Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-09-24 00:00:00

THE EAST INDIA. COMPANY.

QUARTERLY MEETING.

Yesterday the usual quarterly General Court cf Pro-
prietors of the East India Company was held at the Indic
notice, Leadenhall-street, Mr. R. C. Mangles, M.P., Chair-
man cf the Court o[ Directors, presiding. _ _

The usual formal business having been gone through,
Mr. Dent asked whether the Court of Directors, in their
offs irl capacity, intended to eontribute to the relief fund r
Mr. M Lewin did not think they had a right to ask the
direc'e a to subscribe to the fund in their official capacity.
There was another more important question, which was
whether the company ware not bound to make up the loss
to the sufferers ? He th ,ught it was the duty of a very
government to protect its servants ; t y the dic'ates of
common senTe, if not of the ordinari law, government was
bound to mske up the losses sustained by individuals
Ander such circumstances as these. ( Bear.)
The Chairman, in answer to Mr. Dent, sad the court
hut not come to any definite resolution on the subject.
Thci question of Lewin was a very large one, and of
the greatest importance. It had arisen from a state of
circumstances to which the histolt of ihe world probably
afforded no l r:cise parallel. It must be determined
generally, he took it, by the law of natiqns and by the
universal rule applied in cases as nearly parallel as could
be discovered. There was a case somewhat similar in
English history, that of the rebellion in. 1745. What the
court had done in this matter was this, it had written to
the government in India to take care that nobody was
allowed to perish, and that no case of destitution within:
reach should pass unprovicled for. The careand attention
of the government in such matters was not to be confined-
to the servants of the company, but was to be extended to
all classes. (Cheers.) With regard to the military servants
of the company, the court t cirectors convilered hat the
widows and orphans of officers who had fallen vetims to•
this• frightful military mutiny would be entitled to the
same pensions as if they we-e placed on what was called'
the compassionate allowance fund,. pensions whir's were
granted to wdows and orphans of the officers wh ) had
fallen in action. (Hear, hear.)
Mr Dent regretted that there should be any delay in s-
matter of this kind, As soon as it was intimated to her
_Majesty that such a fund was being rai,ed an answer was
receive I by telegraph from Bdrnoral, that her 31..jesty and
the Prince Consort would sub,•cribe. The p•ecsdents were
numerous. There were the French inundation., the Irish
famine, and various ceheroccas;ons on which subscriptions
had b en male, and surely the Indian mutinies was a
subject which required little or no deliberation. It wag
one upon which he should have conceived there would
scarcely have been a difference of opinion.. If it was
necp.ssary to refer to " Mc. Smith, of Canntn-row," there
was a telegraph, and they should have received at once an
answer by it. Would there be any cbjectiou to lay let-ire
the court an extract from the despatch the chairman had
alluded to ?

The Chairman said he conld give the hon. proprietor
no answer but that he had a'ready given as to the sub-
scription. There c mild be no obje.ion to giving an
extract f!om the despatch.
Mr. J nes suggested that the directors should forega
their annual feast, which usually emit from £3,400 to
£4 000, and that they should apply that amount in aid of
the sufferers. If they cl,,termined ulna abstaining from
feasting far five yeas, th y might add to the subscription
£20.000. (Ile r.) This wan not a time for feasting..
(Hear. hear. )
The Chairman said the hon. proprietor need not be
alarmed upon that paint, as tha Court of Directors would
have no annual dinner this year, (Hear' hear )
Dr. Beattie thought the view taken by Mr. Lewin was
the proper one. It would be quite out of the question
for the court to contribute as a court, but thay might do
so individually.
The Chairman ob,-erved that the greatest care should
be taken to p-event private li'oeraliry being damped. Thera-
were many who would refuse to subscribe if they could
say that governmeA w Buhl mkka good all losses. It was
impossible that government cow(' reach alt case., and he
could not e incive a nobler opportunity than this for indi-
vidual charity (Flea-, hear )
Mr. Jones then rose on a motion of which he had given.
notic hereup
Mr. Brown said he had hoped the motion would not be
persevered with; if it were, he should move that the court
doatjourn.

Mr-. Jones saii he knew the hon. proprietor could pre-
vent his bringing the motion forward ; but it stool first,
and until it was disposed of he WJII d take care that no
other motion was discusEe I. His motion was :—" That it
is due to the advancing intelligence of the people of India
that a deputy from each presidency be maintained at the
public expense in ells country, with a view to fawn' the
proprietors as to the complaints and wishes of the people
of India.' He was glad that India had at last forced
itself into public notice. Propietors who had attenled
thee.) meetings, had foretold that a day would'eJme when
tore woul i be rebellion in that country. Annexation
after annexation had been the cause of these mutinies.
Annexation was n,,t the mere dethr ming of a king and the
substitution of another govermasat ; it was the dislocation
of society. Annexation had been the cause, and a suffi-
cient cause, of the outrag s that had been committed.
(Cries of "1)h!") There was nothing on earth or in hell,
that could justify the atrocities that Nena Sahib had com-
mitted ; bat it should be remembered that the g- 6v rnment
had deprived him of the Peiohwarri to which he had a
right. (No, no )_

M'. Brown said ho must now exercise his right. Ho
move 3 that the court do now ar,j mrn. _ _

The Chairman th,rt put the qiestio,, and th3re being
only seventeen p7oprie'ori pre wit (the nnra,-)er required
to constitute a court EQing twenty) declared the court
adjourned.