The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-01-05 00:00:00

••

.

in I utter et or of the General Officer. iota-
ntenilieg that Army on ifs leshalf—it was not a
cientenii:rctiirn from a few Officers ..r rank and
consitteratiost, setting forth their own sentiments,
or conveying respectful advice concerning the mi-
lt try affairs or intereets of the Coast : hut it Nas
lei bring to our Council Board a cheviot ous de.
'nand, edforeed by the combined and united
voice of an Army. lit other words, it was' to
latimidtte and overawe the authority to which •it
was addressed.'.
21. This attempt at intimidation was the more
leprehensihle, es it• Was altogether unnecessary,
• and entirely inapplicable to the purposes avowed
by the. Memorialists. It will not be said, or to
"loco% perhaps more correctly, it will not be
• strewed, that the remover of Sir G. Harlow hem
- the Government of Fort • St. George was the psi.
• Miry aid substantive object of their proceedings,
that the Army was to speak in a body, not
fee thecae's; of the grievances set forth in the
llemoriel,- but for the purpose of cashiering and
electing Governors at the discretion of the Offi-
cers of the Army. If the redress of grievances
then was the object proposed, it is manifest that
purpose could not bo accomplished, but was
flkely to be impeded by this culpable proceeding.
22. The grievances enumerated in that paper
are—
The exclusion of Lictitenant-Gen. Macdowall
from Council.
The release of Col. Munro.
And the removal of the Adjutant and Deputy.
,Adjutant-General from their offices.
23. The first of those complaints related to a,
measure, adopted, as the Memorialists well know,l
• by the llonottaable Court of Directors, and alto.
tether beyond the competeoce of eny authority in
21. The release of Colonel Munro is a measure
which, if it was wrong, might be a fit subject of
representation by Lieutenant-General Macdowall,
whittle order for his arrest had been superseded.
As Commander in Chief, he was the proper chat'.
nel or that representatipn, first to the Supreme
Government, and then to the authorities at home.
• The interposition of the army itself was unneces.
Lary and culpable.
• 25. The same remarks apply to the removal of
the Adjutant and D,spety Adjublini.General.
Adjetant.Gencral had hims.•lf embarked for Eli/.
• land. The Commander in Chief was also on his
fassages Thossoodteet of that discussion in Eng.
land might be safely left to them, and could not
be assumed by any other perms with equal pro.
rthtr•
ttl. All these important points could receive a
definitive deeittion from the Supreme Authorities
in England alone. To ngitite them here could
• Wither influence nor accelerate that decision, anti
Could answer oac purpose alone, that of foment.
1:11111114 spirit of discontent and controversy, en.:
gaging murmurs, and exciting heat and fer-
ment iit the artny,all which it was fertile pitolie in.
terest, anti not less for the interest of the army
than of the government and the rest of the cont.
minify, to prevent or appease. It was surely this
manifest dirty of every servant of the Company,
whether civil or military, and must have been, the
earnest desire of every honest and honourable
man, to devise every possible means of tranquil.
lizing the minds of the public, allaying past irrita.
lion, and promotin; a return of temper and har-
mony, at least during that interval.
' 27. If the _conduct of the Memoralists could
vest contribute to the accomplishment of the ends
they professed, it is obvious that the menifesta.
tine of a turbulent spirit, and of a disposition to
excite in the array sentiments of disaffection, and
to in involve the Officers at large in acts of insubor.
• dilation and hostility towards the legal Govern.
Mutt of the country, could only prejudice the pub.
lie cause, which served as a pretext for their pro-
ceedings, by making it at least questionable, whe.
- the authorities to which the appeal was made
- might think it compatible with the honour of Go-
- Tertiment and the interests of the:public, that they
should concede to violence and sedition, even
those points, if there had been any such, in their
case, which might in other eiranustausets have
been viewed more favourably.
2tl. If .we confined . ourselves therefortraeceli.
to this general view of thrform. which tlrellhaio.
trial bears, wo'should find too much roam for
fellUlfe. But the impressions made upon us by
the general character and aspect of this proceed.
log arc confirmed by a close examination of the
metier and substance of the Memorial.
20. That the authors of this paper invite the
army at large to delete rate on certain measures
adopted by the Govermaent of Fort St. George,
and to enforce, by the joint and united act of a
military body, the insolent anti factious demand
of the removal of the first Member of that
'ern:sent, is, plainly written in the Memorial. 7--
Tnis is alonea great and culpable departure from
the first and clearest duties of the sailitaey pro.
30. But there is one feature of positive sedi.
Lion too plain and Striking to be mistaken or over.
looked.,
31. The paper hears the title of 4 Meomrial ;''
and the epithet of s Respectful' is added to it.
It is a petition to the Supreme Government, the
prayer of (which is to remove the Governor .of
Fort St. George from his office. But.this Memo.
vial dues not trust entirely to the reasoning it con.-
' tains for the support of 'a request so extraortfa.
• nary. The Memoralists have thought it advisee.
ble to fortify the argument, and to enforce the
petition, by a pretty istelligible intimatioos. diet'
• if the Supreme Government should hesitate to re.
move a Governor who is obnoxious to them, they
will take the matter ills. their own bands, and
make a flew Governer themselves :•••.'" They
44 cannot suppress the expression of tbeir concern
64 at the manner in w bight hesexclusite rights of the
44 Army have recently been violated, and of their
46 sanguine hope and earnest entreaty, that the
44 Supreme GovernmeOt may in its wisdom be In.
ct duced to appease their just alarms, and. to an.
66 Licipate the extreme crisis of their agitation,
44 by releasing them from the centruml of a ruler
whose measures, &s. kr." •
Lilt is cunteaded that this passage is, in Its let.

lilL 44 11
6: g
I