The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-04-11 00:00:00

MR. BUCKINGHAM'S CAR.

Without offering any opinion on the merits of VC
Buckingham's case, our sense of justice compels us $6
give insertion to the following garrative Ott he has
furnished us with:—

‘• The erne of 31r. Buckingham, the late Edifiesof the Calmat*
Journal, and present Editor of the etrirotot itertdd, has been suffi-
ciently detailed, on various public occasions. in the dissensions be-
fore Parliament me! at the East India Bottle, to be familiar to
most of the readers of the Public Jonrnale. The fallowing brief
outline, comprehending only the more important frets. may, he*.
ever, be useful, as presenting the history of what he has done antis
suffered as a nublie man in India, in a concise and connected neen.
rative, founded on evidence which MI one has yet ventured to im-
pugn.
in the yeer.lBl3, Mr. Buckingham left England for Malta
but in consequence of the plague then raging at mat island, he peon
teeter!. to Tterkey. From thence he visited Egypt, and went by the
Red Sae to India. Soon after his arrival in that country, he wee
appointed to the lucrative command of a large ship belonging te
the /minim of Aluseat. an Arab Prince in amity with the British,•
aid trading between Bombay and China. Prom this, however. bee
was maidenly removed by Sir Evan Nepean, then Governor of
Bombay, fin no other reason than his not being provided with tli
East Indite Company's licenrw. (though he left England with no
intention of Meiling India.) at the set, moment when the Goventon
was himself hearing the highest testimony to the excellence of hie 7
character, and the public uttlity of hit penguin., in endeavonringto
re-npen the ancient commerce with India by way of the Medi:alt.
nt'a'n3aint.dlitthlCekliinedgfiSamea.heing not meetly removed from hie strip, But
ordered.to quit India, (without any fault even being alleged-)n;
turned to Egypt; and on a representation of his carte, fureeeded.
free* that country to the Court of Directors in England, a license-
was sent out to him, which he received on his second snivel in
Bombay. after a second overland journey to India. lie was dem'
reinstated in the command of the chip from which he had been be-
fore displaced, (losing at least 10.0001., or the profit of three China.
voyage., by BON auspension,) and after a voyage to the Persian
Gulf, landed in Bengal, where he voluntarily resigned his mum,
mend. rathenthan go on a voyage for sieves. on which hi ship was
ordered by the Arab Prince to whom she belonged.
" inner this sacrifice of lettuce to principle, he was prevailed ni
to undertake the establishment of a Public Journal in India. I t
this he invested, progressinly, a capind of 20,0001. in °nth and is
the course of five years made it produce a net income of B.IOIOL
fear. these five yearn, the paper was only once promented
for an alleged libel on the Secretaries to Government, and its Editof
was then unhesitdtingly sequined. Its subscribers were all persona
in his 51ajesty'• or the East India Company's service, men of pro:
perty, edtuntion, and influence, andol the highest classes of society
in the country. Such was the confidence placed in Mr. Ducking-
hem's direction and integrity, as well as in the stability of bits
journal, that one-fourth of Isis concern wits purchased by 100 of the
first merchants, civilians, and public functionariee in India, in
shares of
.1001. each, amounting to 10,000/.
" During the greater period of Mr. Buckingham's stay hi Cant
Cotta, he was a warm admirer and eologist of the liberal system of
administration pursued by the Marquis of fleeting O , which brought
the country to*".he highest pitch of tranquillity and prosperity that
It had ever enjoyed, under the influence of a Free Press and Oh.
COursictinent to corenteece and colomnation. The meanie°, thin
reformed course of administration had long -elected Mr. Quail*
ham, its avowed advocate, so thcit intended victim ; and Wrist*
calumnies on his peiyate character, written by sir. W. J. Balsas,
appearing in the gm:rtrrio Berke, they were eagerly seised on as.
a pretext for Pe. Buckingham's .destruction. There until at
