cent. The undermentioned proprie tors were appointed a committee to inspect the company's byelaws, viz. J. J. Angerstein, Wm. Drew, Peter Holford, Robert Hunter, George Wilson, and G. S. Webb, Esqrs. and Sir H. Strachey, Bart. The treaties entered into by the Governor General with Scindiah and the Rajah of Berar were read. Mr. P. MOORE, after an energetic address, made his promised motion, in favour of an application to his Majesty's ministers, that the duties on the dividends in consequence of the propertytax, might be paid by the company, and considered as coming out of their ordinary outgoings; which, after a long conversation, in which the Chairman, Deputy, Sir S. Lushington, Messrs. Twining, Lushington, jun. R. Jackson, Rock, and Capt. Seally, took a considerable part, was carried in the affirmative. AUGUST 15. At a Court of Directors for the purpose of reading the advices brought overland by Colonel Houghton, of the 88th regiment, the Hon. W. Elphinston, we under stand, was appointed resident at the court of the Rajah of Berar. SEPT. 26. A quarterly general court was held this day. After the customary forms, the liam Elphinston) stated' that Chairman (the Honourable Wilsundry papers had been presented to the House of Commons, and moved in conformity to the 5th section of the 1st chapter of the bye-laws, that the same be read; which having been done, The Chairman observed, that 27th of June last, came to a rethe Court of Directors, on the solution, recommending to the proprietors to permit James Henry Cassamajor, Esq. to return Company's service; and as he to Madras, with his rank in the had been absent from India above five years, the act of 33d of the red that the same pass the geKing, chap. 52, section 70, requi neral court by ballot, which was fixed for Friday the 5th of Octo ber. The Chairman further informed the Court of Directors, that in consequence of the resolution of the general court of the 20th of June, he had written to Lord Case tlereagh, on the subject of the company's dividend being discharged from any deduction on account of the late tax on property, by causing the same to be paid out of the general funds of the company; to which his Lord-' ship had replied, stating it as' Mr. Pitt's and his own opinion, that it cannot be done without the express sanction of parliament, and which he conceives the court will not press at such a moment as the presept. The The Chairman then said, it was with concern he had to lay before the proprietors the advices received overland relative to the war with Holkar. He had no doubt, however, but it would be speedily terminated. The advices having been read; The Chairman rose to state to the proprietors what had passed in the Court of Directors relative to the late glorious triumph over the squadron of Linois; and in very forcible terms dwelt on the general merits of the Company's Offcers, who were all animated by one sentiment, to conquer or die. He lamented that the ill state of health of Sir Nathaniel Dance would prevent that gallant Commander from availing himself of the voyage the court had complimented bim with; and he had little doubt but the proprietors would, at some future period, cheerfully accede to the intention of the Directors, in granting a pension of 300l. per annum to Sir Nathaniel. After a few words from Mr. Rock and Sir Francis Baring, with respect to the powers of the court to grant remunerations to the China commanders, and the particular merits of CaptainTimms, the court adjourned. OCTOBER 5. This day a ballot was taken for the purpose of enabling Mr. Hen ry Cassamajor to return to Madras with his rank in the Company's service. At six o'clock the glasses ware finally closed, and delivered to the scrutineers, who, at seven o'clock, reported the question to be carried in the affirmative. At a general quarterly Court of Proprietors, the dividend upon stock was declared to be 5 per cent. for the present half year. The Chairman then called the attention of the Court to the provision made for Sir Nathaniel Dance, by pension of 3001. a year, in consideration of his gallant services in defending the homeward-bound China fleet on the 15th of February last, from an attack made on it by the French Squadron in the Indian Seas, and he had the pleasure to assure the Court, that this provision was declared by that gentleman to be perfectly satisfactory to him, and he had no doubt that it would now meet the unanimous approbation of this general Court, The Court of Directors had it in contem contemplation to remunerate the important services of Sir N. Dance, on this occasion, in a way more lucrative, perhaps, to him by giving him the next voyage to such place as was most likely to be attended with the highest advantages; but on the suggestion of Captain Dance, that his advanced years and declining state of health rendered it unadvisable for him to accept the offer thus made to him by the Directors, and in fact forced him to decline the service, the Directors, at the suggestion of his friends, had adopted the mode now stated, and which, he was fully persuaded, the proprietors at large would feel no hesitation in approving. tion they had awarded to the gallant officer, by a prudential sense of economy towards the finances of the Honourable East India Company, and the property of the holders of East India stock in general; yet it did not follow, that the proprietors at large would rest satisfied with having done no more for a man who had so signally exerted himself in the preservation of that property. The proprietors at large, in estimating the long and arduous services of a gentleman, whose whole life was spent, he was sorry to find, so unsuccessfully to himself, in promoting their interests, and whose last act of service was so signally important to those interests as well as glorious to the British name, should not suffer him to descend into the vale of years and infirmities, with a provision so wholly madequate to that state of comfort and respect, which he was sure it was the earnest wish of every proprietor that he should enjoy, as the just meed of his long services and distinguished merits, on the late important occasion. With respect to the memorable victory of the 15th of February, he begged leave to observe, that, although in all cases, when we read of a British ship of war having been engaged with an enemy of superior force, no matter of what nation, we were always prepared to anticipate victory on our side as the ordinary result; yet in this case the circumstances were totally different. In ships constructed purposely for war, and armed and manned in the usual manner, the triumphs of British valour were too well established even over enemies fleets of much superior force to ren Mr. TWINING rose to express