Star.
London, England, 1809-04-08 00:00:00

. .
was on all occasions so zealous a friend for the in-
terests of the Company:e thought it impossible to
read the Report without being struck with astonish-
ment at perceiving the figure which an Ex-Director
of that Company, Mr. Thellusson, made in it. Who
could believe it possible that that Gentleman should,
in the common course of things, have given away to
one person, his near relative. three Writerships in
the course of two years, and that every one of these
should have been corruptly disposed of ? Yet the
same Gentleman had been again recommended by
the Court of Directors to the Proprietors, to come in
upon the present vacancy, and he understood that •
opposition against him had been waved. This, he
was satisfied, was not for the interests of the Com-
pany, nor was it creditable to the character of their
Directors. By a law, he did not know whether it
was a law of the land or a bye-law of the Company,
the period of intimation was limited to a certain num-
ber of days. [The Chairman informed him it was a
bye-law of the Company.] Then the same authority
which enacted the law had a right to alter it, and lie
wished that the period should be extended for the pur-
pose of giving an opportunity to some man of honour
and independence to come forward.
Mr. TWINING said he was satisfied it was not the
intention of the Court to allow the Report alluded to,
to pass without a deliberate discussion upon it. This,
however, he presumed to think, was not exactly the
moment for such a discussion. The Court had not
yet had time to consider the Report with such delibe-
ration, as to enable them to come to a dispassionate
decision upon it. He had been one of the most for-
ward, some time ago, to endeavour to detect abuses
of the kind here developed. He was now come to
that age when he might be supposed to have retired
from the bustle of business ; but still he could not
allow a question of this nature to pass over in silence,
lest it should be supposed that he had grown cool and
indifferent to the interests of the Company, or that he
had changed his opinion on the subject. He assured
the Court, however, that he should not allow the pre-
sent Report to pass unnoticed.
Mr. LOWNDES said, he had been struck with sur-
prise on observing an intimation in the public prints,
by which it appeared that a Meeting of the Directors
had been held, at which they had thought it necessary
to pass a resolution, exculpating Mr.Thellusson from
all blame in the transactions developed in the Report,
and recommending him as a fit person for the choice
of the Proprietors on the present occasion. He saw,
from the silence of his Honourable and Learned
Friend (Mr. Jackson), as well as from the opinion
he had heard from the respectable and experienced
Proprietor who had just sat down, that this was not
the proper moment for discussing the Report in ques-
tion, which, indeed, was only printed yesterday. He
could not, however, forbear from thinking that the
Honourable Gentlemen within the Bar, had for the
time, forgotten their own s'tuation, and, instead of
regarding themselves as the Executive body, had
supposed themselves the Electors. Either they must
have done so, or they must have allowed their feel-
ings for the moment to run away with their judgment
This was by no means an unusual case. We had
seen De.Lolme, who, though a foreigner, was the
best writer on the Constitution of this Country who
had ever existed, when he himself had a cause in
Court, apply privately to the Judge, as if he had been
one of the corrupt Judges whom he had been accus-
tomed to meet with in other countries. Even Mr.
Sheridan, whose whole public life bespoke him a sin-
cere friend to the Laws and Constitution of the Coun-
try, had so far forgotten himself as to write a private
letter to the Lord Chancellor on the affairs of Drury-
lane Theatre, then under his Lordship's consideration.
On the impropriety of such conduct his Lordship re-
marked in open Court. These instances, however,
might serve as proofs, that where a person's feelings
were interested, he did not always act with that pro-
priety, which, were he himself unconcerned, he would
expect to discern in others. If the bright eyes of Mr.
Sheridan, who so ardently loved and admired the
' Constitution, could be so far blinded where he him-
self was a party, it was not very remarkable that the
Court of Directors should have deviated a little &Om
the strict rule of propriety. He protested, however,
against the idea of the Court of Proprietors being
supposed to be in leading strings, and that the Direc-
tors should hold them.

Mr. JACKSON said, the Honourable Proprietor near
him (Colonel Scott) must have completely misun-
derstood what he said on a former day, if he suppos-
ed that it could be in his contemplation to allow the
Report in question to pass without notice. So far
was he from being of this opinion, that he had on the
very first day the Report was before the Court, ex-
pressed his determination to found a motion upon it.
He was still decidedly of that mind, and was even
satisfied that nothing but a very strong resolution of
the Court of Proprietors on the subject could meet
their own and the public feeling on this occasion.—
The present, he was convinced, was not the proper
moment for such discussion. All the documents
were not before the Court ; and until they were so,
any decision on their import must be premature. He
thought the Proprietors might safely wait till a fit
moment for discussing the matter arrived ; satisfied
as they might be, that they had the means in their
own hands of doing themselves justice, even to the dis-
missal of any Director who might be found guilty.
Mr. ELPHINSTON begged that the Court would not
separate under any impression that the Directors had
acted amiss, or that they wished the Report to be slur-
red over. Such was by no means their intention.
On the contrary, it was the object of the Directors
themselves to call the attention of the Proprietors to
the purport of the Report. They had no wish, in
the Resolution they had come to, to influence the
feelings of the Proprietors ; but simply, by a declara-
tion of their own feelings, to endeavour to do away
any improper prejudice which might have been creat-
ed.—The Court then adjourned.
Yesterday a Court of Directors was held at the
East-India House, when the following ships were thus
stationed and timed, viz.
Henry Addington, Captain Kirkpatrick, Bengal direct, to be
afloat the 14th of April, sail to Gravesend the 30th ditto, stay
there 30 days, and be in the Downs the 6th June.
Charlton, Captain Wood; Windham, Stewart—Madeira and
Bengal. Latiy 1011, Christiana, Mac-
keson ; 'William Pitt, Crowder; Sir William Pulteney, Chris-
topher—Bengal direct. Union, Gaillard ; Northampton, San-
ders—Madeira and Bombay. To be afloat the 30th April, sail
to Gravesend 14th May, stay there 20 days, and be in the
Downs 9th June.
The Court adjourned till Mcnday next.