The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-26 00:00:00

EVENING- EDITION.

EAST INDIA HOUSE.

The Quarterly-Gent ral Cour. of du Propr'etors of
East India Stock was held, yeste•day, in the Couit Room,
Leadenhall-street.
iF4' R. JENKINS, M, P., took the chair at twelve o'clock.
The minutes of the last Cow t having been lead and
nfirmed,
The CHAIRMAN laid bef )re the Court certa'n ac-
counts and paper; that had been prevented to both
Houses of Parliament since the last Court. Also
lebucertain papers relating to the Company's College at Hay-
ry.

IDOLATRY IN INDIA.
Mr. POYNDBR cleated that at the last Court he had asked
the Honourable Chairman whether the Court of Directors
had issued any orders or dispatches on the subject of an
offering, or a tribute, sta.ed to have been made by the
Governor-General of India to Runjeet Singh, on his visit
to that illustrious person. The answer then made by the
"On- Chairman was that no official information bad
been received on that subject. He would now take the
:liberty of adverting to another circumstance. Information
had been received that at the funeral obsequies of that
same personage, four of his wives sacrificed themselves by
the inhuman performance of Suttee, and that seven female
!laves performed the same act. Those sacrifices could not
nave taken place with the voluntary consent of .the indi-
viduals,

Mr. Altus rose to order. The Court could not
discuss what had taken place in the territories of Run-
ilet Singh for the Company had no more dominion over
those territories than they had over Germany or Kam-
sehatka.
Mr. POYNDER would then proceed at once to the motion
of which he bad given notice last Court day, relative to
idolatrous worship and ceremonies. On the 3d of Sep-
tember he wrote to the Hon. Chairman, stating that the
motion of which he had given notice would be unnecessary,
could he, learn that since the appeal to the House of
Lords any definitive step had been taken for carrying into
effect the dispatch of February 1833, and whether any and
what dispatch had been sent out since the motion for the
Production of papers in the House of Lords. The answer
e had received was, that it was not the practice of the
Court to communicate to individuals their intentions and
Proceedings on public matters. He therefore felt com-
Pelled to bring the subject forward, and he would take the
liberty of again referring to the petition which ho had pre-
*elated last Court day from 61 clergymen of Bristol, and
he contended that the Court would not do that which a
Christian people had a right to demand at their hands, if
they allowed those piactices to continue. The Honourable
Gentleman then proceeded to read extracts from a number
of the Bupti.l Missionary Journal, and was interrupted by
Mr. BROOKS, who thuught the Honourable Proprietor
Wat wasting time. He had better condense his remarks
and make his motion at once.—( Hear, hear.)
Sir C. FORBES thought time would be saved if inter.
r_uptions were avoided. The Hon. Proprietor had a per-
-0 feet right to seate hi. cage.
Mr. POYNDER continued. All he wished was for
the Company to withdraw its encouragement from
those idolatrous practices, and they would soon die
415.ay ; but Ile was sorry to say that these offer-
ings and ceremonies were considered as a source of re.
venue by the British Government. He had received
thirty letters from military officers in the Presidency of
'Madras, giving an account of the horrifying and lamentable
practice; they had witnessed. (Tao Hon. Gentleman
read sane of the letters.) He could not conclude with-
out adverting to the rnueeincat in Bombay relative to
Parsecs. He had received .t letter from Dr. Wilson—
S;r C. Forcers hoped the Hen. Proprietor would abstain
from that topic. if he ei.tered into it, it would lead to a
very protracted deie.te. At any rate, he ought to have
given due notice.
The CHAIRMAN said the Hon. Proprietor would exercise
his oe,, .liseretion, but he would recommend him to follow
the advice of the Her.. Baronet.
Mr. POYNDER would so; but would just observe that he
had been favoured from Bombay with an account of the
whole of the trial from beginning to end, and having
read it, he was prepared with a full answer to every
allegation brought against Dr. Wilson. He conjured the
Company to withdraw their protection to idolatry and it
would fall to the ground. That was not the time to com-
pel the army to take the same step as Sir P. Maitl,nd had
done to make them choose between the service of God and
man. He concluded by moving that the petition of the
clergy of Bristol be entered on the minutes of the Court.
Mr. FEILDER said, whatever might be the intention of
the Hon. Proprietor, his speech had been made up of no-
thing but invective and of language unbecoming a Christian.
Bishop Heber showed that the Company were doing all in
its power to spread the Christian religion. Was that the time
to press such a subject when the Governor-General had
se much to do, when they were threatened on every hand—
was that a time to press upon them a charge in the reli-
gion of the country ? The loss of the American provinces
was to be attributed to the want of such an intervening
Power as the East India Company, which alone could pre-
serve India to the Crown. The Hindoos had their temples
of Juggernaut, but they had their thousands of temples for
supplying the liquid fire in the shape of the spirit of juni.
Per. Why did not the Clergy turn their attention so that
subject—( Hear, hear)—and not seek grievances in so
distant a part ? The H Gentlem an read extracts from
the speeches of Lords Lansdowne and Glenelg to show
thatothe natives of India had greatly improved within the
last twenty yeare, and he conjured the Company to feed
and make thero
..lavppy, before interfering with their minor
Prejudices. Providence would work its own way and in its
esvn good time.

Mr. SaLoatoNs thought the Hon. Proprietor who spoke
last had been too severe upon the Hon. Mover, whose mo-
tives and peisevi.ranee all must h..nour. Still he thought
the whole matter ought to be left in the hands of the Di.
rectors.

