The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-01-24 00:00:00

COPY OFTILEASURY MINUTE OF JAN. 16.

Present—The Earl of Liverpool. the Chancellor of the kxcuTquer,
31r. Berkeley Paget, Lord Lowther. Lord Granville Somerset.
My Lords, twisted by the Trustees of the Deccan Booty, Lord
Bexley, snd the Law Officers of the Crown, having heard Counsel
on behalf of the Marquis of Hastings and the Grand Army, and
also on behalf of Sir Thomas Ilislop and the Army of the Deccan.
upon the subjects of discussion relating to the distribution of the
Deccan booty, which have arisen out.of the difference between the
actual circumstances attending the capture of a large proportion of
that booty. as stated by the Trustees, and those which were assumed
at the bearing before their Lordship,' in January. 1823 ; and having
maturely considered the arguments severally stated by the Counsel,
and also the whole of the documents upon the subject of this booty
now before the Board, are of opinion—
I. That with respect to all that portion of the booty now at the
disposal of the Crown., which is described as having been '• taken in
the daily operations of the troops," the distribution thereof should
be made to the actual captors according to the terms and conditions
of the Minute of this Board of the sth February, 1823, and of the
warrant of his Majesty of the 22d March following.
2. That with respect to that pert of the booty which consists of
the produce of arrears of tribute, rent, or money, due to the Peish.
wah, it appears to my Lords to have been acquired by the general
result of the war, and not by the operation of any particular army
or division ; and they are of opinion that it ought therefore to be
distributed in conformity with the alternative stated in their mi.
nuts of the sth February, 1823, as being " the only correct or
equitable rule, if the principle of actual capture cannot be adopted."
viz. " amongst the forces of all the. presidencies engaged in the
combined operations of the campaign.'
3. With respect to the properly captured at Nassuck, my Lords
are of opinion that the booty recovered at that place cannot be dol.
tributed upon the principle of ac:ual capture, and ought therefore
to he divided amongst the forces of all the presidencies engaged in
the combined operation of the campaign.
4. With respect to the booty recovered at Poonah, alleged to have
been removed thither from Hai °hue, my Lords are of opinion that
this booty cannot be distributed upon the principle of actual cap-
tive to the force by which Hai Ohur was taken, under the orders of
the Government of Bombay, unless it can be proved by the captors
of Hai Ghur that the property in question was actually in that tort
at the time when it was taken ; in default of which proof, my Lords
ate of opinion that this booty also ought to be distributed among
the forces of all the presidencies engaged in the combined operations
of the campaign.
5. With respect to that portion of the booty which is stated to
*insist of money recoveresi on account of deposits made by the
Peishwah. my Lords are of opinion, that any part of this property
which can be proved to have been In Formals at the time when that
place was captured, via. on the 17th of November, 1817, ought to
be distributed to the captors of Puonab, according to the terms of
the Minute of the sth February, 1823, upon the principle of actual
capture; but that with respect to those parts of the above property
as to which such proof cannot be established, such moneys or effects
must be considered as haying been acquired by the general result
of the ear, and, as such, ought to be distributed amongst the
forces of all the presidencies cogaged in the combined operations of
the campaign.
6. With respect to the share of the Commander-in-Chief in the
distribute o, under the several heads above enumerated, my Lords
are of opinion that the 313tquis of flutings ought to share as
Commander.in-Chief to all those cues in ehich Sir Thomas
Hislop is not entitled to share as such, under the terms of the
Minute of the sth of February, 1823, wherein it is declared,
" That Sir Thomas Mali). as Commander-in-Chief of the Dec-
can Army, and all the Officers of the General Staff of that
army, ate entitled t 3 participate in the booty which may arise
from any capture by any of the divisions of the army of the
Deccan, until the sad army of the Deccan was broken up on the
31st March, 1:311."

Lords ate further of opinion that the general rules of division
hitherto adopted in distributing booty to the forces in India, among
the several classes and ranks of the army should be adhered to on
the present occasion.

