The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-06-05 00:00:00

THE BRITISH PRESS.

PUBLIC MERTLVG.

CASE OF MR. BUCKINGHAM.
Yesterday a public Meeting was held at the Thatched Howie
Tavern, St..litnies'a, for the purpose of taking into consideration
whether—the object of the Select Committee appointed by the
House of Commons to frquire irtn and report on the ease of Mr.
• Buckingham having been entirely defeated by the prorogation of
• Parliament, before their labeura could be brought to a close--any
further messum could be tale -n to avert the impending calamities
which threaten to overwhelm Mr. Buckingham, by the severe and
disproportionate punishment to which he Ilse been subjected, with-
out trial and without necessity, by the Government of India.
Soon after two o'clock Lord John Russell entered the room, and
I was immediately elected to the Chair.
lie. (11LCHnIST wished to 'nominee, before the business of the
I day was mitered upon, that he had been commissioned with • mes-
gage to his Igletiship from the Hon. Mr. )laude, who exceedingly '
regretted his inebility to attend upon that occasion.
Lord Jenne Russeer. then addressed the Meeting. He eau
*eked, he said, to take the Chair upon that occasion, he believed
principally because he had had the hanpiness to present to the
House of Commons a petition from Mr. Buckingham praying fur
a redress of his numerous wrongs. He had also been appointed
Chairman of the Committee, and in that character had heard the
evidence which had been adduced; and although that evidence had
not been brought to a conclusion, still he could assure the Meeting
that his opinion of the hardship of Mr. Buckiegham's case was
strengthened rather than weakened by all that had there transpired.
With regard to the constitutional rectitude of the proceedings
against him, that waa a question into which the Parliament of the
country had decided that tt was necessary to inquire, and as they
might come to a similar decision hereafter, he thought that that
question was not the proper object for the consideration of the I
;Meeting. They had met for the purpose of taking the losses of
Mr. Buckingham into their consideration—losses incurred by con.
duct upon his part, which, instead of tieing punished. should be
held up to the imitation of others. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Buckingham :
arrived in Indite possessed of each talents as must have enabled hint
to acquire a fortune by any of the varioth ways which in India are
open to all men so highly gifted. The Marquis of Hastings'
had jam then abolished tile censorship of the press in India.
The cry of a free press allured Mr. Buckingham, and he un-
dertook the conduct of • daily newspaper, seeking thereby
to add to the mock of rational knowledge, and to improve
the interests of that great empire, while laying the foundation of
his own independence. (Hear.) The Indian Government, however,
thought his conduct injurious to the interests of that country, and
consequently ordered his removal from thence. This, altlinngh a
puniehnient sufficiently severe,wae not that of which he complained
—the real hardship was, that after leaving in India • valuable pro-
perty, to which he looked for his future prosperity, he found, that
without any fault of his own, it was wholly destroyed ny the trine
niral proceedings of the Government—all the accumulations of
wealth which by his industry he had acquired were overwhelmed—
one wave buried them in the ocean. (Mar, hear.) Thi+, he
thought, demanded the sympathy of Englishmen. He was ruined
by the acts of others, and not by acts which could cast any impu-
tation upon Lis own motives or conduct ; and those who were in a
more fortunate situation he felt assured would come forward to liis
support. There could be but one reason which could prevent them
from doing so. If, in the course of his career, he had debased that
portion of the rress which was tinder his control, by converting it
into an engine of personal slander, or if any of its pointed attacks
resulted Tither front malignity than from a just indignation of op.
pression—those might well be rersons for withholding their coun-
tenance and support. !laving, however, read those articles, wile-
ther dangerous to the Government of India or the contrary, there
was not one of tt.em, although inserted with all the hurry ineepa-
rable from the conduct of a daily raper, that could be considered as
at all discreditable to him. (Much cheering.) He was sorry to
have trespassed so long upon the time of the meeting, anti should
then give way for others who were more fully possessed of all the
circumstances of the case than he was himself. (Cheers.)
The Hon. DOCOLA3 KINNAIRn then rose to propose the first
Resolution, to the effect that the case of Mr. Buckingham was one
of peculiar hardship and severity, and that he was entitled to the
sympathy and support of every Englishman. He believed the case
of Mr. Buckingham was sufficiently known to the public to com-
mand their sympathy, ter an individual who was not the author of
his own misfortunes. The circumstances of his case were indeed of
a nature so peculiar, that he believed more essential good would be
effected by an act of kindness in that instance, than by any other
art of public generosity within the compass of his recollection.
(Hear, hear.) Mr. Buckingham was the victim of an aroitrary
power, placed at such a distance front home, that its effects were
not before us, to be checked by the expression of public opinion,
through the medium of the Press. He had appealed to all the
constituted authorities—he had attempted to get redress from Go-
vernment—he had appealed over anti over again to the East India
Company, but such was the nature of the constitution of that Com.
patty, that the Directors believed there would be an end altogether
of the Government of India, if the Court consented to any measure
which could even imply a censure upon the authorities there. He
bad spoken of Mr. Buckingham to many of the Directors, ail of
whom expressed their opinion of his merits as a man of honour,
and a gentleman ; all of them would meet him In a private meant,
but they would rot consent to redress his grievances, because doing
so would imply a censure upon the constituted authorities abroad.
Their rule in India was that of demotic power, and to question,
they believed, was to destroy it. (Hee- hear, hear.) There were
no less than forty thousand of people, natives Mettle country, living
beneath that despotic power, and it was melancholy to retied on
the immense numbers who annually return home with their
minds paralyzed by the system under which they had there resided.
—There was but one means which Mr. Buckingham could
resort to fug redress—he could only look to the press of this coun-
try. He did not clime forward to ask tie people of this country to
put their hands in their pockets for the purpose of paying his debts,
but having no means of speaking tmthe people of India, through
the medium of the press, he entered into engagements with certain
persons for the establishment of. publication (the Oriental Herold)
in which to expose the tyrannical acts practised by the Government
of India. He only asked for the expression of their sympathy in
his sufferings, and that they would enable him to keep up the only
channel of communication which existed between the twocountries—.
to eupport that publication, which was a check upon the authorities
in India. Ile possessed the eympathy of thousands in Indio, who
would glory that he had at last succeeded in awakening, the sym-
pathies of the British public, and exciting their indignation at ars
which no Englishman could tamely submit to. (Cheers.) He
thought he had made out • strong case to show that the present
should be taken into consideration oil different grounds from those
which merely appealed to the sympathy of the public. Hecareal
not how much or how little each person subscribed ; but he hoped
that the subscription would be extensive. He had applied to the
East India Company for the Fur* of 3,0001, out of the millions
which they possess; but although they could not Idly a word against
his character—though the only charge they could prefer against him
was, that he was contumacious, as they termed it, after repeated
warnings, yet did they refuse that sum, although it was not a sixth
of what he had lost by the measures of their own agents. (Cheers.)
The reuse of his banishment front India was one of the moat sin-
gular character. A Mr. Bryce. a clergyman of the Presbyterian
persuasion, wan appointed as chief clerk in the stationery office.
Upon this appointment Mr. Buckingham remarked in a good-
humoured manner in hie paper, and for this was he banished.
(flear, hear.) Yet the Church of Scotland afterwards passed a
vote of censure upon Mr. Bryce, for accepting the situation, and
even the East India Company sent out an order that he should be
removed from it. For this article, which was little more than a
good-humnured joke at a most preposterous aponintnient, Mr.
Buckieghain was sent brine. (Hear. bear.) With respect to
the repeated warning which had been given to Mr. Bucicingham,
it was true that several communications had passed. and the result
of each was, that the Government of India stultified itself by its
proceedings. It had been said that the Marquis of Hastings, had
he remained, would have felt it necessary to remove Mr. Bucking.
ham; but he (Mr. Douglas Kinnaird) had it from under Lord
Hastings's own hand, that he never contemplated any thing of the
sort, nor did he conceive it possible that Mr. Buckingham would
do any thing which could justify so tyrannical a measure. (Hear,
bear.) The Honourable Gentleman then concluded by proposing
the Resolution.
_ _

