The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-24 00:00:00

•
COURT CF PROPRIETORS. •
The Quarterly General' Court of the Proprietors of the
East India Company was hell at Twelve o'Clecic yesterday, at the
East India House, Leadenhall•street.
• GEORGE I.v A Lt., Al. the Chairman of the Court of
Directors, in the Chair. .
. .
The SECULTA Rl' read the minutes of the proceedings of the.
last Court.

CABOOL.
Mr. WEentsc, before the Court proceeded to busine4,
wished to ask a question.
The Guam:maw rose to order. It was eotitr2ry to the
rules of the Court for any Hon. Proprietor to ask aluestion be-
fore the business of the day had been disposed of.
Mr. WEEDING said that iwanother -place. T;estions were
constantly asked belOre the business of the day commenced, and
as the question he was about to put was on a subject of the
most vital importance to every Proprietor of East India Stock,
he trusted that, acting on the old maxim, sales populi suprern a
lex, the Chairman would permit him to put the question. It
was in relation to the army in Cabool.
The CHAIRMAN could not answer the Hon. Proprietors
question at that stage of the proceedings, even if it were put, as
it would be contrary to the'l3ye;laws for him to do so.
Mr. WEEDING would-then reserve his question until he could
put it without infringing;
.the Standing Orders of that Court.
ADDRESSES OF CONGRATULATION.
Zhe CHAIIIMAN reported, that the Address of Cengratula-
'tion to her 111,1jesty on the birth of the Prince of Wales, which
had been agreed to • a Special Court, held on the 17th of
November last, had been preiented to her Majesty at the
last levee, by a deputation from the Court of Directors,'
and had been most graciously received by her Majesty.
He also reported that the Address ef;Cougra,alation to
his Royal Highness Prince Albert had aim beets presented, and
that his Royal Highness had mast graciously received the same.
RETURNS.
Tbe . S$CaxTAt.Y then read the account of the different
papers which had been laid before Parliament , lay the
Company since the last Court, .and which, inconformity with
the Bye-laws, had been printed fur the use. of the Proprietors,
These were an account of all monies supplied froth the reve-
nues of India towards expenses in England, in continuation of
a forther return. An account of all bills drawn on'the different
governors in India,
,and an account of the rato? of exchange
theieon. A return Of all monies received from India and
China. A return of all returns rect ivedfrom China, stating
whether the same were C Made in money, silk, or
'other goods, acid tow the same were distributed.
Copies of any resolutions of the Court of Directors, granting
any pensions. Gapies of any resolutions of the Court of Direc-
tors, granting any salaries. Copies of any resolutions of the
Court of Directors,., granting any superannuated allowances.
Copies of any resolutions of the Court of Directors, granting
any. compensation ,money to the officers of the Company, or
others. .A list of all compensitions granted up to the Ist June,
1841.; and an Account of all Superannuations granted since
the last Quarterly-General...Court.
11/LL'COOLIES.

