The Statesman.
London, England, 1824-02-12 00:00:00

EAST INDIA HOUSE.
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A Special General Court of Proprietor% of the East !edit
Stock was
thenyestedy held at the Company's House. in Leaden-
hall Street. for purpose of calling on tha Court of Direr-
• tors to petition Parliament for the Repeal of that clause of the
53d of Geo. 3d.. which provides that no person shall he sent
•
out to India as a Civil Servant to the Company. who shall nat
. have completed four terms in the Company's College at Hai-
. leybury. a
LIBEL ON THE MARQUESS OF HASTINGS.
Sir JOHN DOVLE rose to ask a question of the Hononrahle
Cha:rman prior to their proceeding with the business of the
41 iv.
The CHAIRMAN, (W. Wigram, Egg.) observed Ant the
evert was specially summoned to consider a particdlar cubs
ject, and it was, therefore, irregular to eater on any other
business.
Mr. D. Knew/anti defended the right of any Proprietor to
put such questions to the Chairman as apneared to him to he
tiecesary. It was impossihle for the Chairman to know until
be heard the question, whether it might not be intimately con-
. nacted with the proceedings of the day.
Mr. Howe believed the statement of the Chairman was
strictly correct as the Law of that Court. But they all knew
that it was the constant practice to put questions under similar
• circumstances. The Court would always pay arention to the
interests of their servants, especially If they had been ho-
noured with their thanks and approbation. And if it was in
• their power to rescue a servant from a most malicious and in•
famous insinuation which had gone abroad, they were hound to
do so. He would ask whether, as had been insinuated ie a
Public Paper, the Marquess of Hastings was about to be im-
peached by the Court Directors? or whether, through his
merles, a deficit ofthree or four hundredlooo pounds had taken
. place in an Establishment, of which the Court of Directors
were the responsible Governors?—(Hear.) lie appealed to
the Ct.:Armen, not in his official capacity, but as a n.ati of ho-
. nom-, to answer this qnestion.—There was no other means
under Heaven, by which the character of the Marquess of
Hastines could be cleared.
• Sir JOHN nowt then proceeded to put his questions It
had tern pul'licly insinuated that an embezzlement of
three hundred thousand pounds by the late Governor Ge-
neral of India bad been discovered by the Court of Di-
; rectors. He therefore demanded of the Chairman whether
, any embezzlement or deficit had been so discovered ? Se-
condly. he asked, whether on that account the Court of Di-
. rectors had already negatived the grant of five thousand
, pounds a year which had been proposed to that Noble
Lord ? ArA thin!, whether in consequence of that disco-
• very, the Court have not had it in view to obtain or endea-
. your to oleain the impeachment of that Noble Lord ? Tl.is
was the subject matter of the libel whirls had been levelled
at tire. Marquess of Hastings; and he called in the face of
the Court, and in the name of their common country, for
a plain and distinct answer on these points.
The VIIAIRMAN said he had received no instrnetions
from the Court of Directors, and consequently could give
no answer to the interrogatories of the lion. Baronet.
Mr. P. KINNAIHD said it would be a disgrace to them,
as Englishmen, if they proceeded to the regular business
of the day without taking further consideration this atro-
cious libel on the Martinis of Harting& The Chairman
was not asked to give any opinion, be was only called
upon to answer a plaits question. The Chairmen bad
, heard it tilted that a calumny, of a most malicious descrip-
tion, had been circulated against the late Governor-Geheral
f India, and Ire ought not to allow a whisper. much leis
a statement of that kind, to pass uncontradicted.
Mr. Er.entssrorte (the Dirertnr) said be would stake
• his character on the truth of what be said, when he devise-
. IA *that no stub ; roceeding as that alluded to by the lion.
i trenet, had evrr been thonght of in the Court of Direc-
tors. The idea of an impeachment bad never been hinted
at, much less c:ltertained. The :Harmless of Hastings hail
never het n swept etell of taking one shining front the Com-
, parry improperly. It was a moat nnfountied assertion, a s il-
ai coos untruth.—(licui cheers.)
' Sir Jonx Dom: thanked the Honourable Director for
, Iris caurliriao,l manly statement, hut why the organ of the
Court of Directors could net rive a plain answer to a plain
• question, be could not conceive. He regretted the silence
• of the lion. Chairman, for hi; own rake.
Mr. PATTISON begged leave to say that It e was no party
to the lion. Chairman's silence on this o‘Tasion.
• The Deoury CHAIRMAN (IV. Astell, Esq.) defended the
course adopted by his Hon. Colleague. The confusion
which now reigned in the Court, in consequence of the
• irregularity of the whole proceeding. praved that his Hon.
Colleague was right in adhering to the o nary rules by
which the Court was governed.

