An account of the origin, progress, and consequences of the late discontents of the army on the Madras establishment

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^ AN

ACCOUNT

OF THE

ORIGIN, PROGRESS, AND CONSEQUENCES,

OP THS LATE

DISCONTENTS OF THE ARMY

' ON THE

Madras EstablishmenL

Who can be wise, amai'd. temp'rate and furious,

liOyal and neutral, in a moment ? MacbstBi

Hontion :

PRINTED FOR T. CADELL AXD W. DAVIES,

IX THE STKAND.

§082 t

1810.

Cr. SiDN I. V , Printer,
Northumberland-street, Strand.

UB

CO

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cc
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TO THE

HONORABLE THE COURT OF DIRECTORS

OF THE EAST INDIA COMPANY,

THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE RE PECTFULLY INSCRIBED;

IN THE HOPE

^ THAT THE TRUTHS A^D OBSERVATIONS

^ CONTAINED IN THEM

cc

< MAY AWAKEN THEIR ATTENTION

TO THE ALARMING ST ATI OF THEIR INTERESTS IN

INDIA,

AND INDUCE A POLICY APPLICABLE TO THE

2 CRISIS OF THEIR AFFAIRS.

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;5()il)39

AN

ACCOUNT, &c.

The whole of the knowledge, which the pub-
lic at present possesses, of the late unhappy
occi^rrences on the coast of Coromandel, is
derived from a few detached documents,
that have been occasionally submitted
through the medium of the ordinary news-
papers. Some official accounts, in respect
to the events themselves, and the causes
which produced them, might have been
expected from the Court of Directors for
the affairs of the East India Company, or
the Commissioners of the Board of Con-
troul, if it had not been generally known,
that authentic information, even on the
most important subjects, very rarely finds
its way to this country until public interest
has abated, or has devised for itself other
means of satisfaction. The circumstance is
notorious ; the causes of it might be easily
developed, if it were our business to inves-
tigate them ; but we shall content our-
selves, at the present, with barely noticing
the fact.

9

%

It may be supposed, without any afFec-=
tation of charity, that the constituted
authorities, immediately named, have not
yet received any details from India, explana-
tory of recent transactions. A contrary
supposition would involve them in the cen*
sure of reserving communications to them-
selves, which, if disclosed, might remove
the anxiety so universally felt at this
moment, directly or relatively, in the
bosom of every family in the United King-
doms.

In the absence of official accounts,
such private information as may be pro-
cured, so that it bear the mnrk of truth or
probability about it, and communicate par-
ticulars hitherto unknown, cannot be un-
acceptable to those who take an interest in
the prosperity of our Indian affairs. It has
been our endeavour to select from every
accessible source, and to arrange in a con-
nected form, the substance of the intelli-
gence received by respectable individuals,
having relation to the objects under our
observation. Whether we have succeeded
in our search after materials, or have made
a proper use of them, when obtained, must
depend on the impression made on the
reader by the perusal of the ensuing pages.

3
LETTER I.

Madras, \5th June, 1809.

Dear Sir,

The great discontents which
have prevailed in every class of the commu-
nity under the Madras Government, during
the last twelve months, have, doubtless,
produced numerous complaints from indi-
viduals in the various departments of society,
and these complaints, passing through the
several channels, formed by curiosity or
private friendship, will necessarily awaken
the attention of, and excite considerable
interest among, that part of the community,
who are connected, either by political, or
personal relations, with the individuals
immediately concerned. A detailed nar-
rative of the whole events would therefore
be, to many, highly interesting.

When a communitv are obedient,
respectful, and happy, it may be presumed
that ability, experience, and virtue, form
a part of the characters of those who rule ;
but if distrust and dissatisfaction prevail ;
if dissensions appear in every branch of the
community ; and that the body of Societj^

B 2

iS unanimous only in the want of respect
to those exercising the administration, it
will be, by some, imagined that such admi-
nistration is weak, ill-advised, and corrupt.
When such appearances exist, an investi-
gation of the cause of them becomes inte-
resting to every w^ell-wisher of his country;
and it is therefore desirable, that some of
those, who have witnessed the whole scene,
should exhibit a faithful account of the
transactions to the public ; in order that
posterity may benefit by the information ;
and that the advisers, the instigators, and
the actors, in those transactions, may obtain
a due reward of praise, if the measures be
justifiable, or of blame, if they shall be
found to be in direct violation of every duty
to their God, and to their Country.

