The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-25 00:00:00

EAST INDIA HOUSE,.

The following is a more extended account of the
proceedings than we wore enabled to give in our
impression of yesterday :

Yesterday the usual quarterly Court of Proprie-
tors of East India Stock was held at the East India
House—Mr: Ross Mangles in the chair.

The minutes of the last ex!raordinary Court
having been read and confirmed,
The CHAIRMAN laid before the Court the Par-
liamentary papers connected with the Government
of India, laid before the Legislature since the last
regular quarterly Court.

SIR JAMES C. MELVILL.
Mr. HELPS then rose and said that he had great
pleasure in moving that the thanks of the Court of
Proprietors should be presented to their late secre-
tary, Sir James C. Melvill, for the admirable man-
ner in which he had for a lengthened number of
years performed the duties of his office. It would,
he considered, be doing an injustice to the subject
of his motion were he to enter upon any arguments
to prove that they ought to pay Sir James Melvill
that compliment. (Cheers.) They had all been
witnesses of the very able manner in which Sir
James had conducted himself, and had seen how
that in every case, and in every capacity, he had
proved himself one of the most competent officers
it was possible for any company to possess. (Co eers. )
He had ever exhibited towards the Court of Pro-
prietors an amount of courtesy which must have
recommended him to every gentleman connected
with the Court. Sir James Melvill had been their
faithful servant for upwards of half a century, and
although under existing circumstances he (Mr.
Helps) did not anticipate so long a tenure of office
by the worthy gentleman who had been appointed
his successor, yet he would say that if at the end
of his term of office he carried with him into pri-
vate life the same amount of general respect and
confidence, he might indeed consider himself fortu-
nate. (Hear, Lear.) Mr. Helps concluded by mov-
ing the following resolution •—"That this Court of
Proprietors desire to express their high sense of
the distinguished ability, the unexampled zeal
and energy, and the sterling integrity with which
Sir J. C. Melvill, K. C. 8., the late secretary, has
served the East India Company during the term of
50 years ; and the deep regret which they feel at
the loss of his invaluable services ; and that the
chairman be requested to convey to Sir J. Melvill
their cordial thanks for the admirable manner in
which he has for so long a period performed his
duties."

Mr. LEwier, in seconding the motion, said that
during his connection with the Court of Proprie-
tors, he had had many opportunities of personal
intercourse with their late secretary, and he could
most siucerely say that he never left his presence
without carry mg with him that informal ion in r.
Lion to Indian affaers which he had been desirous
to obtain. There were combined in Sir J. Melvill
the greatest ability, the greatest impartiality, and
the most thorough knowledge of everything con-
nected with the government of India. (Cheers.) He
had, in fact, been to a great degree in himself the
Court of Directors. (Hear.) His great experience
in the affairs of India rendered it almost unneces-
sary these should be a Court of Directors at all.
ludetd, so great was the influence which Sir James
Melvin exercised at the Board, that Sir C. Forbes
used to call him the director-general—(a laugh)—
and so great had been his ability, so eminent his
respectability.of character, and so conspicuous his
high sense of honour, that the government of India,
so long as he bad ceutinued their secretary, might
have been conducted as well without the Court of
Directors as with it. (Cheers.)
Mr. CRAWSHAY, in supporting the motion, said
it was unnecessary for him to enlarge upon the
merits of Sir J. Melvill, as they had ben already
acknowledged, not only th -re, but also in Parlia-
ment, and had been subscribed by all the must
eminent statesmen and by the leading men of
every party in England. When the petition
of the Company was presented in the House
of L ads, the Duke of Argyll, if he (Mr. Craw-
shay) rerneelbercd rthtly, expressed a wish that
whatever might Le the changes introduced into the
Government of India, he hoped that they would be
able to retain the services of the two eminent gen-
tlemen by whom that petition had been drawn up,
viz., Sir J. Melvill and Mr. Mill. The merits and
ability of those gentlemen had been made the sub-
jects of frequent encomia. That being the case, he
(Mr. Ciawshay) was astonished that Government
had overlooked the lesson to be derived from it.
Was the East India Carapany, as a body, so effete
as it was represented to be, when there were to be
found among its servants men of that description ?
(Hear.) He was c invinced that neither of those
gentlemen, no matter how great their ability,
would have attained to the. same stanOard of emi-
nence had they been engaged in the service of the
Crown. (Hear.) The East India Company bad
made it a Jule to discover, reward, and encourage
genius, and in no one instance had their discrimi-
nation been more sif;nally manifested than in the
case of Sir J. IVl‘Jvill. That eminent public ser-
vant had been, in fact, the Secretary of State fer
India ; his experience of the government of Indie
extended over a period of 50 years, and he would
in the pages of history go down to posterity as one
of the most eminent statesmen it had been the good
fortune of any country to have produced. (Hear.)
Mr. JONES, as one of the most troublesome mem-
bers of the Court of Praprieto s, could not allow
the motion to pass without expressing his concur-
rence in it. He had not had the pleasure of per-
sonal intercourse with Sir J. Melvill, but he had,
in coriesponcle ce with him, obtained a most mas-
terly expositien of the affairs of India. He had,
too, carefully perused Sir James's evidence betore
the Hewn of Commons, and he was bound to say
that had he be-n an iedifft rent jud _e between the
Company and the Board of Control, he would
from that evidence have had no diffi. ulty in decid-
ing that the goverament of India was conducted
with far more ability in Leadenhall-street than in
Cannon-row. He was glad to see that if they
lost ,he services of the father, they had obtained
the presence of the son, his (Mr. Jones's) old
s.thoolfeliow, at their board. .
The CHAIRMAN said he had great satisfact'on and
gratification in putting to the Court the motion for
that vote of thanks to thetr late secretary which he
so well and so emiueetly deceived. The Court of
Directors accepted with pleasure such a vote cone,
ing from the proprietors, and not with less pleasure
on account of the dash of bitters cast into the
draught by the worthxyeep,rotrips,riaentodr,n hadti‘hlart.hLeeivviaidn,
donewlio
had told them that Sit J. Melvill been in him-
selfthe twhtetolee'Olif thit(°f D
busiiHieesswoafs readythelB members
tc-!_
y
tChoeu
vastrt of
sDe r
vrectors. .
the late scere tapre
fosstir thmde aeels)cisest gratitude of the Court of Direc-
tors tauce and support which they had
ever receive d from Sir J. Melvill. They had already
by a vote of their own body acknowledged those
services in the warmest terms. ,
and to ex
anickbenroswelf: edge

The resolution was put and carricd by acclama•
tion.

in answer to Capt. Shea, stated
that
informed what were the pro-
visionsintroducedTHE NEW EAST INDIA BILL.
Theh a C
of the bill to be introduced into the Iloui.e
of Commons on Friday next, fur the better govern-
illiaAdlß not been
govern-
meLt of India.