The Sun.
London, England, 1827-02-07 00:00:00

INDIA HOUSE.-(THIS DAY.)

This morning a Special General Court of Proprietors
of East India Stock, was held at the East India House,
to take into consideration the following propositions, sub-
mitted by the undersigned proprietors :
" TO THE HONOURABLE TEE COURT OF DIRECTORS OF THE

EAST INDIA COMPANY.
" We, the undersigned Proprietors of India Stock, duly quali-
fied, request that a Court of Proprietors may soon be called, to
which it is our intention to submit the following Propositions :
" Ist. To deliberate on the present State of Oriental Educa-
tion, connected with the absolute necessity for the whole of the
Company's Servants in Hindoostan to acquire at least some collo-
quial knowledge of its popular tongue.
" 2d. To determine whether the elementary acquisition of
Hindoostenee in this country be not indispensable to Candidates for
official appointments previous to their nomination by the Court
of Directors, in order so far to secure the future good Government
of British India, and the durable prosperity of that vast Empire.
" 3d. To decide also on the propriety of the proposed preli-
minary qualification for Free Merchants, Mariners, and others, be-
fore granting them a licenoe to reside among a hundred millions
of Native Subjects, in daily contact with those European Inha-
bitants, who, in general, know nothing of the Hindoostanee, and
oonsequently may injuriously impede through the multifarious
transactions of public or private life, not only the local Autho-
rities, but the common weal of the People and State.
" 4th. For a Copy of the Regulations issued by the Court of
Directors, relative to the public examinations at home and abroad
of persons intended for the Company's service in India, on their
respective acquirements as Oriental Scholars, with the view
Of securing efficient servants for the effectual management of
uumerous important affairs in our extensive and extending Do-
mains in the East.
" sth. To compare the real expense of the two systems of
Oriental tuition existing here since 1818, with the notorious dis-
proportionate results of each ; the total charge of one mode of
Oriental Instruction alone having amounted to 64,000/. for 560
Students, while that of the other was only 4,0001. for communi-
cating similar information to 1600 Pupils at the Hindoestanecand
Persian Lecture Rooms in London, many of whom are now not
only very useful Interpreters, &c., but are able and ready to exe.
cute other responsible functions in the East Indian Service.
"6th. To recommend the adoption of some plan here for the
immediate encouragement of appropriate military education and Ori-
ental literature,with colloquial proficiency amongtheKing'sofficers,
the Company's Cavalry and Infantry Cadets, &c. to the serious atten-
tion of the executive Court, which has done nothing yet to en-
able youths to proceed hence as Officers, or Linguists, to India,
well qualified to command numerous bodies of brave men, by
speaking the most current local dialect, and being, at the same
time, as well instructed as the Engineer and Artillery Students
have long been, at Addiscombe, in those arts of war and tactical
exercises inseparable from the due performance of their respective
duties in the Indian Army,"
"JOHN BORTHWICK GILCHRIST,
" JAMES PATERSON,
" W. MAXFIELD,
" W. MASON,
" LEICESTER STANHOPE,
" JOHN CAPRON, FinsburyLiquare,
" JOHN NEILL,
" JOHN LEDGER,
" JOSEPH 111/ME,
" R. SLADE,
" J. KIERNAN."
" JOSEPH_ DART, Secretary.
London, January, 23, 1827.
enter on
business, CS iorl
()Gil
exl °se:A% An so
pc: crso os zleal intrdh
eißberofaeotirtneesntothisreo
nc
01 in
out har.
tes
usChbhjo.
euacilrtd.
begged leave to ea
connected
with Persia.
The CIiAIRMAN here interrupted the gallant Colonel, and said
that it was quite irregular to introduce any subject before that
Court, unconnected with the special object of their meeting. He
had been on many occasions charged with not preserving regu-
larity at former meetings, mad he was, therefore, now determined
to insist that Members should confine themselves to, the object for
which they were called together. If any gentleman had any mo-
tion to make, it was perfectly competent for him to do so after the
business of the Court was'over.
'Colonel STANHOPE submitted to the Chairman's decision.
Dr. GILCHRIST observed that he conceived it better to intro-
duce any motion, before the Court should enter on business, when
there was a full attendance -of Directors, as if it would be de-
layed till the end, the one half of the Members wpuld be away.
The CHAIRMAN contended, that his decision teas right, as it
was not necessary there should be a full attendance when a motion
was submitted, and he therefore hoped the Court miuld support
him.—(Hear, hear.)
General THORNTON then rose to speak, but was interrupted by
the Chairman, who insisted that they should proceed to business.
Dr. GILCHRIST requested to be heard in explanation:--(Criee
of No, no.)
(MTr.h etiCumHAeZAbletTidellittit
Ltheltrnhede wpaosestuorrewthoeulHd ocnoonuvrianbcl:llriennlthbealt•
he was mistaken.
Dr. GILCIIRIST acquiesced and said, that he had tomato speak
in that House not as an individual, but as a Member of the Com-
pany. When he looked at the history of the world, he found that
there were only two great nations who had preceded us in colo-
nisation. The Romans, who had the most numerous colonies,
carried their language and the Gods of Rome wherever they went,
thinking that the more Gods there were, the merrier; and,
although he knew that these colonies had crumbled into dust ; yet
they left noble monuments behind them, which he was afraid
would not be left by ours. It seemed to be our object to
feather our own nests, and to come back as rich as we could. He
must, however, deprecate an idea which seemed to prevail in that
house, via. that if any individual had pointed out any abuses in
the system pursued by the Company, he was a libeller. For his
(Dr. Gilchrist's) own part he was far from wishing to
traduce or libel any man's character, but he would prove from
documents which he should produce, the charge which he was
about to make. He held in his hand a Gazette, published
under the authority of Lord Amherst, from which he would
quote some extracts.