Leaving to other hands the history of the
persecution of the Madras civil servants, and of
the io?2aj^t/6'creditorsof theNabobof the Car-
natic, together with the details of the interfe-
rence with the proceedings in the Supreme
Courtof Judicature, and the secretmission of a
civil servant, to collect evidence ; these
notes shall be confined to those occurrences,
which have borne directly upon the feelings
of the military branch of the service, and

have produced an agitation in the minds of
officers, which cannot be contemplated
without the most serious alarm. In order
to convey an adequate idea of the measures
which have progressively led to the present
melancholy crisis, it will be necessary to
review the subject from a period anterior
to the departure of Lieutenant - general
Macdowall from Madras.

About March, 1808, Sir G. H. Barlow,
Governor of Madras, formed the intention
of abolishing the allowance for camp-equi-
page, which had heretofore been supplied
on contract by officers commanding native
corps. In the adoption of this measure,
the opinion of General Macdowall, the
Commander in Chief, was not consulted ;
but as he was directed by Government to
have the necessary orders prepared, Lieut.
Colonel Capper, the Adjutant General, in
this way, became acquainted with the cir-
cumstance. This officer had various oppor-
tunities of being acquainted with the general
feeling of the army, and he considered, it
to be important, that a measure, which
would materially affect the respectability of
a large portion of the officers, should be
introduced under circumstances as little odious

as possible. With these sentiments, and
with the sanction of the Communder in
Chief, he waited on Sir G. Barlow, told
him that the proposed measure could not
fail .to be highly disagreeable, and as the
^cers had recently suffered many serious
privations, he urged the expediency of
modifying the system in any way that might
accomplish the yievvs of economy enter-
tained by the Government, and at the same
time might avoid doing violence to the
feelings of the officers. Sir G. Barlow said,
that economy was his only object, and that
if equal saving could be produced in any
other way, he did not see any objection
against its adoption. He gave to Colonel
Capper the plan as proposed by Lieutenant
Colonel Munro, with instructions to return
it with his remarks, in a few days. Colonel
Capper accordingly delivered in to Sir George
Barlow his remarks, with the original plan,
in four days : but orders had already been
issued, directing that the regulations should
be framed. The remarks, given in by
Colonel Capper, stated generally, that the
plan of Lieutenant Colonel Munro had not
been submitted to the Military Board, or to
any of the staff officers of experience, who

might be able to correct any errors that
might have crept into the production of an
individual. They also noticed, that Lieu-
tenant Colonel Munro had insinuated a
charge of the most serious nature against
the officers who had commanded Native bat-
tallions ; for Lieutenant Colonel Munro's
plan contains a passage, purporting, that
the experience of six years, and an obser-
vation of the practical effects of the contract
system, suggested the observation, that the
contract induced the officers commanding
corps to keep back the discipline of their
men, in order that they might not be fit
for field service ; and that the contract
might therefore be more advantageous.
The remarks of Lieutenant Colonel Capper
further suggested the outline of a plan of
reduction, which promised an annual saving
of above 1,50,000 pagodas. However, Sir
G. Barlow took no notice of the remarks,
and the regulations, abolishing the contract,
were published.

In the course of communication among
the officers this subject became one of pri-
mary importance, as materially atiecting
the relative situations of officers command-
ing corps, and deeply involving the general

8

respectability of the service. All the dis-
tinctions, which separated the commandant
from the subordinate officer, had nearly
been removed, and the convulsion among
the Natives, in 1806, w^hich w^as marked
by the catastrophe of Vellore, seemed to
require that the situation of the European
commandant should be maintained rather
more distinctly than before. The loss of
that consequence, v^hich attached to the
supply of camp equipage, w^as therefore
considered in itself to be degrading, and
the discussion of the subject produced
several circumstances, that tended to throw
an additional degree of odium upon the
mode that had been adopted for the abolition
of the contract. Among those the fol-
lowing were the most prominent.

