Star.
London, England, 1824-05-26 00:00:00

THE PRESS IN INDIA.

Mr. LANIBION rose to present a Paition from Mr.
Buckingham, Proprietor of The Calcutta Journal, com-
plaining of a series of ill-treatment from the Govern-
ment of India. This Petition was of considerable
length, but he should lay it shortly before the House.,
Mr. Buckingham went by the Mediterranean, in 1813,
through Egypt to Bombay, where he entered into com-
mercial pursuits. He got the command of a lrige ship
in the China trade, when he was ordered away by the
Governor, Sir E. Nepean, because he had no license.
Ile came back, and got a license, in the year 1811 i, from
the East India Company. Ile rhea went to Calcattr.
and purchased the materials of two Newspapers for
3000/. and established The Calcutta Journal, which was
supported and approved of by all the Europeans in In-
' ilia, and which he raised to the value of 10,0(X1/. The
Illnourable Member read the declaration of Lord

llastings respecting the value of puhlic instruction and
education, and of the liberty of the pres. Unfortu-
nately Loid 1-la,tings was succeeded by Mr. J. Adam,
ashen an action was revived asainst tlr. Buckingham,
which Sir F. M,Nagliten, the Chief Justice, thought to
unjust, that he refused to try it. But in consequence of
some severe remarks upon Dr. Brice, the Head of the
Scotch Church in Calcutta, for an appointment to sell
to the Government pens, ink, paper, wafers, tape.
pounce, leather, &c. Mr. Adams for this annulled
his license, and he was sent out of India at, two
months' notice, though both the ErF.t India Company •
and the Presbytery of Edinburgh had anima.iverted
most severely on this appointment of Dr. Brice.—
Mr. Buckingham came to England, and petitioned both
the Board of Controui and the East India Company for
a new license to return to India, but was refused by
both. Mr. Buckingham had left an Anglo-Indian to
conduct his Journal, who could not be banished from
India ; but Mr. Adams immediately put all the Press in
India under license, a thing which had never been done
before. Mr. Arnot was that agent, and though born in
India, he was imprisoned for carrying on The Calcutta
Journal. That was declared to be au illegal arre,t, and
when he got his liberty, he retied to a foreign settle-
ment, where he w as followed by a Military Officer, who
took hint into custody, and put him on board ship, and
he was sent to England by the unhealthy route of Ben-
coolem 1)r. Muston, Lord Amheist's Physician, was
then made the Editor of Mr. .Buckingham's Paper, at
a salary of 10001. a-year. The Hon. Gentleman (Mr.
Lambton) meant soon to more for a Cammittee on the
state of the Press in India. At present he would con-
fine himself to the cases of Mr. Buckingham and Mr.
Arum, which he characterised as being marked with the
grossest oppresion and persecution towards those indi-
viduals, and was such as to threaten the existence of our
dominion in Itlia.

