The Sun.
London, England, 1842-08-01 00:00:00

facts."

This document is attested by three witnesses ; and
here, Sir, let me state the only feeling of reluctance
I experience in bringing these papers before you—it is
a feeling of compassion for those who, if not shielded
from the malice of their enemies, when these things shall
be known in India, may fall the victims of the enemies of
the Raja. I throw on the Court of Directors the so-
lemn responsibility of protecting these persons. I ask
fee them safe conduct to Bombay, and an examination
there before a Judge of the Supreme Court.
If you let the mail depart without taking
steps to defend these persons, on your heads be the
guilt of any injury they may sustain. I shall now give
you the simple narrative of Rungoo Bapojee, now in
your presence. If you doubt it, call him to your
bar and examine him. " The Raja's two agents,
Faswunt Row, and Bugwunt Row, and myself,
were at this time in Bombay. We received a
letter from the Raja, instructing us to direct Haibut Row,
who was then at Mahim, on leave, to repair, without
delay, to Sattara. There was also a letter addressed to
Haibut Row himself. We sent the letter and the mes-
seuger eilie brought it to Haibut Row, and requested
him to come to us at Bombay. He came that even-
ing. We . told him to pass the night there, and to
set out early the following morning in the boat which
had been ordered for him. The next morning he
manifested great reluctance to proceed ; protested that
lie had dime nothing, and shed tears: A few days after-
wards we received orders from the Raja to proceed
to the house of a person named Nana Gurao, at
Mahim, and to pbtain from him certain -papers
which Haibut Row had left in his possession. We
all three went to Mahim, found out Nana Gurao,
and told him our errand. He acknowledged having
certain papers, but refused to give them up, saying,
Haibut Row was indebted to him. We thereupon
sent for Lukhsinun, the Brahmin, Haibut Row's: ser-
vant, whom he had left behind, and asked Lukhsmun
whether this was the case. He said it was, and that he was
desired to pay the money ; on which we'told him to pay
Nana Gurao, and Nana Gurao then delivered up the
papers, and made the above declaration, which was written
by Goviud Lokshmun, an inhabitant of Mahim, for Nana
Gurio. The two agents and myself carefully examined
the three papers. One of them, inserted below, was
filled up as a letter written by his Highness, and
as if recognising Haibut Row as one of his
agents. The two others were blank. To every
tee of them we found that the genuine seals of
his Highness had been affixed, the papers themselves
being utter forgeries.—RUSlGOO BAPOJEE. London,
July 16, 1842." Now, Sir, take another deposition.
'lt is the deposition of Atmaram Luksumun, (abbreviated)
taken et Samara, on the 22d of November, 1838. (This
person was brought from Poonali, at the requisition of
the Raja.) Addressed to the Resident, Colonel Grans.—
" I am acquainted with Gundput Rao Kibey, the nephew
of Balajikasi Kibey ; through him I became acquainted
with his uncle, to whose house I was taken. Bala-
jikasi Kibey asked me to get the Raja's seals, for
tiirging papers. I said I would, but I did not
succeed in my attempts to get them. Balajipunt
Natoo tied Kibey again sent for me and Haibat Row, and
promising us a jageer of ten thousand rupees, a lac of
rupees in cash, and also a pension from the Bombay Go-
vernment, took us to the Resident, Colonel Ovens. The
Resident promised that all this should be given to us.
Depending then upon this assurance, we returned and
got the Raja's seals from Janeo Bhandari ; after which
Haibat Reo, Vishwanath Row, Bapuji Anaud Rao, and
myself, affixed them to the forged papers. Bhawu Leley,
on a subsequent occasion, took some of these from my
handkerchief. This is a true and correct statement.—
(Signed) ATMARAM LURSUMUN." Now, Sir, for one from
the Keeper of his Highness' seals. " Deposition of
Janoo Bhandari, the person having the custody of his
_Highness' seals, taken on the 29th November, 1838.
as-Vishwanath Rao, Atmaram Luksumuns, and Haibut
Rae, spoke to me on the subject of the papers, and said
that if I would join theth in their project, Balajipunt
Nave). an d lialojikasi Kiln would be the means of ob-
taining for ifs a jageer of ten thousand rupees in money,
besides a pension for all of us, guaranteed by the Reai-
dent, Colonel Ovens. After this I gave up the seals,
whiCh liaibat Rao put upon the papers, and returned
to me. This is all I know of the circumstances. (Signed
by Wamonaji Moriehueer, for) JANOO BHANDARI, (Not
knowing how to write.)"
Mr. MARRIOTT said, he thought the Court had a right
to-know whether these papers were before the Court.
The Citataatae said, they were now brought to light
for the first time. They appeared to consist of the depo-
sitions of a single native, and he did not hesitate to sae
he did not believe a single word of them.—(Hear, hear:)
He would ask the Court whether they ought to allow
such papers to be read.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. WEEDINC said, that Colonel Ovans's character
required no defence at his hands, bid he would ask
whether the Hon. Proprietor should be at liberty to send
these depositions forth to the public; he should like to
know whether any gentleman was to read libels in that
Court.—(Hear, hear.) lie believed an Hon. Gentleman
must possess 1,000/. stock for a year before he
could speak in that Court, but the Hon. Proprietor
was possessed of only half that stock.(ilear, hear.)
The CHAIRMAN said, by courtesy, if not by law, a
Proprietor of 500/. had for some time past been allowed
to address the Court ; but it did appear to him a most
extraordinary thing that a Proprietor should speak upon
st subject, and when it carne to the vote he should be
obligeti to walk out of the Court.—(Hear, hear.) He
did 'not think it was treating the Court with proper
courtesy to read such papers, reflecting most atrociously,
he meat state, en the character of Colonel Ovens.
Mr. THOMPSON—Ere was not bringing any charges
against Colonel Ovans ; he was there to show reasons
for going into a new examination of the case of the
Reie Sattara.
The CHAIRMAN.--I must put it to the Court whether
thi. should he a lhaved to go on.—(" Hear, hear," amid
~t 1., ,0 f:Nion.)
Mr. Titomeeos would ask, if they objected to these
flee. tions, what were the depositions on which the
IZaia wee deposed ? Ile observed that the allusion to
the 1110 hilt of his qualification was contemptible. Ile
foul invested 1450/. to give him a right to Sit
iii thut Court. If it was all he could spare for
that •purpoSe, hi); apology must be that he
bad not enjoyed the same Means of making
wealth as many around him. He had had to carve his
own ihrtunea, and had laboured hard for what he pos-
sessed, end had gained-it in the cause of . justice and hu-
nianity. Let them go to Parliament and get an act to
raise the qualificatien. Possibly that even might not put
him down. Who knew but he might purchase another
ISM. of stock, and still be amongst them ? They might,
in order to annihilate hire, annihilate the Court of Pro-
prietors ; but they would, by so doing, annihilate them-
selves. His opponents had him at a disadvantage. He

