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

THE PRE S S, FEBRUARY 26, 1858.

THE CHARGE AGAINST MR. ISAAC
BUTT, M.P.
Tae Select Committee appointed by the House of
Commons to try the petition of Mr. E. L. Coffey,
accusing Mr. I. Butt, M.P. for Youghall, of having
entered into a corrupt agreement with Ali Moorad
Khan, one of the Ameers of Scinde, met in No. 18
committee-room to commence its inquiry on Tuesday,
and has continued to sit from day to day since.
The members of the committee are—Sir James
Graham (chairman), Mr. Bouverie, General Cod-
rington, Mr. Bright, Mr. Sergeant Kinglake, Mr.
Sidney Herbert, and Colonel Wilson Patten. Mr.
Roebuck, by whom Mr. Coffey's petition was pre-
sented, also sat on the committee to assist in the
investigation, but without the power of voting; and
Mr. Sergeant Deasy attended, under a like restric-
tion, on behalf of Mr. Butt. Mr. Butt appeared in
the committee-room, accompanied by his friend Mr.
Fagan, M.P. for Cork, and was accommodated with a
seat next to his counsel. Throughout the inquiry a
considerable number of members of Parliament and
a large body of the general public have been present.
Below is a summary of the evidence offered for the
petitioner on the first three days.
Mr. Roebuck having opened the case, called the
petitioner, Mr. Coffey, who stated that in 1856 he
abandoned the appointment of Postmaster-General
of Scinde, worth 1,0001. a year, to become secretary
to Ali Moorad Kban, one of the deprived Ameers of
Scinde, and assist him in the recovery of property of
which he had been deprived by the Indian Govern-
ment. By a written agreement witness was to have
3,0001., and he was verbally promised an annuity of
1,000/. besides for his life, if successful. His brother
James, a barrister, introduced him to Mr. Butt, and
a petition was presented to the House of Commons
in June, 1856. Mr. Butt having told witness that he
was not a rich man, witness mentioned it to the
Ameer, who said that if Mr. Butt regained him his
lands he would give 5,0001. Witness told Mr. Butt,
who said it was very handsome. After some nego-
tiation with the India-house, Mr. Butt stated that
the case was to be referred to the authorities in
India, and that be should require another 5,000/. for
going out to remunerate him for giving up his pro-
fession. In the month of August Mr. Butt told wit-
ness that he must go to Dublin to an important trial
unless he had 5001. from the Amer. On the 11th
of August witness brought him a cheque for 300/.
Mr. Butt remarked, " I wanted 5001." Witness ad
vised him to take it. He said, " It is crossed ; I
would not pass it through my bankers for 1,0001."
Witness consented to go with him to the Bank to
get it cashed without passing through another
banker, but Mr. Irwin, a friend of Mr. Butt, came in
and rendered that unnecessary. The cheque was
paid in three notes of 1001. each. Subsequently,
Mr. Butt said that a despatch bad been sent out for
reinstating the Ameer, and that he required 3,0001.
then and the balance when he went to India. After
some delay the Ameer and witness met Mr. Butt and
Captain Langley at Mr. Butt's house. Finally, the
Ameer, witness, and Mr. Butt went to the Bank,
where the Ameer gave Mr. Butt a cheque for 2,0001.
Witness went with the Ameer to Vienna, where he
received a letter from his brother David Coffey in-
closing three bill-stamps for a gross amount of 8,0001.,
across each of which Mr. Butt's name was written.
The Ameer and witness then went to Trieste, where
witness left him. The Amear went to India.
Cross-examined by Sergeant Deasy :
Witness was dismissed by Mr. Butt, not by the
Ameer. Mr. Butt said that he dismissed witness
for impugning the lo3alty of the Ameer to the Bri-
tish Embassy at Vienna. The only person witness
saw at the embassy was a gentleman in his sbirt•
sleeves. Mr. Elliot, the secretary, came to him at
his hotel. He did not disclose to his brother James
the pecuniary transactions with Mr. Butt. His bro-
ther James, and his brother David, a solicitor, were
both employed for the Ameer. When Mr. Butt told
witness he not a rich man, they were walking in
Cannon-row. There was no third person present at
their conversations about money. There was a con-
sultation of counsel at Sir Fitzroy Kelly's house on
the 15th of February, 1857. Mr. Butt had 25/. from
witness for attending it; that was the only fee he
had for professional assistance. The Ameer was to
go to India in August. Mr. Butt said he was to go
as quickly as possible. It was physically impossible
for them to get to Trieste by the 27th of August.
They got there the evening of September the 11th,
and the packet had sailed the day before. Mrs.
Parr and her son went with the Ameer and witness
from Paris to Trieste. Mr. Butt had said that wit-
nessv introduced her as his wife to Mr. Elliot, at
1 teens, and she was now taking an active part in
these proceedings to clear her name. Witness then
read a memorandum, drawn up by himself, of his
conversation with Mr. Elliot, which substantially was
that while on the Continent he had perceived from

