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

EAST INDIA COMPANY.

MEETING THIS DAY.

This afternoon a special meeting of the proprietors
was lull at the Ea,t India House, Leadenhall-street,
for the purpose of laying before the proprietors of East
India stock, for their approbation, resolutions of the
Cturt 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 B.'ard of Directors,
presided.

There wai a very full attendance.
The CHAIRMAN then communicated to the meeting the
resolution 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 services of that gal'aut 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 iu the tactics of the besieging force,
which led to ultimate suttees, 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 pursued the best and
only course open to them up to that period. Gen. Wilson
bad, however, overcome difficulties that could only have
been surpassed by British troops, ably seconded, how-
ever, by the gallant conduct of the Sikhs. (Hear, hear.)
The services of General Wilson had been recogoi,ed by
the Crown, and it remained now for that Court to mark

their approbation Of them. (Hear, hear.) The G )vern-
ment 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 Delhi was taker.
Sir F. CURRY, deputy-chairman, briefly seconded the
res, lntion.

The resolution was put and carried.
Tbo CHAIRMAN then proposed a pension of EOO/. 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, unhappi►y for the country
and his family, he met his death. His short but active
carter at Benares ha I rendered him an honour to the
service. He alio referred to the distinguished services
cf 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 Dtlhi, he
held the high position of brigadier-general. Ile need
not dilate on the qual fications 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 civrl 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 insocsible 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 tiße consummation of what
they all desired. Mrs. Nicholson had lost two eons
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-
Geiteral 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 Pane time he possessed
tact, energy, and indomitable perseverance, such as
inQpired confidence in all around him.

Mr. LEWIN moved an amendment that, es the sum of
5001. 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 this Court was of
opinion that an annuity of 1,2001. a year would more
adequately represent lher station in society, had not
General Neill fallen in the service of his country. In
the case of Briga,dier..General Nicholson, the amount
was also inadequate to meet the requirement of justice
and the services of the individual. Lord Ellenbcrongh
wai made an earl in spite of the Board of Directors, and
had his recornmendatons, arid those or Sir C. Napier,
been attended to, this rebellion, erroneously called a
mutiny, would never have happened. It was generally
baieved that the Court of Directors did not properly
reward their officers.

The CHAIRKAN said that by the regulation of the ser-
vice Lady Neill was only entitled to 1201. a year pen-
sion ; by tbis resolution she would Baia 3801. over and
above that sum.

Mr. J. LOCKE, MT.
(Southwark), seconded the
amendment. He c3roplained of the wording of the ori-
gival resolution, which led the meeting to believe that
tl:e;e ladies wcr3 to have 500/. a year each when

it was not the case, lie asked if these ladies were to
be deprived by the resolution of any benefit from the
military fund.

The CIIAI/ImArr---N„. (Hear, bear.)
Mr. LOCKE 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 maiay officer.; who went to the Crimea, and re-
mained just long enough for their names to become
known, and then carne home and received honours.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. Sergeant Clezmam considered 5001. a year was a
sorry pittance for Lady Neill and her nine children, but
1,2001. was too much. (Hear, bear) He thought there
was a difference in the two eases, Mrs. Nicholson was
only entitled to 801. by the regulatiung.
A. DIRECTOR—Mrs. Nicholson is 70 years of age.
The CUAIRMIN said the directors would meet the
feeling of the meeting, by granting the pension in addi-
tion to the regulated pension and c:aims on the military
fund, and not in substitution, as first proposed. He
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-
ment had given General Havelock.

Mr. LEWIN withdrew his amendment, and moved an-
other—thatbe 750/, a-year each, in
substitution tohfeths:m othersho
s.

The amendment having been seconded,
The CHAIRMAN explained. Mrs. Nicholson had no
claim on the Compas3ionate Fund. 'Without the reso-
lution Lady Neill would be entitled to 120/. pension,
201. a year from the Cumpassiona.te Fund for each of
the children, and between 500/. and 6001. a year for
herself and children from the military fund which was
independent of the comNikny_
Ultimately the amended
_resolution !was carried by
31 to 20.
The Court then broke up.

Vi.-count Melville left town last evening., for Melville
Castle, near Edinburgh.
‘,77ese,kitc:f httei:ntiriiiiialt-13t,1174:lonc.;,t.,uh:cii,ot7et
Ttllher SHIP DUNIIA.R.—The great loss of life
Sydney pliers annut!necd the fivi event with mourning
border'. The colonial government and some of the
principal merchants at Sydney are now engaged in pro-
()°,7clr:lNV:istr3Riv4:67tcvKB4;'°ll,ibternent in that T.,104 of do,
viding the coast with sufficient lifeboats, and the former
has ordered two lifeboats on the plan of those adopted
y the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, to bo built
by the Messrs. Forrestt, Lb:Debt:sus?.
By order of the Cardinal A.rchbishop of Paris,
midnight maFs will be celebrated on Cristmas-eve
in all the churches in the capital. Mgr. Morlot
will officiate pontificially at Notre Dame.
The French government, in order to prevent a
repetition of the mistake which occurred at the
Bourvo the other day, in transmitting by t-legraph
the quotations of the Stock Exchange at London,
has ordered that henceforth the quotations shall be
transmitted in words instead of figures.