ovans ? With the dignity of a Prince—with the frankness and kindness of a gene rous, high-minded, and unsuspecting man. In proof of this, read the letter of Colonel Ovans to the Bombay Go vernment, 24th June, 1837, paragraphs 2 and 6 : " 2. Immediately on the receipt of your communica tion I waited upon his Highness the Raja, and delivered the letter to him from the Right Hon. the Governor, ac quainting him of my appointment to officiate as Resident. Very little passed on this occasion ; his Highness's man ner was conciliatory, and he professed himself willing to give me every information in his power. " 6. In the interview above alluded to, the Raja showed' an inclination to put himself into my hands, but as my communication with him at this crisis are necessarily re served and distant, and in accordance with my instruc tions, this feeling on his part must be expected to wear off. In reply to his frequent allusions and remarks on the subject of the Commission, I gave him distinctly to understand that the whole case has been referred for the consideration and instructions of the Government of India." I shall leave the deportment of the latter functionary until I coma fo notice it in the right place. Suffice it to say in passing, that while on the side of his enemies, leagued with the Government, every act was of a dark, stealthy, and feline character, on the side of the Raja, all was open, undis guised, straightforward and honourable. How did he deport himself in the first interview with the new Governor, Sir James Carnac ? Here is an extract from what puports to be a correct statement of the substance of the conversation. They are the minutes of his Highness himself, anti though long printed their accuracy has never been disputed. " Sir JAMES—Your Highness has been making a plot: this has been proved by evidence. " His HIGHNESS—I have made no plot; you may refer inquiry of the matter to a Committee. " Sir JAMES—I have seen all ; there is no need of further inquiry, and I have no time for it. What is the use of discussions ? Your Highness should listen to what I say, and should sign a memo andum which I am going to propose. " His Hionnuss—lf your Excellency has no time, I will show all my papers and documents to Colonel Ovens. He will inquire how evidence has been procured, and will know how enmity has arisen. You should do justice ; I will have nothing to say if there be any paper of mine connected with the plot. * * " Sir JAMES—Your Highness should listen to what I say, or else you shall not retain your kingdom. "His HIGHNESS—I have never coveted the kingdom; I care for friendship with the Engl'sh Government only. I do not wish to retain my kingdom by confessing myself guilty without trial. If you like you may take charge of the kingdom; I will maintain myself by begging. If , •••• you confine me to prison, I will beg in company svi th your sentries. If such be your pleasure I am now, in your bungalow, and would not =turn:back. l i , ut " Sir JAMES—Your Highness should not do so, listen to what I propose, otherwise I shall be oblige d Ito make some new arrangement. .. " His HIGHNESS—You may make any arrangement that you like. You propose that, without trial, I shouhl. plead guilty of a thing which I have not done. To this I cannot agree." Sir, this is what I call 'true nobility—conduct worthy of a Prince.—(Hear.) How does Sir Janies Carnac himself report the termination of another interview? Hear him :—" When I had concluded, he (the Raja) stated that he regarded me as his friend and well-wisher ; asserted that the accusations against him originated in the intrigues of his enemies ; that as long as the Itritish Government entertained the idea that he had cherished hostile designs he could agree to nothing, but this idea being removed, he would agree to anything I propoi ; r , that he would consent to anything exept to abandon hi, religion, or to acknowledge that he had been our enemy.. . I will not, however, dismiss this part of the subject with- out bringing to the recollection of the Court two or three other testimonies to the character of the Sovereign whom you have deposed.. I have already referred to the encomiums passed upon his Highness's character by those who watched hia conduct on the spot, down to the retire ment of Captain Grant Duff., I have also quoted from your dispatches. Let we remind you that on the floor of this house, on the 13th of February, 1840, the following was the language of Major-General Briggs :—" I have no hesitation in saying that I received a letter from one of the Governors of Bombay, who stated that he was a pattern for native Princes ; and, during the whole time I was Resident at his Court, the Raja's conduct was most exemplary, and worthy of a Prince." A year and a half later, my Gallant Friend, when standing by my side' in this place, said—" He had looked to the whole of the a correspondence and the papers - he had heard. all that had been said in favour of the Raja ; he had .heard all that had been said against the Raja ; and his' firm conviction, as far as the papers went, was, that the 1 1 491 of Sattara was an innocent man." During the debate °X Feb.l2,the Hon. and