The Express.
London, England, 1853-08-13 00:00:00

EAST INDIA HOUSE.

Yesterday a special general Court of Directors and
Proprietors of the East India Company was held at the
company's house, Leadenhall-street, for the purpose of
further considering the bill recently introduced into parlia-
ment far the future government of India. RIM/ELL
ELLICE, Ertl., chairman orthe Courtof Directors, presided.
The CHAIRMAN iaformed the court that they were called
together to consider the amendments t►at had been in•
troduced into the bill in the House of Lords. He regretted
that their petition had been attended with so little success,
bat congratulated them that the clause istrodaced by Sir
John Pakington in the House of Commons with regard to
the salt duty had been rejected by the House of Lords.
(here was one amendment recently introduced which
he thought they ought to direct particular attention to—
namely, the alteration that had been made with regard to
the signatures to despatches, sad which gave the power to
the Board of Control or their secretary to sign the des-
patches and forward them. To that the Court of Directors
strongly protested, and he thought it would be advisable to
read to the court the correspondence that had taken place
between the President of the Board of Control and the di-
rectors on the subject.
Mr. LEWIN, before the correspondence was read, begged
to call the attention of the court to the fact that there were
only seven proprietors present. The notice calling the
court had evidently been seen by very few, and under the
circumstances he did not think they could properly discuss
this question at present, and suggested that the court should
be adjourned till a future day.
The CHAIRMAN observed that there would be no use In
calling together a court after the bill had been read a third
time and passed.
The SECRETARY read the correspondence between the
Court of Directors and Sir Charles Wood. The first letter
called attention to the forty-fourth clause, which materially
interfered with the due administration of the affairs of
India, the tax which had ►een so tampered with being one
of the principal sources of their revenue in that empire.
They felt 'wrongly and forcibly that this was an interference
effectually calculated to impair their responsibility, and
trusted the matter would be taken into consideration by
her Majesty's ministers, se that it might be withdrawn from
the bill.

The CZAIRMAN—That clause, I have the satisfaction
of informing the coon, has been expunged by the House of
Lords.

The next letter, dated the 10th inst., was then read by
the secretary, and referred to the note which prohibited
any despatch being forwarded until it had received the
signature of the directors, and which had been abrogated
by a proviso in the bill empowering the Commissioners of
the Board of Control or their secretary to sign and forward
despatches. He earnestly protested agitnst any enactment
which would interfere with the government of India by the
East India Company, and whisk would be the effect of the
proviso alluded to, it retained in the bill.
The CHAIRMAN said the bill would be read a third time
in the House of Lords that night, and the only farther
proceeding would be to-morrow (this day), when the House
of Lords would be called in to take into consideration the
law amendments, and the bill would in all probability be-
some the law of the land the following day. There was
therefore no time to be lost, and any adjournment would
be worse than useless, and only make them the laughing-
stock of the public. The bill still upheld the principle of
the doable government, and although the Court of Proprie-
tors bad lost something of its privileges sad power, he
trusted they would be induced to accept the bill ; and he
should now, with the sanction of the Court of Directors,
move a resolution to that effect. The hon. gentlemen eon-
eluded by moving the resolution, which set teeth *it
whilst regretting that the petition that bad been
to the House of Lords had not been attended wirtti:tde-
sired success, the court concurred in the views and opinions
of the court as stated on the 19th ult., regarding the bill for
the fume government of India.
Mr. Liwiw roes to propose an adjournment. He
thought it was disrespectful to the Court of Proprietors
that no sufficient notice had been given to them of what
was about to take place that day.
I The motion for adjournment was negatived, and on the
original resolution being then put,
Mr. Lawrie rose to move another amendment to the
effect that the bill being adverse to India, and not doing
justice to the
The
of that country, they do refuse their
swat to it. The stetson was not yet passed into law, and
they were justified is refusing their assent to it until that
had bees done. .

&ptlnDoVuson seecoded the easeaduient, whirl was
then put and negatived.
The original resolution
_premed by the Court of Di-
rectors was then pat mad agreed to, end the court ad-
journed.

MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT AT PORTSMOUTH:A de-
plorable accident occurred no Thursday night, at the
George Hotel, Portsmouth. A Mr. Powell, a solicitor, it
Chichester, had left a small leather case at the George k
the morning, whilst he went to witness the review • the
cue containing a double barrelled gun, the stock separated
from the barrel and one barrel being loaded. On return.
ing in the evening and asking for his cam, a waiter, named
White, proceeded to bring it down to him. In the crowd,
however, by some means the case fell on the door, and the
hammer striking in doing so, the gun went off, and the new
tents were lodged in the unfortunate waiter's head. He
was killed almost instantaneously. Another person, Mr.

;mlirei, at inss;Trti,liiiussex,alaire'ceiiiisoro.
very serious wounds in the hand, but Is in a fair way of
escaping any fatal results. An inquest will be held to-night,
oa the decoued, White.

SHOCKING ACCIDENT MOM GAB EXPLOSION.—
On Tuesday night an accident of a very serious nature, and
likely to prove fatal to a female servant of Mr. Harris,
silversmith, residing at South Hap, was occasioned by
an explosion of gas. Some workmen had been em-
ployed at the house doing repairs, which required them
to interfere with the pa-pipe and burner in a drawing-
room; and notwithstanding that Mr. Harris, on leav-
ing home for business in the morning, had given strict
injunctions that they should take the utmost precaution
in preventing on escape of gas, on the removal of a
lamp, it appeared that his orders were neglected; for
on retiring to bed, desirous of seeing all soh in the room,
he and his servant entered for that purpose, the latter
preceding him with a lighted candle. They bad scarcely
passed the doer when they were conscious of the escape of
a considerable quantity of gas ; bat before they could with-
draw the flame of the candle had counanaleated with it,

and a frightful ezplosion took place, shattering all the
windows and a door. An alarm was immediately given,
and • policeman was soon in &Mende/Wenn misted by
some of the neighbours. Mr. Harris bad, fortunately, re-
calved bat little iqjury ; but the poor girl was found en-
veloped in dunes, which the peliesmen could only arrest by
promptly stripping off her clothes, at the risk of burning
his hands. As soon as possible, surgical aid was called ;
but the sufferer was so ,dftilly burnt that it was fond
necessary to convey her on a stretcher to the United Hos-
pital, where she lies in a dangerous state.—Beth Chronicle.

AUSTRIAN FINANCE.—The advice. from Vienna
embrace a remarkable statement of the downward course of
Austrian finance since 1846. It appears that the deficit
each year from that period has been in sterling ea follows
namely, 706,0331. in 1847, 4,611,0641. in 1848,
12,190,5801 in 1849, 6,344,7331. in 1850, 8,222,363/. in 1861,
and 6,344,7331. in 1852; making a total in six years of
34,481,2601., or an average of 6,743,6101. per annum. There
seem, also, every probability that the difference between
menu and earediture will be equally diseotsousia 1863.