Mr. Bust E rose to second the Resolution, and in doing so ad-
verted to the fact, that almost every subscriber to the shares of the
paper which he had wild was a servant of the Government ; which
dearly showed that his object could not have been to injure or over-
turn the Government, but rather to consolidate, by correcting its
abuses. (Cheers.) The Remourable Gentleman then adverted to
the circumstances attending the withdrawal of the license, and
urged upon the Meeting the necessity of standing forward to sun.
port hint; as his case should not be considered in mere reference to,
but rather as involving the rights of every Englishman residing in
the Colonic', where acts were too often perpetrated repugnant to
the feelings of the British public.
Mr. HILL said, that when he entered the room he was not aware
of the actual proposition which was to be submitted to the Meeting ;
but he thought, for his own part, that whether Mr. Buckingham
was a man of doubtful, or cleat of bad character in private, they
were still equally bound to support him in his public character.
(Citers.) It had. however, fallen to his lot to have to investigate,
as the Counsel of Mr. Buckingham, a charge originating in the
malice of one individual, who sought to btar down his public cha-
teeter by exhibiting his private character as highly reprehensible.
After a severe examination into the particulars of this charge, the
nature of which he would not enter into. as it had not been as yet
entirely disposed of in our Courts of Law, he could declare, that
in its origin and progress it was as vile a conspiracy as ever had
been attempted, and that there was not even the shadow of a charge
made with any foundation of truth. (Cheers.) Looking at the
whole case of Mr. Buckingham as an Englishman, he believed that
his conduct demanded the gratitude of every individual in the em-
pire. It might not be generally known, that there was an Act of
Parliament in existence, empowering ce►tain persons to make regu-
lations not inconsiatent with the law of England ; and would it be
believed, that the Privy Council had decided that the destruction
of the liberty of the press was not hostile to the law of Englund.
I'o the public, however, he would say, if there are any of you who
would lo ,t expose yourselves to oeloquy for the assertiva of
general rights and privileges, at all events support those who will
do so; as, in the words of a former Monarch of these realms,
you sue not disposed to be honest yourselves, at least you will
respect honesty in others. (Cheers and laughter.) Ile trusted
the wrongs of Mr. Buckingham would be wartnly taken up by the
British public, until they should vibrnte front shore to shore, and
produce a happy efrect upon that lead which was governed by
despotic power; he hoped and believed that they would not, as his
enemies might wish, fall dead, and leave no echo in a land of free.
dust and independence. (Cheers.) In the reign of King Charles
the Second, the Twelve Judges had decided that the liberty of the
press was &pm .I!rit upon the will of the Crown. The great Lord

