The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-03-04 00:00:00

had, be made no question, been Ileserve3 ; but he Could not shut his
errs and ears to the fact, that there was a considerable difference of
linuatent between the Hon. Mover and the Hon. dentlance on
the other side of the bar. Before he concluded he was about to
a question, but be was admonished to desist by a maxim of
Lord 'lsom 's, on the value of prudence.
31r. HUMK then rose to atldress the Court ; but
. .

The('it•i a oast said, he begged to delay the Honourable Pro-
prietor's observations a few minutes by some observations of his
een, es he was otherwise apprehensise that his silence might be
construed into a want of personal attention to the Ilunourable Pro-
f„eeer telr. Kinitaird) who had expressed his regret for what he
had said on a teenier occasion, calculated to be personally offensive
to those within the bar. l'ne explanation of that Honourable Pro-
prietor was such as naturally resulted from his considering, in &state
of cool reflection, what had passed, and was only what he (the
Chairman) es pected front the Honourabk Proprietor's rank in so-
ciety. Ile was sure that nothing said by that Honourable Propri-
etor would be considered as meant to he disrespectful to the Court
et Ititretors in his over-zeal in the cause of his Noble Friend ; and
there he begged to drop the subject. With respect to his own COls-
dt:..t as Chairman on that occasion, he had yet to learn how he
could have done either more or less than he had. Ilad he done
otherwise, he should have Isla the l'ourt open to questions of every
description, and from all parties. who. failing in obtaining the in- '
fernation they sought. might allege that imputations had been un-
fairly east upon their characters ; yet he had been represented as
it 1;e had wished to propagate or sanction reports injurious to the
Murquia of !Listings. (No, no.) lle felt that he had a right to
complain of want of courtesy on the part of the Gallant General
(We John Doyle) in nut haring followed the usual course of pre.
viously communicating privately the substance of such questions as
he intended to propound publicly. Ile certainly considered the
euestions of the gallant general as a continuation of those con-
tained in the letter of his gallant relative (Colonel l/oyle); and as
the Court of Directors lied deemed it inexpedient to give an answer
to those questions, he felt himself in duty bound, as their organ.
tt follow their exampk in respect of the Gallant General's ques.
tiens. (Hear, hear, hear.) If it urns thought that the Court of
Ditecters had acted erroneously in declining to answer those ques.
noes, he wes ready to take has fair share of responsibility in hating
voted for that resolution. At the worst he was but guilty of an
e-ror of judeneeitt, but lie was convinced that no other course ought
to have been followed, or the practice would be endless, and moat
pemicious in its effects.
Mr. Ileac again rose, and refereed the Court to the general
concurrence of sentiment which prevailed on various occasions,
both amongst the Proprietors and Directors, as to the excellent
admineitratton of their elites is India by thealarquis pf Hastings.
lie was mach surprised at the amendment which his lion. Friend
(Mr. Smith) had thought proper to more. He the mere regretted
it as it came from a Cattleman whose character, in the estimation of
all who knew hint, and of the country, stood very high, and whose
love of justice (he sincerely believed) yielded to that of no men in
this country. (Hear, hear.) However. he pledged himself that 1
before he sat down, he would prove to that Gentleman the effect of !
the injustice whklt his motion would have on the character of the
,Marquis of 'lasting., sod be knew he had only to do an to induce
him to withdraw it. Passing over the resolutions of Bile and 1319,1
he would refer to the last resolution—that of the 15th of M, 11122,
which the Directors anti Proprieties conjointly agreed upon.
The Company, at that time, appreciated duly the services of
the Noble Marquis, and placed their sense of those services
coo: the records of the Cate India Company. When that
Noble lama made a declaration of his wishes, from family'
and other considerations, to be relieved front the administration
of their affairs in India, the Come expressed their regret at his
decision; and before his departure from India, promulgated to.
the world a resolution, in which the thanks of the Cons/any were
given to hint fur the unremitting zeal and ability with which he ad.
ministered their affairs, and the high (mein that was due to hint foe
the erection anti success with which lie promoted the interests of
the East India company. l.p to that time, then, it was manifest
that the Noirie Marquis enjoyed the confidence and good opinion i
of the Company; and he (Mr. 11 eerie) had not heard of any I
charge put in a tauten:de shape since, which could warrant them
in altering that impression of his conduct. Even his Honour.
able Friend (Mr. Sinith) who brought forward the present
amen t iii eta, said that he did not credit the transaction to
whieh it alluded—that be belisved it to be tielise, that, in short,
he knew nothing of it. (Hear, hear, hear.) It was not
surely em a vague and idle 'Union( of this kind, that a high and
exalted character was to he whispers! away. When therefore his
llonourahle. Friend (Mr. Kin:mini) adviaerf with hint on the best
neinaer in which to bring forward the present question, as he ( !
lluine) did nut know ut any sulicantial ground of accusation
against hint, he advisee: him to bring it forward on the general
Merits of the whole course and tenor of the Noble Lord's adininis-;
tratinn. The history of his career in India would be found in the
several doettnients transmitted to this country ; it was not
41. a pante:star net, but on a general line of policy. that he
therefore reemuntended the present question to be introduced:
In alluding to the former vote% of the Company on the subject of
the Marquis of Hastings's conduct, his testimony was not the less
valuable because on those occasions he opposed. and he bettered
singly opposed, them. 11 e acted then front a sense of the little jus-
lice that wan done to the Noble Marquis, in returning thanks to
hint for his military services merely, which was not accompanied
with the my:entail of any urinate as to the manner in which he
discharged the much higher and more important duties of a states-
Mae. This conduct was afterwards, however, in a manner sanc-
tioned by the Noble Marquis, in the answer which he made to :sir-
bum nit the their thanks ter Ms military services, which answer eon.
veyed the expressioo of sonic dissatisfaction that an acknowledg-
ment of the mane In which he superintended what he conceived
to Its the higher and more commanding,—the civil interests of the
country--dtd not accompany it However, whatever might be his
individual opinions at that time, or whatever might be the senti-
ments of the :Mblet Lord upon these votes, this (.7esurt had agreed
to them, and by those their recorded resolutions should their
present proceedings be regulated. It was not, then, unreason-
able to ask what had been the total remuneration allowed
to his predeceseoes ? And if increased remuneration lad been
trade to them, it would be a reflection on the character of the
Noble alairquis to except hint from a 'similar manifestation of the
Company's gratitude after his admitted services. But if any cir-
cumstance oicurred which might cut off his claim to that reniu-
reraticn to winch his services entitled Min, then let that circum-
stance, together with all the etre unete of administration, be
fully investigated. But let not one specific act of his adminiatra-
holt be selected thy the determiaetion of the Court, which should
be formed on a general review of his conduct for nine years.
( Hear, hear.) If a difkrence of opinion prevailed upon the merits
of the Noble Lord, the more regular anti dignified course for the
Court to take would be to have well-authenticated documents before
It, and not to proceed upon vague and anonymous aspersions of
character. Suppler the Hyderabad papers were produced, and
that upon inquiry into them they produced (what he had no reason
to suppose) a blot on the character of that Noble Lord, ought not
the Company to extend their attention bun and that blot, anti con-
sider the many benefits which his administration conferred on India?
By such a comparison it might be found that his great services
countervailed that blot, and wiped it away ; but how could that
point be ascertained, it' they Confined their attention to a set of
papers relating to a particular subject, and did not pursue their
enquiries so as to make themselves acquainted with the geveral
scope and effect of the Noble Lord's conduct ? Such a mode of
dealing with the high character of such an individual was unjust
In the extreme. If the I)irec:ors knew anything prejudicial to his
character, they should come foment and %tate it manfully—they
used it to themselves anti to the invernment—they owed it to the
charatter of the Marquis of Hastings—they owed it to the
country to do SO. Ile hoped that this information would not be
withheld. toe whilst it was, this Citurt would be without any testis.
factory means of forming a judgment upon the case. As to the
amendment of his Hon. Friend (Mr. Smith), he must see that by
limiting his motion to a particular set of papers, he pursued a
!emote hostile to the Noble Marquis and hostile to the interests of
Justice. If he did not extend the proposition by moving for further
papers, he would oblige others to do so; but he hoped to see the
motion submitted to the Court in an amended form by the Hon.
(ieodernan himself.
Sir Jo u); 1)0Y LK, G.C.11., and Mr. R•NTICE JACKSON, rose
together ; but the latter gentleman seeing the gallant General on
Ins legs, gave way.
Sir .1. Dort. then addressed the Court to the following effect:
" Sir,—l beg to apologise to the 110 U. Proprietor for interrupting
him in the observations he was about to offer to the Court, which