the Times that the Guards had been ordered out to
India—that this circumstance portended a gloomy
state of affairs in that country; and that, having had
no information of what was passing in the East since
he had left England, he would be glad to know in
what condition the Bombay Presidency was. if that
Presidency were in a state of disaffection, his opinion
was that the presence of the Ameer there might em-
barrass the Government, and that he was perfectly
ready to place himself under the orders of Sir H.
Seymour. He had no doubt of the Ameer's loyalty,
or of his wish to serve the English Government ;
but, not being aware how the rebellion was progress-
ing as regarded the Bombay Presidency, he was de-
sirous of consulting a person in the positaon of the
British Ambassador as to the Ameer's remaining or
proceeding. Though be firmly believed that the
Ameer was most anxious and willing to aid the Bri-
tish Government with all the resources of his coun-
try, yet he knew that his Highness was very sore
because he had rot been presented to the English
Court, and had declared that he could not understand
the reason for that omission.

Sergeant Deasy then put in a letter from Sir H.
Seymour to Mr. Butt enclosing a statement from Mr.
Elliot of the same conversation. Sir H. Seymour
(whose handwriting was recognised by Sir J.
Graham) wrote that he would prefer Mr. Elliot's
recollection of any such conversation to his own.
No man was more accurate or more guarded in his
statements, and his memory was singularly faithful.
Sir Hamilton added that he was afraid Mr. Coffey
was either a very incorrect reporter or had a most
detective memory. _ _

Mr. Elliot's version of the story, as nearly as we
could catch its purport, was, that he saw Mr. Coffey
in September last at his hotel, and that he conveyed
to him the impression that the fidelity of the Ameer
was not to be depended upon. Mr. Elliot then
asked him plainly whether he thought the Prince in-
tended to join the insurgents ; to which his reply
was nearly as follows !—" I don't say that I believe
him to have come to any such determination ; but
you know what the Asiatics are. The Prince con-
siders himself, and with undoubted reason, to have
been hardly used by the English Government and
the East India Company, and I believe that on
arriving in Scinde he would join whichever party be
found to be the stronger." Mr. Coffey then said
that he thought it would he very imprudent to let
the Ameer go out in the present state of India.
" Mrs. Coffay," who took part in the conversation,
observed that to permit the Prince to go out would
be an act of madness ; and both of them appeared
to be of the same opinion. Mr. Coffey offered to
detain the Ameer if he received a hint that such a
step was desirable, and he even undertook to take
him back to England if that were thought best.

Another communication from Sir H. Seymour to
Mr. Butt, dated 15th October, 1857, stated that the
case against Mr. Coffey was so clear that his Excel-
lency should have thought all further explanation
unnecessary. But, by way of making assurance doubly
sure,lhe begged to inclose a short statement drawn up
by Mr. Booth, one of the attaches of the embassy,
who is apparently the " gentleman in the shirt-
sleeves."

Mr. Booth's statement declared that Mr. Coffey
called at the legation and said that he was travelling
with an Indian prince who had visited England to
press his claim to some territory. Bnt, that claim
not having been attended to, the Prince was then on
his way back to Scinde in a frame of mind which
made it extremely probable that on his arrival there
he would espouse whicheverside seemed the stronger.
Mr. Coffey added that he thought it would be highly
imprudent to allow the Prince to go on to India, and
offered to take him back to England if such a course
were deemed advisable.

Cross-examination of the petitioner was resumed.
He had stated in a letter to Mr. V. Smith that he
bad been informed that Government sent out Mr.
Butt as their authorised agent to overtake the Ameer
at Trieste ; that Mr. Butt dismissed witness, and put
Mr. Irwin into his place as secretary, and Captain
Langley into that of interpreter; that the delay in
the Ameer's journey was caused by want of funds ;
and that the accounts which he had furnished to the
Ameer were correct, and specified every sum that he
had received and paid. This letter was dated 25th
November, 1857. Mr. Butt was to have 3,0001.
before leaving for India in cash, and 7,0001. secured
by bill, on the understanding that he went to India,
and employed his exertions with the Indian Govern.
ment. Witness told his brother that, if Mr. Butt
failed in his engagements, he (witness) was respon-
sible for the 2,0001. which Mr. Butt had received.
That was to impress on his brother the necessity of
urging Mr. Butt to go to India.

A letter from the Ameer to Mr. Butt was put in,
complaining that " Mr. Coffey had been keeping him
uselessly in that strange country for fifteen days,"
and without information. " To-day," said the Ameer,
" am suddenly informed that Mr. Butt has arrived
in Vienna, at which I was exceedingly pleased."