Camden.—for he would cull him greet, although he was a lawyer,—
(is lough) it, remarking upon this judgment, said that it was now
only a matter of curiosity ; vet there were those in England at the
present day who had decided that its suppression wlis not repug-
nant to the laws and convitutinn of England (cheers). One of
our poem had said that ' the mother of mitsciii. I is no bigger than
a midge's wing,' bur there was a cloud impending over India as
large as his hand, which ere long. he feared, would spread to an ex-
tent which could not essily be foreseen. (Cheers.)
The Resolution was then put from the Chair, and tarried unard
mouldy.
31r. 111 ME then read a list of contributions already received,
amongst which were the following
Sir Charles Forbes - £41511 An Indian Chaplain - .C5O
Ditto for Friends at Bombay 500 James Cropper, Esq. of
Ditto for J. Palmer, Esq. Liverpool - 110
of Calcutta 301) Robert Benson, Esq. ditto 50
James Young. Esq. - 370 John Smith. Esq. . 50
A Retired Indian C ivilian 200 James Barnett, Esq. - 50
The lion. Douglas Kinnaird 100 Joseph flume. Esq. - 60
.1. Steward, Esq. of Bombay 150 John Forbes. Esq. - 50
Robert Graham, Esq. of John Aahton Yates. Esq. SO
Glasgow 100 James Alorriann, Esq. 60
An Indian Friend - 100 Capt. Maxfield 60
J. G. Lambton, Esq. 100 John Melville. Esq. - 60
The llon.Leycester Stan. Dr..l. B. Gilchrist . 50
hope 100 E. B. Lewin, Esq. . 50
Sir Francis Burdett, Bart. 100 John tidier. Esq. - 50
Sir (lent, Strachey, Bart. dal Alexander Young. Esq. 25
Robert Rickards, Esq. 100 '4'm. Rathbone, Esq. Liver-
-1 Bengal Officer 100rv'l 2i
Two Indian friends, through I Si,p Alexander Johnstone 25
the hands of Lord John J. C. licntiii•gton, Esq. 25
Russell - - 100 lAn Indian ev home on lease 6
Rev. Robert Eellowes 601 J. T. Rua. Esq. fo
A Retired Indian 01fleer 50 :sir R. C. Fergusson - 5
Sir. D. Kt NNAI RD said those subscription's were entered into at
a time when the friends of air. Buckingham supposed that they
might be enabled to Ronson him against the tide of oppresiion,
without appealing to the public. It was entered imo for the pur-
pose of staving ofr the evil day until the remedy was obtained from
the quarter from whence it ought to proceed. The public of
course would not guide their contributions. so far as regarded the
amount, by the largeness of those which had been announced, but
suhscrihe according to their means.
Sir CHAILE6 FORBES rose for the purpose of snoring a Resolu-
tion for the appointment of a Committee, but before he submitted
the Resolution to the Sleeting he wished to return thanks to the
Hon. Douglas Kinnaird, for his explanation of the object for which
the first subscription had been intended, and he (Sir C. Forbes) was
also anxious to bear his testimony to the high estimation in which
he held the character of alr. Buckingham. That gentleman had
brought hint a warm letter of recommendation front a respectable
friend in India, and Mr. Ruckioghain had since his arrived in this
country fully supported the character which had been given of him I
in die letter, anti unless he had been fully satisfied respecting iheprn.
priety of that character, he would not have subscribed a shilling. In
hisopinion a more humane man than Mr. Buckingham did not esi.o.
14.4 it was well known that he frequentiy contributed to the
relief of otlars at a period when he panted assistance him-
self. (Hear, hear. hear.) It was not his wish to enter
upon a discussion upon the advantages of a free press in India,
as he was not prepared to give a decisive opinion upon that
point; which, in his opinion, required much consideration; but
this nine' he would pay, that it was much better to exclude the
pyess altogether from India. than to continue it on Its present de- I
credit.] footing. It was now open to the Government, and shut
against individuals. and often used as an instrument of oppression
to crush individuals who might be obnoxious to the ruling powers.
(Cheer.)
Sir Jong Dovht said, that he hail no intention of trembling
the Meeting with a speech, but that he seconded the Resolution
with pleasure. It had been said in the House of Commons that
the Court of Proprietors of the East India Stock had decided
against Sir. Buckingham ; but it should be recollected that ques-
tions were generally decided in that body by two pieces of wood,
technically called chairs. (A laugh.) The arguments which were
necessary to move other bodies were lost in that assembly. The
species of eloquence to be used there ways cadetship, but the arga-
ment of a writership was quite irresistible. (Laughter.) In moat
debates the audience diminished at the close of the business, but
it was a curiotis fact that at Leadenhall-street some sixty or se-
venty mates always entered at the close of the proceedings, to
strangle the question by their silent votes. (Hear, hear.) '4
respect to observations which have been made upon the frequency
of 31r. Buckingham's complaints; they reminded him of the
schoolmaster, who punished a boy until lie cried, and then flogged
the victim fur comp:titling. (Great laugh er.)
111 r. R UTE, Dr. GILCHRIST. and Sir. LtwEtr, severally bare
testimony to the excellent character and honourable conduct of Sir.
Buckingham upon ell occasions.
Captain 31sxn Ern stated the fact of his having written in sup-
port of the Government in the East Indies, against a correspnndent
who signed his name " Sam Sobersides" in Mr. Buckingham's
paper. Ile thought the Government was unfairly attacked by that
comspondent, st.d he accordingly replied. It became known that
he wrote for a newspaper, and suspicion Was entertained that be
was on the opposition side. At a friend's house, where the corre-
spondence was spoken of, he avowed himself as the author of that
portion of it which defended the Government ; upon which his
friend told him that he believed he had been injured in his pursuits
by the anspicion of his writing on the other-side; but as he was on
the right side be would, as soon as it became known, have a chance
of patronage. This showed the system which was there pursued.
He subsequently found that Sir. Buckingham was likely to lie
borne down by oppression, awl he then became his friend, ahhoogh
he had no reason to be attached to him, For a paper in which he
had an interest was wholly ruined by the establishment. of Mr.
Buckingham's. (Cheers.) lie might also obstrve, that his re-
plies were invariably copied by Sir. Buck gham into his paper.
Mr. &miliaria then shortly addressed the Meeting, after which
the Resolution was put, and carried unanimously,
Lord JOLIN RUSSELL said that he had just received letters from
31r. Ahercroniby and 31r. John Smith, regretting their inability
to attend the Meeting, owing to the peculianty of the present junc-
ture of the times. •

