The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-03-23 00:00:00

EAST INDIA HOUSE

A courted,' General Court of Pmprtetors of East India stock
trim held yesterday at their ►rouse in I,eatienhall-si rect.
On the Chairman (C. blau,/on tnaxxs, Esq.) entering the
Court,

A PROPRIETOR rose and complained of the impediment he had
experienced in gaining access to the room appropriated to the use
of the Proprietors. After sending three several messengers to the
officers of the Company, and being detained full half an hour, the
door of the room was at length opened; but to his surprise none of
I the documents to which he was anxious to refer, and which had
' been ordered to be laid before the Court of Proprietors, were to he
found. He hoped such steps would be taken as would prevent the
recurrence of any similar inconvenience.
The CHatnuast regretted that the Honourable Proprietor
should have experienced any inconvenience of the kind complained
of. He had himself been at the House since nine o'clock in the
I morning, and if' the Honourable Proprietor had made application
Ito him, immediate access would have been given. He was quite
sure nothing intentional on the part of the officers of the Company
had been done, and he hoped the thing would not again occur.
Dr. GII.CH a IST wished to ask of the Hoo. Chairman whether
the small lire-arms and cannons which were sent out to India, for
the Compeny's service, were tried and peeved before they were sent
out or rot?
The CHAIRMAN—They were tried, certainly.
Dr. GILcHn IST—A t whose expense'
The CHAIRMAN—He dared say at the Company's. He knew
that the Company very seldom got anything for nothing.
The DEPUTY CHAIRMAN (Sir (I. Robinson) said it was not to
expected that the Chairman could be prepared to answer these
questions immediately they were put : he was not well prepared to
do so himself) although he had long been a member of the Military
Hoard. But he could say that no muskets were ever used in India
that had nor the Tower mark upon them. (Hear, hear.)
Dr. GILCHRIST wished to trouble the Honourable Chairman
with another question. How did it happen that the orders which
were made relating to the duties of Captains in the Company's Mi-
litary service were not strictly obeyed ? He understood that there
existed an order which required that no officer holding the rank of
Captain should be allowed to discharge the duties of Adjutant,
which were directed to be performed by officers holding the rank of
Lietrentint only. Now, he had reason to know, that in contraven-
tion of this order, many Captains in the Company's Service were
allowed to per!orm the duties of Adjutants; and he wished to know
how this happened ?
. . . . _

The ell AVR MAN complained of the Honourable Proprietor put-
ting such a string of questions to him without any previous notice;
and said, that hcwevet anxious he was at all times to give informs.
lion, yet it could not be expected that he should be prepared to do
so upon the sudden. If the Honourable Member had had the emir-
tesy of informing him (the Chairman) of the nature of the questions
he intended to pin, he (the Chairman) would have been prepared to
have answered them; but as that courtesy had not been observed,
lie wished to say, that after this very unusual manner of seeking
information, he must decline to answer the questions of the Honour-
able Proprietor.
The DEPUTY CHAIRMAW rose to pit an end to this sort of ca-
tegorical inquiry, by answering in a few words the question of
the Honourable Proprietor. He believed that it would be found in
every instance where an officer of the rank of Captain continued to
hold the situation of Adjutant, which ought to be held by a Lieu-
tenant, that the said officer was Captain by brevet only. (Hear.)
The various quarterly accounts of the Company were then laid
before the Court.