The Sun.
London, England, 1841-07-15 00:00:00

MORNING SUN

the right of the British Government to call the Raja to
account would not be weakened under the admission that
part of the guilt laid to his charge; and proved, may
possibly be thrown upon advisers; too readily listened to,
or upon agents, too carelessly- overlooked. His
Lordship can hardlyi think it possible that to
a frank tender of oblivon of past transactions, and of
a return to cordial and amicable relations, and to a strict
observance of all the stipulations of that treaty, the
Raja will reply by a tone of offensive defiance, or by a
rejection of the just and moderate terms proposed, or
that he should endeavour to re-open the late inquiry, and
to continue the unseemly discussion in which he has been
so long by himself and by his agents engaged. Yet it is
possible that those who have reaped gains by the bad
advice with which they have misled him, may see ad-
vantage to themselves in this course, and may preriail
upon him to adopt it. In such case, his Lordship
would willingly rely upon the judgment and discretion
of the Governor of Bombay, and prepared to support
any strong decision upon which he may determine, whe-
ther that decision may be in the deposition of the pre-
sent Raja for the substitution of his brother in the Raj,
or for any modified course of curtailing his political and
military power.—l have the honour, &c.
" H. TORRENS,
" Dep. Sec. to the Government of India,
with the Governor-General.

" Simla, 11th July, 1839."
In that letter the Governor-General had pointed out
the very rock upon which the Governor of Bombay had
afterwards struck.—(Hear, hear.) He felt convinced
that the feeling of the Court of Proprietors, and the Di-
rectors themselves, was, that by pressing the Raja to put
his hand to some document, admitting his guilt the case
was pressed too hardly against him.—(Hear, hear.) He
deplored the conduct which had been pursued in the
Raja's case, and could not consider the terms as a frank
tender of oblivion of past transactions.—(Hear, hear.)
He trusted that justice would be done the Raja, and
that he would not be permitted to be the victim of a feel-
ing of honour which would not permit him to subscribe
to an acknowledgment of his guilt when he felt that he
was innocent.—(Cheers.) Before he sat down he would
just allude to the appeal which had been made by the
Raja himself from the decisions of the local func-
tionaries to the Court of Directors, by sending Vakeels
here to get those difficulties removed which had since
led to his utter ruin. He would only read one extract
from the letter of the Raja, dated 21st Shaban, answer-
ing to the 10th of November, 1838, and addressed to the
Court of Directors. In that letter the Raja said—
" The people of this country view me with hostile
feelings, because I attached myself firmly to the British
Government, and thereby interfered with the objects
which they had at heart ; owing to this I can only now
maintain my position, through the friendship and sup-
port of the British Government ; and the wish which I
sincerely cherish is to avoid everything that may, sin any-
wise, tend to the injury of the British Government, be-
tween which and my family friendship has always exWed.
" Your Honourable Court having taken all this into
consideration, can act as you see fit. Evil-minded and
disreputable people, forgers, and liars, having conspired
given birth to all kinds of wicked machinations, en-
deavour to establish them as truths ; but well-informed,
and honourable, and upright men are convinced that I
have done your Honourable Court's Government no in-
jury, and never deviated from the most disinterested
line in my conduct towards the Honourable Company.
If due weight be given to these facts, the schemes of my
enemies will fail. But if they are disregarded, then they
will accomplish what they please. Great and just Go-
vernments, and experienced men must, on examination,
admit the truth of these observations ; and while they.
cannot hesitate to punish such evil-disposed and inimi-
cal persons, not only to maintain their own reputation
for justice, but also to inspire general confidence, they
will be kind to persons of high station, looking to their
rectitude. Such, in times past, has been the practice of
truly great and powerful monarchs, whose memory is
justly held in veneration. The Almighty has now given
the government of this land into your Honourable Court's
hands, and I am therefore a suitor to your Honourable
Court for justice.
"If persons of high and ancient families do not
forsake their honourable principles, and thereby entail
disgrace on their reputation, it is incumbent to act
towards them accordingly ; for such individuals when
treated with high consideration by those possessed of
eminent station and authority, are thereby the more
confirmed in their honourable course. _ _