First. That Lieutenant Colonel INIunro,
an officer of shorter service, and less expe-
rience, than any who had been on the gene-
ral staff of the Madras army for several
years, had procured the Commander in
Chief to recommend to Government a plan
respecting the chief object of the equip-
ment of troops in the field ; which plan
was not submitted to the Military Board,
by whom all subjects of that description

9

were, according to the orders of the Court
of Directors, and the usuage of the service,
to be discussed and maturely digested, pre-
vious to their coming before Governnient.
This plan was proposed by Lieutenant
Colonel Munro, the youngest staff officer,
and approved by a Commander in Chief,
who had never seen the tents of a corps
pitched in India for any other purpose than
that of muster; and who, consequently,
could not form any judgment of his own.

Secondly. That this plan, thus surrep-
titiously forwarded, contained an insinuation
against the commanding officers of corps in
the service> to which Lieutenant Colonel
Munro belonged; implying, that the con-
duct of some, or all, who had held the
contract during the six years, gave cause
for the observation, that they were capable
of keeping back the discipline of their
men, in order to derive a pecuniary benefit.
The most attentive consideration of the
subject did not produce any argument to
prove, that the insinuation was by any
means necessary to produce the conclusion
which the plan proposed ; or that the infe-
rence intended to be drawn, would be the
less direct (as suggested by the Judge

10

Advocate General) if a compliment instead
of an accusation had been conveyed. The
argument would have been equally strong,
if it had been stated, (as is the case) that,
although the experience of six years of the
practical effects of the contract afforded a
flattering exception, still the general prin-
ciples that controul human actions, render
it true in abstract, that, '' By granting the
' allowance in peace and war, for the equip-
' ment of native corps, while the expen-
' ses, incidental to that charge, are una-
' voidably much greater in war than in
' peace, it places the interest and duty of
' officers, commanding native corps, in
' direct opposition to one another. It
' makes it their interest, &c." But this
maxim is brought in as an inference, not
from general principles, but from an atten-
tive observation of the practical effects of
the system of contract, and is expressly
stated to be one of those discoveries which
gave Lieutenant Colonel Munro means of
forming a better judgment on the subject,
than could be formed in the year 1801-2 by
General Stewart or Colonel Agnew. The
insinuation does not appear to have crept
in through inadvertence ; it is deliberately

11

introduced into the body of a memoir, the
composition of which is manifestly studied,
and the clandestine manner in which it was
transmitted to the higher authorities (never
having; been laid before the members of the
Military Board, and it having been pur-
posely omitted from the records of the office
of the Commander in Chiefs Secretary)
seemed to corroborate the opinion, that (Jie
obvious meaning of the insinuation was
apparent to its author.

Shortly after the promulgation of the
order, abolishing the tent contract. Lieu-
tenant General Macdowall received letters,
from almost all the officers commanding
native corps, representing in terms, adapted
to the feelings of each, the stigma which
was considered to attach to them indivi-
dually, seeing that the contract had been
abolished for n*asons, as set forth in the
plan of Lieutenant Colonel Munro, and
appealing to the personal experience of the
Commander in Chief, and to his authority,
for redress against a charge of so serious a
nature. To these letters. Lieutenant Gene-
ral Macdowall returned replies, purporting,
that the discussion of the subject had taken
place before he came to the command — that

12

the orders on the subject had been prepared
without his previous opinion respecting them,
and that, as the matter was so far advanced,
he deemed it inexpedient to agitate it.

This occurred about July or August,
and it was then expected that Lieutenant
Colonel Munro, if he did not wish the
stigma to remain against the officers of the
army, would have addressed the Govern-
ment, or the Commander in Chief, dis-
avowing the intention imputed to his words,
and desiring that such disavowal might be
published for the satisfaction of those who
felt injured. But, on the contrary, no such
public disavowal has ever been made, nor
was explanation of any kind given, until
after charges had been forwarded against
Lieutenant Colonel Munro, and after a
sense of mutual danger had united
in the same interest, not only those
who signed the charges, but all who dis-
approved of Lieutenant Colonel Munro's
conduct. His usurpation of the duties of
every department had occasioned much
complaint, and as the Government gave
unqualified support to him, and communi-
cated only with him, the army gradually
confederated together.

