The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-07-07 00:00:00

THE STATESMAN.

, EAST IVDIA HOUSE.

viavesnae, JULY G.
An Adjeurncl Court of the Proprietors of East
India Stock was hclJ this day, to consider a mo.
tion on the subject of the Report of the Committee
flf the House of Commons on the 4buses in East
India Patrouage.
After the minutes of thd last Court were read,
Mr. RANDLE ..lacasosi rose.—A subject of
greater crinsectnence than the present, lie presumed
to think, had not engaged the attention of that
Court for many years Lek. Character was as
necessary to a public Corporation as to a private
individual ; and if character was necessary to any
public Corporation, it was peculiarly so to the
East ladle Company, whose existence as a Body
fell to he periodically renewed, and to which it
would be certainly proper that a period should be
put, if thy Company was found not to answer the
great end of its establishment. The Court were
not ignorant that fur a series of years reports had
gone abroad of so serious a nature, and so discre-
ditable to the Coin play, that if they were not re-
moved, the character of the Company mast be
greatly endangered. They knew that, as farliack as
1798, these reports assumed so grave and weighty
an appear nice, that an Inquiry was instituted for
the purpose of tracing the subject to the bottom.
It was not his intention to tread over the painful
steps by which that Inquiry was stilled ; but thei
suppression of the lequiry at that moment 'fur-
'fished such a record of their own guilt, as led to
the worst of inferences. From that time, the ex-
istence of an improper traffic in the appointments
;n the Ctenpany's service was hardly doubted, but
the certainty of it was fully established by the
Report of the late Committee. He should not ask
the rteport to be read, but should shortly refer to a
few lace •ogos in it. It was the Report of a Cont.
milieu of twit of aaaracter, equally distinguished
fur their hninauity and feeling as for their ability
and integrity. The first part of the Report went
to a full and fair acquittal of tic Directors of the
Com;..any—a satisfaction in which he cordially
partook, and if he was not mistakeu, a satisfae..
Linn too iii which the Court would that day express
their concurrence, by voting their thanks to those
of their Directors who were in Parliameng, for
their conduct :in toe occasion. The Report then
proceeded to the painful task of noticing the varimis
instances of trafficing, which had came under the
observation ur the Committee, and a recurrence
of which it was not only the duty but the
interest of the Court to endeavour to pettd.--
The Report then a cat on to state the bye-laws of
the Company, the forms of the declaration, are.
It then proceeded to give an account of the lii-
quiry in 1798, which it herd sip, as it were, as a
liesking-glass, in which that Court should see the
folly of their own conduct, and learn; from past
experience, to act better in future. It would
seem, indeed, as if this were the only reason of
their entering into the detail- The deficiency of
powers in the Directors to administer the oath,
an I to punish, was next referred to, and the Re-
port concluded with a recommentlatiOn as friendly
a., it *as potent, that if the Directors, or the
Company, neglected to du what was necessary, a
stronger arm would take Ulm. It was to these
latter points he meat principally to lireet the at.
tention of the Court, and to prevent the appoint-
meats ,passing through several hands, which the
Directots, from once losing sight of them, could
hardly be aitle to guard against, that his reso.
I .+! e aft. lid be directed. The Report stated,
as the reason of the Committee for not recant-
weeding any itameditt- Parlia..,eutecy measere,
that it would ti mend on the Directors them-
:elm, by adopting stronger measures thus they
bad yet followed, theinselva to chock the evil. It
would he for t ••• Court of Proprietors that day to
Fay, i use evil was to h' suffered to grow more ,
raok and inveterate ; or, if they should be able,
when they eAllc.l ,in Parliament to renew their ,
abartei, todtire thew to look into the interior of
their conduct, and should th'nce be able to cons.
poi them to say, " Stich persons are deserving of
support and encouragement." Beitig so tentletly
called on by the Report of the Committee, he
should use no eptillgy for pressing the matter on
the eonsi.leratioe of the Court. He shoithi first
shortly state the uatt!re of the ; second, the
rent...ly he or.t•ioscd ; and thirdly, should touch
on the jusiice of -air case, as it athxteil both sides
of. Cie bar. As to the evil, it was as odious, dis.
gastin*,. and disgraceful a species of traffic, as could
well be sup nosed. Tbe appointment to an office was
allowed to travel about from hand to hand, till it ,
became a sort of mercantile commodity, and bore
its value on the face of it, as if it were a pawn-
broker's duplicate ; though this was an appoint.
meat which it was expressly declared could not
he disposed of, and which, from the nature of
the duty to be discharged, required the highest
circumspection in the appointment of a fit and
proper poison to fill it.. He proceeded. to point
out the mode in which the Civil ainiMilitary
appointments were tilled up ; this, however, so
far es it was defective, he did nut attribute to this
or that set of Directors. It had grown into a
system fur many years. The young man peti.
tioniag for a Writership is brought in before the
Directors, and probably, without any questions
put to hint, but, simply having ascertained that
he was a native of this country, he is scat to the
Committee. of Correspondeuce, before whom be
need not appear, but who, having examined into
the of the documents, a report is made
tbst be is a fit person to be appointed. It was
not surprising that agents should be found who
would engage in a traffic for places where this was
the nature et the inquiry. As the law and vrac.
tic° swot', it would be esteemed impertinent to
question a Director as to his motives in appointing
a young pia s to any situation in his noinination ;
but his object was to relieve the Directors from
this unpleasant situation. .As to Cadets, they did
- sot require any petition. Sheis had said to Mr. Da..
vises., that of these he had disposed of 14 during the
last year; sad it was not remarkable that this
should be the case, wiles it was Onderstoptl that
the Directors, aceortkog to their seniority, hid a
right to digitise of a certain number, which they
gjd...not by means of cards to to.rticoiar young