could not use their weapons. Ho would not degrade
himself by resorting to them. Sir, lam not here for
any factious purpose. I abhor fiction and 'cabal. Our
country is cursed by faction. I would not walk from
Cornhill here for the sake of annoying you ; but I am
left without discretion in the course lam taking. Should
I fail to stand neon my right, and to reveal what I know
and believe, I should be a traitor to truth, and the vic-
tim of the bitterest self-reproach. But you will not hear
these papers, because they are not official, although they
were given to your own pet Governor, Sir James Carnac,
and ought to have become official. Well then, I will go
to the papers which you yourselves have furnished to
Parliament, and which I have examined at the Journal
office of the House of Commons, in the handwriting of
your own clerks, To prove the authenticity of these
documents, I will read you a letter from an officer in
your service to the very Colonel Ovans referred to in the
deposition :

" CAPTAIN F. DURACI TO LIEUTENANT-COLONEL OVANS,
RESIDENT AT SATTARA.

" Sattara. September 26, 1837.

" Sir,—l have the honour to acknowledge the rz%ceipt
of your letter of yesterday's date (not found in the Par-
liamentary- Papers) together with its accompaniment,
and in reply to subjoin the following statement :
" 2. Some days after my return to Sattara, from leave
of absence on medical certificate, in the month of June
last, Lieutenant Horne, who had been performing the
duties of Line Adjutant in my absence, mentioned to
me that a young lad of the name of Pundurung, and a
person calling himself Hywut Row, had called upon
him, and said, that they had been instructed by one
Bhawu Leley to say, that if he, Bhawu Leley, were
handsomely reWaided, he would procure certain treason-
able papers connected with the conspiracy in which his
Highness the Raja of Sattara, and his minister Govind
Row, were implicated.
" 3. Two or three days after Lieutenant Horne had
related the abOve to me, I received a visit from Pundu-
rung, who made a similar statement to me (and which,
on a subsequent occasion, I desired him to commit to
paper), I replied, thatif Bhawhu Leley had anything of a
treasonable nature to communicate, he had better come
to me and do so. Pundurung said he would tell him so,
and retired.

