The Sun.
London, England, 1825-06-23 00:00:00

EAST INDIA HOUSE.

Yesterday a Quarter Special General Court of the Proprietors
of East India Stock was held at the Company's House, Leaden-
hall-street—At twelve &Clock CAMPBELL. MARJORIBANES,
Esq., took the Chair. The Minutes of the proceedings of the
last Court were read—when a suinmary of the Company's Ac-
counts for Superannuations, Pensions, and Allowances to Of-
ficers was read by the Secretary.
EAST INDIA STOCK DIVIDEND.
The CHAIRMAN moved that the Dividend upon East India
Stock, for the period of six months, from the sth of January to
the sth of July, 1825, be declared to be at the rate of five and
a quarter per cent.
Mr. S. Dtxoii wished to to take that opportunity of Inquir-
ing of the Chairman whether it had not hitherto been the custom,
in the event of a war arising in india, to communicate that cir.
cumstance to the Court of Proprietors in an authentic and of.
ficial manner from the Court of Directors ? He, in common
with other Hon. Proprietors, was aware of a war having arisen
in India, but they had derived their information not from the
Court, of Directors, who had been silent upon the subject, but
through the.mediuna of the Newspapers. What he wished to
know was, why they had not been informed of the fact and of
the causes of the war, through what he imagined to be the or-
dinary channel for such communications?
The CHAIRMAN said, it was not in his recollection that it
had been the practice of the Court of Directors to communicate
the commencement of a war in India to the Proprietors, and
he believed he was correct in his statement of the custom
hitherto adopted.
Mr. S DIXON asked for nothing which was not usual and
customary ; and as the Hon. Gentleman had stated the prac-
tice to be the contrary of what he (Mr. Dixon) had imagined.
it only remained for him to concur in what had fallen from the
Hon. Chairman. The motion was then agreed to.
COMMITTEE OF BYE-LAWS.

- -
The Report of the Committee of Bye-Laws was then read.
It stated, that on inquiry the Committee found that the Bye-
laws of the Company had been duly observed and executed dur-
ing the last year. The names of the Committee of 15 on the
bye-laws, as chosen last year, were then read.
The CHAIRMAN moved the re-appointment of the Com-
mittee. _ _

