The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-16 00:00:00

Do

EAST INDIA COMPANY.

MEETING THIS DAY.

This afternoon a special meeting of the proprietors
was held at the East India House, Leadeshall-street,
for the purpose of laying before the proprietors of East
India stock, for their approbation, resolutions of the
Court of Directors, granting to Major-General Sir Arch-
dale Wilson, Bart., K.C.8., an annuity of 1,0001., and
to Lady Neill, the widow of the late Brigadier-General
Neill, and to Mrs. Nicholson, mother of the late
Brigadier-General John Nicholson, special pensions of
5001. per annum respectively.
Mr. MANGLES, chairman of the Board of Directors,
presided.

There was a very full attendance.
The CHAIRMAN then communicated to the meeting the
resoletion above referred to, which was unanimously
adopted by the Court of Directors.

The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the first
resolution, relative to Sir A. Wilson, referred to the
distinguished servicee of that gallant officer during
his period of service in India, which have recently
been . made known to the public through the medium
of the press. He reviewed the conduct of our
troops in India during the present revolt, and the high
reputation Sir A. Wilson had obtained by his gallant
conduct in an early period of the outbreak, remarking
that from the time when he took the command there was
a marked difference in the tactics of the besieging force,
which led to ultimate success, but it must be understood
that he (the Chairman) made no reflection on the con-
duct of the previous generals who had the command of
our troops before Delhi ; they having pursuedthebest and
only course open to them up to that period. Gen. Wilson
bad, however, overcome difficulties that could only have
been eurpaseed by British troops, ably seconded, how-
ever, by the gallant conduct of the Sikhs.
,(Hear, hear.)
The services of General Wilson had been recognised by
the Crown, and it remained now for that Court to mark
their approbation of them. (Hear, hear.) The Gavern-
went had intimated their intention to extend the
pension of General Havelock to his son, and if General
Wilson had had a son, the Directors would have pro-
posed a pension for two lives. He concluded
by moving the adoption of a resolution, granting a
pension of 1,0001. to General Wilson, commencing from
the 14th September, the day on which Delh: was taken.
Sir F. CURRY, deputy-chairman, briefly.eeconded the
resolution.

The resolution was put and carried.
The CHAIRMAN then proposed a pension of 500/. a
year each to the widows of Brigadier-General Neill and
Brigadier-General Nicholson, passing in review the
gallant conduct of this lamented officer up to the period
of the relief of Lucknow, when, unhappily for the country
and his family, he met his death. His short but active
career at Benares had rendered him an honour to the
service. He also referred to the dibtinguished services
of Brigadier-General Nicholson, who entered the service
simply as a regimental captain in 1839, and though not
thirty-five years of age when he died before Delhi, he
held the high position of brigadier-general. He need
not dilate on the qualifications of so young a man, who
could in so short a period raise himself to that dis-
tinguished position. Brigadier-General Nicholson was
also as good a civil officer as he was a military
commander. At the beginning of the outbreak Sir J.
Lawrence, who knew how and where to select the best
men, appointed him Brigadier-General of a flying
column in the Punjaub, where he sustained the reputa-
tion of the British arms. His life was one career of de-
votion to India. He was insensible to fear, and care-
less of life, and he fell as soldiers desired to fall—viz., in
the discharge of his duty, in pushing forward vic-
torious troops towards the consummation of what
they all desired. Mrs. Nicholson had lost two sons
in India, and a third had been desperately wounded
there.

Sir F. CURRY also seconded the resolution, and
referred to the eminent qualities of Brigadier-General
Nicholson during the Sutlej campaign, and which he
reported to Lord Dalhousie at the time. Brigadier-
General Nicholson was under him for upwards of 18
months. He possessed in an eminent degree the highest
personal courage and recklessness of life, which were
virtues in a soldier's life. At the same time he possessed
tact, energy, and indomitable perseverance,* such as
inspired confidence in all around him.

Mr. LaWIN moved an amendment that, as tho sum of
ROL a year did not represent the sense of the Court,
and was inadequate to the support of a lady holding the
position of a widow of a K.C.8., this Court was of
opinion that an annuity of 1,2001. a year would more
adequately represent I her station in society, had not
General Neill fallen in the service of his country. In
the case of Brigadier-General Nicholson, the amount
was also inadequate to meet the requirement of justice
and the services of the individual. Lord Ellenborough
was made an earl in spite of the Board of Directors, and
bad his recommendations, and those of Sir C. Napier,
been attended to, this rebellion, erroneously called a
mutiny, would never have happened. It was generally
believed that the Court of Directors did not properly
reward their officers.