" 4. On the evening of the 11th, Bhawu Leley called at
the house of.my puroso (clerk), Auund Row, and stated
that he, was anxious to be introduced to me, and re-
quested permission to accompany him on his going to
office in the morning.
" 5. On the 12th Bhawu Leley came, accompanied by
the agents, Pundurung and Hywat Row ; the two latter
were dismissed. I then met him in my offize, and in the
presence of Lieutenant Horne and Anund Row, he re-
peated the substance of the matter contained in No. 2 :
after which he was desired to call on the 14th. He did
so, when I told him if he would call on the 16th I would
be able to give him a definite answer regarding the ad-
vance of money he had so earnestly solicited.
"6. As you were at this time hourly expected in
camp, this affair was not mentioned to Colonel Lodwick
at all, but on your arrival, the 16th of June, I reported
the circumstances to you, and requested instructions as to
what part I should take in the business ; and in reply
received your commands to sift the matter, if possible, to
the bottom, with authority to advance a sum not exceed-
ing two hundred rupees, to pay the expenses of Bhawu
Leley's trip to the place where those papers were said to
be ; also; to pass a note to the effect, that he would be
afterwards rewarded according to the services he per—
formed.

" 7. On the 16th, Bhawu Leley called, and I told him
he might have one hundred and fifty rupees for his ex-
penses. He accepted the sum on the condition of being
rewarded on his return with the seditious documents. _

"8. On the 18th of June Bhawu Leley received
from me one hundred and fifty rupees for the assigned
purpose, also a note of hand, of which No. 3 is a copy.
En return I received his autograph memorandum, No. 4,
in which the individuals are named to whom the sedi-
tious letters had been addressed, together with his re-
ceipt for the money, No. 5 : he then departed.
9. After the lapse of a month, Bhawu Leley called
upon me, and reported that he had been unable to find
the persons in whose possession the documents were, but
that the said persons would be at Poona during the fes-
tival of the Nag punchinee,' and of his intention to pro-
ceed thither, and to return in the course of fifteen days
with the papers. I replied, As you have failed to pro-
duce them within the given time, it becomes necessary
for you to return the money.' He said, Very well, I
will do SO.'

" 10. You will probably recollect my naming this cir-
cumstance, and your desiring me to give him a further trial.
" 11. When Bhawu Leley returned with the money, he
said, • I am not the bad man you take me for, and if you
will allow me fifteen days more, I will then satisfy you.'
I replied, • Very good, take the money again, and recol-
lect your promise to return with the papers fifteen days
hence.' He then left me, saying he would fulfil his

pro
12
" 12. day or two after that he started, I believe, for
Poonah, since which I have seen nothing of him.
" 13. The foregoing is, to the best of my recollection,
a faithful narrative of what passed.
" 14. A statement from Lieutenant Horne is appended,
No. 6; also one from Anund Row, No. 7.

4 15. The zubbannee (or deposition) which accompa-
nied your letter, is herewith returned.
(True Copy.)
(Signed) "F. DURACK, Staff Officer.
" W. H. WATHEN, Chief Secretary."
Mr. Thompson then read the whole of the depositions
referred to in the letter of Capt. Durack.
A PROPRIETOR-How do you know those papers were
ever in the hands of Sir James Carnac?

Mr. THoMPSoN would not answer that at present.—
(Loud cries of Nuestion.")
Mr. M. SMITH (a Director) hoped the dlscusion would
be allowed to go on, as it would show the necessity of
newly constituting that Court. • Let the libels go forth,
and it would give strength to the hands of the executive
in obtaining an alteration.
Mr. HOGG hoped the general Court would support the
Chair. The Hon. Proprietor was not to hold at defiance
or treat with contempt the authority of the Chair in
readinc, depositions and papers which were not sworn
to. He hoped the Chairman would express his opinion
strongly upon the subject.