The officers commanding corps, finding
that no steps were taken to remove the
obnoxious insinuations, and considering, that
while they remained, an indeUble disgrace
was cast upon their characters, prepared
charges against Lieutenant Colonel Munro,
hoping, by a public investigation of the
merij:s of the case, to establish a complete
refutation of the stigma cast on them. These
charges were forwarded to General Mac-
do wall, with a letter ; the charges having
been previously signed by a large proportion
of officers commanding corps, and the letter
by three ; viz. Lieutenant Colonels Sentleger,
Rumley, and Martin.

The charges were referred to the
Judge Advocate General,* who stated objec-
tions against the manner and matter of the
charges. These objections were, by order
of the Commander in Chief, communicated
to the officers who had sent in the cb.arges.

This opinion of Lieutenant Colonel
Leith having been circulated with much
industry all over India, it may be proper to
examine it. The following remarks will
shew, that his assumed principle is perfectly

* Lieutenant Colonel Leith.

14

ferroneous, and consequently that his whole
argument, both as it regards the law of
libel and the impunity of official persons,
falls to the ground. The Judge Advocate
General states, '^ the following is under-
*' stood to be the offensive passage : —
'* Thirdly, by granting the same allowance
'* in peace and war, &c." And again he
says, " It is to be considered in what capa-
" city the words were spoken; they were
" given as a general principle for establish-
" ing certain lav^^s for the government of a
" community."

If these sentences, as quoted, were
expressive of matter of fact, — in short, if
they were true, the conclusion which
Lieutenant Colonel Leith has drawn would
be decisive of the question ; but the fact is
otherwise.

The offensive part of Lieutenant Colo-
nel Munro's paper should be stated thus :

* Six years experience of the practical

* effects of the existing system of the
' camp equipage equipment of the Native
' army, has afforded means of forming a
' judgment relative to its advantages and
' efficiency, which were not possessed by
' the persons who proposed its introduc-

15

" tion, and an attentive examination of its
" operation during that period of time, has
*' suggested the following observations
" regarding it.

" First, — The existing system, &c.
" Secondly, — That system incurs an ex-
'* pense, &c. Thirdly, — By granting the
" same allowance in peace and war for the
*' equipment of Native corps, while the
" expenses, incidental to that charge, are
^' unavoidably much greater in w^ar than
" in peace ; it places the interest and duty
" of officers, commanding Native corps, in
" direct opposition to one another : it
" makes it their interest that their corps
" should not be in a state of efficiency fit
" for field service ; and, therefore, fur-
*' nishes strong inducements to neglect their
'' most important duties."

Now, notwithstanding the opinion of
the Judge Advocate General, every man,
capable of simple apprehension, must per-
ceive, that the author of the paragraph
above, correctly quoted, intended to express,
that the subject of this third observation^
as well as of the other observations, (six in
number) was discovered by him through
means that could not be in the pos?es'^ion of

16

the persons who proposed the introduction
of the contract system in the year 1801-2.
The observation is not introduced as a gene-
ral maxim ; it is expressed as applicable to
some practical illustration of the crimes
specified, that had occurred within the six
vears to which the introduction alludes.
And, indeed, one can hardly suppose, that
the imagination of any individual would
spontaneously suggest a crime so base, as
that of an officer keeping back 1000 soldiers
from doing the duty of his country, for
the sake of a pecuniary advantage, which,
tinder any system of corruption, could not be
great. If Lieut.-Colonels Leith and jNIunro
conceive the officers of the army to be
capable of a crime, so heinous against their
country, against the character of their pro-
fession, and against every principle of honor
and honesty, it may be considered fortunate
for those gentlemen, that their intercourse,
with the officers of the army, is very limited.
They must, while in their company, be
under perpetual apprehension of meeting
the comparatively trifling crime of theft.

