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

EAST INDIA HOUSE.

A Special General Court of Proprietors of East India Stock was
held yesterday, for the purpose of having laid before them copies
of a correspondence between the Ilonourable Commissioners of the
Board of Control and the Lords of the Admiralty, as to the emit-
clime, of augmenting the naval force employed in the service of
the East India Company ; and also to have submitted to them a
draft of a Bill now before Parliament, in pursuance of such cures-
li
pondence. and which provided that the expenses of such additional
force should be defrayed by the Company.
The Bill and correspondence having been read,
The Citai a MAN (Sir G. A. Robinson) thought that the principles
urn,' which the arrangements were made by the Court of Directors
with Government, were sufficiently explained by the correspondence
that had just been read, as well as the principles upon which the
Bill now pending had been framed and brought into Parliament.
It could not be westioned that the expenses of any measure which
was purely calculated for the protection of the territorial pmsessions
of the East India Company. ought to be borne by the Company. It
would be neither reasonable nor right that the people of (heat Bri-
tain should be charged with the expense of any additional force,
whither naval or military, that should be required in the Com.
pang's service. The Court of Directors had taken this view of the
subject in the arrangements it had made with his Majesty's Govern.
meet ; and he had now only to propose a Revolution, That this
Court tin concur in and approve of the Bill and correspondence
which had been read."
1)r. GILCHRIST hoped that, notwithstanding the attempts that
had been made In this Court to gag him on many occasions, he
should he permitted to ask one question 'of the Honourable fliair.
man. They were net upon a very important question, and one
which at least required half an hours serious consideration before
any man could with propriety speak upon it. In order that he
might have some knowledge of the subject, he came early this
morning to the room-appropriated to the use of the Proprietors,
that he might read the Bill and correspondence before the Court
assembled; but to his disappointment and surprise, he was told
there were no such papers. He considered it neither reasonable nor
honest to require persons to approve of a measure without their
having an opportunity to inform themselves of its nature and ten-
dency. But if this was the usage of the Court of Directors, he
should stand corrected ; but he must confess that Ignorant as he
was on the subject. it appeared to hint strange that the Company's
marine force at Bombay should not be employed Instead of his
Majesty's ships. The Burmese had no seventy-tbars yet. He
thought, therefore, the marine establishment at Bombay was
amply sufficient to contend against such an enemy, without the
Company being put to a great additional expense in maintaining
his Majestys navy in that part of the world. In conclusion, he
wished to ask, whether the Proprietors had not a right to see a copy
of papers of the kind which had just been read, before they were
called upon to approve of their contents ?
The CRAIRMAN said, that whatever papers were called for by a
vote of die Court of Proprietors would be found in the room al-
luded to, and were open to the inspection of every Proprietor ; but
it was not the custom to lay in that room, or to submit to the in-
spection of Proprietors, papers which had not been obtained by
• vote of this Court.
Dr. GILCHRIST thought such a course was, to say the least of
It, a most preposterous one. He repeated his opinion that the
Bombay Marine Establishment was fully efficient for all the pur.
poses of the Burmese war. It was certainly not reasonable to
expect the Government should be loaded with any charge for the
protection of the Company's territory. But unfortunately it did
happen that the army and navy in India were not employed merely
for the protection of territory, but were too often engaged in at-
tempts to extend it, particularly on the side towards China. And
lit might be, after all, that load Amherst was not so blameable as
he was supposed to be in the late proceedings against the Burmese.
There might have been instructions sent out to him from other
quarters, unknown even to the Court of Directors, directing him to
do as he had done. There was one subject more upon which he
wished to ask a question. It appeared to him that Lord Amherst
had of late turned over a new leaf, and had acted with a degree of
liberality that seemed to be in imitation of the great man who held
the sat of Government there before him. By a paragraph in a
Bombay Government Gazette it was stated that Lord Amherst, in
noticing the progress of education among the natives had said, that
it was proper to advert to the school founded in 1822, for the instruc-
tion of Ilindoos in medical science; and his Lordship spoke of it
u being an Institution calculated to do much good, and in every
way proper to be upheld. Now he (Dr. Gilchrist) had received a
letter from India, in which it was said that the Court of Directors
had sent out an order, either to put an end to this Institution al-
together, or to crust? it to such a degree that it would never after
be able to effect that good which had been ascribed to it by Lord
Amnerst himself. IVhat he wished to ask, therefore, was—whe.
ther any such order had been, or was Intended to be, sent out by
the Court of Directors ?