The CHAIRMAN said he had expressed his opinion in
the first instance as to the conduct of the Hon. Pro-
prietor, and was of the same opinion still, and moved
again that the Court adjourn.
Mr. TnomPsox—l dare you to adjourn the Court.
The law will not permit you.—(Loud disapprobation.)
Mr. SALostoNs rose to order, and said, that as it was
the opinion that the papers the Hon. Proprietor was
about reading ought not to be read, he should desist.

Mr. THOMPSON persisted in proceeding.
The CHAIRMAN thought that, unless order and regu-
larity were preserved in their discussions, the Legislature
would think the Court of Proprietors a useless body.
Aspersions had been cast by the Hon. Proprietor on
men in the service of the Government of ledia—a
course unworthy of any man, and especially of one usu-
ally assuming to himself the character of liberality.
There was no ground for further discussion. The Court
of Directors thought the Raja a guilty man ; the Hon.
Proprietor thought him innocent.
Mr. THOMPSON persevered, on the ground that he
was speaking to the adjournment and he was stain
called to order.

This led to a desultory and rather hot discussion. in
which the Chairman, Mr. Weeding, Mr. Fielder, and
others took part ; and
Mr. THOMPSON declared that he would say all he had
to say; and would now proceed to show that documents
had been kept back for eleven months, which showed
the innocence of the Raja.
Mr. LEWIS asked whether the object of the motion
for adjournment was to deprive him of his right to be
heard on the original motion ?
The CHAIRMAN replied in the affirmative.
Here there were again loud and general cries of
" Question," in the midst of which

Mr. THOMPSON declared lie would proceed, having the
honour of an innocent man to advocate as well as to
vindicate the honour of that Court and that of the
Queen. The Raja was a proud man, was eppoSed to the
Brahmins, and was not likely to conspire with them to
plot against the power of the Government of India.
He would show that the plots were all on the side of the
enemies of the Raja, aided by the whole strength of
the Bombay Government. His next case should be taken
altogether from the Parliamentary unprinted papers,which
were also under the roof of that House. The Hon.
Proprietor then went into a very lengthened argument
to prove that a document purporting to proceed from the
mother of Govind Row, the Minister of his Highness,
and containing evidence of the Raja's guilt, was an
utter forgery; that the forger himself had confessed his
criminality to Colonel Ovens, in September 1837, and
delivered up all his papers ; but, although Col. Ovans
had before given to the Government of Bombay, a to-
tally different account of the authorship, he nevertheless
concealed the existence of these documents for eleven
months, and only then divulged them 'on the accidental
discovery of the plot by the Raja. These papers we will
publish hereafter. The first account of the petition of
Govind Row's mother, criminating both her son and the
Raja, was in a letter of Colonel Ovens, dated 7th July,
1837 ; and, although the deposition of the forger was
given to Colonel Ovens by the man himself, personally,
on the 20th of September, Colonel Ovens only sent the
deposition and accompanying documents on the 16th
August, 1838. Mr. Thompson contended that he had
now proved the necessity of going into the discussion of
the whole question. The fact was, that owing to the
disagreement with the Bombay Government arising out
of the seizure of the Raja's jagheers, a host of enemies
had appeared, and had succeeded in the ruin of the
Raja. He would remind the Court of the case of
Hastings, as described in an article attributed to Mr.
Macaulay. Warren Hastings, who had, like a god,
swayed the destinies of the native States in India,
was at one time all but ruined by the ma-
chinations of the Brahmin Nuncomer. The ma,
jority of the Calcutta Council were opposed to
Hastings.—" The natives (says the reviewer) soon found
this out. They considered him as a fallen man ; and
they acted after their kind. Some of our readers may
have seen, in India, a cloud of crows pecking a sick vul
ture to death—no bad type of what happens in that
country, as often as fortune deserts one who has been
great and dreaded. In an instant, all the sycophants
w.lio had lately been ready to lie for him, to forge for him,
to pander for him, to poisou for him, hasten to purchase
ti,,, favour of his victorious enemies by accusing him.
An Indian Government has only to let it be understood
that it wishes a particular man to be ruined ; and, in
twenty-four hours, it will be furnished with grave
charges, supported by depositions so full and circumstan-
tial, that any person unaccustomed to Asiatic mendacity
would regard them as decisive. It is well if the signa-
ture of the destined victim is not counterfeited at the fort
of some illegal compact, and if some treasonable paper is
not slipped into a hiding-place in his house. Hastings was
now regarded as helpless. Immediately charges against
the Governor-General began to pour in. They were
eagerly welcomed by the majority, who, to do them