that the appointment to the office of Superintendent of Marine rested ontirely with the Directors, subject only to the approval of his Majesty's Government. * Blight it od sce‚9,half 51 Mr. GAHAGAN had at first thought, that, as the arrangement had been the result of mutual convenience, it had been settled that an officer of his Majesty's navy should serve in the office, from which Mr. Buchanan was to be removed. It, however, appears that such is not the case, and that the appointment rests entirely in this Court; and we are told that Captain Buchanan was to be removed, not because the Crown required it, but this Court. If Mr. Buchanan had accepted the office with the understanding that there was something in progress which might subject him to be removed, the matter would then be intelligible; but to tell a gentleman that he should fill an office for two years, and then he should be turned out, seems to me a course of proceeding quite inexplicable, unless it were adopted to gratify Charles Malcolm or John Malcolm. How did Sir Thomas Monro act when he wished to abolish the offices of some Judges? He gave the Judges no pension, but told them to wait till some office was vacant for them. That was acting upon an intelligible principle. re The CHAIRMAN stated, that it had been thought necessary, when naval rank was obtained for the Marine service, that the Superintendent should possess naval rank, which Captain Buchanan did not; but he would state again, that the appointment to that office was entirely in the hands of the Directors, subject only to the approbation of Government. He thought it would be very severe to dismiss Captain Buchanan without suitable muneration, who had filled his situation so satisfactorily. With respect to appointing him to another situation when vacant, such as the MasterIntendant of Madras, he must inform the Court that there was no situation to which Captain Buchanan could be appointed which would not be lowering him from his present rank; and such appointment would not be received by him as any favour. ་་་ General THORNTON knew nothing of the merits of the case but from what he heard to-day, and that decided him against the motion. He knew nothing of the salary, or of the age of Captain Buchanan, and these things were essential in judging of the propriety of the grant; but he thought that the motion had better be worded that he might receive this income until called to fill some active situation. Under all cireumstances, he thought it his duty to oppose the motion. 20, 90 86qy The CHAIRMAN replied that the salary of the Superintendent was 3,5 rupees a month. His age might be about forty-five or fifty 3,500 Mr. WEEDING was of opinion, that as the intended removal of Captain Buchanan took place in consequence of a change in the Company's system, it was but fair that he should receive a compensation for such removal, and not for any disappointment; and he gave credit to the Directors for having so managed the arrangement as to keep the power of appointing the Superintendent in their own hands. The Mr. HUME said he had an amendment in his hand to the motion before the Court; but, previous to moving it, he would notice the observations which had fallen from the hon. Proprietor who had just sat down hon. Gentleman was certainly unfortunate in not having heard what had been stated by the Chairman, who had supported the motion on the ground of the disappointment which Captain Buchanan would feel. The hon. Proprietor had said, that disappointment was no ground with him for agreeing to the motion, and he could not tell how they both contrived, on such opposite principles, to come to the same conclusion. When he (Mr. Hume) first went to India, Mr. Anderson was then Superintendent of the Marine, and he thought it no disgrace, after filling that office, to De removed to Madras to become Master-Intendant, as Captain Buchanan might be, there. The CHAIRMAN stated, that Mr. Anderson was never Superintendent, but Marine Storekeeper.on 1 Mr. HUME asked whether the Court was going to pension Mr. Buchanan, because he was too old for duty? Captain Rees, an excellent friend of his, was not thought too old at the age of sixty-four to be appointed to the situa "tion of Master-Intendant of Madras. The hon. Proprietor concluded by moving the following amendment: * That this Court disagrees with the Resolution of the Court of Directors for granting a pension of 8001. per annum to Captain Buchanan, Superintendent of the Bombay Marine, but !fecommends him to be appointed to the first vacant office in India suitable to his rank. Captain MAXFIELD, in rising to second the amendment, wished to offer a few observations to the Court. Mr. Anderson, after having served as Superintendent, did not think The CHAIRMAN believed that Mr. Anderson was not Superintendent, but Naval Storekeeper. Mr. WEEDING stated, that Mr. Anderson had been Superintendent, buf that after retiring from service he was reduced to poverty, and he was induced to enter the service again. Captain MAXFIELD said, that when Mr. Anderson resigned, he was universally regretted by the officers of his corps. After remaining some time in India, he was appointed to the Master-Intendantcy of Madras, a situation equal, as to rank and emolument, to that of Superintendent of Marine. The duties were a mere nothing, and these were in reality performed by a boat-master. He objected to pensioning officers when they were removed without solicitation. It had been thought proper to pension off the Marine Secretary in Calcutta with 500 rupees, and two secretaries were appointed in his place, so that now the Company had to pay the salaries of three secretaries. Colonel STANHOPE said, that the grant could not be sanctioned but upon one principle, that of corruption. The fact of the matter was, that there is an understanding that Mr. Buchanan is a brother-in-law of Lord Melville. (Cries of 'No.') There he may be wrong. He objected