of the truth; feeling that the surest way to impress the natives of India with a persuasion of the Divine origin of the gospel of Christ, was for the christian population to exhibit a regular observance of public worship, and, what is of far greater importance, an habitual performance of the moral duties enjoined by their more pure and elevated religion. Lord Wellesley

conceived that it was the duty of the British Government in India to make a public official profession of allegiance to the author of christianity; and while it observed the most cautious reserve in respect to the religious prejudices of the natives, and acted upon principles of the most comprehensive and generous toleration, not to conceal the fact from the subjects of the British Crown in Hindostan, that the British Nation were worshippers of the God of heaven. Guided by these motives, shortly after his Lordship's return to Calcutta, Lord Wellesley ordained that a day should be set apart for a public and general thanksgiving for the various successes which had attended the British arms in the tremendous struggle for national existence in which the crown and people of this empire were then engaged. The following is an official account of the observance of the solemnity.

"Fort William, February 13th, 1800.

"ON Thursday last, the 6th of February, being the day appointed by the proclamation of the Right Honourable the Governor-General, in Council, to be observed as a day of general thanksgiving to Almighty God, for the late signal and important success obtained by the naval and military forces of his Majesty and of

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his allies, and for the ultimate and happy establishment of the tranquillity and security of the British possessions in India, the Right Honourable the GovernorGeneral, accompanied by the Chief Justice, the Commander-in-chief, the members of council, and the Judges of the supreme Court of Judicature, and by the public officers, civil and military, proceeded to the New Church, to return thanks to God for these great mercies and blessings.

His Lordship proceeded on foot from the Government-House to the church, at about half an hour past six o'clock in the morning, through the Council-housestreet, which was lined by the body-guard, the native troops in garrison at Fort William, and Calcutta Native Militia, and the avenues into the streets through which his Lordship passed were guarded by parties detached from the above corps.

The Right Honourable the Governor-General was preceded by all the public officers, civil and military, and at the entrance of the church was met by the Chaplains attached to the Presidency.

The prayers which were selected for the occasion were read by the Rev. David Brown, the senior chaplain, and the sermon was preached by the Rev. Claudius Buchanan. The Te Deum and appropriate anthems were sung.

Divine Service being ended, the Right Honourable the Governor-General, the Chief Justice, the Commander-in-chief, &c. &c. returned in their carriages.

Three royal salutes were fired from the ramparts of Fort William; the first, on the Governor-General's setting out; the second, during the celebration of the

Te Deum; and the third, on his Lordship's return. The guns from the ramparts of Fort William were answered by several ships in the port.

A great concourse of the native inhabitants of Calcutta were assembled in the streets during the progress of the Right Honourable the Governor-General, from the Government-House, and on his return.

At three o'clock in the evening, divine service was performed in Fort William, for the European troops in garrison.

The European and native troops in garrison fired three volleys from the ramparts of Fort William at

sun-set.

At the same hour the Calcutta European militia, cavalry, and infantry paraded on their usual ground of exercise, and the last mentioned corps fired three volleys.

On this solemn occasion, all the persons (amounting to upwards of sixty in number), confined for debt in the prison of the Court of Requests, were liberated in the name of the Honourable Company, the respective sums for which they were imprisoned having been discharged by order of the Governor-General in council. Orders were also issued by his Lordship in council, for the discharge of the debts of several persons confined in the Calcutta gaol."

"MINUTE OF COUNCIL, FEB. 11.

"Ordered that the thanks of the Right Honourable the Governor-General in Council, be given to the Rev.

Claudius Buchanan,* for the excellent sermon preached before his Lordship at the New Church of Calcutta, on the 6th day of February, the day of general thanksgiving, appointed by the Governor-General in council, and that Mr. Buchanan be desired to print the said sermon."

The oblivion of the Sabbath in India," remarks the Rev. C. Buchanan, in his review of the state of religion in India, "is that which properly constitutes banishment from our country. The chief evil of our exile is found here; for this extinction of the sacred day tends, more than anything else, to eradicate from our minds all respect for religion, and affection for the manners and institutions, and even for the local scenes, of early life."

* It can scarcely be necessary to remind the reader that this is the same Rev. Claudius Buchanan who subsequently attracted so much attention by his writings in relation to the evangelization of India. We shall have occasion to speak of the reverend gentleman in a different character in another part of these volumes.

CHAPTER XIX.

Commission of Captain-General conferred for the first time on the Governor-General.-Copy of the Writ of Privy Seal.-General Orders in the Calcutta Gazette.-The Porte confers the Orders of the Crescent on the Marquess Wellesley.-Copy of the Letter from the Grand Seignior. Congratulations in Letters from England from the Duchess of Gordon, Lord Dunstanville, Marquess Downshire, Earl of Westmeath, Earl of Inchiquin, Lord Howden, Right Hon. N. Vansittart, Sir John Newport, &c.-Letters of Sir Alured Clarke from St. Helena

and from London.

As a mark of royal favour, his Majesty the King conferred upon the most noble the Governor-General, the rank of Captain-General, and Commander-in-chief of all the forces, in the East Indies,-vesting in his hands powers for the first time confided to the Indian Government. The following is a copy of the commission, which, it will be observed, gave to the Marquess Wellesley, as full authority over all military operations, as he had hitherto enjoyed over civil affairs in the East; it was received at Fort William on the 26th of February, 1801 :

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George the Third, by the grace of God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, and so forth, to all to whom these presents shall come, greeting;

Whereas, the United Company of Merchants of England trading to the East Indies, by their commission under the seal of the said Company, bearing date