Mr. WYNN said that in discussing this question, he
meant to follow tic judicious example of the Honour-
able Member, and to abstain from entering upon the
larger topic of a tree Press in India. Whenever that
question was brought forward, he should be prepared
to shew that the very principle and very reasons which
induced him to support a free Press in Great Britain,
called on hint to object to its introduction into India,
where, in his judgment, it would be subversive of 13,
tish authority. With respect to the facts of the peti-
tioner's case, he called upon the House to recollect that
it was one of their leading maxims never to interpose
their authority in a case in which the party had another
mode of redress by law, and mute particularly when, as
in the ptesent case, he was actually under recognizance
to prosecute a suit against Mr. Adam, for the alleged
Oppression he !Ltd endured from hint. This proceeding
was authorised by the Act of the 2lst George 111. w hich
provided, that in case any person found fault w ith,
or felt himself aggrieved by any act or measure of the
Governor General, or of any member of Council, he
should enter into a bond effectually to prosecute the
said complaint, and in sonic competent Court in
Great and having done so, he was entitled
to call for cispes of ail orders or regulations connected
with his case, and also to examine witnesses.—
These steps Mr. Buckingham had taken. The last
communication on this subject took place on the 24th of
January last, when his soiicitor wrote to the Court of
Directors, stating that Mr. Buckingham had been in-
structed to commence legal proceedings against the
Honourable J. Adam, pursuant to a bond which he had
entered into for that purpose, and inquiring whether
that body would defend him ? The Court of Directors
immediately intimated their readiness to receive process.
When this course had been taken, what, he asked, could
stop Mr. Buckingham from 'rimming legal redress, if
he were entitled to it ? This being the state of the case,
was it fair to call on Mr. Adam to enter into his defence,
when that defence might he made use of hereafter as a
further ground to support the pending action ?—(lkar,
hear): Ile (Mr. Wynn) could only state, that upon this
case Mr. Adam was perfectly ready to defend any action
that might be brought against him ; and he was con-
vinced, from Mr. Adam's general character, and from
what he (Mr. IVynii) knew of these transactions, that
that defence would be found completely satisfactory—
(Hear). The Honourable Gentleman had stated, that
up to the time of the departure of the Marquis of
Hastings from India, there was no appearance of any
measures having been taken against Mr. Buckingham.—.
LAMBTON—I said that no conviction had been
obtained against him for any public or private libel.]
—The Honourable Gentleman had stated, that Mr.
Buckingham had not, at that period, forfeited his
claim to the protection of the Indian Government ; and
that their displeasure then came upon him by surprise.
Now, would it be believed, that he bad been warned,