The CHAIIIMAti then said that the Court was made Special,
or the*purpeee of laying before the Proprietors, agreeably to
the Bye-law, cap. 10, sec. 1., a Bill now Wert, Parliament,
entitled, " A-1301 for regulating the Carriage of Passengers in
Merchant Vessels" (Colonial Passengers' BillA,. The only
section of that Bill which at all affected the East India Com-
pany was the 41st, which he would call on the secretary to read.
'1 he SECRETARY then read the 41st'seetion of the Bill, as
fellows And be it emeted, that it shall .be lawful for the
Governor-General of India, in Connell, from time to time, by
any Act or Acts to he passed for that purpose; to declare that
this Act, with such exceptions as are hereafter mentioned, shall
extend and apply to the carriage -of passengers upon any
voyage from any ports or places .-within the territories of
the East India Company, to 'be spepified .described in
such Act or Acts ; and also in like. manner to authorise
the. substitution .es respects such voyages of other
equivalent articles of food and provisions for those here-
inbefore (numerated, and to declare the rule of compu-
tation by which the length of any such voyage • shall he
estimated, and to confer the pcivvers hereiribefore con-
' ferred upon Government agents, and colleetors and comp-
trollers of. the 'customs, wi;h respect to ascertaining the
Sea-worthiness'of a ship upon such officers of the East India
Company, as the Governor in Council may think proper, and
from and after the passing of such Act or Acts of the Govern-
ment of India, and whilst the same shall remain
in force this Act shall, with such exceptions, as are
hereinbefore made as respects voyages from colonies, as
apply to and extend to the carriage of passengers upon such
voyages, as in the slid Act or Acts of the Government of
India shall be specified."
Mr. WEEDING had earefully.read the Bill, and cou'd con-
firm the statement of the Chairman as to that being the only
clause of the Act which at all affected the natives of India.
The subject was one in which that Court had always taken a
deep interest. In July, 1838, it had been discus‘ed in that
Court, and attain in June, 18-10 e In both instances the Court
had come to a resolution to petition the House of
Commons on the subject; and although he (Mr. Weeding)
bad snore confidence in the regulations proposed in the present
Bill for the protection of the naives of India, than he had in
those which had formerly been' proposed, yet he thought that
the Court, bef,,re it ssnetionedany.proposition for, the depOrtae
tion of Hill CoollieS, Ought to be in possession' of -further in•
formation. He should, therefore, move a resolution to the
effect, that before the Court could come to any opi-
nion as to the justice or propriety of any plan for the de-
portation of the natives of India to the Mauritius,
it was necessary that they should have further information ,ott.
the subject, and •that therefore the Court of Directors be re-
(posted to lay before the Proprietors copies of any despatches
which may have been received from the Indian Government.in
reference to thi4 subject; and alsre-eopiee of any orders refer-
ring thereto, which may have been issued by 'her Majesty in
Council ; and also that the Directors be requested to obtain in-
formation as to the precise nature of any enactments which
might be in existence in the Island of Mauritius, for .the pur-
pose of regulating contracts entered into between the labouring
population and the agricultural and manufacturing proprietors
of the said island, and to lay the same before the Court.
—( Cheers.) He felt much obliged to the gentleman who
was sitting below the bar (Mr. Hogg), for the admirable speech
he had made on the subject in his place in Parliament, in reply
to Lord Stanley, on the discussion 'of Mr. Vernon Smith's
motion. That gentleman was entitled to their.warmest thanks,
and he hoped that the Court of Directors had thanked him the
first time they had met, after the delivery of his admirable speech.
In his (Mr. Weeding's) opinion, it was inpossible to prevent
the deportation of Hill . Coolies from degenerating ultimately
into a slave traffic.—(Cheers.) If the Government would form
a code of regulations for the Mauritius, compelling parties
who brought natives of India into that Island to enter into a
bond to a large amount to send theM back to the East Indies, in
the event of work not being found for them or of their ill-treat-
ment, that would be more effeetual than all the complicated
machinery which it was propoSed to introduce. After
all, to what did that machinery amount to. It
left everything in the hands' of the Governor-General. He
might be a person having estates in the Mauritius, and
might be interested in the deportation of these people.
It behoved the Court to pause before they gave their sanc-
tion to any measure . for . the deportation of the natives
of India. He certainly should have liked the ques-
tion to have been asked 'in Parliament, as to the cost of the
Mauritius to the mother country. Now India did not cost Eng-
land anything,and it was unjust to transport the natives of India to
the Mauritius. and to employ them there in the cul-
tivation of sugar, which 'would compete with Indian
sugar in that' market. The population of Mauritius
was• already sufficient to cultivate all the existing estates,
and the Coolies could only be wanted for the purpose
of reclaiming the wilderness, and turning a barren rock into 'a
fertile. soil, at the expense of the industry of the natives of
India. lie trusted the papers would be granted, and that a
Court would be called for an early day,tai consider the subject.
Mr. MPNTGO:AIEIiY MA4TIN seconded the motion. He had
ieconded a eimilar one ,in 1838, and in 1840. He held in his
hand's de..patch of the Governor-Genetal of India, which
he was assured not one half of the Proprietors had seen, and
without a knowledge of- which it' was impossible to con-
sider this question. It. was a Report of a Committee
of six gentlemen who sat at Calcutta to consider, the subject:
three reported decidedly against permitting the de-
portation of Hill Coolies at all; one. gentleman had
left India before the Report was drawn up ; an-
other, a Mr. Dowsen, was an agent for the emigration of
these
.Coolies, and therefore had a personal interest in the con-
tinuance 'of the system, and the last, a 31r. Grant, was an
exceedingly young mart, too young to be able to form a compe•
tent opinion on the subject. Lord Auckland had stated that

great caution was necessary to prevent its degenerat-
ing ito a slave trade ; and if they permitted
this deportation 'to take place . from British India, what
was to preventthedeportation fromtakingplacefromPondicherry,
llusquebar, and from the native ports and foreign settle-
ments. It was impossible to foresee .to what extent
it might be carried, if the pr.neiPle were once sanc-
tioned there were hundreds of miles of uncultivated
ground in India, on which those Coolies might be em-
plosed, if they waned. emplovinent ; therefore, it was
no hardship on them to prevent the deportation. The subject
was most important, and he had great pleasure in seconding
the motion.
taking
n t
t"rAnfe;.e to Ht oh rre
their
ll'aebpoorrueery reEntrttoo a hoped the Court would not
ithe'th best market. Both Lorde
Indian labourers from
John Russell and Lord Stanley were in favour of
permitting the emigration of Coolies to the Mauritius.
and the fears entertained. on the subject were groundless.
The Governor of the fitauritius himself stated that
of 'tile Island
the existing laws gave ample pro-
disinterested
witness, the Ceo ies, and he was a disinterested
witness, for he had, as he himself stated, gone out
to the Island havissg a great distrust of the planters.
He was very much identified with the party who had taken up
the question so strongly in this country, and his testimony
might be considered unbiassed from. the manner in which it
was given. With regard to the opinitm of the natives them-
selves, they had heard that very many of
those who
had returned to India had - applied to be sent back
to the Mauritius. An investigation into the circum-
stances had been instituted by Lord Auckland, and the
result had not been unfavourable to the emigration. The evi-
dence
had been Lord Auckland,
d, and many persons
hadexpressedt siftedhemse by
favourable to it.lyes The Hon. Pro-
prietor then read some extracts from the evidence, goin,, to
prove the good treatment of the Coolies, and concluded' by
statmg that he should not move any amendment to the resolu-
tion, . but ,should leave it in • the hands of the Court to
deal with it as they thought tit.
Mr. G. Tno:ursori said he admitted the right of every
British subject to the free exercise of his locomotive powers.
He would not abridge erre individual of his personal liberty, or
deprive him to the smallest extent of his right of choice.
But with regard to the Hill Coolies, or those
natives of India who came under that denomination,
he thought they were persons scarcely in circumstances to be
able to exercise a sound and enlightened chore, From the
moment permission was given by the Order in Council, some
years ago, to import into the Island of Mauritius and. to De.
o asmf e
that
hac
ara at r e
of theurldiye r
i asn l a s a
i of
Council, a a whichan possible
s ho, l ibel
had
l spoke,
pleasure the rescinding of that order, by a counter-order of
Lord Gienelg. lie had also rejoiced over the defeat of a
similar measure, when afterwards introduced by Lord John ,
class
w i a ptusokee' en with the utmost
do ho
the working had watched
Russell. They were called on that day again to consider the