his most cordial approbation of the disposition manifested by the Court of Directors, in remunerating the important services of that gallant and meritorious officer. But he begged to call the attention of the court to a proposition which he had to offer, and in which he hoped for the honour of their support. It had been his fortune to bring forward on many former occasions, propositions, in which he was not happy enough to have with him the unanimous consent of the assembly; in which it was his lot to be en gaged, not in contests such as that which had redounded so much to the honour of the gallant officer in question, but in a mere war of words, to sustain his opinion; but on the present occasion he had a proposition to offer, upon which he would venture to anticipate the unanimous consent of the court: for although the Court of Directors was governed in the quantum of remunera der der their prowess on such occasions matter of novelty or surprize; but it remained for the gallantry of Captain Dance and his brave companions to establish the triumph of British seamen over an enemy's hostile squadron, though only in trading ships, hea vily laden, and totally unprepa red in men, guns, or condition to encounter their attack. If any man wished to satisfy himself of the importance of that gallant achievement to the interests of the company, he might easily have an opportunity of gratifying his curiosity by walking through the vast warehouses of the company, and beholding the immense stores of valuable property thus rescued from the grasp of the enemy. He believed no man would for a moment hesiLate to say, that if the two fleets had changed countries, and that a squadron of British frigates had met an enemy's commercial fleet in similar circumstances, the whole, or a very considerable part of it, would not have inevitably found its way into British ports. The triumph in the present case was therefore a new proof of the superiority of British valour, which the country owed to the courage and skill of Sir N. Dance. How often, he would ask, had the company, on other occasions, voted great rewards to officers of his Majesty's navy, for doing no more than what they conceived to be their public duty to their country, in the protection, without so much as ever thinking of the India Company, or feeling the slightest anxiety about their property at the moment? But who was the person to whom the company on this occasion stood indebted? An officer brought up in their service, who had devoted his whole life to the service of the Company, and who, he was sure, would in similar circumstances have conducted himself with similar courage and skill. He trusted therefore he was not speaking a language hostile to his sentiments, when he said the modesty of Sir N. D. (a modesty ever attendant on true merit) should not operate to his owni disadvantage, or check the liberality of the proprietors, who owed so much to his services. He was proud to find his name marked by his Sovereign, for honourable distinction, because he was sure no Englishman would hereafter hear the name of Sir N. Dance, who would not acknowledge his merit and the glory of the occasion which raised him to the notice of his Sovereign, and the dignity of titular distinction. But he feared that empty title, without the means of sustaining it with appropriate respectability, was rather a burthen than an honour. Mr. Twining concluded his speech by a motion for an amendment, on which he hoped for the unanimous concurrence of the whole Court, the purport of which was, "That in consideration of the eminent services, and distinguished skill and courage displayed by Captain Dance, on the 15th of February, it would be proper to increase the annuity of 500l. proposed by the directors to 5001. The motion was seconded by Mr. Lance. The chairman, expressed most cheerfully his concurrence in the sentiments expressed by Mr. Twining. An annuity of 3001. had been, he said, voted by the Directors unanimously, in compliance with the precise wish of of the gal lant lant officer himself expressed through his friends. When the voyage he before mentioned was proposed to Captain Dance it was declined on account of his years and ill health; for he had devoted forty-five years of his life to the service of the company, and was always considered as a most active, valuable, and meritorious officer. The interests of the company had been materially promoted by him, but he was sorry to say his services had not advanced his own fortune. Besides it was intimated that his means were such as not to allow him to form such investments,as would enable him to make the proper advantages of such a voyage, and therefore the provision in another way was suggested. The sum was named by his own friend as completely adequate to his wishes, and it was voted unanimously. It was by no means his wish, however, that the modesty of Captain Dance should be injurious to his interests. Modes ty was generally the concomitant of true merit; and there were many officers, he was sure, who for services much less important would have rated their exertions much higher. He was sorry to add another consideration, not known until after the vote had been passed, namely that the homeward investments of Captain Dance had fallen greatly short indeed of his expectations, and placed him on a much less prosperous footing than he had previouly imagined. He was confident the Directors would have no hesitation to comply with any wish expressed on this occasion by the Court of Proprietors. Mr. JACKSON, though general ly jealous, vigilant, and averse to appropriation of the company's Vol. 6. money, in the present embarrassed state of their finances, to purposes of this sort, yet cheerfully acceded to the present proposition, and bore full testimony to the meritorious services of Sir N. Dance. Mr. RANDAL JACKSON, dis claiming every idea of seeking popularity with the friends of the gallant officer, whose claims on the occasion he should be ready to resist if he thought them not fully founded, cheerfully concurred in the motion; and his only. objection to its pissing now was that it would be subversive of a rule laid down by the 4th section of the 8th chapter of the bye-laws which positively prohibits the voting any money to any person above the sum of 2001, unless a fortnight's notice in writing shall be previously given of any motion for such a grant. He was convinced that postponing the mo• tion on this account could have no tendency whatever to interrupt or defeat a measure in the propriety of which, the whole court seemed to coincide. In this suggestion Mr. Twining concurred, and it was ordered that the question should be taken into consideration Friday January 4. ESTABLISHMENT AT PRINCE OF WALES'S ISLAND. on |