. .
no less than five times, in consequence of different pub-
liCations, of his danger ? In the last letter which was
sent to him by the Secretary of the Government, and'
which was written by order of Lord Hastings, it was
distinctly stated, " if you persist in pursuing the same
line of conduct, your license will be immediately can-
celled, and you will be ordered to depart from India."
Yet this was a measure which was now represented as
having been first thought of by Mr. Adam, and which,
it was said, no Governor-General had ever before con-
templated. By the Act of 1813, this power of depor-
tation was allowed. It was there provided, " that if
ra any
in thepei-so person
judgmentresiding oi of India
G osvhearinlorso.Gceonned tic?
to forfeit himself
a
his claim of protection, his license shall be revoked,
and he forthwith ordered to quit the country. It was
not Mr. Adam alone who caused the removal of Mr.
Buckingham ; the whole Council concurred in the pro-
priety of that proceeding. As to the regulation which
Mr. Adam issued, he would not now enter into any
discussion on that point; not because he was not pre-
pared to consider the subject, but because it was a
matter pending befote the Privy Council. It had not
yet been heard, as Mr. Buckingham had delayed send-
ing in his papers, after he had made a regular appeal
to that tribunal. He was sure the House would feel,
that while the question was pending—a question involv-
ing such important interests, not only as respected the
'freedom of the loess in India, but what was of far more
consequence, the power of the-Government to make re-
Eulations which were not conformable with the law of
isgland—it was desirable that the subject should not be
discussed. Hereafter, when it had undergone a judicial
inves:igation, it might be made matter of discussion. The
last pat t of this. case referred to the proceedings of Lord
Amherst towards Mr. Arnot. With respect to that cir-
cumstance he had no information, except what he de
rived throu.th Mr. Bnckingham's publication, and the
hearing before the Supreme Court on Mr. Anne's ap-
plication. The Honourable Member 104 not referred
to the mote material part of that case. The fact was,
that Arnot was ie-iding in fedi., without Any license or
authority whatever ; an] therefore, under the existing
law, it became the duty of the Governor-General to put
an end to his contirmance there. The Act gave the
(i nyernor-Genet al the power to cause to be at rested
and pot on ship-board, any person thus leiding with-
not atithotity ; and the question before the Court was,
whether it :il,n gave the power to keep the individual
in cn.tody, for any tine, between the period of arrest-
ing him and putting him on ship-brood? The Judge
in Mr. Areot's case decided that it did not. As to the
ship, on board of rt hich Mr. Arnot was placeJ, going
Teruo] by 3st:eosin, it was an allegation which he could
neither :tail in 11',E CiCIIV, as he had no information' on the
subject. But Iroin the character of Lord Amherst, who
was remarkable for his mildness, he could conceive
nothing more improhable, or which required stronger
proof, than an accusation charging that Nobleman w nth
having been guilty of harshness or severity towards any
individual, be) and what he conceived to be necessary in
the just performance of his duty—(llear).
Mr. I lUNIF, denied that the Governor. General of In-
dia had a lig:a to send an individual from that country,
except tinder great responsibility. Ile had perused care-
fully Mr. Adam', defellCe sent to the Court of Direc-
tors, and he had no hesitation in saying, that his con-
duct to Mt.. BockiniOarn wits the result of malice to-
wards that icrdisi.itail. The Paler of Mr. Buckingham
had done much for the Government of India, by induc-
ing the Natives to give their opinions on passing events.
The Indian Jokn 13311 was set up to write Mr. Bucking-
hum down. h. was supported by all the Clerks of the
Government and Company, and its abuse was allowed
to go unpunished. Mr. Buckingham was brought to
trial, but acquitted ; and when be brought his action
against his accusers, he was sent out of the country, that
he might not b. able to go on with the action. He
could not think that the night Honourable Gentleman
lately at the head of the affairs of India (Mr. Canning)
would sanction such treatment as that which Mr. Buck-
ingham has! received. He regretted. for the sake of
the liberty of the Picts in Indi t, that the night Hon.
Geotleman did not go to In(!ia, for Ire was sure he was
not actuated by tire at bitrary and persecuting notions
of the Company's servants in that country. Mr. Adam
prohibited the circulation of the Edinburgh Review, or
any other publication which he disliked. challenged
the annals of the Holy Alliance to chew such a system
of despotism with respect to die press.
Mr. ASTELL said, the Honourable Mover had not
told all he knew, while the last sreaker had considered
Mr.Buckiosham as a much injured individual, and Mr.
Adam as being actuated by premeditated malice to-
wards him. Nlr. Bockinglotor had a license as a free
mariner, which did not entitle him to re-ide on shore,
or to become the Editor of a Newspaper. But the Corn-
pally did not wish to stop him from making as much
as he could of his ta!ents, until he had written various
things of a most offensive nature against the Govern-
ments of Fort St.liteorge and of Calcutta. He once was
obliged to make an apology, but notwithstanding many
Wafflings, he still continued, from time to time, his at-
tacks on the Government and on the Bishop of Calcutta.
The proceedings against Mr. Buckingham were counte-
nanced._ and agreed to by alt the !Members of the Coun-
cil, as well as by Mr. Adam. Mr. Arnot was not in
India under any circumstance of license whatever.
Sir C. POI:I3ES read a letter from a friend, recom-
mending Mr. Buckingham to him, and saying, that the
ealcutla Journal had done much good. He thought
they should pause before they declared Mr. Bucking-
liam deserving of the severe treatment which he had
received. He would be very much surprised, if the
Government of India did not consider any one guilty
of annoyance and presumption, wino wrote or published,
or even had the audacity to speak anything against
their actions. He had known a native ef high reipect-
ability threatened to be sent off the Island of Bombay,
for having made a good bargain with Government
which they wished to set aside, but which he very pro-
perly determined to make them abide by. Mr. Buck-
ingham did not deserve the cruel punishment which
be had received, for he had been ruined by the Indian
Government.

Sir FRANCIS BURDETT could not withhold, in
the first instance, his extreme gratitude to the Right
Honourable Director who had spoken last, for the manly
part lie had taken on this question. But his principal
object in rising was to induce his Honourable Friend
(Mr. Lanibton) who had introduced this subject to the
consideration of the House, in a statement plain and
level to the apprehension of every man who heard him,
that he would not be satisfied by entering at a future
period into the discussion of that general question of the
free press of India, but that he would in this Session
bring before the House the hardship that might be im-
posed on an individual by a temporary Governor of
India. The question now before the Hou,e seemed to

divide itself into two considerations—first, as to tite fact
of oppression petional to
.Ir. Buckingham ; econti:v,
as to the liberty of the press in India. A very common.
place argument had been used in this former questiot,,
to which he was anxious to call the attention of tf.e

