The Sun.
London, England, 1848-07-12 00:00:00

House to consider what was the character and position

of Colonel °vans. The Hon. Member for the Tower
th.tulets had himsdf admitted that that gallant officer's
character stood very high ; and, in the papers laid upon
the table, there were documents from every department

of the Government of Bombay with which Oolone], ()vans
had been connected, bearing the strongest testimony to
his high and honourable character. But the Hon. Mem-

her fo—r. the Tower Hamlets was not content with attack-

in; Col. Ovans. Ile had also charged Sir R. Grant, the
late Governor of Bombay, a man of tried honour and
integrity, and the Council and Government of that Pre-
sidency, with being suborners of perjury and forgery.
Now he (Mr. Elliot) would ask the House if they could

for a moment bulieve that persons of such high character
arid position in julia could be guilty of these crimes ?
This was a most monstrous accusation, and the person
who made it was boom' to show that, in preferring such

a charge, he was not actuated by motives of pecuniary
interest or of personal animosity. Now he (Mr. Elliot)

had been anxious to ascertain what had been the avoca-
tions of the lion. Member for the Tower Hamlets in

India. The Hon. Member bad been, he believed, the
paid agent of the Raja of Sattara, and he thought that
circumstance was sufficient to excite some suspicion with
regard to the charges he had made. He (Mr. Elliot)
held in his hand a statement which he had received from
a gentleman who had met the Hon. Member for tho
Tower Hamlets in India, and who seemed to have been

well acquainted with his movements. That statement
referrea to another agency in which the Hon. Member
had been engaged; and he (Mr. Elliot) thought, it he
could show that the Hon. Gentleman, in conducting that
agency, had not been quite so accurate in his statements
as ho ought to have been, he might infer that the Hon.
Gentleman might have been somewhat inaccurate in the
statement he had made on this occasion. His informant
stated, that on the return of the late Baboo Dwarka-
nauth Tagore to India from his first visit to England
he was accompanied by Mr. G. ThOmpson, as a sort of
itinerant philanthropist; that Mr. Thompson happening
to see an advertisement circulated by the King of Delhi,

Calling for tenders of services frotia parties desirous to
proceed to England to advocate his claims before the
Home authorities, offered his services; that Mr. Thomp-
son undertook to proceed to England as his Majesty's
vakeel, his Majesty undertaking to advance 5,000
rupees, or 5001., tor the expenses of his journey to Delhi.
Mr. THOMPSON begged to ask who was the author
of the document ?
Mr. ELLIOT would give the Honoarable Gentleman
the name of the writer afterwards. His informant

proceeded to state that the King of Delhi agreed to
give Mr. Thompson a salary of 12,000 rupees a year,
and that a written agreement to that effect was
drawn up ; but on Mr. Thompson's arrival at
Allahabad he intimated his wish that a house