---
Mr. BUCKINGHAM then rose to return thanks, and in doing so
alluded to the motives which influenced his conduct, and which
were any thing rather than such as liad been ascribed to him by his
enemies. The truth was, that the standard by which he was re-
quired to regitlate his conduct was so capricious, that Ise was unable
to act without incurring the animadversions of those who would
give no defined rules by which be could proceed. He was called
upon to observe laws of which he was wholly ignorant. In no in-
stance could contumacy or intentional disobedience be fairly laid to
his charge. There was, however, ona criterion by which to judge
of his motives, which he might stay was unerrii g—he meant the
code of regulations which he had laid down for the management of
the newspaper at the very time when the foot of the Government
was upon his neck, anti when it might be supposed that his indig-
nation tnieht have induced him to lose his caution. That code,
however, had been produced before the Committee of the-House of
Commons, and it appeared by that that he was most anxious to
■void giving offence, intentionally or otherwise. (Hear, hear.) Ile
would never have consented torippeal fur a subscription to the public,
hrd it not been a■sened by his enemies that wrongs runts as he
complained of 'multi not excite the sympathy of the British people
—that England was now too apathetic to listen to such an appeal.
Mr. Buckingham concluded by saving, that out of the fulness of the
heatt the mouth epeaketh, but he felt that he must remain silent.
Ile then sat down evidently affected, so as to prevent his further
utterance.