Gallant Director, Generalßobertscaff said—l discharge only a bare act of justice to the Raja of Sattara in declaring that, during the period of nearly five years that I was Resident at his Court, I never say/ any disposition, on his part, to think lightly of his en gagements with the Company, or to evince ought but 1 gratitude for the advantages which had been conferred upon him ; and I may safely say that nothing occurred , whilst I was there, which gave rise to any dissatisfac tion, either on my part, or that of the Raja." I need scarcely quote the emphatic declaration of the same Gal lant Gentleman during the debate of July last year, that " the evidence on which the Raja had been condemne.;l,, was such as would not justify the hanging of a dog ; or the testimony, equally emphatic, and so truly honour able to the character of the Raja, that " he would, from the experience he had had of his character, sooner take his simple denial than all the evidence that had been raked together."—Add to the testimony of General Bo bertson, the testimony of another Gallant General, his immediate successor at the Court of Sattara—l mean General Lodwick :—" During the three years of Lord Clare's government, the Raja returned my attention to his interests and rights with even friendshiP• I respected him for his good government, his libe rality, and attention to the happiness of his people. I can positively declare that, during this period, i never expressed a wish to the Raja that was not readily at tended to. Roads were constructed, the condition of his jagheerdars was ameliorated ; in fact, he was liberal ili every respect, generous to his servants, of the best do mestic character, and evincing the possession of a kind ness springing from the happy temperament of mind and body. The Raja collected the whole of his revenue! and without oppression, and ridiculed our loss of revenue. , Indulge me with permission to quote the account 01 I; General Robertson of his parting with the Raja afte r ~,. his resignation of the Residency: — " On my taking lea" :', of his Highness at Maholee, he expressed his gra titude . f', and attachment to the British power in terms of sin cerity that cannot be questioned ; and after I had bidden him adieu, he recalled me to repeat them, and to im press them more strongly on my memory, as well to request that I would not only assure the Right Honour able the Governor in Council of his feelings, but also state them to the Honourable Mr. Elphinstone in Eng' land ; and his last words were—' I have no friend but the English Government, and my sole reliance is on it. I have many enemies—this you know—but no friends but the English.' " Most fervently do I trust that the Raja will yet prove that the English are his friends -- ; that though injustice may triumph for a time , i t cannot be withheld when the British people are informed. It is for the information of the British people, as well as to leave this Court without excuse, that I bring these testimonie s forward. Here then, Sir, is an overwhelming mass of or deuce in favour of the character of the Raja of Seam? 'Look at it. Weigh its value. You know the witnesses—the!r station—their standing—their disinterestedness —their opportunities—their intelligence. You will at once cm:" cede that they are men utterly incapable of speaking At which they , do nit feel—which They do not believe. .11: all events, you cannot reject the evidence of your o minutes and recorded _ letters. You surely cannotr be. prepared to falsify yinir own reiterated assertions) °or to confess to the belief :that you were imposed uponilat volt. • make the still more humiliating confession ~'tlie acted the part of. hypoerites ? What is th e jud broughtg *a ' " untie, ' the evidence have world gill unegrgapi _ deuce I before ypg?Ais--eth.lt ,t4t is morally i mposstdt_hbfLet the sammiatt.ifti.x.vlioni,thErtetate.s,titnonies apply man. heteattear,fikesetribeditt. the evidence acCLIM elated ~ , _ 4teidiroy him. liproins ettidpuce.oi tile highest poss ible ta :Clittrattiroitwhich ;Pumas, deaireaupapagat'that which I „, v' ?Mehtijr reiceivt6 Atu'fht.rovidence. of liSritisb officers ~ A"' 13 F ` itiit 9 MVAmistx-fotsesuccessive 1./residents -- .a l' a ' :. se 1 Governors:7- a ' iiii'thie` whoie Court of Directrirs: , . 4. " sa,) ;- This. evidence exta mid. a period of nineteen year s ' It db4cirillsAlte-14104Wieen by a British officer for the Ilte.frrgtaimd* tito4ol,gf, battle, as firm, courageous, Allgnified„,i§prUinetreii ,-, ea, yielding implicitly to victoodui4s,9prlysativisers—assiliting them in their ar-; rangemennider the• settlement of his Principality, an a - iinprovirrg ,,, thk condition of his subjects ; displaylP g good sense‘ , sound judgment, and respectable a c q un T • merits; making Most honourable mention of all !I, 3 . . . English friends ; by you especially behind the bar (. nu Directors), as remarkable among the Princes of Indiss eminently gifted with the capacity to govern; full of public spirit and liberality ; scrupulously attentive tilv the most minute affairs of business; frugal, car eful., (yet most liberal), free from debt, and of the b est do mestic character ; a