I am Sure would throw more light on the subject at present under
discussion than I can hope to do. I had intended to iuldress sonic
arguments to the Court, and pursue a line of remark, which
the unexpected course that the discussion hail taken induces me to
waive. I shall therefore confine myself to a few observations,
which shall be directed to what has fallen front the Chairman of
the Directors, and from my lion. Friend the mover of the amend-
ment (Mr. Smi:11), whose personal virtue is well known to me, and
the integrity of whose principles must give additional weight and
influence to his opinion. In giving precedence, Mr. Chairman, to
the consideration of what fell tient you, I confess that I was some-
what surprisal to find that a want of courtesy had been attributed
to me. That, I own, wits the last fault which I expected would
have been imputed to me, of the many real ones with which I
acknowledge I may be charged. I can only say, that if I knew
any forum of interrogatory more courtireus than that which I
adopted, in that fonn would I most saingly have shaped the
question that I proposed. I hail rune down to-day with
a disposition to forget all that had passed on a former
occasion, in order to come to the present discussion with
it temper, calm, deliberate, and I,:tittir.g its serious import-
ance. (.Isar, hear.) As my conduct however has been alluded
to, I shall not slitink from its vindication. When, on a former
day, I submitt:d a question to the Chairman, I knew that I had
r. 3 right to exact an answer from him in his capacity as Chaimian
of the Court of Directors • neither did I consider that I had a right
is exact an answer from ciini in his capacity as an individual Di-
rector of this Court; but another point remained, and on that
psint I thought I hit Meal) when I appealed to him as an
honest man. (('heers.) :lowever, an answer was denied me. The
present Court of Proprietors has been called for the purpose of
further instituting inquiry into this stibject„ and I am glad to see
this ease before this numerous and enlightened auditory, who I ani
site will deal most impartially with it. lam unwilling further to
enlarge on what occurred on a komer day, fur, to use a familiar
phrase, lam unwilling " to rip up old sores." I now come to the i
niover of the amendment (Mr. smith), and of that amendment I
unhesitatingly say, that the greatest enemy of the Marquis of
Lasting.; could nut have &visid a proposition or plan more calcu-
kted than that amendment is' to rivet, fasten, and dovetail
the aspersions which have been flung upon his character.
This is the more to be regretted, as the amendment is moved
as honourable and honest a man as I believe to exist
this or any folio. country. (Hear, bear, hear.) Illy lion.
Friend has alluded to the nem carried on by the Marquis of
Hastings. It is unnecessary tt'r ine to retrace their origin. On
the subject of war it is not to be wondered at that the minds of my
finnourable Friend and myself are not the same, but as my Ho.