The National Register.
London, England, 1809-06-04 00:00:00

EAST INDIA 110USt.

REMOVAL OF WRITERS AND CADETS.

Friday a very nomerous and respectable Court of Pena
prietors was held at the India House, to take into cotek:detatim't
Resolution of the Court of Directors, to twat tho,e loung
men who had obtained civil and military appointments in Itlia,
through corrupt and improper ageney. After the requisition
for calling the Meeting had been read,
Mr. Sanson rose and said, that no man could he more desirous
than he was to put an end to the corrupt practices which had
been discovered to prevail in several instances, as to the procur-
ing of these appoiutments; and the Directors, as a body were
entitled to great credit for the disposition N hich they had sheen
to do so. But he must disapprrtve of the measure of reveal,
'one of great harshne-s and severity to those young men, whose
future prospects would be ruined by it, though they were limo-
coot, while the corrupt practice had been carried oa entirely by
t:teir parents or guardians. lie wished, however, the resolution
rif the Court of Direct.); s to be first read, before he submitted
Batt}' motion to the Court,
The Resolutions a ere then rend, and were to this effect :—That
Court of Directors deem it neta!ssary to ucal those persons
is ho hake procured such appoinfments by corrupt means, under
a conviction that. severe examples are necessary to be made for
preveo.ion of the practice in future : that in future it would
Lie expedient, that any parent qr guardian, sending out his son
in as official capacity, should give a bond in the sum of :OUCH.
at trait, to be forfeited in case it should appear that the ap-
pointment ans obtained by corrupt mean,. The Resolution
t 4(1 specified the names of those young men .a 11;) were to he re-
; among which we noticed those of Edo ard James Scoith
and Vry Magniac, Writers; besides several Cadets. a hose
t:am,:•:. appeared ia the ;teport of the Committee of the floosie of
t..ooonotts.

(;rant (the Chairman) then said, that it fell to his lot
skortl y assign the reasons ou w hill' the Court of Directors acted
in adopting this Resolution. lie thong-lit it quite evident, that
if the corrupt practice of purchahlg t hese:i ppoint mews was not
itrorigly checked, and if a ready Lsidinission into the service of
the Company was to he obtained by such sordid the ho-
nourable spirit w !licit now actirred the Company's servants in the
East must rapidly expire, and a spirit of di-graceful rapacity
would succeed, in order to iodemnicv thelAsulves for the intine
which the purchase cost. Such a measure was also due to the
dignity and credit of the Court of Directors, who, if they had
not adopted the strongest means for suppressing the practice,
would have been wanting to their own cnaracter. In the sear
p 99, there was strong reason to suspect the existence of such
pract ices, and accordingly the Directors passed a vote, declaring',
that all convicted of it should forfeit their appointments, and he
wcaled. This Resolution appeared in the Gazelle, and in the
newspapers of the different capitals of the three kingdoms. It
Was again ref:ewe:l in 1806 ; but as it was supposed that this
Octenninat; on had 110 t been sufficiently promulgated between
Coot period and 1791, the Directors had come to a resolution
twat it should operate to the recal of those only who had ob-
t fined appointment: through a corrupt medium since 1806
l ii the late Inquiry heroic a Committee oF the House Of Com-
mons, it appeared that ast India Patronage had been mast
grossly abused, and therefore, aryr full deliberation, the Court
frail ea an unanimous resolution that strong measures should be
v„lopted for its future prevention, though at the same time they
most sincerely regretted the necessity which forced them to it, as it
would bear so hard upon several' oung men, not through any fault
oft heirs, but thrirugh the gro,ts misconduct or their parent,: or gnar-
&cls. Every thing !Lid h.q.') dime to stake th is exert ion of a ! ;to:
rity as lenient ag pnssible ; and it was agreed, 'hut iu a cr' inst.o‘cc
sdhere it did not appear Itiat the y ouag men were p. 1%, to the
transaction theinsclve-, they might agaii, be restuied tie their
fpriner eituation by the pat ronag't of individual pir,ctnr..;:vicAls
not by a grant of the Clow. it y.•a3 Said, Ih4 this trial was a
great hardship ; hut to w hom waA this hardrhip to be i..opoted
Not certainly to the Directors, w:,:r only put in forceptthetr own
law, but to those parents or guardians .v ho mast have been
aware of it, yet acted in defiance of it, exposed these young
men to this severe punishment.
Mr. Manson said, that notwithi,tanding chat had fallen from
the lion. Chairman, he could help looking upon this order
of recal as a measure of great harshness and severity, which
could not benefit the character of the Directors, or of the East
India Company, but the contrary. With every respect for the
court of Director; as a it 0;4, he •act tiers had hewn