The Sun.
London, England, 1841-07-21 00:00:00

imagination of the Learned Proprietor. The Hon.
Director, Mr. Warden, had begun by stating his con-
viction of the Raja's guilt ; and, in vindication of that
opinion, had stated that the Raja, being a Mahratta,
must necessarily be deceitful. He had then proceeded
to the vindication of the Bombay Government ; but even
he felt so much the oppressive proceedings of the Com-
mission, that he gave it up, and said the Bombay Go-
vernment ought not to have appointed it.— (Hear,
hear.) None of them had dared to grapple with
the evidence, and he pit it to the Court whether policy
and expediency, as well as justice, did not demand that
they should act towards the native Princes, who were de-
pendent upon them, with kindness and consideration?
It was the duty of every strong State in alliance with a
weaker one to support the weaker one in all its just
claims and rights, and never to seek for an opportunity
of oppressing it. Such a course was dictated not only
by justice but by policy and expediency, and such were
the maxims which ought to be adopted by the Court of
Directors. Why had not the Governor of Goa been ap-
plied to ? The Bombay Goverement stated they did
not think it necessary, and that showed they thought
but little of the intrigue.—(Cheers.) The Hon. Director
Mr. Sheppard, had said that no precedent could destroy
the simple principles of justice. On that ground he was
content to leave the present question. If the Hon. Pro-
prietor admitted that the simple principles of justica
had been violated in this case, then it was
his duty to use his influence with his col-
leagues to sanction the present motion. Sir
Robert Campbell had rested his opinion of the
Raja's guilt on a letter from a missionary, who stated
that at Goa he had seen certain persons on horseback,
who stated that the horses were presents from the Raja
of Sattara, on condition that he should be assisted in ex-
pelling the English. Now would they condemn any man
on such hearsay testimony as that?—and the greater part
of the evidence against the Raja was hearsay. A most
unjustifiable course had been pursued ; for the witnesses
had been asked to testify what they knew of their own
knowledge and what they heard. The testimony of Gene-
ral Briggs had been alluded to in support of the charges
against the Raja's character. Fortunately General Briggs
had been present, and had, in common with every ether
Resident at Sattara, borne testimony in favour of
the character of the Raja. They had talked
of consistency, but those were the consistent persons who
throughout maintained the Raja's innocence, and among
those must be numbered the worthy and exemplary
members of the Court of Directors, Mr. Tucker, Mr.
Sheppard, Mr. J. Forbes, and Mr. Cotton.—(Loud
cheers.) These, gentleman had all along fearlessly ex-
pressed their dissent from the conduct pursued by the
Directors. It had been thought .necessary to vin-
dicate the character of Sir James Carnac. He

had guarded himself against casting any imputation
on the character of any man during the whole course
of the proceedings, It had been said that the Raja had
violated the treaty of 1819 by holding any sort of com-
munication with any person excepting through the Resi-
dent. Now, looking to the relative position of the
parties, the object •of the treaty was merely
to give the Resident such power as would en-
able him to discover any correspondence which
might be carried on injurious to the British inte-
rests. It was never intended to prevent all intercourse,
and if it were to be construed literally, he should say it
was rather a snare laid by the British Government to
entrap the Raja and to get possession of his territories.—
(Cheers.) Our violation of the treaty in the affair of.
the Ja&heerdars had been flagrant and unjustifiable. The
Court itself had admitted that fact by directing the res-
toration of one of the Jagheers to the Raja. The evi-
dence on which the Bombay Government had acted was
full of discrepancies, as had been pointed out by the Go-
vernor-General. It was admitted that Sir James Carnac
had required from the Raja an admisSion of. his guilt,
which the Raja had refused to give. In his very first
interview, as recorded at page 299 of the papers, the
Raja asserted that he would do anything except signing
or admitting that he had been an enemy to the British
Government, but that he would never sign a do-
cumment containing such a statement.—(Hear, hear.)
The three charges were that he had tampered with the
Sepoys —that he had carried on a treasonous correspond-
ence with the Raja of Nagpore, and with the Portuguese
Governor at Goa—and Sir James Carnac himself ad-
mitted that he called_ upon the Raja, through what he
was pleased to term a " mild preamble "—(Cheers and
laughter)—to confess himself guilty on those three
charges.—(Hear, hear.) I t was for his refusal to sign
that confession the Raja was seized at midnight and
hurried away a prisoner to Benares.—(Hear, hear.) It
had been said that thig-was not in evidence, but in fact
it was too notorious to require evidence.—(Hear, hear.)
On a former occasion Sir Charles Forbes read a
letter from an officer who was present on the occasion,
which put the matter out of all doubt. The letter was as
follows :
" One company of his Majesty's 41st reginient, two
companies of the 21st regiment of Native Infantry, and
three companies of the 25th Native Infantry, being or-
dered to march to Sattara, at twenty-four hours' notice,
we left Poona on the 31st of August, and arrived in
Sattara on the 4th of September. We received. orders
to meet the following morning on the parade, at two
o'clock. The grenadiers of the 25th regiment, with the
light company and some artillery, were ordered to march
to the palace and take the Rajah, whilst the 21st compa-
nies and the Bth regimOnt went to the Adawlut and Balla
Sahib's house, to take him and look after his cavalry,
who were fully expected to show fight ; but nothing oc-
curred, nor could he be found. Balla Sahib is comman-
der of the Raja's force. We marched into the palace,
and formed into line before the doors, and men with lan-
terns were seen running about in every direction—it
being scarcely light--to prevent the Raja attempting his
escape, whilst Colonel Ovans, the Resident, and another
officer, went into the palace to find the Raja, accompa-
nied by the present Raja Appa Sahib, who led them, to
his brother's bed-room and showed them where he was
The same day he was publicly proclaimed. There was
the poor little Raja fast asleep when the Colonel found
him. He immediately came out in his sleeping-drawers
and a piece of cloth thrown over his shoulders ; he made
no resistance. A palanquin was =lied, in which he was
placed, as well as his Commander-in-Chief Balla Sahib,
who was found in another room. Had a single shot
been fired, all his property would have fallen prize money
to us, and he had lots of it ; large chests arranged all
along, full of money, and an immense number of gold
and silver dishes ; but he was too prudent. We marched
with them to a place six miles from Sattara, called
Neembgaom, where we are at present, with a strict
guard over them ; and shall remain until orders come.
from the Governor-General where we are to remove