This exposition must, in every reason-
able mind, remove the impressions which
Colonel Leith's opinion is of itself calcu-

17

lated to produce. For the palpable error,
in the premises which he lays down, renders
perfectly inapplicable to the present case all
the very able and elaborate argument which
he has introduced. This error is considered
to be purely unintentional ; for, although
Colonel Leith got an addition to his income
of* 350 pagodas per month, about this
period, it never hajs, nor can it ever be in-
sinuated, that he had any yigv^ towards such
a reward, while discharging a duty, for
which he already received a liberal monthly
salary. To impute to every man every crime
that it is possible for him to commit, may,
in Colonel Leith's opinion, be a good general
principle ; but the public must become better
versed in the law, than they are at present,
before they cease to consider it as a most
diabolical one.

The subject of the charges against
Lieutenant Colonel Muhro, at this period,
excited an uncommon degree of interest
among the officers of the establishment.
The Commander in Chief declared his opi-
nion, that a court martial appeared to him
to be the best mode of bringing it to issue,
and even recommended to Lieutenant Colo-
nel Munro, that he should not avoid it;

c

18

particularly as the officers of H. M. service,
the engineers, and the artillery, who were
all free from any personal interest in the
contract, were sutHciently numerous for the
purpose. However, Lieutenant Colonel
Munro did avoid a court martial; and it
was generally believed, that he did so under
a perfect assurance, that, upon the departure
of General Macdowall for Europe, the Go-
vernment would, in a most decided man-
ner, evince their marked displeasure against
all who had adopted the unfavourable im-
pressions that prevailed respecting Lieu-
tenant Colonel IVIunro. That number was
evideiitly very extensive, for the Quarter
Master General was now universally shunned.
It also was generally believed, that the
Judge Advocate General had recommended
an immediate attack on Lieutenant Colonels
Sentleger, Martin, and Rundey, and had
offered to guarantee their dismissal tVv.m the
service, if they were brought to trial upon
charges that he would prefer, and if he
were to conduct the trial. These reports
did not appear as the vague productions of
idlers: they w^ere circulated by thobc who
wished to intimidate the officers, that had
sent in the charges ; and, though subsequent

19

transactions authorize the belief, that there
was foundation for them, whether correct,
or not, they produced the effect of uniting
in one interest all who imputed blame to
Lieutenant Colonel Munro, and this descrip-
tion comprised the whole army, with very
few exceptions. The union was every day
strengthened by a variety of circumstances.
The conduct of government towards the
Commander in Chief hurt the feelings of
all military men, already in a state of irri-
tation from a sense of mutual danger. Pru-
dence and self-preservation oblige even the
most moderate men to make common cause,
when they have reason to apprehend perse-
cution. The heads of all the departments,
except the Quarter Master General's, became
cyphers, and the military patronage was
thrown into a channel, through which few
could hope to benefit, unless at the expense
of every feeling of pride and of honor.

Lieutenant Colonel Martin, who had,
a few months before, procured permission
to proceed to Europe, came to Madras in
December. No particular notice was taken
of him by the Government, and he accord-
ingly took his passage on board the
ship Lady Jane Dundas, with the intention

c 2

20

of embarking on the ,29th of January, as
the ship was expected to sail on that day.
But in the night, between the 28th and
29th of January, he received a letter from
the Secretary of Government, withdrawing
his leave, and prohibiting him from embark-
ing. For this extraordinary measure no rea-
son was assigned ; neither did Colonel Mar-
tin, or his friends, suppose that any existed,
except the fulfilment of the report that had
formerly been circulated, namely, that the
absence of General iNlacdowall, who was
to sail on the 29th of January, Vv^ould now
leave Colonel jNIartin, &c. at the disposal
of the Judge Advocate General, and that
Colonel Martin was detained to become
the first victim to the general cause.
This opinion seems to be fully justified
by circumstances ; but be that as it may,
it was circulated through the army with
astonishing rapidity, and produced a very
strong sensation, as tlie danger, wliich
awaited Colonel Martin, was, before he
came to the Presidency, considered to be
common to all, and his detention was
viewed as the signal for commencing the
punishment of those, who had presumed
to dilier from Coloael Munro, The line