House, by the President of the Board of Ccn.
trout (Mr. Wynn), viz. that the petitioner, AI%
Buckingham, should not apply to the Parliament for
redress, seeing that he has appealed to a Court in India,
—E Ir. Wysti—No, not in India—in rnglan,i.-!..._
Be it so. In England, at all events, the appeal has h'
made to a Court of Law to obtain redress—( 1 bar,fi-0,,,
Mr. Wynn). But that appeal had nothing to do ‘k j:;,
the question of the violent course adopted by a U,. 0‘.,...
_ . . .

nor of India i►i his treatment of a British subject. Al,
Honourable Member opposite, a Ditector ton,

. ,
talked a great deal to very little pttrrse. Ile ILiti •:.,
of the repeated warnings given to Mr. Btickin:4l.l,l4..
But what was the origin of these warnings? r. ciLp, he
had laudably called in question borne of the :v.ct, of ti c

Government, and indeed upon the very face of tl,e
ceedings it did appear that some motives of sit,-,k3on
attached to his dismissal. It appeared that he
fault with the appointment of Mr. Adam. 'fat
pointment was s!:bsequently rescinded, end thus it w 4,
proved that the obei vations of Mr. Buf.kiiigh.tm wele
not without foundAti,n. A Presbyttuian C;e:g)i;ma
was not pi eciscly the pet son to invest %,ith the sittrition,
and Mr. Buckingham had ventured to express his dis-
approbation, as a public jonmalist, of such an aiipont.
meat. It appeared, too, that by the regulations of L: rd
Moira, there was an actual induce;rent to Mr. Bud:.