Mr. l'Avrtsott considered the question wbich bad been
• pill to the Him. Chairman, just as if be bad been asked,
" Does the sun shiner It was qnite as easily answered.
It was only oaring " Yes," or " No." The Hon. Director
then recited the three questions which had been put by Sir
John Doyle, to each of which he gave the most direct and
emphatic negative. The subjects to which the lion. Baro.
. ret referred bad never been hinted at, glanced at, or even
. inreadoed at (for such an occasion deserved a new phrase)
• in the Court of Directors.

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Mr. TRAY 7• defended the Hon. Chairman nnder all the I
cirenmstancts of the ease, for having refused to answer the
questions propounded.
Mr. 1). KINNATILD censured in very strong language the
conduct of the Hon. Chairman, for wrapping himself up in
the dignity of technical form, and refusing %%lien a great
pnhlic character had been maligned to clear him from the
aspersion. In his opinion, the Proprietors ought to take
the cast of the Marquess of Hastinel in►o their own hand•,
since it was quiteclear that it csmid not he safely entrusted
to the Court of Directors. He denied that the questions
, came unawares on the Hon. Chairman, because on the 30th
, of January a letter miswritten by Sir J. Dovleto the Court
of Directors, setting forth the libel, and calling on them to
.contradict or affirm it. The answer to that letter was,
, that they thouieht it most proper not to iaterfere in a matter
• which regarded as anonymous libeller.
• Mr:llawa pot it to the Court, whether, after what had
passed. and the strong feeling that had been excited, it was
• possible for them to proceed to the regular business which
they had been assembled to consider, with that coolness
which the importance of the subject required? He would
therefore move, that the consideration of the question of
Haileybury College be adjourned to this day fortnight.

After a desultory conversation the motion was agreed to,
and the Court adjourned.

A shocking accident beppentd. on Monday night to a
voting lady of the name of Smith, at her residence in Hal f-
"Mo,n-qtreet. She had returned with a party frcm the
Et:zil,th Opera-house, and on retiriog to her dressing-room
the t andle communicated to her muslin dress. Her shrieks
brought other young persons from the drawing-room to
her assistance, but not till her garments were almost re-
duced to tinder. The unfortunate young lady, who was
in her twentieth year, and of very handsome prison, is now
totally disfigured forlife, her face and neck being dread-
fully scorched. She is the daughter of a gentleman of
fortune io the West Indies, and, with a sister and brother
resided at the house of an uncle. Had ale followed the
method described in our paper a week ago, she might have
• saved herself nincii pain and disfiguration ; but Icsing her
presence of mind, she ran from one end of 'the apartment
to the other, thereby Living itevery opportunity of burning.
EXTRAORDINARY BIRTNA.—Sooday morning, at Seven
o'clock, the'wife Of ainurneyman baker, who resides at
No. lis, Bean-sheet, Wier-street, Black friars-road, was
Wifely delivered of 'three fine children—two boys and a
girl; since which nut eoirespondent informs as that one of
ft b's is 'deed. Thai are now eight children liiing,
lidoogiog to the Mae 'presto.