The Sun.
London, England, 1835-04-20 00:00:00

EAST INDIA COMPANY.

Mr. ROBINSON wished very shortly to call the attention
of the House to the case of those officers of the East India
Company who had been excluded from the grant of compen-
sation. It would be in the recollection of the House that, on
a former day he had presented a petition from a nu-

merous body of the managing officers of the East India
Company who had been excluded from compensation,
and he had given notice on that occasion, that he would follow
it up by a motion for a Select Committee to inquire into
the subject as to whether the terms of the Act were of such a
nature as to exclude the claims of those officers, and owing to
the particular nature of the public business, he had not been
able to do so ; and under those circumstances he wished
again to bring the subject under the consideration of the
House, as those officers were apprehensive thai they
might suffer some disadvantage from the adjournment of
the House before their case was fully laid before them.
Under these circumstances only the petitioners presented their
present petition to the House. The object of the petition
was to state that the petitioners had exerted themselves by
every means in their power to have reasonable compensation from
the East India Company, Board of Control, and at the Bar of
that House; but in consequence of the state of public business,
it had been impossible to consider the claims of the petitioners,
and therefore they had presented the petition. He (Mr. R.)
stood in the House as the advocate of the petitioners, to beg
that the House would allow the petition to be presented, in
order that their claims might not be forfeited by the lapse of
time. His ( Mr. Robinson's) opinion was, that the claims of
the officers would not be priudiced by that circumstance.
It was however a fact that these gentlemen had been excluded
from any compensation whatsoever—their claims in his opinion
were more deserving of consideration than many which had been
favourably received. The petitioners did not dispute any claims
that had been allowed; but all that they asked was, that
their's should be considered by the House, before the East In-
dia Company finally adjudicated upon them. With respect
to the motion of which he had given notice for a Committee
upon the subject, he felt it his duty to postpone it, considering
the situation in which the Government was at present placed.
Mr. PR AED observed, that whatever disposition he might
feel to do justice to the petitioners, he did not think the House
could travel out of the Act of Parliament. He admitted that
some cases were entitled to relief, but with respect to tEe
mass of the officers who had signed the petition, they had nct
been employed by the Company for 30 years.
Mr. O'CONNEL L trusted that the House would take no
positive steps without having the matter fully discussed.

Mr. CARRUTHERS rose, when the SPEAKER made some ob-
servations which were inaudible in the gallery, but must have
been for the purpose of putting an end to the discussion on
this petition, as the subject was immediately dropped, and the
petition was laid on the table.
Mr. ROEBUCK complained that it was impossible to learn
when bills were to be read, and that in consequence of the
want of such information he had been prevented from making
some observations respecting a petition from Canada.
Mr. TOOKE presented a petition against the Greenwich
and London Railway, and moved that it be referred to the
Committee, and that the petitioners be heard by Counsel.