them."
He thought that he had now satisfied the Court of the
truth and propriety of every allegation in the resolution
which he had had the honour of moving, and of the
justice of acceding to the recommendation which it con-
veyed. The Hon. and Learned Member concluded
amidst loud and repeated applause.
Mr. TUCKER, in explanation, begged leave to say that
what he had said had been pushed by an lion. Proprietor
further than he had intended. What he had said was,
that from all the notions he could form of evidence,
giving his sentence as a sworn judge, he must declare
that there was no evidence upon which the Raja of Sat-
tara ought to have been deprived of his throne, bereft
of everything he possessed, and transported to a distant
country.—(Cheers.)
The question was then put on the original motion
(that of Mr. Lewis), and upon the show of hands the
numbers were—
For the motion lO
Against it 27
Majority against the resolution —l7
The amendment moved by the Hon. Chairman on the
first day of this discussion was then put as a substantive
motion, whereupon •
Mr. SALomons moved the amendment which we have
given above.
Mr. NORRIS seconded the amendment. He said
after a perusal of all the papers laid before the Court,
he was convinced that the facts did not justify the depo-
sition of the Raja and the forfeiture of his private pro-
perty. If the old hash of a resolution was passed to
this effect that the Court of Proprietors would not inter-
fere with their responsible Executive, they would
have the whole country against them, and to
all eternity—(Cheers and laughter)—for every man,
woman, and child knew that no man ought to be con-
demned without a trial.—(Bear, hear.) It was very
well to say that the case had been finally decided. So
thought Judge Jeffries when he came to decisions that
were final as far as respected his victims.—(Hear; hear.)
But they were not final before the bar of public opinion,
and certainly not before a still higher tribunal.
Mr. G. THOMPSON was happy that the discussion
had taken place, and had been carried to so
great length, even though the former motion had been
lost.—(Hear hear.) The substantive motion which
was now before the Chair called on the Court to pro-
nounce it inexpedient to interfere with the Executive in
relation to the affairs of the Raja of Sattara. It had
been clearly demonstrated in that Court that the Raja
was an innocent man.--(Cheers.) The character of the
servants of the East India Company, civil and military,
was greatly enhanced in that discussion ; but when the
Court came to a final-. division on the question it would
be seen how many gentlemen on the other side of . the
bar had voted for a refusal of justice.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. Tucker, a venerable and high-minded man—(Cheers)
—had said that a judicial functionary ought to be with-
out passion and without feelings, and there could be no
doubt that in that maxim he stated the characteris-
tics of his own conduct in discharging justly and
impartially his duties.—(Cheers.) That Hon. Director
had set forth in propositions, which he threw over to the
outer side of the bar, that the Raja had been deposed
without any sufficient grounds.—(Cheers.) He would
ask them, in the langaage of Mr. Tucker, whether, if
the Raja were now in possession of the throne, they
would, after the evidence which was now before• them,
vote , for his deposition ?—(Tremendous cheering.)
Would they not say that the only stain was upon
those who were the Raja's enemies, or the dupes
of his enemies?—(liepeated cheering and applause.)
The testimony of General Lodwick, who was near
four years a Resident at the Court of the Raja
—the testimony, in fact, of all the Residents, without
exception, was conclusive in proof of the Raja's inno-
cence.—(Cheers.) But it was said that all those gentle-
men were cajoled and deluded by the Raja. It was said
that there could be no doubt of their delusion, because
Mr. Anderson said that they were cajoled.---(Cheers and
laughter.);
said that the Residents themselves had
Mr. WARDEN
furnished the evidence that they were cajoled.
Mr. THOMPSON proceeded—lf anything could redeem
c'ourt of Directorsdrom disgrace and infamy, it was
delivered from within the .bar duringltherses
Hon. and Gallant Director Major-
'clreat cheering.)
-id he could not sit there to
--sf which he had the
and infamy.—

the
the spe.eeu
discussions by
O eneral Tiobertson.—k,.
Sir J. 'T„ LusuINGTO-* b...
hear any man accuse the Court,
honour to be a • member, of cliggAN
(Cheer„s and very general interruption.)
• Mr. FIELPER was quite-eel-bin that the
prietor (4r. Thompson) would uot Uebit3t9 f 9 FOTRRI