COPY OF TREASURY MINUTE OF 28TH SEPTEM.

BER, 1823.
PIIIISCXT.
The Earl of Liverpool, the Chasesilor of the Exchequer, Lord
Lowther, a. d 3lr. B. Paget,
Ilia Grace the Duke of Wellington and the Right Honourable
Charles Arbuthnot, u Trusters of the Deenui Prize 31oney
Loed Bexley and also the King's Advocate ; the Attorney-Gene-
rel. the Solicitor-Deneral, the King's Proctor and Solicitor, attend
the Board.

Aly Lords resume the consideration of the papers relating to the
Deccan booty ; and read a letter received since the last meeting on
this subject from Sir Thomas ilislop, dated 17th September, 132 i.,
setting torch the peculiar circumstances under which he is placed
with regard to the booty captured by the army of the Deccan while
under his command, and stating '• that the great body of persons
interested in the event are extremely urgent to obtain information
as to the claims laid before their Lordships, and a knowledge of the
scheme of distribution which may have been recommended by the
trustees, before these important matters are submitted fur his Ma-
jePlT's approbation." _ _

-lly L'oids, after hiving advised fully with the trustees, and also
with the Law Officers of the Crown, upon all the circumstances of

its important case, and more particularly upon the very material
affluence between the (sets mounted with the capture of the booty
now ascertained, and those Which were assumed in the pleadings
store their Lordshipsin 1823, by the Counsel for the several
_poetics
nterested, and upon which their minute of the .Ith Feb.,1823, was
incipally founded, deem it proper that the particular attention of
r T. litslnp should be drawn to the terms of that minute, and that
should be informed that the trustees appointed by his Majesty's
arrant to collect the booty and prepare a scheme of distribution
ire reported, as their opinion, that. with the exception of certain
tots, amounting together to about 1541.0002 the produce of sales of
'tures made in the daily operations of the troops of the army of the
scan, no booty was captured at Nagpoor and that none has been
Used that was captured at.,Maliidpoor ; and that the whole of the
ty, with the above exception, now at the disposal of the Crown,
into the hands of the officers of the East India Company after
e army of the Deccan was broken up. That these facts being
,fferent front those which appear to have been assumed in the ar-
intents addressed to their Lordships in January. 1823, they deem
to be indispensably necessary. before they can proceed, to submit
Ins Majesty a scheme of distribution, for the purpose of carrying
sr said minute into effect, to afford an opportunity for any further
)lunation and remark, with reference to these circumstances, that
e parties may be desirous of offering.
31y Lords at the same time desire, with reference to those pas-
tes in Sir Thomas Ilislop's letter of the 17th September, in
icit he eomplaina of haring been deprived of information on the
'rot of the claims of the army of the Deccan, that his attention
be recalled to the communication from the trustees to him,
tra 14th January. 1/12:i (confirmed by another of the 14th Sep.
tither i 'HZ), hi which
they they informed him in reply to his applies-
" permission to inspect the tapers and documents furnished
I the Court of Directors respecting the booty captured," that they
ere willing "to submit those documents to his examination, or to
at of any number of his brother officers that he might name to
on:" and they further desire that it may be stated to Sir T. flits.
a. that my lands, upon a full consideration of the whole of the
'N'roonder.ce between him and the trustees, have entirely sp.
'red of the measures adopted by them, and are fully satisfied
'at they have pursued the course which was the best calculated to
..istice to all the interests concerned in the important trust con.
'ed to them, and to lead to the speediest and most satisfactory
:Litton of it.

A letter from Holyhead, in one of the Liverpool papers,
.tes that no less than three hhadeetland Ibrty-tieo vessels,
.omeward bound, passed that port on Tuesday.