" Powerful Governments derive great fame from acting
on such principles, while to those who suffer from a dis-
regard of them, death is preferable to life. Forgetting
what is due to ancient lineage, and for ease and subsis-
tence to yield to disgraceful treatment, is the part of
base people, for noble persons can never resign them-
selves to any treatment calculated to detract from their
good name. Every one of God's creatures is cared for
by Him. On his providence I place my dependence, and
Ido not look beyond him. So let the English Govern-
ment do whatever, on consideration, it may judge best.
I have always conducted myself with a due regard to the
high reputation of my ancestry, and therefore I rely that
I shall continue to enjoy the friendship of the English
Government. Your Honourable Court may rest assured
I shall never act like others ; I therefore entreat that I
may be early favoured with such a decision on this ap-
peal as shall preclude the possibility of my being con-
stantly subjected to difficulties.
" Having taken into my consideration how every thing
connected with my situation may always be made known
to your Honourable Court, Iyould suggest that, after the
present misunderstandings are adjusted, in order to place
your Honourable Court in possession of authentic informa-
tion, permission be granted to depute agents, and to
communicate in writing, to your Honourable Court. Un-
less such an arrangement be sanctioned it is impossible
to foresee what may arise from causeless suspicions.
"I entreat your Honourable Court to grant me a reply
to this request, with the same despatch that would be
used in disposing of any urgent case connected with
your own-interests, for I anxiously wish to be informed
of your Honourable Court's sentiments on the subject.
" A long time has now elapsed, and I have therefore
deputed =IL de Waalmar, Eshwunt Row Raja Sirkey, and
Bhugwunt Row Wittul to your Honourable Court, and
they will have the honour of representing every thing to
your Honourable Court. I entreat your Honourale
Court to take their statements into your consideration,
and to favour me with your decision.
" I would conclude by reminding your Honourable
Court, that your functionaries in this country have sub-
jected me to great hardships ; and that I have therefore
employed several persons to apprise your Honourable
Court of this fact. I think it necessary to state this to
your Honourable Court, lest you should be surprised at
so many having been employed. The same facts will be
stated by all, so that no objection need be started on that
score. I beg that your Honourable Court's answer may
be sent through my Vakeels.
" What more can I say to your honourable Court ?"
Now he would say, look at the character of the man.
He was proud, overbearing, strong in the assertion of
his rights—in short, a regular Hotspur. He thought
the Officers of the Bombay Government had decided un-
justly against him, and he appealed from their decision
to the Court of Directors.—(Hear, hear.) Such was his
character ; and yet he was charged with crimes the very
opposite of all this. He was charged with crimes the
very essence of which was cool calculation, which, had
he possessed, he would never have run himself into
those difficulties which had at length overwhelmed him.
lie cried out for justice. He had never been heard. He
called upon the East India Company to afford him an
opportunity of clearing his character. He denied that
he was guilty of the crimes laid to his charge. They
were in duty bound to afford him an opportunity of set-
ting his character right with them again, and of showing
them that he ought to stand as high in their estimation
as he had ever done. In this case they ought to set a
good example to those people who professed a false reli-
gion. Notwithstanding his profession of a false religion,
they saw the Raja of Sattara making every sacrifice in
defence of his honour and character, which he had proved
he esteemed more highly than his throne.---(Hear, hear.)
Should the East India Company appear as the supporters
of injustice ? All he asked was for justice--for a fair
trial. If it should be proved that the Raja was a traitor,
let him suffer the punishment due to his treason ; but
let him have the opportunity of showing that he was not
the base character he was represented to be—let hirn,
have the opportunity of regaining that throne of whi'
I innocent, he ought never to have been deprived; and
'the duties of which he was so competent to fulfil.
The CHAIRMAN (who spoke in a very low tone
of
voice, and was but imperfectly heard througherat his whole
address) said that it was not his intention follow the
gentlemen who had preceded him throug'a all the various
topics to which they had alluded, beta-,use he considered
the question as settled.—(Hear, hear... ) He found on in-
vestigating the subject that all the. authorities in India,
the authorities in this country, and the Court of Direc-
tors, all concurred in the propr;_e_cy of the proceedings
adopted in India.—(Hear, her
.r)
The Court of Proprie-
tors must know that in tie., present case they had no
power to alter the resolut
Direc-
tors had come to in ree, '.,ons which the Court of Three-
ard to this subject.—(Cheers, and
cries of " Oh! oh!)
had no power to a TAt was perfectly true that that Court
%cer or to vary, or to suspend, any re-
solution of the P,,oar
had received t dof Directors after that resolution
approbation of the Board of Control,
therefor eth present discussion could be of no practical
use.—(ll'ear, hear.) Such was his firm opinion.—(Hear,
hear.).ee It so happened that when the subject had first
n .ornachecl, 119 was out of the Direction, but on his
retarn he had looked the papers carefully over, and he
would say that if he had been a member of the Direc-
tion at that time he should have concurred in every-
thing that bad taken place.—(Hear.) When he found
that all th‘ authorities concurred in one opinion on the
subject, 'that the Governor-General and the Lieutenant-
GoveThor of Agra, Mr. Wilberforce Bird, the two suc-
cer.sive Governors of Bombay, Mr. Anderson, the Com-
missioners, who themselves conducted the investigation,
when he saw, without exception, every eminent man in
India was unanimous on this subject, he must say that
lie did not consider they were now in a condition to ob-
ject to that decision. He never saw a more forcible
body of evidence in his life, and after reading the ela-
borate minutes of Sir R. Grant, who had most atten-
tively considered the subject, and considering the una-
nimous opinion that had been come to by the most emi-
nent authorities in India, he must confess that he thought
it impossible to come to the conclusion that all those
persons were acting under a delusion. Those gentlemen
were fully competent to form a judgment as to the
character and credibility of evidence, and it was
impossible to think that they were all acting under the
influence of some extreme delusion throughout this in-
quiry. An Hon. Proprietor had expressed himself as
thinking that because Sir James Carnac left this country
impressed favourably with regard to the Raja, that,
therefore his subsequent conduct was inconsistent. Now
nothing could be more natural than the conduct of Sir
J. Carnac. He hadth left this country favourably im-
pressed towards Raja, and when he became
better informed, as he got fresh evidence, he was induced
to alter his opinion , such would be the case with
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