The names were then severally read over, and the Committee
re-appointed.
SALARIES TO JUDGES IN INDIA, &c.
The CHAIRMAN said, he had to acquaint the Court,
since the draft of the Bill for regulating the salaries of Judges
in India, and of the Bishop of Calcutta, had been sub-
mitted to the Court certain amendments had been agreed to in
Parliament, the name of which would be fully explained to the
Proprietors by the correspondence between the President of the
Board of Controul and their Chairman and Deputy Chairman.
The correspondence Was then read ; and consisted of a letter
from Mr. Wynn, dated the 17th May, stating, that certain
amendments had been suggested in the House of Commons,
the first of which was to increase the salaries of Chief Justices
from 58,000 to 60,000 rupees, and of Puisne Judges from
48,080 to 60,000 rupees. The second amendment was to ex-
tend the allowance of one year's salary proposed to be made to
the widows, &c. &c. of Judges dying within one year after
their arrival in India, to the families of such Judges as should
die in the course of their voyage thither. The third suggestion
was to give one-half the retired pension to which Judge became
entitled after ten years' service, to such legal functionaries as
should be compelled by ill health to retire at the expiration of
five years, and two-thirds of the .same allowance to those re-
tiring from the same cause after a period of seven years. By a
letter of the Deputy Chairman, dated the 19th May, in answer
to the foregoing, it appeared that the Directors concurred in the
first and second amendments, under some modifications, but
declined sanctioning the arrangement relative to the retired al-
lowanses. Mr. Wymes reply of the 24th ult. was then read ;
and the Chairman's letter of the 26th May in answer thereto.
Mr. °ABADAN said, he had at the last Court of Proprietors
found himself called upon to object to the draft of the Bill now
returned to them in its amended state : he saw no reason to
withdraw his opposition on the present occasion. It was singular
enough that the Honourable Chairman himself seemed ashamed
to recite the objectionable part of the Bill, that relative to the
transportation of felons. He had denominated it a Bill to pro-
vide for the payment of Judges and Bishops in India, leaving
out what was the disgusting portion of the Bill, particularly
as coupled with a provision for Judges and Bishops : he meant
that part of it which referred to the transportation of felons.
There existed a very blameable degree of apathy with regard to
India and Indian affairs, in and out of Parliament. If any
proof of the carelessness and neglect with which those ienportant
subjects were treated was necessary, it would be found in the
present Act, which went at once to make provision for the sup-
port of Christian Bishops, and the transportation of felons.—
(Hear !)—He could not but characterise such a proceeding as
this as a shameful and discreditable jumble ; and were the Bill,
in its present disgraceful state, to pass into a law, he trusted
the time was not very far distant when it would meet the revi-
sion it required.
Mr. LOWNDES agreed with the Hon. Proprietor who bad
just sat down, that there was a very great degree of indelicacy
in coupling together pious Prelates and persons con-
victed of larceny in the same Act of Parliament.—(A
laugh.)—This was, in more ways than one, a free-thinking
age ; and perhaps such a proceeding might have the effect of
undermining the Bishops.—(A laugh.)—With regard to
the salaries and retired allowances intended to be allotted
to the Judges, it struck him it would be much better if every
servant of the Company—(and the Judges were equally their
servants as artisans and mechanics) were compelled to provide a
provision for himself, by deducting a proper sum out of the
amount of his salary annually. He should prefer such a mode
of making provision for the period of retirement, to any specific
retired annuity or allowance, more particularly at a period when
the Company had been increasing the amount of its debt to
such a great and unexpected degree. He had been in the
country, and not at all apprehensive of its so sudden increase,
or he should have taken a post-chaise instantly, and come up
to oppose in—(Lourl laughter.)--There was a specific bye-law
of the Company to prevent any of its servants from supplying
the enemy with arms, but that law had been virtually broken,
by permitting British subjects to place money, which was ano-
ther name for arms, in the hands of the native Princes. It was
highly improper that the bye-law should be permitted to be
brokers for the purpose of allowing certain individuals to lend
money, at such a rate of interest as should gratify their avarice,
and could not but be extremely dangerous in its consequences.
He had never said in private what he was not prepared to avow
in public.—(A laugh.)—With regard to the Judges, he re-
peated they ought to adopt such a plan as he had suggested,
and which would compel them to save from their salaries a suf-
ficient provision'; but if they were not able to save enough out
of their present salaries, he should feel no objection to increase
its amount, because the Company should be always liberal to a
body of men, who constituted what be would call the Police
Officers of India.—(Hear ! and immense laughter.)— Yes, the
Judges kept affairs in order. and enabled the Company to
manage with a peace army, instead of keeping up a war army.
—(Loud laughter.)
Mr. H LIME agreed with the Hon. Proprietor (Mr. Gahagan),
who had complained of the degree of apathy manifested upon
Indian affairs in the House of Commons. It was an apathy
almost universally prevalent among Members of Parliament,
with one or two exceptions, and could not fail, if persevered in,
to produce the most disastrous effects. He sincerely wished
British privileges to be, as tar as was practicable, extended to
India, and that the advantages of the Airy system which had
been experienced in Ceylon, were felt in our Indian possessions.
An Hon. Propietor had on a former occasion informed them
that there existed no public in India; but he (Mr. Hume) was
not disposed to agree with him in that opinion. He must al-
ways deprecate the measures that had been adopted in that
country for the suppression of a free press, and would conclude
by entreating the Court to direct a little more of its attention to
the state of their Indian possessions.
Mr. TitmeT concurred in what had been stated with respect
to the inconvenience arising from mixing up matters so little
connected as were the several provisions of the Bill submitted
to the consideration of the Court. It was a most strange and
anomalous proceeding—a sort of ornnjunt gatherent Act of Par-
liament.—(A laugh.)—With respect to the alteration of the prac-
tice at present prevalent, as it related to juries in India, he
thought it highly desirable it should be adopted. Juries, as at
present constituted in that quarter of the world, were extremely
inefficient, and the jurors frequently selected from the very
lowest class of Europeans.
The CHAIRMAN here, in answer to a question, stated that
the Bill, as amended, was only submitted to the Court of Pro-
prietors for their information, and not for the purpose of re-
ceiving their approbation.
Mr. Home thought it necessary, previous to the third read.