Here the Learned Doctor was interrupted by a Proprietor
(whose name we could not learn), who objected to Lis reading the
Gazette.

Mr. Hume protested against the interruption received by his
learned friend, and called upon the Chairman for order.
The CHAIRMAN did not consider the learned Doctor out of
order, and therefore requested him to proceed.
Dr. GiecitaisT remembered that the gentleman who interrupted
srt./kplaeeutli,sn,garnea(dlhme
laAnialusscerifipwtasswdhetiecihmuirnoeu(lidtoretakache
fithh.iiiiin ';etiaihradaliteashse
ttoauofpoprtme
opportunity of following his example. The Learned
Gentleman then read an article in the Gazette, censuring the
motion made by Mr. Hume, for having the Officers of the Cow.
pang instructed in the Oriental languages at home, and exulting
,at its failure. He observed, in the course of his reading, that hi*
wished'every body had a knowledge of the Oriental language. Some
people accused him of having a personal object in view, in
promoting the measure, but lie thanked God that he was in *a
situation in life above the necessity of cringing to any person for
htdhaitedi
this,
dp olr tduindi tyt
jobs or situations. He knew some of the present young officers
were fiery and violent fellows ; in fact one of them, with a whip
in his hand, threatened to lash Mr. Clark. He (Dr. G.) could
not boast of being a strong man, but, if he was insulted in
such a manner, lie would have no hesitation in shooting the
offender through the head,
was not a man to be insulted with impunity. He was ac-
cused of being an egotist, because he sometimes mentioned his
services to the Company, but he conceived every one of the Di-
rectors could be accused of the same charge, as every one of them
igff,ro:mrl
havinghat,"
teogkg eedv ecrtoyhnec upc opportunitylronetydrreai
elniDtiiosei
proprietors
seexityftooi
r•sausaclyodt
establishedisfn t
indulgeh e
ne t gii:enouipn Companiest pamphlet,:yof::an
::ga.
tll
observa-
tionsb on the directorial malversations which prevailwediththinrotuhgehloatiot
dftelulwetsd'y,ieffsaoerrsem.nutHcCli:;mischief would not have arisen. The Proprietor*
are the Board of Controul of this Company : they ought to do their
duty in time, lest evil should result from its neglect. It is one
of those establishments where a few individuals possess the-loaves
and fishes, whereas the proprietors have no more than the offias ;
after the bears have partaken of the principal share, we 04
jackals come in for our miserable pittance.,—(Much laughter.)-ss
The Learned Doctor then read some extracts from a paper of
yesterday, which purported to be the address of an American
Judge in passing sentence on delinquents) concerned in bubble
Companies." Even during the trials which have taken place at
the present term of this Court, we hare witnessed displays pf
depravity on the part of the agents of moneyed. institutions Of the
most appalling nature. As common as crimes are in all great
cities, yet this community was not prepared to expect from the
class of society to which these perpetrators belonged,
such a burst of iniquity. These offences have been cha,
racterized by the breaches of official and persoual confi-
dence; by a course of deception
and systematically pursued, and by
ina;ednimouissre4pjlrdescernanftityio;vilocensg,