21

was already completely drawn. Colonel
Munro, supported by the Judge Advocate
General and the government on one side,
resolved to overcome the odium that attached
to the character of an individual, and to
enforce their resolution by the exemplary
punishment of those .officers, who, from
public motives, had stood forward to check,
by constitutional means, what to all appeared
to be a great arrogance and presumption.
On the other side, the whole of the army,
with few exceptions, determined to give
every support in their power to those officers,
which the circumstances of their situation
would admit of. The nearer approach of
danger operated to strengthien those bonds
of union that had been formed throughout
the army ; and from a report, which at this
time obtained general currency, and belief,
namely, that Colonel Munro's party had
expressed their confidence of being able to
follow up the most rigorous measures
towards the officers of the Company's army,
in consequence of a jealousy which had for
some time been judiciously promoted
between them and the officers of H. M.
service. No incident, during the unhappy
ferment, had occasioned more irritation than

on

this. The abominable principle produced
an abhorrence tovvaicls its supposed authors,
that was hardly restrained by the imperious
sense of pubHc duty.

The accounts of Colonel IMartin's de-
tention, and the two orders of General
jSIacdo wall, dated the 2f)th and 28th January,*
reached the out-stations of the army at the
same time, and were received with a degree
of solicitude, commensurate to the warmth
of the feelings that had already been excited.
It was known to every part of the army,
that General Macdowall had experienced
the mortification of receiving almost daily
insults to his character, as Commander in
Chief, and representative of the principal
military authority. f Instances occurred of
troops marciiin-', under orders issued by
Gov- : .'.-0 it, in communication with the
Quarter Master Gericral, without the know-
ledge of the Commander in Chief, until the
monthly returns, or some accidental circum-
stances gave him notice of the movements.
On oi.j occasion, a party of troops were
er^-birked at Madras for foreign service,
aiiC the Commander in Chief was kept in
such peifect ignoraiice of the obje<^t, and
intention o^ this measure, that the first inti-

* AppeiiJU B and C. f Appendix E.

23

mation he received of it was from a visitor,
who casually mentioned, that he had in the
morning seen the troops embark. This fact
is stronger than a vokime of metaphysical
arguments, which may be set up in excuse
for it. It was also generally known, that in
the month of December a large force was
collected, and ordered to march to the fron-
tiers of Travancore, without any intimation
of the circumstance being communicated,
either privately or officially, to the Com-
mander in Chief, or to the Adjutant General.
This occasion was used, as an opportunity,
or so deemed and understood, to fulfil the
threat, that had been held out against the
Honourable Lieutenant Colonel Sentleger,
one of the three officers who had signed
the letter, accompanying the charges against
Lieutenant Colonel Munro. Colonel Sentle-
ger was directed to remain at Trichinopoly
with the strength of one troop, (including
the sick) and the remainder of his regiment
(6th cavalry) was detached along with the
other troops from the Southern division
ordered to Travancore : the whole placed
under the command of an officer, junior
to the Honourable Lieutenant Colonel Sentle-
ger, who, in consequence, remonstrated

24

against the very great injustice done to his
character, and applied for a court martial.
On learning this, the Government appointed
Colonel Sentleger to command the force ;
thus anticipating the subject of his appli-
cation, which necessarily met with some
delay by going through the Commander in
Chief. Frequent references, from the various
divisions of the army to head quarters,
discovered also to the Commander in Chief
and to the officers of the army, that Lieu-
tenant Colonel Munro was in the habit of
sending orders,- in his own name, to the
subordinate officers in the Quarter Master
General's department, and requiring reports,
&c. for the information of Government
without any reference, or allusion, to the
Commander in Chief, as the authority under
which all military orders should be issued,
or as the channel of communication between
the Government and the army. This extraor-
dinary proceeding induced General Macdo wall
to enter on an examination of the subject,
for the purpose of ascertaining the relative
situations of himself and his staff, with
respect to the Government. He found
recorded, in the Adjutant General's office,
a letter from Earl Cornwallis, Governor

25

General and Commander in Chief in India,
defining the relative situation of Adjutant
General. From this letter, bearing date
1789, the following are extracts:

" I have, therefore, no difficulty in

* giving a decision on the subject of your
' reference, that general orders to the

* wjiole of the troops employed under the
' Presidency of Fort St. George, should
' be distributed from one source only."