this tune an Indian pager .called the John Dull, Bet on by elm
!Secretaries of the Indian Government, fur the purpose of crushing
Mr, Buckingham, who had trinmphed over diem in a court of
justice: and in this paper a series of letters wits written by a Pres.
byterian clergymen, Dr. lieyee, sinned 'a Friend to Mr. Renkes.'
in which he repeated an the calumnies of the' Quarterl A, view'
with every possible exaggeration called on
.the society to exnude
Mr. Buckingham from their circles, and invoked the Government
tea banish him from the country, as a Man unworthy to live among
them. About this period, Lord Basting resigned the Government
of India, and teas tinceeeded by Aln John Adam, as temporary
Governor. General. Mr. Adam was one of the Innen determined
enemies of the liberal system of Government adopted by Lord
Hitting, and consequently the enemy of all his eulogists. ace
of the first acts of bin Government was, therefore, to reward Dr.
Bryce, who had laboured an zealously to denounce Mr. Bucking.
ham, by giving him a place, under Iris temporary Government, tit
Secretary to a Committee for supplying stationery. The whole
community Was ashamed of this anandaloue aninintment. Mr.
Buckingham made it the subject of yaillery In his paper ; and Mr-
Adam (having. as subsequently avowed by hiniseli, in a manifesto
pithlished by him on the Indian Press, made eevetal ineffectual at.
tempts to prevail on Lord [innings to send ',Jr. Buckingham out ot
the country, and. failing in these, expressed his determination to
do so himself, if ever the reins of pewee came Into his handny
made it one of the first acts of his rew and teMporsry Giontrninent
to is.ite a decree, banishing Mr. Buckingham from his friend*, his1
pursuits, and his brilliant prospects of honourable femme, without
a trial, a heating; or defence, an him instantly to quit tee/
country, on pain of be, g seized and naneported Cs a felon, by Ibis
first ship that should depart !
" Mr. Buckingham endue to England jest in time to save his
children from going nut to join him, for which purpose they were
on the eve of embarking, and the extienin cif their outfit and pas.
sage was consequently lost. He appealed to the Court of Direeture
for leave to return and pursue hie lawful occupations in India, end,
was refuted. lie instituted legal proceedirgs against Mr. Adana,
whose death rendered recompense impossible. lie again solicited
the Indian Directors to permit hint to return to Bengal, for ever se
short a period, merely to gather up tste wreck of fits ruined property.
and wind up his &dins; but was Again. refused. He appealed &
second time also to the Board of Control, who now declared them.
selves incompetent to interfere.
" Soon atter his landing in England, Mr. Buckingham received
advices of the conviction of his calumniators in a court of justice eat
India.w here, notwithstanding his forcible removal from the country
in which his case was pendipg, his accusers were tumble to offer •
word in their defence, and were convicted ap the ntterers of libels,
characterized by the Judge as too atrocioae tc be even though*
of without horror.' To lessen the value of taxis triumph, however,
Mr. Adam introdeced a new law, putairg every press in Bengal un.
der a license, to he withdrawn at pleasure; and the first use made
of this. law was to take away the license of the Calcutta Jo:mean
whiele he had confided to the care of others during his absence, al.
though the mo .t solemn assurances had been previously given that
the property left by 111 r. Buckingham in this Journal should be
respected. Thus, not content with banishing the individual, and
depriving him of a rapidly-augmenting income of 13,0001. a year,
for venturing on an innocent raillery at a most obnoxious appoint-
meat, (a lire of greater enormity than any before heard of,) the In-
dian Government at length determined to destroy his property
altogether ! For *horde after time suppression of his Paper. they
decreed that the very types and presses should never main be used
for Mr. Buckinghitin's benefit, and that no concern, in which hear
any of Isis firmer partners in the Journal (to the flambee of one