'207

Mr. Coffey, re-examined by Mr. Roebuck : Tho
understanding was that Mr. Butt should use his
influence in Parliament and with the Board of Con-
trol and the Government to further the Ameer's
cause. The 8,000/. was earned by Mr. Butt by pro-
curing the despatch to be sent out from the Board
of Control to India. The Ameer told witness that
he was answerable for the amount if the despatch
was not sent. His brother David's bill, which included
his brother James's fees, was still unpaid. Mr. Butt
told him what was wanted was a number of members
of Parliament, not lawyers. Mr. Butt made two
motions for papers, but took no other step in Par-
liament. The conversation about money was before
the motion for papers, and expressly referred to
future steps in Parliament. Mr. Butt had said that,
if the Ameer made it worth his while, he would
enter heart and soul into the matter, and carry his
views for him ; but he was poor, and could not
undertake so great a task unless he was paid.
Mr. T. Williams proved the payment into Glyn's
bank to Mr. Butt's account of certain notes on the
22nd August last.
Mrs. Parr deposed that she lived at No. 17, Bond-
street, and her profession was trafficking in opera
boxes. Sha went to Paris quite independently of the
Ameer. She travelled with him through Vienna to
Trieste. Mrs. Parr then contradicted Mr. Elliot,
and corroborated Mr. Coffey, respecting the conver-
sation at the hotel at Vienna. She had subsequently
been again to Vienna and seen Mr. Elliot, and men-
tioned to him that she had been called in a telegram
"Mrs. Coffey." Mr. Elliot admitted the error, which
arose from his seeing her in the same room with
Mr. Coffey at the interview. She put in a letter
' from Mr. Elliot to that effect, and also another to
the same effect from Sir H. Seymour. The Ameer
was enraged with Mr. Coffey for wishing to push on,
as he wanted to stay and shoot.
Here Sergeant Deasy called Meer Ali Akbbar,
who produced two letters written to him by the
Ameer, one from Paris, the other from Trieste. The
letters were objected to by Mr. Roebuck, as not
being signed nor in the Ameer's handwriting. They,
however, bore his seal, and, after a consultation with
closed oon, were admitted.
In the first the Ameer complained of 'sing robbed
by " this son of Satan," and required 2,000 rupees
to be sent to him forthwith. In the second, he com-
plained bitterly of having been delayed on his
journey by " this Satan," and directed Meer Ali to
show the letter to "the superior gentleman," mean-
ing Mr. V. Smith, and to Sir G. Clerk, as his excuse
for not getting to Bombay sooner, "to perform
services for the English."
Meer Ali further deposed that the Ameer had told
him that he had paid 6,5001. to Mr. Coffey, and that
his account was not satisfactory. Witness saw the
account. The items were put together ; no dates
were given, and there were no vouchers for what had
been paid.
Mrs. Parr's cross-examination was then proceeded
with :—The Ameer and Mr. Coffey came to my
house frequently. Mr. Butt was there more than
four times in 1857. At Frankfort I heard Mr.
Coffey urge the Ameer to proceed on his journey. I
doubted the Ameer's sincerity, for Meer Ali himself
told me that the Ameer bad spoken untrue things
about him to Mr. Coffey, and about Mr. Coffey to
him.
Mrs. Parr was] then cross-examined as to an
alleged attempt to extort money, by threatening to
publish a life of some gentleman, on the 24th or 26th
of January, 1854, and the names of a Mr. Hawke and
of Mr. Edwin James, Q.C., were mentioned. The
witness admitted that Mr. Hawke had called on her,
and she detailed the circumstances which. she under-
stood the Sergeant to allude to, but strenuously
denied the criminal part of what was insinuated, or
that she had ever seen Mr. Edwin James.
Mr. Sergeant Deasy asked to be permitted to call
witnesses, but the Chairman said that it could not be
done at that stage, and that the subject was quite
collateral.
Mrs. Parr wished to be permitted to call witnesses
as to her respectability—several M.P.'s and other
gentlemen of position. (A laugh.)
By the Chairman : Mr. Butt told me that he
expected to be employed in India by other princes
in the same position as the Ameer, and to come
home rich. That was all he told me about money
arrangements. He said that Mr. V. Smith had
offered a compromise to the Ameer. The witness
then further impugned the accuracy of Mr. Elliot.
The Chairman read a letter from Mr. Butt to Mrs.
Parr, dated I:ith February, 1858, in which he stated
that he did not throw the slightest imputation on her.
The Cashier of the London Joint-stock Bank
proved the payment of the Ameer's cheque for 2,0001.
and gave the numbers of the notes. He did not
know Mr. Butt.
The Committee then adjourned till twelve o'clock
on Friday, when the examination of Sir J. W. Hogg
and Mr. R. D. Mangles was proceeded with.