to the grant in all its bearings. In the first place, he thought it highly improper to appoint a captain of an East Indiaman to a place at the head of the Bombay Marine. How would the British Navy like to have one of their high situations filled by the captain of a Britsh merchant Vessel? He objected to giving a pension of 8007. for only two years service; but independent of all objections, he doubted whether the Directors, in point of law, could make the present grant. They could only make grants for the duration of their Charter, and he remembered that Mr. Canning, when at the head of the Board of Control, refused to sanction a grant which extended further than the term of the Charter. It "was now hear its expiration; therefore, in granting this annuity for the life of Captain Buchanan, they were clearly acting without legal authority. The gallant Colonel concluded by stating, that he considered "1 it a job, and nothing but a job,s + ↑ 1 The CHAIRMAN said, insinuations had been thrown out that undue influence had been used in obtaining this grant from the Directors. All he could say was, that nothing in the way of solicitation had ever reached him till this morning, when he received a letter on the subject from the brother of the gentleman who had been appointed to the office of Superintendent, (as we understood,) stating that the pension was too small. Colonel STANHOPE said, that if no direct solicitation had been made, still a feeling of interest would operate on the minds of individuals, and induce them to act in a manner which they might think likely to be advantageous to themselves, The motion was then put, and, on a division, was carried in the affirmative; the numbers being for the original motion, 38; against it, 12. STAMP REGULATIONS IN CALCUTTA. Captain MAXFIELD wished to know whether the Court of Directors had received any papers from India respecting the Stamp Regulations. The CHAIRMAN begged to inform the gallant Officer that the Directors had not received, by any means, full or satisfactory information with regard to the matter which formed the subject of his motion. They had not yet heard whether the act had been registered or not. Captain MAXFIELD then said he intended to offer a few observations on the delay of the Company's Government, in neglecting to transmit information on such an important subject. The CHAIRMAN stated that they had no advices from Calcutta later than the 6th of July. Captain MAXFIELD stated, that the state of the subject at Calcutta was such, that it would soon find its way to the Papers. The CHAIRMAN wished to know of the Honourable Proprietor if he intended to finish with a motion. Captain MAXFIELD answered in the affirmative. He observed, that it was strange the Directors had not received the information necessary to meet the present motion, although they could not, perhaps, from what had been transmitted to them, be enabled to meet it with so much advantage to themselves. He then proceeded to remark on the opposition which was made, at the instance of the Government in India, to what was called 'pernicious publicity.' They prevented meetings from being called, at which the evils under which the people laboured might be stated. Leave to call a meeting must always be obtained, and if the object of it were not agreeable to the Government, it was of course prevented. Very different, however, was the case when the meeting was intended to eulogise any public functionaries. With respect to the tax imposed on stamps, and against which the inhabitants of Calcutta had so justly petitioned, he presumed it must be in order to justify it that a necessity for imposing it existed. Now, it had been stated formerly, that there was a surplus of revenue above the expenditure of the Government. If that was so, and the statement was not one merely intended to gull the public, there must have been an increase of expenditure since that period. If a decrease were made in the amount of expenditure, that would supply any deficiency which might at present exist, and remove the necessity of imposing this odious tax. It was unnecessary for him to state how, for the last twenty years, the imports into India had tended greatly to ruin the trade of India. The Court might depend on it, the Danish, French and Dutch would gain no less than the Americans did by measures which, like the stamp regula tions, so injuriously affected the trade of India. British capital and British bottoms had enriched the Americans; and it was the plain fact that houses and land in Chinsurah, Serampore, and Chandernagore had already increased in value. He would now read the petition of the British merchants in Calcutta, which he trusted would meet with proper consideration from this Court. (The honourable Proprietor here read the petition, for which see the 'Oriental Herald' for October 1827, page 7.) That petition, signed as it was by a great number of gentlemen of known respectability and tried loyalty, was worthy of, and he trusted would receive, that consideration which its importance deserved. The honourable Proprietor then proceeded to argue, that if the revenues of India were deteriorated, if the expenditure were greater than the receipt, there were other modes of making up the deficit, much better than the introduction of this odious and unproductive tax. The honourable Proprietor then instanced a great number of useless offices which might be abolished with profit and advantage,-offices, many of which had been created for temporary purposes, but which were still continued after the circumstances that had given rise to them had long ceased. He contrasted the conduct pursued by the Parliament of this country with that which had lately been adopted in India. Parliament had, to a great extent, taken off the stamp duties on law proceedings in England, while the constituted authorities were extending the stamp duties in India. He called upon the executive body to follow the