I

itigharn to settle at Calcutta ; the libesal policy of t!os
Marquis of Hastings was clearly an indiscsment to thrs
effect. Ile hoped his I lonousable lend woola hon 4
forward this question of °pre .sion in its sit-risk fern as
it regarded the treatment of Mr. Pueking%ain.
Mr. Secretory CANNING said he ceitaisly lid n .r.
intend to detain the House by entering into a sl.easeoa
of any of the topics which by common era's...et were
defeated to a distant opportunity. That lar:ns strhj..et
concerning the press in India, and the taller pee::;
equally important, referred to by the Hon. Bateniet, it
would not he for the convenience of the 11..usa Low to
discuss. The question before them was, whether the
petition should be permitted to lie on the tals:e, and to
that he sertainly could have not the slightest objection.
Should the Hon. Gentleman %alto had, is ith >o much
calmness and ability, brought forward the present peti-
tion, persevere in the motion of %Illicit he had givel
notice for the next Session of Parliament, he sheuld
ready to meet him upon fair ground's, lot he !yid no
earthly prejudice to overlay his feelings ani his
rative judgment on this question. But his objection z
this petition arose, not to its reception, for to te
he said nothing ; but from ita interfering with a question
now pending in a Court of Law ; and he was per-
fectly convinced the interference Print prose prejudicial
to justice. Whether it was originally wise to infest to
those measures which placed the Press of India under
peculiar restrictions, mightlte a iii subject for discussion.
—lie certainly could not agree with the wide polo y
which would throw open India to the advanta7s of a
free press, in her preserit unenlthtened condiriale lE
the system now established by a delibet ate an I recent
decision in that great anomalous and astonishing ein-
phis, acted warnig, let that system be altered, but it
not an individual be chat its deticier,cits.
course which Mr. Adam :isto,sted was meted out i:o
him by the law. It was just the case of a Govern:it,
fixed in the unquestionable exeici.e of an undoubted
author ity, apportioning to any person offeedirtg tl e
exact consequence, as the law defined it, of his dello-
quency. If the Governor bad executed hi, atithorhe
for the abuse, the House had also provi.ied a temedy
for the suffering party, and of the remedy, it appeared,
Mr. Buckingham had learnt to avail himself. Mr.
Buckingham had now an opportunity of removing hi;
case from that so much depreciated tribunal—an In ban
Court of Judicature—to a British Jury. With u that
semblance of equity, then, could a Parliament intesfete
under such circumstances? When that snit seas de-
cided, he had, far one, no objection to enter into the
discussion. The Member for Aberdeen had übseived
that he (Mr. Canning) had seemed to express some sur-
prise at a passage in the speech of the Honourable Gen-
tleman, by whom Mr. Buckingham's petition had beet,
presented to the Iloine. ‘• Undoubtedly, Sir," continued
Mr. Canning, " I did express surprise at that passage,
tor it was one well calculated to excite surprise in my
mind. It was the passage in which the Honourab!e
Member spoke of the tyranny of my Lord Andrerst.
Stich a charge was new to me, and novelty is apt to
produce sun prise. To hear Lord Amherst had become
a tyrant, did not astonish me much less than it would
have astonished me to hear that he had become a tiger.
I feel, Sir, that I am hound to lisien to the declaration
of the Hon. Member for the County of Durham on this
point with that openness to conviction which we should
all preserve, even when the character of those who stand
the highest in our estimation is the subject of remark.
I know that power has been frequently the cause of
great changes in the human mind. It is possible that
it has produced a great change in the mind of Lord
Amherst. The possessor of the most mild, the Most
gentle, the most amiable, the most lot bearing nature
that I ever met with, may have been converted by
power into a savage and tetocious spirit. Such a trans-
formation may have taken place; but if it real:y has
taken place, I must say that it is the most extraordinaiF
physical phenomenon that ever came under my obser-
vation"—(Gceers and laughter.)—Much misunderstand-
ing appeared to exist with respect to the conduct of the
Marquis of Hastings with reference to the Press in In-
dia. It had been assumed, both in that House aml q••
where, that the Marquis of Hastings had thrown do wit
all the guards on the Press in India; that he had al-
lowed the utmost latitude of discussion, and had almost
offered prizes for disquisitions on the most delicate and
dangerous topics. Nu such thing : the Noble Marquis
(Hastings) had removed one set of restrictions on th.e
liberty of the Press, but be had introduced another.--
When, therefore, the question came before him (Mr.
Canning), at the tirne he was President of the Board of
Controui, it was a question, not whether there sheeld
be restrictions on the Press in India, or no rests ictira.s
but whether the ancient restrictions which the Margins
of Hastings had removed, and which the East India
Company wished to see restored, should be preferred to
those woich the Noble Marquis had substituted for
them ? The Marquis of Hastings having removed ene
set of restrictions and so bs:ituted another, the ,haft
which had been sert to hint (Mr. Canning) by the Di-
rectors of the East India Company required the restora-
tion of the encient restrictions. Fiona that draft 11,.t
had tinea6l.t it his duty to withhold the approbation
of e..e C own. it had appostred to him, that under the
of the c..se, to restore the Ce 117.01 Ship of
the Pies. iu lotha wood be to igterrnt that which

!niht prove a very salutary experiment. It was some
tine in the year 189 that accounts were received in
t:;;; conntry what had been done by the Marquis of
ji,,Hes respecting the Press in India. It was about
IS2O, that th& draft by the Directors of the East
I..jia Company had been sent to him, to which draft,
t!,,3 reason he had already assigned, he felt it iiis
duty riot to give the sancvion of the Crown. That
cincion lie continued to xvithhold until the end Of the'
sane rear, when he ceased to fill the office of Presijent
of the B,iard of Controul. He repeated, that his object
vithheld:ng it was his desire that the new system
tautly ti icd ; but really before llonntir,,bie
ii,ltiefren bestowed any high panegyi is on himself, or
t!x
I,.ngiris of Hastings for his attachment to the
;F of the Press, as manifested on that occa,ion,
ti,er ryt'z.ht to know exactly the state of the ca,e. The
ic,vl,lnons respecting the Press, which the Marquis of
found when he entered on the Govei nment of
1.„:6, had ;Jeen established by Marquis Weiie,ley. He
c,i,.Gini.ing) would read them to the House :
Luvry proprieor of a newspaper shall place his name at
tL!bota,:n 4 that newipaper.
6, qiy. T:u• tome and abode of the Editor shall he made known.
„ ,;117. N , n6.wspaper shall be published on A Sunday.
.1;14. No raper shall be published previously to its being in-

• ,I:all.
~,;tsons offentli.ig against any of these regulations shall
,stined z!) enthallia!ioa."
it was truc-, abrogated these
hitt wii,tt were those which he introjuced?