which no ordinary prudence Calk' guard against—nor was this
all. Among the actors in these scenes were some of the
principal agents in the moneyed institutions, and they
have_ been found actually combining and conspiring together
for the accomplishment of their nefarious purposes. From.
conspiracies composed of men of so much talent, availing theM-
selves of their understandings, it is not surprising that they should
have swept society as with a besom of destruction. When meu
of such a character, attended with such destructive consequences,
abound, it behoves .the tribunals of justice to gather themselves up
to meet the occasion, and to extend, as far as in them lies, the pro-
tecting arm of the law."

Having concluded the paragraph, he observed that lie had read
this extract by way of advice to the Proprietors : it was a me-
mento to Honourable Directors of Companies, and Joint Stock
Companies. He believed that judges themselves were now-a-
days become Reformers; it was evident from the above extract
that Directors did not do their duty in America more than in
England, but a Mr. Clark has probed them, some of them
very keenly. An examination into their conduct was going on
now ; some of these Directors have been sent to the tread-mill and

to Penitentiary Houses--(Much laughter.)—lt had been often
stated that Cadet-ships and Writer-ships had been sold in open
market; such statements had appeared in the newspapers,
Whether well founded or not he did not pretend to say,
but he contended that such traffic • involved no moral
turpitude. All places . should be sold for the benefit of the
Proprietors, provided the purchasers were qualified in 'every
respect for their situations. The consequence would be wealth to,
the Company at large ; instead of the Director enjoying a patro=
bilge to the amount of from five to twenty thousand pounds per an-