The CHAIRMAN said that by the regulation of the ser-
vice Lady Neill was only entitled to 1201. alear pen-
sion ; by this resolution she would gain' 380/. over and
above that sum.

Mr. J. LOCKE, M.P. (Southwark), seconded the
amendment. He complained of the wording of the ori-
ginal resolution, which led the meeting to believe that
these ladies were to have 5001. a year each when
it was not the case. He asked if these ladies were to
IllniilmryivlclAy the resolution of any benefit from the
The CHAIRMAN—No. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. Loo urged that 5001. a year was much too
small. These men had really earned distinction, and
ought to be rewarded. Their conduct had been different
from Loamy officers who went to the Crimea, and re-
mained just long enough for their names to become
known, and then came home and received honours.
(Hear, hear.)

Mr. Sergeant GAZALRE considered 5001. a year was a
sorry pittance for Lady Neill and her nine children, but
Mr. LEWIN withdrew his arnencinent, and moved an-
other—that the sum should be 7501. a-year each, in
substitution of the other claims.
1,2001. was too much. (Hear, hear.) He thought there
was a difference i❑ the two oases, Mrs. Nicholson was
only entitled to 801. by the regulations.
A DIRECTOIt—MrP. Nicholson is 70 years of age.
The CiIAIEILLN said the directors would meet the
feeling of the meeting, by granting the pension in addi-
tion to the regulated pension and claims on the military
fund, and not im substitution, as first proposed. Ile
reminded the meeting they were not voting their own
money, and observed that the Court of Directors had
given Brigadier-General Wilson as much as the Govern•
had given General havelock.
The amendment having been seconded,
The CHAIRMAN explained. Mrs. Nicholson had no
claim on the Compassionate Fund. Without the reso-
lution Lady Niel would be entitled to 1201. pension,
201. a year from the Compassionate Fund for each of
the children, and between 6001. and 6001. a year for
herself and children from the military fund which was
independent of the company.
Ultimately the amended resolution was carried.
(We shall give the conclusion in our last edition.]

Viscount Melville left town last evening, for Melville
Castle, near Edinburgh.
WREOS OF THE SHIP DUI BA,R.—The great loss of life
occasioned by the wreck of the ship Dunbar on the coast
of New South Wales, in August last, had caused the
greatest excitement in that colony. Most of the
it government Sydney papers announced the-sad event with mourning
borders.
thecoast colonial
with
h
The
principal merchants at Sydney are now
en gaged in pro-
viding
lifeboats, and the former
has ordered two lifeboats on the plan of those adopted
by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, to be built
by the Messrs. Forrestt, Litnehouse,
suffi
cit and some of the
A letter from Brunswick, of the 9th, in the Con-
stitutionnel, says :—" A. fresh intervention in the
affairs of the Duchies has somewhat unexpectedly
arisen. `!he Cabinet of Berlin has been informed
diplomatically that the Russian Minister at Copen-
hagen has presented a note to the Danish Cabinet
which sets forth these points in very explicit terms:
—That the Cabinet of St. Petersburg cannot longer
remain a simple spectator of a difference which,' if
prolonged, will inevitably end in creating the great-
est difficulties and evenpositivedangersin the midst
of Europe; that the German governments have al-
ways prominently displayed in the question a very
marked spirit of prudence and conciliation—an ex-
ample happily imitated by the reserve, full of mode-
ration, of the Germanic Diet ; and that it is now the
turn of Denmark to think seriously of making real
concessions, so as to show regard for the recent
vary courteous proceedings of the Germanic Diet
towards the cabinet of Copenhagen. The note,
however, declares that in the eyes of Russia the
question under discussion in nowise affects the
rights of Denmark over Sleswick, which she thinks
ought to be completely separated from that relative
to the duchies of Holstein and Lauenburg. It
also declares the the Emparor AlexanFler in the line
of conduct which he has resolved on adopting is
influenced only by a Sentiment of justice arising
from the calm examination which he has made of
the question ; and that consequently no selfish
interests can be ascribed to the Russian govern-
ment."