,t Editors of 31 cwipapers are prohibited by tile ,ILrq•:is of
regul,ti,Ja front pu'Ailling any matter under the follow-

•
••• i,z. Aeintativer,ions on the Court of Directors, or the public
, • is the G overnment
triattrs uf a poll LiC.ll tendency, off.•t•.;ive to the Pre-
!:,t, or the i i,Lop of Calcutta—(.l 14ugh).
oat copping L..Lcts of any I.tv.,,paper under the above

~.±•';lp. Front the 031J:tea:ion of private scandal."

booing throe egulations, he thotight the House
:-.-i!ad ;tare:. \• file him, that the I-am-gyms eat the Mar-
;.4 hal ilaaings had been a little too %%I:J. They would
lazagra lAcve that the Nrible Mal fpli had left the
Lp, of ladaa free as air; that havitig abolished the
,aslap, loaf:flossed it to riot iii tiacontruuled
aasioas. Ile (M!... Canning) hoped he a ,tb not say-
; .• a > traach, alien he declared, that %% ere he possessed
•aAer which nothing mild controul but the press,
4-Late that pies, limited as it had been limited in
ia by the Marquiseof Hastings, he should certainly
caaaatin no appreben.ion of its restraining
desnoying the illusion which existed on this subject,
aal i 1 trakin:.; what might be considered a :elf-, aeri-
Ea., be bc.4ged not to be understood as exiaessiug his
,aaat ion of the regulations which he had just quoted.
;,at, ane:y, ticatlemen of all parties woold allow, when
appantred that pan such minds as those of *Marquis
Wellas:r.'y and Lila Marquis cf Hastings—men as vir-
Nous ;Lad lion curable as they were great and dighitied
—a. mach :attached to the pa inciples of liberty as the
must e:lightetied.Statesmen that ever lived—concur
la the necessity of some collo ind over the pies, in India,
la waft! not say that their judgment should be subjn-
alaad to that of these diAinguisbad persons, but that
they re. ht well pause before they declared that the
Marquis of Hastings ought to be condemned for the
cause of conduct which he had pursued. What he had
stated were the authorities on which he had founded his
opinion; and ha was sure that the llon. Gentleman who,
had introduced the subject with so much temper and abi-
lity, would not say that they ought to be put out of
the question. What the decision might be on the parti-
ci:jar case under consideration, he would not anticipate.
is his opinion it neither would be nor could be decided
atatotract principles. It must be looked at with refer-
ewe, not to the happily t nlightenea state of this country,
b a: to those modifications which belonged to a state or
s arty not metely different limn our own, but which
had no resemblance in the whole world. In such a
country, and under such regMations of the Ps CiS as he
load described, Mr. Buckingham did that which he (Mr.
Canning) would not charactetiae. His condact must be
Aged with reference to the law under which he lived
at the time, and net with reference to the law by which
ilapply we were governed. As to Mr. Adam, with
:hat Gentleman, he (Mr. Canning) hal no personal con-
aexion. But he should be doing great injustice to him,
i; he did nat say that he was a man who had raised him-
self by his 'meritotioas conduct ; a condact, the value
o which had been acknowledged by the successive in-
dividuals who had held the Government of India, and
who had, therefore, the oppoatunity of witnessing and
;appreciating it. He (Mr. Canning) could truly say
':urn experience, that in a situation a f great difficulty
!a had known that Gentleman exert himself in the
:,at manly and creditable manner. If he were to
;I:ige of Mr. Adam's general character from his con-
rinct as a public officer, he would say that he was a man
evidently determined to act honourably and uprightly,
out what it would. Mr. Adam might, in the pur-
suit of aeliat he considered a just object, have been
of vialeice and oppression in the exercise af the
alni.oraty alitholity with which he was invested. It
s.'; air ‘‘ as in that course of tlial which Parliament had
appninted to take cogaizance of such misdeeds; and
n'euld he be proved guilt; , Goo forbid that he should
rat be visited by the punishment awarded by law to
ch an offence. But it was impossible that that Iluu:e
ould step in with an extra judicial piucee3ing ; and
hove all, that, while the pat ocular case was under the
.'risideration of a Court of Law, it should step in to try
a..e merits of that case, and of the general system loge-
abor. That House, if it entered at present into the in-
vstiqation of the subject, could not separate the imii-
vidual case from the system. But a Court of Law would
separate them. It would try Mr. Adam by the law
aiaich he was bound to administer; and would consider
Mr. Buckingham's case by th.s law under which he lived.
`•c hen the individual case should be once out of the way,
Le (Mr. Canning) should have no objection whatever to
conaaa, nail only that the whole question respecting the
India should be brought under the view of Par-
' avnent, but that it should also take into con-dderatien
aa other modifications of the system of Indian Govera-
- eat, which the progress of knoa ledge and the int-
a7aving condition of the population el our Asiatic Ent-
'rare might appear to dernaVid.
Mr. IJENM All stated, that unless be were perfectly
soisfied that At proceedings were at an end in a Court
01 Law on Oh• subject, he should not have sapported
this vaition ; but as he had professionally been eon-
and given an opir ion against the suit of Mr.
he was desirous of stating, that his °pi-
' "al }.needed not upon the want of met its in the pc-
titioian's case, but From the difficulties which the
attire had parposely thrown in the way to guard toe
randuct of tkir Clovelitor. He was not surprised,
a;awever, at the hacknied argument. It had been dis-
c/timed, on the part of Mr. Buckingham) that he meant