Sir J. DOYLE then proposed a vote of thanks to the Chair,which
was carried by archmation.
Lnvd Joint RUSSELL returned thanks, after which the Meeting
separated.

BRITISH ANNUITY COMPANY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE BRITISH PRESS.

Sin,—Having observed your notice of the Meeting of
this Company, on the Ist instant, and Mr. Mitchell's
kitty to you on this subject, in this dsy's Piper, I beg to
inform you, 1, as well as your Reporter, was refuted ad-
tnittance to the Meeting: it being pretended that, because
I had not executed the deed, called the deed of settlement,
I Was m t entit!ed to attend PS a Shareholder.

supposol, Sir, that the Shareholders would naturally
have expected from, and would have looked to me for
explanation relative to the Company ; and I believed that
neither Mr. John Was, jun., Mr. Peter Moore, or their
party, however reluctant they might be that the Shareholders
should hear the clpose I could make, would have ex-
posed themselves, by eprnsibg my entrance, to the in-
ference which would arise from my absence, that their
statements were ex-parte. Nevertheless, Mr. Mitchell, the
Secretary, acting under the direction of Mr. Wilks, did
threaten to oppose force to my entrance; and the ClL,irman
of the M,•etiug, who, I believe, was Mr. Peter Moore,
although I, during the Meeting; wrote him, expressing my
desire to and object for wishing to attend, allowed my
letter to pass unnoticed, and the Meeting to pass by
without my presence. What took place I know not, hut
of this I ant sure, no one party .possessing common sense,
attt ndieg the Meeting, would or could give credit to state-
ments made under the skreen, which those on the part of
the conductors of the Company were made at the Meeting.
Mr. Mitchell says, in his letter to you, that fifty-seven
persons, holding 1,746 Shares, attended the Meeting ; this
may be true, but the advertised number of Shares, Sir,
amounted to 60,000, and my certificates f r Shares are
numbered from 34,201 to 40 inclusive.-1 am, Sir,
yours. very obed;ently, AND. VAN SANDAL/.
• 34, Dowgate.hill, Jtacie 3, 1826,

PAT./MAN I.oas of 1822.--Negotiated by Mr. N. M.
Rothschild, in Landon. The half.yettrly dividend on the above
loan, which becomes due on Saturday, the let of July next, will
be paid bl Mr. N. M. Rothschild, on that and every succeeding
day, between the hours of ten and two. The disidend warrants,
with a list thereof, in nunicrleal order, most be left one •day pre
vious, fur examination.