The CHAIRMAN did not feel himself called upon to answer the
question ; what the Court of Directors intended to do, was more
than he was prepared to say. At any rate, it was that sort of ques-
tion which he did not feel called upon to answer.
General THORNTON agreed in many of the observations that
had fallen from the Hon. Proprietor (Dr. Gilchrist), and thought
there was great impropriety in calling upon the Court to approve of
papers which had not been laid before them. He was not pre-
pared to support the motion, until he had further information upon
the subject.
The CHavostae said the course that had been followed with
regard to this Bill, was precisely the same as on all other occasions.
No vote of that Court could possibly stop the progress of the Bill
in Parliament ; all that it Nat competent for the Court to do was,
, to petition against it ; he therefore saw no reason why the Bill
should be laid before the Proprietors. previous to the Court being
held, for the purpose of concurring in it.
Sir C. Fortnts said he should have no objection to the motion,
provided the measure proposed by the Bill was not meant to inter.
fere with the Bombay Marines ' • than whom a more efficient, de.
serving, and meritorious class of men and officers, did not exist in
airy service. {Vitt' respect to the expenses, it was but reasonable
that the Company should pay them. He regretted that the naval
force in India had ever been reduced. Ile thought it extremely un.
wise and discreditable to the nation to have had it reduced, as it
was, eighteen months ago. It ought not to have been so, whilst the
Dutch had such important possessions in India.
The CHAIRMAN took this opportunity of assuring the Ilon.
Baronet that there was nothing in this measure that had for its ob-
ject the interfering with the Bombay marine. The measure had
originated, not with the Court of Directors, but with the Board of
Control ; and every care was taken by the Court of Directors that
it should not affect the marine force in India ; on the contrary,
there was nothing he wished for more than to see that portion of
the Company's force put upon a tooting which should make it ef-
ficient in all respects.
Mr. TwINING supported the measure.
The motion was then put and agreed to.
General THORNTON mital whether, in the Bill before Par-
liament relative to East India writers, there was any provision for
the examination of such gentlemen as were not educated at the
Company's College, with regard to their proficiency in the oriental
languages ?
The CHAIRM tit observed, that as the Bill had passed the
House of Commons, he could not do better than refer the Gallant
General to its contents.

Col. L.STANttorE gave notice of a motion on the next general
Court d, respecting the flogging of natives in India, which, the
Gallant Colonel stated, was practised to a great extent, notwith.
standini two eminent Judges, Sir James Mackintosh and Sir Ed.
ward V 1 eat, had declared their opinion that such practices were
illegal.
The Court then adjourned.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE BRITISH PRESS.
[We have nothing to do with the opinions or assertions contained ,
in the following Letter, but merely to give it publicity, as it
relates to a subject in which a portion of the public is concerned.
Our colunms are, of course, open to any fair and candid reply
to
MR. EDITOR,—Since I had last the honour of addressing you
upon the subject of the Peruvian Loans, the time fixed for the pay-
meet of the dividends hie.+ passed away, without ally having been
made. It thus appears that the information derived from your pri-
vote sources, relative to the punctuality with which they might be
expected to be paid, was wholly without foundation, and the sus-
picions of the public, which had so long been evidenced by the
rapid declension of the Stock, have been fully realized.
What I would wish to remark is, the unaccountable conduct of
Mr. Kinder, the Agent, who, down to the last moment, is said to
have given out his Intention to pay the dividends, when he must
have known perfectly well that, if lie could not pay them, it was
his duty to have notified his inability at the usual period of adver-
tisement, viz. let April, and not to have made a mystery of the
mntter, to delude the unfortunate holders with false expectations.
I have been astonished at the indifference manifested by the holders
of the Stock at such reprehensible behaviour, and still mote, that
no public meeting has been held upon the subject, as the
Newspapers have so often recommended. Mr. Kinder still holds
out hopes of the eventual discharge of the interest, and says, that
in September last there was a balance in the treasury at Lima over
and above the wants of the Oovernment, which will, I hope, be
remitted to this country ere long. As Upper and Lower Peru have
separated, it seems difficult to conjecture what arrangements will be
made as to the loans; for when contracted it was, of course, under-
stood that they were chargeable upon the State of Peru gene-
rally, and not any particular part of it. I imagine myself, that the
Republics of Rolivar and Lower Peru will divide the debt between
them, and issne separate bonds. It fortunately happens for the
holders, that Bolivar himself has at present the management of
their affiiirs ; and his character for honour and good faith is too
well known to doubt that he will impress upon them the necessity
of fidelity to their engagements. rhe debts, indeed. compared
with the resources of those-great countries, ere trilling enough, and
easily borne, if, as has been observed, either common prudence or
common honsaty is to be found amongst them. By giving these
lines insertion in your valuable Journal, you will greatly oblige,
Mr. Editor, Your most obedient servant,
May 4, 1826. INCA.

GIGANTIC Fosstt. Bowes.—The last number of the
Boston Journal of Pi4ilnion/1 gives an account of the dis-
covery of some fossil remains, in low prairie grounds, be-
tween Placquemire and the Lakes, which, from their
enormous size, would almost render credible the extraor-
dinary stories told by Father Kircher and Pontoppidan, of
the Kraken and Norway sea-snake. If the monster to
which these bones belonged (says the Journal) were of the
Bala:na species, its length could not be less than 250 feet.