The Sun.
London, England, 1827-03-21 00:00:00

EAST INDIA-HOUSE.-(THIS DAY.)

. A general Quarterly Court of the Proprietors of India Stock,
was held this day, at the Company's House in Leadenhall-street.
Sir GEORGE ABERCROMBIE ROBINSON, in the Chair.

The minutes of the proceedings which took place at the last
Meeting having been read,
The CHAIRMAN observed, there were several motions to be
discussed this day, which would necessarily occupy a considera-
ble time. He therefore hoped that Hon. Members would confine
themselves to the different subjects which should come before the
House, and not waste time by irrelevant observations.
The first motion was then read, which proposed an enquiry
into the mode of auditing the accounts in India.
Mr. CALLAGHAN begged leave to ask a few questions before the
motion was put from the chair.
The CHAIRMAN objected to any interrogatories until the busi-
ness before the House was disposed of.
General THORNTON hoped the House would listen to a few ob-
servations from the Hon. Members ; he would wish to know by
what authority the Chairman refused to hear observations from
Members before the commencement of business. It was customary
in the House of Commons, for Ministers to answer interrogatories
before the regular business commenced, and it certainly would be
very inconvenient if a Member, who had to ask a few questions,
should be obliged to stop until seven o'clock in the evening, when
the House would be very thin, whereas what he had to say would
not, perhaps, occupy more than a minute or two. It was a
question of privilege, and ought to be disposed of first.
The CHAIRMAN had no objection to indulge the Hon. Gentle-
man, provided no other person would take example by them.
Colonel STaimprE wished that some general rule was laid
down respecting such indulgences without any partiality.
The CHAIRMAN said, that the general rule was, that the busi-
ness of the Court should be discharged without interruption.
After a few observation from Messrs. Dickson, Migram, and
Jackson,

Mr. CALLAGHAN said, that the proposed question related to a
Committee to be appointed at the next court, for the regulation
of some bye-laws. _ _

Captain MAXFIELD said, that he would postpone his motion
respecting the auditing the accounts in India, until a more conve-
nient opportunity.

THE PRESS IN INDIA

The next motion, which related to the establishment of a Free
Press in India, having been read,
Colonel STANHOPE rose once more to address them respecting
it. He implored them not to disgrace Great Britain, by putting
a hundred millions of people, equal to the population of France,
Austria, and Russia, under the restrictions of an inquisition. The
worst order of that inquisition was that of establishing a censor-
ship of the press. The Marquis of 'Wellesley was the first who
established a censorship of the press. In 1818 the Marquis
of Hastings had removed this censorship, but it was ridiculous
to suppose that his Lordship could entirely do away with it,
if he wished to place that country in security, he should apply
for an Act of Parliament to that effect. The resolution at that
time entered into by the Marquis of Hastings, was not registered,
and was consequently not binding. It had, however, the effect
of establishing seven native newspapers. Under Mr. Adam's
administration quite a different mode of proceeding was adopted,
Mr. Buckingham was prosecuted and' banished, the censor-
ship of the press was re-established, and his decree registered.—
On one occasion, when the Supreme Court of India, complained
of the Bombay Gazette having misrepresented some of its pro-
ceeding!, at a time\when Mr. Warden, the Secretary of Govern-
ment was the proprietor of that paper, Mr. Fare, the Editor, was
called to account, and subsequently sent home, for the offence of
which Mr. Warden was guilty. The affair was brought before
the Court, and the Colonel now read extracts from the opinion of
the Judges, which went to prove that nothing had been done
which could tend to subvert the Constitution and Government of
England. Mr. Fare, however, was sent home. The Gallant
Colonel then animadverted at considerable length on the impolicy
of refusing a right which the nations of India ought equally to
enjoy with ourselves, observing, that the spirit of England ap-
peared in that respect perfectly opposed to colonization. It was
true licenses were granted, but at the same time it was well
known that after having obtained a licence, which was
an extremely difficult task, an Editor would require six
or eight thousand pounds to establish a Paper in India. It was
hardly necessary to say, that if it were an Opposition Journal,
the Editor would have to contend with the frowns of Govern-
ment and all attached to it. Actions could there be brought
for libel, and after a second conviction, an Editor might be
banished by a 'sort of Star-Chamber Inquisition. The gallant
Colonel then adverted to the time when the nations of India were
under the Mussulman Government, and read a petition which
had been presented to Mr. Wynn, signed by the well known
Rambron Boy, comparing that Government to the present
and showing the advantages they then received, and the stimulus
that excited all ranks of the natives to raise themselves to an ho-
nourable situation by their own merit. At present, however, it
was different, they might amass money as merchants, and might
get possession of :tracts of country, but never could, aspire by 'any
fair ambition to raise themselves above the command of a platoon
of seapoys,- or paltry clerkship in a civil office. The effect which
a restricted press had on the lower classes of India was most
brutalizing, and was the only cause of their cherishing the
most absurd and revolting practices and notions of religion
It caused them to retain the belief that there were four hundred
thousand gods, to sacrifice their children and their sick men in
the Ganges, and their widows in the flames. It is calculated that
two widows are burnt daily. It was said that a free press was not
compatible with a despotic government, but the Gallant Colonel
contended that it was, and adduced several instances to support his
position. He referred even to the John Bull, which on the 13th
January, 1822, supported the same doctrine. He then entered
into the history of the law affecting the Free Press, and observed,
that the English Government was, even up to the reign of George
the Second, extremely jealous of the Freedom of the Press, and
that even then, it was owing to the exertions of Thomson, the
Poet, and Lord Chesterfield, that a Censorship was not established.
In support of a Free Press, the Gallant Colonel added,tbat in all the
coun tries, such as France, Spain, Austria, Turkey,and the South Ame-
rican Stetes,where it was not establieh ed, a revolution had taken place,
and that it was Holland, England, and Switzerland- alone, where
it was established, that had withstood the shock. After a variety
of other remarks, he concluded by reading an extract from a pub-
lication, by Mr. Sismondi, whom he characterized as one of the
greatest historians and philosophers of the present
otivmeren;maennitTadine
vetting upon the inconsistency of the English
promoting liberty in South America, and every part of the globe
except their own dominions.

The Gallant Colonel then put the motion, which was eccQuded
by Captain Maxfield.

The motion wasultinaately negatived.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.-(THIS DAY.)

COURT OF CHANCERY.
LUNACIES.

The Loan CHANCELLOR said, he held in his hand a lunatic
petition that had been mentioned the other day at the bar, as if
the prayer of it had been quite of course; it had been stated to
have prayed a reference to the Master to appoint a Committee,
and to do nothing else. Instead of the Court having found this
to have been so, upon looking into the petition, the petition called
upon the Master to make a report upon forty other things, for
doing which he had no authority at all. His Lordship wished,
therefore, to have it distinctly understood, with reference to
lunatic petitions, that when they were set down to be mentioned
on the regular lunatic day, he invariably read them every one
before they came on, and that from henceforth, whenever such
petitions were to be mentioned on other days than at the usual
times, gentlemen were to understand that the Court desired to
have the opportunity of reading them before they were mentioned
at the bar.