MESSRS. CONSTABLE AND CO.
The fact of the stoppage of payment by the great pub-
lishing house of Constabie and Co., is, we are sorry to
say, confirmed. It is reported that the matt of the greatest
literary reputation in Britain will suffer by this event.
Messrs. Constable and Co. have long been known as
publishers of the very first reputation, both as to the ex-
tent and nature of their transactions, and have been the
channel for conveying to the world an unusual number of
works of undisputed literary superiority. We cannot but
lament the calamity which his befallen them, and the
more so as they were on the point of commencing a publi-
cation which promised to lie of great public utility ; a
cheap miscellany, to he produced in numbers, and to con-
tain works of established reputation, as well as Foible-
fions hitherto unpublished, of the most Esteemed writers.
A project of this kind, which tended to improve the cha-
racter of the cheap literature, and, cons:gm-may, of its
readers, promised, it is said, the most decisive success;
and it is said it would have commenced with a sale of
nearly 1.5,000 copies. The • following are some remarks
from the Scotentais, in which we have no doubt most of our
readers will cordially concur:—
" The temporary stoppage of a great publishing house at the
east end of Prince's.strect has been telt as a calamity to Scotland;
and so it will, if it should be permanent; but we are most anxious
to think that the partners Inar be allowed to continue the manage.
mrnt of a business, which has given encouragement to authors,
and employment to tradesmen, to such an unexampled extent.
The projects of l'orstable and Company were magnificent : and it 1
will be limn& we believe, that on the whole, they were also sue- 1
cessful. More than one of those just on the tapis were full of '
promise not only as mercantile speculations, but as means of ac-
cemplishing good. These, we trust, happen what may in •
the winding up of the affairs, will yet be proceeded with. To
us it is matter of the deepest regret that gentletnen who had so
lung occupied such a high place in the public estitnation. and
whose enterprise and judgment hail conferred so many benefits on
their country. should now be placed in such a painful situation.
We feel deeply foe them, and fur those also—the deserving as well
as the gifted—who are at least present sufferers; but when we
think of the extent of property that must be on hand, the number
of valuable works which either belong to the company exclusively,
or in the right of publishing which they have an interest, in con-
nexion with their numerous claims to sympathy and support, we
cannot believe that the consequences will or can be disastrous.—
Our wish is to riew matters on the brightest side. It is the duty
of the press, indeed, to be at least cool, at a time when the public
seem inclined to yield every thing to vague fears—ta magnify all
that is unfavourable greatly beyond it true dimensions. Sir 1S alter
Scott, it is said, is here very deeply involved ; but the author of
Mansion, of the Lady of the Lake, and of the Scotch Novels,
is not thus to be borne down—Scotland, Britain, cannot permit
such a misfortune to befal them. To all concerned, we trust,
there will be a favourable rebound. Even the bankers must regain
confidence. Neither the skill nor the capital of the country is vet
lost ; and it will depend on their firmness and good sense, whether
the industry of the country shall be seriously obstructed. There
would have been some failures, although there had been no shock
to paper credit in England—no panic extending to Scotland. But
much of the present stagnation in business is owing to groundless
alarms. There still is capital, stock property, skill, and activity
in the country ; and if matters shall be managed with iudgment
and nerve, there is very little additional risk in bankers ailiirding a
fair and reasonable amount of accommodation to persons in busi-
ness. Let them beware, therefore, of all at once running from one
extreme to another. If unnecessarily timid now—if they decline
taking the trouble of being satisfied that they are and may be safe
—and of giving assistance where they are secure—they may rely
upon it, that at no distant period they will be sufferers themselves
—that the evils which they inflict on others, either from vague and
general fear, or from a desire to obtain higher gains by fund specu.
lations, will recoil upon their own heads.
" There has been one large, and several smaller. though not in-
considerable, failures in Dundee; there is stagnation in Glasgow,
lied fear, to some extent or other, everywhere; but these circum-
stances, which are by no means unexpected, or so very serious as
many will have them to be, instead of leading to despair, or being
converted into new and additional grounds of alarm, should induce
the leading capitalists and merchants of Scotland to adopt some
joint measures for the re-assuring the rublic mind. What is there,
either in the public relations or internal condition of the country,
that should warrant any one in assuming that the present depressed
state of feeling can continue ?"