men whom they knew, or who were recommend-
ed to than on accouut of their heroic exploits,
but (as in the case of a nomination by Mr. Thorn.
ton, whom he named because his respectability
was kno.►n) to oblige Miss Elisabeth Spindler,
who, along with a Miss Morrison and Mr. Sher,
shared in the price paid for it by the friends of
the young mats by whom it was to bu held. The
only question in nse to put to these young men
was, if they had read the papers hamlet! to them ;
and on their answering in the affirmative, they
were appointed. This was an evil rowing for a
century. The mode he suggested fur its currec.
lion was, that writers, cadets, and students,
should be admitted in open Court only; that the.
Director recommending any such should sign a certi-
ficate, that lie had made inquiry into his character,
connections, and qualifications ; that all questions
deemed necessary should then be put, not only to
the person recommended, bid to the Director re-
cummending him; and that it should be the duty of
the other Directors, in the mean time, and previous
to the appointineut, to make every inquiry into the
three points—character, counectiuns, and qualifi-
cations—to which he hail purposed limiting the
investigation. If these three requisites had not
occurred to himself, his attentioti would have been
directed to them by the speech of Lord Castle.
reagh on a late Investigation, who had declared
that he never did recommend to the Directors, for
their approbation, any young man as to whose
character, connections, and qualifications, he had
not previously satisfied himself. These appoint.
meets were made irrevocably, and the mode which
boyroposed was, therefore, she more indispensable.

'ihe CIIATIMAN said these appointments were
not irrevocable.