num. The purchase and the sale of such situations have not
half the moral turpitude as the inundation of India with young
men, 3v ho.know nothing of the language of. the country. • No man
Was in this country allowed.to practice in physic; law, or divinity,
without undergoing a rigid previous examination. What was
good in these, must also be good in this company. Habits of
industry,, were not generally acquired in India, the Officers, he
would admit, were usually acquainted with their- duties; but they
did not understand the language of the country. He did 'not
mean to libel them : they were innocent of this charge, Orders
had been frequently issued to direct their attention to this object.
(The Learned Doctor then referred to a production of his own,
entitled the " Tuitionary Pioneer ;") he had not taken Honourable
Members, he said, unawares, because he had sent copies of it to
them all. He then read extracts from the preface, one of which was
copied out of Smollett's History of. England, stating how a British
officer once saved an entire army,and gained a victory in consequence
of his knowledge of the French langaage. That one fact, he ob-
served, was as good as a thousand, though it might not happen
once in a century throughout Europe. Were the Duke of Wel-
lington to propose that German or French officers, unacquainted
with the English language, should take the command of
British soldiers, would such appointments, he asked, be
Permitted by any regular Government ? This country
sent annually hundreds of young men to command in a coun-
try of the language of which they knew nothing. They
could not even ask for water or for claret, if they wanted it, in the
language of the country. Honorary Cadets were the most lasy,
the most ignorant, and the least capable of making 'progress in
the systems and language of the country. The reason was, they
were eons of Directors or of the Aristocracy.—(Much laughter).
---Every private there had been a gentleman, spoke the language
of gentlemen, and were astonished to see young men placed over
them, speaking worse language than even Billingsgate gibberish.
I wish, said he, I had some of them under my hand.—
(Much laughter).—Let me, said he, tell you a story,
for I can sometimes amuse you. When first I went
to India I met a word, the meaning of which was to
Puff; I analysed it, and I found that it merely expressed its mean-
mg by its sound. Sometime after I dined with an old Colonel,
and after dinner, as we were smoaking our pipes, "funk, you
rascal, funk," said the officer ; this I could not well understand, but
on a littlereflection, I found it was the word I had been analysing.
Which ought to be pronounced Pooh. Before two months had
expired I might be put at the head of the army as far as philolo-
gical learning went (laughter), but the misfortune was, when such
a person as he, the Doctor, had hinted reform in these abuses, lie
Was marked out and stigmatized as a Radical, and perhaps,
might have the -horsewhip over his shoulders ; but he would
always:be on his guard against these horsewhipping gentlemen ;
the Macsycophants of the Holy Alliance, are themselves now arch
Radicals; in short, he, the Doctor, would be' soon in such good
company that the president qf it would have more wit than an
Arch-Duke or Arch-Bishop,—(Lliughter.)Even the Grand
Turk had turned out a Reformer, and. the, Directors had become
Ref"meia, for since the time they bad left India, they
had been libelling the whole Aristocracy of India. Even
the Pope had become a reformer, he had betaken himself to
the reformation of the abuses in the conduct of priests, monks, and -
nuns. Why then should not this Court adopt the example, pro-
ceeding from a' quarter Where it was least to be expected. The
Learned Doctor then proceeded to eulogize the conduct of
the late Commander-in-Chief. It certainly is gratifying
to find even at this late hour justice done to a man to
whom the army owed so much, and to whom his country was
indebted for the reform introduced into the military establish-
ment of this country—discipline, in fact, had slept until its re-
suscitation took place under the fostering hand of that gallant
individual. The Learned Proprietor then proceeded to read an
extract from an eulogium on his Royal Highness, attributed to
the pen of Sir Walter Scott, and then selectdd an anecdote of his
Royal Highness, tending to show the high respect he enter-
tained for the civil institutions of this country. His Royal High_
Hess had told a young officer that he ought to obey the laws
of England rather than the command of a superior officer,
What could be more cheering to the subjects of a free Government
than to hear such a declaration made by a Commander-in-Chief?
The sentiment should be written in letters of gold on the purest
marble. Talk not of monuments to the memory of his Royal
Highness, let that declaration stand in the place of a monument-
-Ist it be posted up in every guard-room in the kingdom.
[Here there was a general manifestation of impatience on the
part of the Court ; it had, in fact, been gathering for some time,
Mit now the burst became so unequivocal as not to deceive even
the speaker himself.]
The Doctor, however, was not to be put down. Approbation
_ fr d'sapprobation is mere moonshine to me (said he) ; here I am.
The Doctor, " again himself," was proceeding on a tour through
all the countries of Europe, taking an occasional glance at the
other parts of the Globe, when he was interrupted by Mr. Pat-
,. tison, who was then acting as Chairman. He thought that the
Learned Proprietor would be more in order if he contrived to get
back to the subject before the Court.
Dr. GILCHRIST resumed.—Ile had, lie said, been six weeks en-
deavouring to get the names of nine. Proprietors to the requisition
under which the meeting was convened. Some complained
of the expellee of calling a Court. What, he asked, did they
mean by expence? Did it refer to refreshments ? For his
part his only refreshment was a glass of water—(Here the Learned
Doctor quaffed a glass of that cheap beverage).—This surely,
said the Learned Doctor, cannot be considered a great expence.
The fact, however, was, that the Proprietors were in a state of
subserviency to the Directors. Their subserviency has been
treater than the proverbial subserviency of his (Dr. Gil-
iwi's) unfortunate countrymen —(A loud laugh) —becalm
they were poOr, they were accounted subservient, and a
surly Englishman, William Cobbett, he believed, (or some
such fellow,) called Scotland a scab upon the of nature.
—(Great laughter.)—He (Dr. G.) had been called a fool--(heal
hear)—and if the absence of wordly wisdom denoted folly, the de-
signation was correct ; but he defied any man to say that he was
a knave ; no, his conduct was so far removed from fraud, that-no
man could throw such an imputation on him. To return, how-
ever, to the old subject, lie charged the Directors with being
egotists and nostremiats.