bright example which had been placed before them by Parliament; and concluded by moving, That this Court, with reference to the recent act of the Legislature abolishing the use of stamps in certain legal proceedings in this country, recommend the Honourable the Court of Directors to take into consideration the effects produced by the levying of stamp duties in India, and to issue such orders on the subject as may appear best calculated for the attainment of justice, and most congenial to the public interest.' Mr. HUME said, that in seconding the motion, he did so on grounds very different from those laid down by his gallant Friend. In his opinion it was a matter of great importance, both in this country and India, to get rid of stamp duties which bore so heavily in various ways on the people. It was on this broad principle that he wished the stamp system to cease. But he must say, that the petitioners who had been alluded to had no right to expect that Calcutta should be especially exempted from a burden which prevailed over other parts of India. The persons who now complained against the tax never once opened their mouths in favour of the natives of India generally. The petitioners did not act upon principle. They looked only to their own interest. They were dormant until their pockets were touched, and then they started into life. When indivduals were banished without trial-when the liberty of the Press was overturned, they were silent; but they considered that their own petty, paltry interest, when once assailed, was sufficient to rouse and disturb the whole community. The hon. Gentleman eulogised the present Lord Goderich for having, when Chancellor of the Exchequer, removed stamp duties to the amount of 300,0001. from law proceedings where the poorer classes of the community were more immediately affected, because he felt that it would be highly beneficial to the people; and he (Mr. Hume) wished that the inhabitants of Calcutta had taken the same strong and immoveable ground, instead of the paltry one of partial interest which they had selected. Had they acted on a proper principle when they allowed individuals to be banished without trial, and the free dom of the Press to be destroyed? Did they act on general principle, when they permitted those individuals to be sacrificed who came forward to protect it? Instead of defending them, which, as men and Britons, they ought to have done, they basely, and to their eternal disgrace as a community, deserted them, and left Mr. Buckingham, single-handed, to defend himself both in India and in this country. The cases of Mr. Arnot and Mr. Buckingham, the case of every inan banished without trial and unheard, ought to have been their case. If they had upon those occasions come forward on principle, and acted as Englishmen, they would no at this time have been trampled on by the very people whom they had formerly supported. They allowed two or three individuals to be sacrificed, when defending these great rights; and they now came forward on the paltry principle of profit, and appealed to that Court to relieve them. But, for that appeal they had no plea-the regulation intended only to extend to the wealthy community of Calcutta the same stamp, duies on commercial and other proceedings which have for years becn borne by the Natives in the interior; and he (Mr. Hume) saw no reason why Calcutta should be exempted. If there were taxes, they ought to make them just, to be general. He lamented the introduction of these stamp duties in the commercial affairs of India. The honour of the Natives, in regard to their confidence in commercial transactions in many instances, was scarcely conceivable to Europeans, and he had received a letter lately, from a principal Native, deploring in moving terms these new stamp duties, as being likely to excite suspicion, and to root up the principle of honour which before often existed in the breasts of the Natives. The hon. Proprietor argued at some length, that both in a financial, political, and moral view, the abrogation of the stamp duties in India was greatly to be desired. Such a proceeding would tend to increase every branch of commerce, and would prevent those heartburnings and jealousies which must proceed from the increase of litigation and law proceedings under a different system. He strongly censured the Directors for sending out their order relative to the stamp duties so secretly and suddenly. The statute declared, that an order of this nature should be sent out in a public despatch, for the purpose, it was evident, of letting the merchant know exactly the situation in which he stood. This had not been done, and the neglect to do so was, as in this country, he contended, contrary to law. It would appear from this measure, that their treasury was at a very low ebb, as the Chief Secretary, in his answer to the memorial of the inhabitants, had stated, that the necessities of the Government compelled them to lay on new taxes; and if such were the fact, it could only have been caused by the grossest misgovernment and extravagance. They would shortly be called upon, at the expiration of their charter, to declare what they had done for the benefit of the Natives of India, and he believed it would be found that they had done nothing to protect their rights and privileges. The hon. Gentleman then appealed to the Proprietors to exert themselves to endeavour to put an end to the system of oppression and misrule which at present prevailed in India. A day of reckoning would come, when it would be asked whether the Indian Government had suffered all the privileges of Englishmen to remain untouched, and unencroached upon, The answer to that inquiry must be, not one?' The Public Press, the liberty of the subject, the independence of the Judges,-all had been assailed, all annihilated!! In conclusion, the hon. Proprietor hoped that a report which he had heard would prove not correct, namely, that |