Major OLIPHANT contended that it was not interfering
a till the p,ju :ices of the natives of India, to keep the
army from firing salutes on festivals which fell on a Sunday.
He believed :bey wished to be left alone, and did not
want any salutes, or any attendance but that of men
belonging to their own religion. He considered that all
honour= to Hindu:: or Mahomedan worship might safely
be rliscon:inued.
Sir JEREMIAH BRIANT bad been thirty years under the
Gosernment of Bengal, and had never once been corn-
Pelled to join in idol worship. He had been in error, as
he had blwass th.ughi that all officers were treated in the
Same !tenth r. He found that such was not the case, but
that British bnd Cttri'iiai. officers were ordered to take
part in idolatrous warship.
The CHAIRMAN said he had often attended such fetes
as were alluded to, and he had never seen any matter ap-
proaching a religious ceremony.
Mr. PosNDER replied, and the motion was agreed to.
The HON. PROPRIETOR then moved for a return, show-
-Iqg how far the Directors' dispatch of 1833 had been car.
tied into effect.
Mr. HANKEY seconded the motion.
Mr. M. MARTIN declined toe character of the natives
Of India, who were deserting of the utmost attention and
kindness of the people of England. He implored caution
in attempting to proselytise India—they ought to remem-
b-er.th,t.th.e Portuguese were driven from that country by
thel! inyuciicieus

TLe CHAIRMAN said the orders of the Court were in a
state of forwardness and were being carried into effect.
There was not the slightest intention to defeat the orders
of 1833. I,(,r(i Auckland was as anxious to carry them
out as the Hon. Alovcr of the question. He was anxious
for conversion, but he did not think that the constant de-
nunciation of the ceremonies of the natives would tend to
do so. He could not consent to the production of any
Papers not laid before Parliament.

Mr. SALomoNs thought the Court ought to be satisfied
with the assurance that the orders were in a course of
being carried into execution, and that the Hon. Proprietor
ought to withdraw his motion.
After a desultory conversation, a division tock place,
when there appeared—
For the motion l7
Against it 32
Majority —ls
Mr. WEEDING postponed his motion relative to the case
of Gaptain Heaviside till next General Court.
Sir C. FORBES complained of a sum of 63,000/. being
disbursed under the bead of secret service money. It was
more than the Government of the country dared spend,
nd if it was allowed to go on, the dividends must be re
uueed.
Not only on the part of the Proprietors, but also
on the part of the natives of India, he asked what had been
done with that money ? He had no doubt it was
disbursed at the order of Sir John Hobhouse, but he
trusted, the Chairman and the other members of the Secret
Committee would give some explanation of such gross
expenditure.
The CHAIRMAN had no other explanation to make titan
that the money bad been expended under the orders of the
Secret Committee, under the provisions of the Act of
Parliament.
Sir C. FORBES gave a notice of motion for inquiry into
the expenditure of this sum for the next General Court.
The Court then adjourned.

THE JIM-CROW JOURNAL,—The change in
the proprietorship and consequent abandonment of Whig
far Tory principles, which has recently been witnessed in
Paper, form the subject,
a deco) ed semi-animate Evening
we see, of pretty general rr,rnark by our porripeisauie.
the country. We are glad to see that the ambiguousnter('
sibilities about " good government," and all that, put forth
that
by the pap( r in question, have deceived no one,
however politically dishonest the design of their and
manufac-
turer may have been, he has not succeeded in securing a
market for his Tory tinsel, albeit tricked out in false
colours. Jim Crow may perhaps find that; saltatory and
selfish as his Couri r-course has always been, that in his
Present defection, as well as in all his previous desertions,
he has jumped out of the frying-pan into the fire.
REFUSAL OF ALDERMAN LUCAS TO COM-
31IT IN CA•ES OF CRUELTY TO ANIMAL3.—We are sorry
to find that Alderman Lucas still perseveres in his opposi-
li°ll to the law on cruelty to animals, and has declared that
u; would not convict or. the evidence of only one witness.
ease of 'extreme cruelty was, last week, brought by
Gibbins, Officer to the Animal's Friend Society, of an
?ronibus horse cf Mr. Alexander, which was covered with
hleeding sores under the collar, and on the side where the
oriver
17 a s whipping. Alderman Lucas said to Gibbins,
" I have horses of .mv own, and a very little work will
.horse
a sore under the collar ; I suppose when you see a
Ihlthotriee
wwhitihppaeurre neck you follow it, and when you seethe
while :a would not
summon the driver." He remarked
not convict on the evidence of only one
s (though he has been repeatedly shown that this
wamaserien.defiance of the law), and he dismissed the case,
society ing the prosecutor in costs. The other cases of the
broken iltselltll
derrnan yvv,eek were of drover 91 G, fined 105. by Al-
for having thrown a sheep down a cellar and
cltney-coaeegh; John Brotherton, fined 53. ; and Joseph
Mack, 125., by Mr. Traill, for cruelty so horses ; and
White, also forman
The T cruelty to
. Tory paper
Winch has had f ,435, 4s. and costs, by Alderman
a horse.
called the Sunderland Beacon,
hunce,
is rom its starting but a sickly sort of
aboutex-
to become extinct. It is to be succeeded
of
by ano
thether publicetion of similar principles, under the title
Northern Times
.