to proceed beyond this appeal, but still that assertion'
was eiscredited and di-re'Tarded. •
Mr. LAMBTON, in moving that the Petition do lie
on the table, was anxious to advert to one or two togics.
which had fallen,flOm the Right Honourable Gentle- '
man. If be (Mr. Lambton) had made any state-
ments which were incorrect, and contrary to facts,
let them be contradicted by the Court of Directors.
'lllO, Chairman had declared that warnings had been
given to Mr. Buckingham, and that afterwards the
to cceedings against him were justifiable. He (Mr.
Limbton) wcald state what some of those warnings were.
One of them c.miisted in an application Which had been
made to the Advocate-General, to kuoiv whether an
action would lie against them for certain publications
relative to the late Queen; but the Advocate General
had said, that there would be no chance of a verdict.
Another warning was, respecting charge, against the
Bishop of Calcutta, which chat ges were not against
the Bishop, but against one of his curates, for neglect
of duty. The Bishop had asserted that they concerned
himself perscually, and appealed on the sohjczt ; but
on inquiry it %Vas ascertained that the charge, were
well founded, and a remedy was provided. For himself,
he (Nlr. Lambton) would say, that if he could discover
and remove abuses, he would do so in spite of the Go-
vernor-General. Another of the warnings was, for ptsb-
lications relative to military statements, which it had
been asserted, were ca!tulated to promote military in-
subm dination. Sir J. Malcolm had declared, that free
discussion in India was absolutely necessary, and more
particulaily as it related to the at my; ard that such free
discussion wa. i ro,silile, except through the medium of
the public 'Hess. Ile (Mr. Lanibtoa) would prove, if the
House would oaly giant bins a Committee, by the teiti.
ninny of v al Utlicers, that in the army cf India tlieic
was 1:0 such sovereign remedy for abuse as the pie-s. Ile
..1d ka.r,v 'lr. Bockingliam, nor Mr. Ak!am, nor
the sI rduis of Hastings, nor Lord Amherst; he could ,
not tell wi:e.her the latter we're 3 tyrant or a tiger; he
might be what an Honour:Ode Meniber had described
hint, 11. e :eatlc'st of human beings. But when he saw
such statements lei wine then laid before the House,
c,,nfirined by the testimony of many unexceptionable
rerons, I.e thought it his du-y, as a Member of Parlia-
ine,lt, to place we matt2r before the Commons of Log-
-1 rid ; and if they ‘:id nut inquire into it, on their head,
he the CousequenceS.—Toe Petition was.then ordered
to he printed,