pattern of veracity ; devo ted to the prosperity of his dominion; deeply interested i n the happiness of his people; firmly attached to the British Government; sincerely grateful for their . kindness, and, above all, in love with the Eng lish. Such is the character of the dethroned Raja of Sa ttara- Against the authorities I have adduced we have to Pend Appa Sahib, Ballajee Punt Nathoo, Seegolam Sing , Goolja Misour, the menial and slipper-bearer Koosits Maloo, the gang-robber Balkober Kelkur, the Brahmin Untajee, and his nephew, the perfumer and brothe l ' keeper Pureshram. Certain it is, if you believe these' you must abandon your previous opinions of the Me' and send him a halter instead of a sword. However painful the conviction, you must believe that the Raja was a monster of ingratitude, an incarnation of byir" crisy, the basest of dissemblers, and the demon of nip' chief—yon must believe that his life was spent in weaving webs of intrigue—that he was incapable of one generous feeling—in fact, that the world has not produced a ma° more skilled in the arts of deception—more lost to every sense of honour—or more resolutely bent on effecting his own ruin in the prosecution of his wicked and traitorous designs. Sir (said Mr. Thompson, indig nantly), you laugh while I thus speak. Would that th e eyes of the people of India—of the hundred millions, whom the fortune of war have made your subjects, cou ld be fixed on the proceedings of this Court, and the con duct of those whom I now address. Would that thes e millions could mark the impatience, and ridicule, and scorn, with which a man is treated in this house, when he pleads the cause of those millions, or of one of their most Illustrious Princes, whom you have unrighteouslY deposed.--(Hear, hear.) But your demeanour during discussions like the present, will open the eyes of the world, and hasten the period when the tremendou s power which you so grossly abuse, will be either effec tually controlled, or altogether taken out of your hands. Be assured, however, that no derision ' shall prevent me from proceeding straitforward in the discharge of my duty. I repeat what I have said, l' is impossible to believe that the Raja of Sattara—th e man who, down to the time when these testimonies end , and the machinations of his enemies begin to take effect : commenced, was the confederate of the abandoned .aretches who bore testimony against him. I would 0 soon believe that the heavens could fall as that the MO who had displayed, throuateatnhisno attributed,emt nineteen ne creatures aetcauorrsue, could h ws e uh virtues dode,nnlif ; which ,keto you his y c o o u u r n se c l i v ls es th h e biried to plot his ruin. —(Hear.) I now proceed to a c most important part o f th e su bj ect.— ( Lo ud cr i es 0' " Question, question.") Gentlemen may call, "Question, question," but I givo them due notice that they w histle to the wind s . If you want . your di nners, by 014 means go and get them—take your time ; eat the in digest them, and come hith er aga i n , an d y o u will fin me still upon my legs.—(Confusion.) Yes, G en tlemen,' I can assure you it will be so. Those who use the hee of their boots arid their umbrellas to annoy me exer t themselves in vain. I will be heard, and I w ill be heard in silence too. Here I stand for Ps' tice. Call me factious if you please ; my 00 ", science accuses me not. It is not to serve the ends or faction, that through three sleepless nights I have de voted myself to the patient investigation of your own papers. It is not to gratify the love of faction th at have come here to-day in a state of health the most weak and disqualifying. It is not to annoy you that r continue standing in your presence with scarcely enougl! of physical strength to sustain me. Perish faction Let justice be done. But, though you should do no jus tice to the Raja you shall do justice to me, in spite of yourselves. You may call me rude and ungentlemanly; be it so. Let the world judge between us. Let me now call your attention to the Commission sent to Sat* tarn to investigate and report upon a conspiracy allege d to have been formed at Sattara and other places the view of seducing the native troops from their alle giance, and ultimately of subverting the British power in India (p. 64). The sixth paragraph purports to give a general outline of the case. On the 11th of July, 1a36, a Soobadar of the 23d N. 1., named Seegoolam Sing, is accosted in Sattara by—whom ? The Brahrnin Untajee. Here is the first scene, and the first actors in this event with ful drama. In the streets of Sattara two men meet-- strangers to each other—a native soldier, a pardese e (a stranger), and Untajee, of w h om I shall say no mom at present, than that he is described by the Cornmsision ers in page 72 to be a man of the most worthless and unprincipled character; that on his examination he, was guilty of the gros s est P revarication and deceit; aria' in page 76 th e C omm i ss i oners s a y that -No Pu"' 1 ment could exceed the measure of his gu ilt." ` Wha t happens ? The Bramin binds his new found friend 1# IPN/ft ~4 tn oat) R egiun CO in pil l being 4 from s e mn b in Ind; 1 , and the bur;