Mr. Jace.sox contended, that no young man
was appointed a studei. t where there was uot the in-
tention of sending him out as a writer. This was
the ordeal which he proposed ; and the question
was, supposing it to be agreed to, if it was likely
to be efficacious? He begged to judge on this point,
that it might be compared with the cases on record,
where no inquiry, or sufficient inquiry, appeared
to hare been made. What he proposed was, that
each Director recommending a young man for a
situation, civil or military, in the Company's ser-
vice, should indorse the petition in this form—" I,
A. B. have enquired into the character, connet-
tions, and qualifications of C. D. and declare it as
my opinion, that he is a fit and proper person to be
received into the service of the Company." He
could not, after the best consideration ho had given
the subject, devise any better means of preventing
the evils complained of, and if the Company had been
as vigilant before, his conviction was, that what
they now knew never would have occurred. Ifeconld
hardly figure it possible that any manshould be fuuud
so callous, as, a itit the consciousness of having vio-
lated his duty, by taking a false declaration, to ap.
pear in presence of twelve or thirteen of big col-
leagees, all of whom had power to question hinkuu
the propriety of his conduct and motives. lie would
not suppose any man, far less a man thought wor.
thy of a seat within that bar, capable of such har-
dihood. Ho therefore recommended this as an
effectual check. In doing so, he was not entirely
without authority. The Chairman and Mr. 1.1 o•
sanquet, had both countenanced a similar idea in
their evidence before the Committee of the House
of Commons. It might be objected, that this
would occupy too much of the time of the Diree-
ton ; but were it necessary even to hold an_Evtri
Court for this special purpose, he should not think
even that an inconvenience to be put in competi-
tion with the evil complained of. What he sug-
gested would. have the effect of putting the Com-
pany well with the Country ; of convincing the
Public that appointments of this kind could nut
take place but in open Court; and that there was
no possibility, from the ordeal which was en.
joined, of any frath: 'taxiing unpuuistied. Tier
next question was,• if this regulation would be
just? This depended on the fact, whether it
would operate as an undue abridgement of pa.
trunage. However it might be proper in Par.
liawcnt to abridge or restrain this patronage, by
did not think it would be proper in that Court;
by a side wind, to attempt to do so. This pa-
tronage, undoubtedly, could only be given to the
Director, for the good of those fors whom it was
given, namely, for that of the Public and the
Proprietors ; and though it had now degenerated
into porsooal nomination, that ought still to con:
Ow to take plate through a fa 4 and open me-
dium. It was impossible, after what the Court
had seen, that gray could be too circumspect in a
question of this kind. When the inquiry was in
agitation in the rear 1799, a Worthy Director
(Bosanquet) had calculated how many affidavits of
purity would be requisite for the Cadets and Wri-
ters appointed within the last six years, on the
idea of the motion for inquiry being adopted.—
While stile Honourable Director had been calcu-
lating the number of oaths, he (Mr. Jackson) had
been calculating also, but for a different purport-
---to ascertain what would Lie da• value qt these
appointments et the market price, as it was Nue. I
macl to be ; and the result was, that within the'
six years it would amount to 1,000,0001. This
was an amount of patronage which he considered
an object worthy of consideration and regulation.
Some persons had maintained, that so great a
patronage ought to be in the hands of Covers-
reent ; and that it was tie anomaly "that a Coe-
pany of Merchants should have the disposal ,
of an influence so extensive. Others were equally
eager in eontentliiig, that so vast an accession
of patronage would make Government so strong,
that no constitution, however pure, even from
the time of the constitution of ancient Gcaece
or Rome, could stand against it. Of this
opinion was the Meeting at the Thatched.boaae;
and though he slid not entirely agree with the opi.
nion, he was not satisfied that it was totally. void
of foundation. There was still another opinion
started on this subject, by an Hue. Friend of
his, who, I% itb a disposition to indulge in a sally
of merriment, hid an honest heart, aail an en-
. 14rgtti understanding (Mr. howndes); arid he
asked, why not sell these Cumruissious, and from
the produce of them, form a fund for the die.
• tressed and wounded seanr:n and soldiers who had
;, been employed is the Couipauy's service ? Whit.

ever Might be his opitdOn, Were the question now
to be started, whether Commissions in the British
army should be disposed of by sale or not ? and
however erueh he might desire to see the benevo-
lent wish of his Hon. Friend realised, he must be
,alloweil to say, that he could not even approve of
tills disposal of the patronage of the Compaiy.
A fourth idea was, that the senior Proprietors
should share a little in the Patronage, and that
after they were satisfied, there would ttill be
enough to gratify every ambition of the Dircc.
tors. This opinion was not entertained a JO-
out VASA OR which to proceed, for, on re.
Terrace to the ancient Charters, in the time
of Elisabeth, Charles, &c. it sv•uld be
found that the nomination of various servants of
the Company was then in the Proprietors.- -
Though he believed he was so old a Proprietor,
that in this view of the subject, he might himself
look for some part of this Patriotic, he still
could not persuade himself that it ought to rest
even here. It leas necessary fur those who, like
himself, came forward to desire reformation of
abuses, to show that they had nu interest in what
they laboured to accomplish, but that with sic.
glenas of heart they were anxious to do their
duty ; and when the public read their resolution,
they would see that they were not self.interested,
but that they. wished to walk perfectly iu the law
of the Company. His object was that patronage
should remain as it had formerly done, but that it
should be qualified and corrected, so as to exclude
the possibility of abuse. He ss ished, therefore,
that the number of recommendations should re-
main the same to each Director, but that the ap-
pointment should not be absolute. There were
persons who by this regulation would lose; *itch
as the Member of Administration who presided
at the. Board of Contrail. • He asked no cliang2,
but slat they should act agreeable to the, law and
to prudence. Though the Directors were in the
1 use of sending nominations to such gentlemen, it
was an iudiscreet and an illegal practice. In
the Act of Parliament it was' stated, that those
persons who formed the Board of Cuntroel should
hare no controul or nomination over the officers
of the Company ; therefore, in giving them
any such nomination, they transgressed both the
spirit and letter of the Act. It could never be
the meaning of the Act that those who were to
controal the Directors should receive fay.mrs from
them, tie that their political censors should he their
political deutors.• One of the most transceodeet
geniuses which this or any other county y ever
saw (Mr. Fus), had lost himself on this subject,
bec.tise lie wished to secure the patronage to him-
sell' and his colleagues. The Bill commoids called
Mr. Pitt's Bill, etas built on the contrary princi.
pie, *ail exclieled all patronage in his Majesty's
Ministers. The Director', therefore, in acting
as they led done, proceeded contrary to law. He
proceeded to refer to the attacks made on the old
East India Company, in the reign of King Wit.
ham, all of which, though urged most ably and.
eloquently, failed, till bribery was detected on
the part of their Chairman, Sir 'l'. C,ike, when
they were at once deprived of their charter, arid
had only seven years to wind lip 'heir accounts.
He begged of the Court to cons ter what might
hethe effect of allowiwg East I ne la patrona, which
Alight be construed into a-largess, to remain at the
present snorneot contrary to law, at the disposal of
the Preside's; of the Board of Cuntroul. If the
Directors wished to gratify persons holding that
office, let them do so without subjecting tile Corn.
patty tiedanger. lie concluded by moving the fol-
lowing Resolution :---