, - -- -
A Proprietor here interposed, and insisted the Learned Doctor
was deviating from the subject. What .connection, he asked,
could the abuse pf the Directors have with the subject before the
Court ? • .

•
Dr. Ginctratsr resumed, and was about to proceed :
" diffuse in declamation roaring," to treat de
omnibus rebus et quibusdani aliis, when
The CHAIR
:sr A..x interposed,
'an(' said, that not a single sen-
feFice uttered by the. Learned Proprietor since he Commenced, had
the the slightest connection with subject. He begged for the
sake of the Proprietors then `that they might
not be afflicted with so severe a punishment, me.nt, as the continuance
of such an harangue. Without meaningtoglve offence, he put it to,
ein that course he
the Learned Doctor, whether by a perseverance
would not drive away the Proprietors, and
leave
ve the question to be
decided by.a very thin meeting indeed ?
.
' Pr. GILCHRIST bowed to the Court, but he was just about to
have come to a.very important point, namely self elect
he now confessed his .determination to make a breach in
and
he thnal
course of proceeding, the very first moment he had it in 1 •
The main question before the Court was, whether a knoZrlgw.
eer
of
the Hindostan language should be acquired at home or abroad ; that
was, in .England or in India. Dr. Gilchrist submitted that
It was clear to demonstration, that it ought to be acquired here.
He considered himself in possession of proof to this effect ; and
what he subtnitted,was,• a long printed report of proceedings that
..reek place In India at a Language Society Meeting, at which Lord.
De/ley was stated to have either been in the chair, or taken a very
active part.; And there, -Protestor Lee declared llia cmietion

to be, that acquiring the knowledge of the language
here was infinitely the best. First, from the difficulty the student
had in India of understanding a native teacher; before he knew
the language; from the difficulties of requiring grammatical
technicalities of the Oriental language in India; and next, froin
the superior means, consisting of books, &c., to be found here
of learning. It had been said in this house that he had
fabricated, and got garbled statements of letters, which he now
begged leave to deny the truth of. Be held now in his hand ori-
ginal letters from young gentlemen in India, proving the truth of
the great advantages derived from having had even a super-
ficial knowledge of the Oriental language` before they
left this country. Those letters he read and if any of the
Court were curious enough to see them, they might, after
he had torn off the signatures, or so ; he did not like
toshow the signatures, lest the writers should thereby be injured.
Another proposition submitted to the Court was that it was ne-
cessary for the security of the Copipany, that young men sent out
should at least get the elements of the language here. It had
been said, that there were great difficulties in the way of acquiring
a knowledge of the Oriental language, and to a certain extent
the Doctor admitted this, but still the means here were
very abundant. Mr. Arnot, Mr. Forbes, and Mr. Mortlock,
were gentlemen, who had returned from India, and who had open-
ed Academies in London for the express purpose of teaching the
oriental languages. The Doctor meant to devote a portion of his
own time every week to the examination of the progress of the
boys at these Institutions, without the slightest reward.
.A Member rose to order, on the ground that this was, in fact,
merely advertising these teachers.
The •Ckantivart thought the Honourable Member strictly in
order, inasmuch as one exception latterly had been, the want of
facilities 'of acquiring the knowledge here.
Dr. GILCHRIST continued. He understood that the city of London
'University metult also to teach the oriental languages, which af-
forded him the greatest satisfaction ; not from the idea that he
was to receive any benefit from it, because if lie were to be per-
mitted to serve that institution at all, he meant those services.to
be given gratuitously.
When we left the meeting at three o'clock, the Learned Doctor
was' on his legs. •