hundred English gentlemen) had an interest, should be tolerated in
India !
" This sentence of proscription was carried into effect—the copy.
right anti goodwill of the paper were made over by the Indian Go-
vernment to Dr. Muston, a son-in-law of one of the Members of
Council, as his out, property, (though formed with Mr. Bucking-
ham's labours, talents, and money,) Dr. Muston having subse-
quently sold it to another individual for a large consideration, on
ti.e ground that the Government had given the license, copyright.
and good-will of this Paper TO tersesner, and not restored it to
those to wham it originally belonged: while Mr. Bucklugiumanwho
left 30.000/. in India. vested in his Paper, besides a large balance
and assets in his banker's hands, has been minced, by these tam.
sures of his Indian calumniators and persecutors, not entitle from
affluence to poverty, brit after all the wealth left behind him in
supposed security has been envept away by these arbitrary decrees,
without even the form of law, he is encumbered with nearly 10,0011.
of debt incurred by these persecutions, and by them alone !
" Under these circumstances, banished from the shores of India.
stripped of every thing lie possessed, prevented from returning to
the scene of his former labours, where his friends, his mutation
and his prospects of fortune were all happily made; and *owed by
three successive verdicts of a British jury, and the universe) test-
ninny corn of his public opponents, to be en inn( cent and an ho.
nourable man; he turns towards his countrymen in England.
whose rights t' freedom of opinion and security of person and pro.
petty in ever.) q tarter of the Br el,ll en•pi e. he ha. been so severely
punished for att inipting to unit:Min, sad uopes to meet with beide
treatment at their hands.
" If there be any to whom this simple Narrative of fads may be
submitted, that Mail feel the harshness and injuetioe of the mea-
sures by which en ire ruin has been brought upon an individual,
whom all parties now admit to have been en excellent private cbs.
meter as well as a zealous anti upright adevecete of public fietAele,
anti who has been truly a suffiret for conscience sake, it will be for
them to testify the sincerity of their sympathy by assisting to
rescue him from that destruction which, without their aid, mist
inevitably overwhelm him, and crush for ever the hopes he arM en-
tertains of being able to promote. the mutual interests of Itssland
and India by his public lahoure for the good of both."
- --------
Mrs. Tumor, of Gomm's End, near Berhbampsted, 80
years of age, while saying her prayers on Sunday, with her back tw
the fire, was so much burnt, that she died in excruciating agony VA
hours after the accident.
Considerable havock IiRS very recently been made among
the lambs, by some half-tnd dregs in the neighbourhood of Willing.
don, Suwon where they killed 13 belonging to Mr. Hurst, nine be-
longing to Mr. Dedmao, and 15 the property of Mr. Putland. Two
of the dogs were caught in the am, and shot.
Ar A*KWARD MISTASL,—A countryman travelling in
the Highlands this winter, when the snow was drifted so as to be
level with the roofs of sonic of,the cottages, actually stepped in at a
chimney-top, and fell souse into the heart of a large peat-bre. Con-
founded by thin sodden transition, and perceiving nothing but tine
about him, be tbsaght he had got into the infernal regions. The
terrified itmeatts pulled him out of the fire, much frightened end a
good deal astirtatied.

- 2

-
.0

2

1
- 2

Ml.ll.llM^si;

'editors Win seat swercowa•
bee do. On Tharsday lass, at the village of Monk ton, a young
tee. *b.' menu of dm nine of Rachsel M'Alister wit a per!ott to tier ax.
4_0411 reibr halleinglipeaelf. It is stated that some time ago she
tsar kg ilsioNl est aogrsintaoee with a young man. residing in Maybole.
en rms. sad W grasaised temarry her, and who had ?kW hers few days
provost Isillescshe.absee wog. wheu it is supposed' he• had shown segue
a Wm: diaMdigiode.M *ail his procaine; in cwoecqtrettcaot which she
Ird Nadi, 'llB.lllllPniesed in spirits, and had for s flew days privies*
sootiagiallimiegsteslosth.—Gkagove Clownick. '