might be prepared for his arrival at Delhi. The palace
of the late Begum Sumroo was witk some difficulty pro-
vided for Mr. Thompson, who also required the King to
provide both table and servants, besides making a sub-
sequent demand of 200 rupees a month for table ex-
penses during his journey from Calcutta. Mr. Thomp-
son subsequently demanded and obtained a further ad-
vance of 1,000 rupees a month for the period of his
sejourn at Delhi, which was most reluctantly paid by
the King. On Mr. Thompson's arrival in England he
submitted his Majesty's claims before a duly assembled
meeting of the proprietors, at which it appeared, from
the outlines of the debate received by the mails, that
Mr. Thompson made use of such intemperate and in-
discreet language as to call down upon him the severest
rebuke of the chairman; but by the seme mail Mr.
Thompson forwarded the King of Delhi a newspaper
called the Indian Advocate, supposed to be edited by
himself, containing a full report of a totally different
version of the debate. The statement added, that he
accompanied it with a letter from himself, claiming great
credit for complete success, and reminding the King of
the promised remuneration; that the King sent to Delhi
directing a royal salute to be fired in commemoration of
Mr. Thompson's victory, but that the commandant of
the :palace guards pointed out that all the reports of
the debate that he had seen gave quite a different view
of the case from this very peculiar report; that fur-
ther explanation followed, and the salute was
never fired, nor did Mr. Thompson pocket another
stiver of his Majesty's money—(A laugh)—that the
King's reply was, that he waited the official confirmation
of Mr. Thompson's success—(A laugh)—that other
copies of the report of Mr. Thompson's version of the
debate were sent to several natives of rank, probably
with an eye to their becoming profitable customers..
That the King having conferred the title of ambassador
upon Mr. Thompson, and thereby enlisted him, as he
imagined, in his sole employ, was much annoyed on find-
ing that he also became the paid agent of the late Raja
of Sattara, as well as by Mr. Thompson forwarding from
England repeated demands for large sums of money, said
to be required for copyists, though the 1001. per mensent
was, under Mr. Thompson's own handwriting, to corer
all demands except the reward for ultimate success.
The gentleman who had put this statement into his (Mr.
Elliot's) hand was Major Angelo, who was commandant
of the palace guard at the time ; and he would be ready
to confirm the statement if the Honourable Member
should get the Committee.—(Hear, hear.) The
Honourable Member on a former occasion gave the
House to understand that the Raja of Sattara was
placed on the throne as his right, and that the Govern-
ment in India was not authorised to remove him for
a breach of treaty. The fact, however, was that the
country had been conquered by the British, and it was
entirely at their option to place over it anybody or no
one, and, if anybody, whom. They chose Pertaub
Sheen, who, on having the territory ceded to him, en-
gaged, "to hold it in subordinate co-operation with the
British Government, and to be guided in all matters by
the advice of the British agent at his court;" also "to
forbear from all intercourse with foreign Powers, and
with all persons not rendered by these articles subject to
his authority; to have with them no connexion or corre-
spondence; any affairs that might arise with there
relating to his Highness to be exclusively con-
ducted by the British Government;" and it was
added, that " this article was a fundamental condi-
tion of the agreement, and any departure from it, on
the Raja's part, was to subject him to the loss of all
the advantages he might gain by the agreement." Now,
he was charged with having opened communication with
the Portuguese settlement of Goa and with the ex-Raja
of Nagpore, with having endeavoured to corrupt native
officers in one of the Bombay regiments, and with refus-
ing to bo guided by the advice of the British agent. The
Hon. Member, unable to deny that there was ample evi-
dence to prove these charges, had resorted to the old
Indian expedient of charging perjury against every wit-
ness, and forgery against every document—(Hear)—and
charging honourable men in high office with being su-
borners of perjury. It was monstrous that any one should
stand up in that House and make such charges against
such men.—(Hear.) The Hon. Member had appealed
to two persons as being of opinion that the Raja was
not guilty. One of them was Mr. Shakspeare, formerly
a member of the Bengal Government, and a judge of the
highest court of appeal; but the Hon. Member ought to
have stated that Mr. Shakespeare died three years before
the inquiry was completed.—(Hear.) The other was
General Lodwick, the resident at Sattara, and who was
a member of the commission to inquire into the charges.
But General Lodwick, being examined before that
commission, proved that the Raja bad appointed all
agent to proceed to England to represent his claims 10
the borne authorities, and that his Highness would not
consult him (the resident) according to the treaty; that
the Raja considered himself an injured man—(Bear)-'
and was misled by a few interested and bad advisers.
He was evidently a man of weak mind, not likely to bear
up against intrigue; a witness, in whose veracity
General Lodwick said he had as full confidence
as in any native of India he ever knew, gave
an account of the Raja being promised an intro-
duction to the ghost of his deceased relation—(
laugh)—and being led to believe that he did see and eon'
verse with the ghost. The charge of intrigue with °ther
powers was thoroughly sifted by competent men—such
as Mr. Robertson, a member of the Supreme Geri/0:
ment, Mr. Bird, and General Morison, who was now ",
Member of that House, and who assured him (Mr. Elliot)
that he carefully went through the whole case, and never
was more convinced of the guilt of any one. As to the
Raja having no trial, it would have been a gross indir
nity to place him at the bar of a criminal court. Ws
offence was a political offence, and the inquiry was made
as it always was in such cases ; it was the descripti°
of inquiry to which the Company's servants wet:
subject.--(Mr. Thompson dissented.) There was
positive regulation to that effect. A commission ver,
appointed to institute an inquiry oa the spot, the 0011
difference m ode in this case being that the Raja Was
allowed to reeeon there while the investigation Wee
on.—(Hear, hear.) The Hon. Member spoke of tlie
destitution of the tje'a family; why the Ranee wo
possession this moment of 1,0001. a year, and bets
daughter of 500/. a year, and it was said that he le ,
43,000/. in cash and jewels.—(hear.) He chose to have
European agents at Bombay, and that agency establlsf;
ment caused his ruin.—(Hear.) The tact was, as
had before stated, that the Raja became involved toe
difficulties in consequence of placing himself under thile
guidance of designing men—European agents. IPg
evils resulting from the practice of native princes havii!°o
recourse to European agents was forcibly depicted
dispatches written by Sir John Malcolm, Mr. ElPbiti,
stone, Sir J. Carnac, and Colonel Ovaus. The last
named gentleman stated that up to 1839 the Raja of Silt,
o
tare had paid 36,0001. to his European agents ,0
Bombay alone. It was unnecessary for b' 0
to occupy the attention of the House for 0
longer period. His object had been to show the 1:1°,110,
that if they wished to inflict the greatest curse pneale.
on the people of India, it was only necessary to givedo.
couragetnent to complaints of this description. Ant for
contented person in India might find an agent to set
eer
him in this country. If the Hon. Member for the T 074
Hamlets had a pecuniary object in view he might r:j
apply for this Committee. The Hon. Member
.qe
shown in a letter which ho wrote what he expected 11
succeeded in the case of the King of Delhi.
Mr. G. THOMPSON denied that he had written
letter of the description alluded to.
Mr. ELLIOT said that the fact had been conseoul:
cated to him on authority in which he placed o°"the
dente. The lion. Member might not remember, to
circumstance, he had no doubt, that he wrote a lettelice
the King of Delhi, asking for the remuneration "DO
the Hon. Member deemed himself entitled to for
services. _ _ _

Mr. G. THOMPSON—I deny it. for
Mr. ELLIOT.—Tne Hen. Member had perhar it
gotten the circumstances; it was some time si!luvob.
occurred. If the Hon. Member should succeed !.1 to'
taining the Committee he might go back to 113°1° bio
morrow, and return in a year with 100,0001. Int the
pocket.—(A laugh.) Only let it be known tb*cool'
Hon. Member had succeeded in appointing a f Pll
mittee to inquire into and set aside the decisions of
the constituttil authorities in India, and the Hon°,u, but
Member might not only enrich himself if be ell.o'lodia
do more towards ruining the British power It, for
than could be effected by any other means. Qt"