" That this Coort baring taken iota its serious consitlera-
(jou the Report laid before it nn the .29. th March last, pur-
porting to be a Report from a Srlret r.mittee of the Howe
I of Commons, "appointed to inquire into the esistenee of
any corrupt practices in retard to the. appointment and mai-
uattna of Writers or Cadets in the service of the East India
Compttly," cannot but cartes its deep regret at the eorrnpt
nod improper transactioit. therein disclosed. Aml that thk
Court, while it observes with great plea-ore the deelara-
ilou of the said Committee, " that throeghout the whole
of the evidence they remark nothing which traces any one
of saris eorruOt or improper bargains to any Director, or
seduces a reasonable suspicion that they were done with
his privity or connivance," is decidedly of ispiniou, that a
greater degree of circumspection, •in the appointment of
the Civil and Military Servants of the East India Coutpan)
is oat why essential to its reputation, :tad to the buc fess of its
affairs, but hi,;hly important to the public interest. It doth
therefore determine, That in future all AVriters and t'adet4,
as well a. the Student; meant for inch appointments, shad be
examined and ehwen in an open Court of Director., which
Court shall be bound to, make, by the interrogation of the
Candidate, and of the person recommending him, and by "ich
ether elimination and mean, as shall seem to theta to be et •
pediertt fur that perpose, a full Inquiry into the cbar,,c ter, con-
nectiow, and qualifications of the mid Candidate, as well as
into the means of his introduction to that Court. and to record
upon their proceedings the resale of ..teh inquiry, n ith their
determination thereua.—That all such Candidate. shall pre :-eat
itetitious fur their appuimmeuts; bet that no petition shall be
entertained or discussed, listless the same be endorsed or under-
written by a Director in the following terms, over and above
any declaration now required, via. " I, A. B. Wag one of the
Directors of the East !oda Company, du declare, t bat I have_
fully inquired Into toe character, the conocetiow, and martini-
callous or tlte n itithe Petitioner C. D. and that in my opinion
be is a fit person to petition the East India Company, fur the
appointment whit It he hereto solicits.'' But that nothitte con-
tained in the still or any other declaration from a Director,
shall relieve the said Court from the obligation of pur.uisig
with the utmost Uric:nem the aforesaid inquiry. And that it
shall not be lay. fel for any Director to circulate any written
recotantlidtatun of any Candidate, or otherwise interfere in.
his appointment, than in an open Court of Directors : Pro-
vided alllsys, that each Director sha.l be at liberty so to
endorse or underwrite so sanity, and such petitions as Ice is mild,
according collie present mode and rules respecting patrottay.,
I be entitled to sito oominatiow, nod no more ; and that the
Comet of Dlrectun do lay before this Court, at least olive in
ti a year, or oftener if required, as account of the nuother n'
Y. Filers, Cadets, and Studeats w h:ise pet' dons h eve heel .greed
to, as well as the number of those whose petitloos have been
rc;etted."

Colonel SCOTT seconded the motion, anti wa4
followed by Mr. Lowndes on the same- side.

Mr. SAMVEL Dm., wished that the matter had
°Agitated with tt)e thtectors, or that the motion
had bueti Ouly a tecommentlation to them, ithtrati
of being, as it seam' to• beg au ordu tvm
than.

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L0N.120111 t Primal . Published o) 0. Loy 61.1., at
. OT tt.ittaiL t•stICC.•