*' The regular authority under which
' all military orders should be issued, is
' either that of the officer who may be
' appointed Commander in Chief by the
' Court of Directors, or that of the Go-
' vernment itself, if circumstances should
' render it expedient for the Board to

* exercise avowedly the functions of that
' officer."

" Before I conclude this letter, T must
' express my wish that it should be recol-
' lected by the civil and military dcpart-
' ments at Madras, that the Adjutant

* General of the Company's troops on
' that Establishment, cannot, without the

greatest irregularity, (unless, as I have
already mentioned, the functions of the
Commander in Chief should be exercised

26

'•' by the Board) have any direct commu-
" nication with the civil government."

In the year 1800, the Commander m
Chief at Madras referred to this letter, in a
communication which he made to the Adju-
tant Genera], and stated as follows :

" By the clear definition, by Marquis
'* Cornw^allis, of the duty of Adjutant
" General, he cannot be at liberty to act
" officially, but under the immediate orders
" of the officer commanding the army in
" chief for the time being, who alone is the
" instrument by which Government is to
" govern and control the army ; much less
" can you be at liberty, as Adjutant Gene-
'^ ral, to prepare, or communicate, to any
*' person, or publish to the army, or any
" part of it, any orders, or regulations, for
'' the better government of the army, &c.
" carrying into execution all such intentions
'' of Government as fall to be attended to,
" or executed by officers or soldiers of the
" army, which have not been previously
" issued to you for such purpose, by the
" officer commanding the army in chief."

General Macdowall, upon perusing
these documents, and reflecting upon the
knowledge he had of military affairs, applied

27

the reasoning therein expressed, as equally
affecting the situation of Quarter Master
General ; he therefore inferred, that Lieu-
tenant Colonel Munro's conduct was, in the
highest degree, presumptuous and unwar-
rantable; but finding that every act of
Colonel Munro was supported by the whole
authority of the Government, and being
desirous, if possible, to avoid any unpleasant
crisis, at a period when he expected shortly
to take leave of the army, he did not, at
the time, resent the misconduct of one of
his own staff. This forbearance, on the
part of the Commander in Chief, did not
prevent the officers of the army from feeling
the insults offered to him ; on the contrary,
their indignation against the author of those
insults was greatly increased.

The general orders by Government,
dated 31st of January,* and the 1st of Febru-
ary, proclaiming the suspension of Colonel
Capper and Major Boles, because they had
complied with the orders of their Com-
mander in Chief, developed the principles
upon which the persons holding the supreme
authority meant to act towards those who
had disapproved of Lieutenant Colonel
Munro's conduct ; or, in other words,
* Appendix D.

28

towards the principal part of the officers of
the Company's army. And, as General
Macdowall was gone, the fate of Colonel
Martin seemed to be decided ; there being
no longer any obstacle to the completion of
Colonel Leith's supposed threat. Any
injury to Colonel Martin must, under c^cist-
ing circumstances, be considered as an
injury to every individual who had con-
curred in sentiment with him : and, as
might be supposed, this common appre-
hension of danger produced a ferment, ex-
ceeding any thing that was ever before expe-
rienced among the various stations of the
army. Indeed, it is rather a matter of
surprise, that some act of open violence
did not succeed. Few could contemplate
the possibility of regular order subsisting,
if the same men continued to rule, and
the same measures to be pursued. The
general orders of Government professed
principles that appeared incompatible with
the state of discipline that regulated the
army. They not only denied the right of
trial by their peers to two respectable offi-
cers, charged with military crimes, but
held forth the protection against trial to
another officer, who had been regularly

29

impeached; thereby interrupting the opera-
tion of the articles of war, and leaving the
commissions of every officer in the Com-
pany's army at the disposal of the Judge
Advocate General. How far the authors of
an instrument, ^s^hich thus set at defiance
the laws of their country, may be actually
criminal, will perhaps be a question for
the decision of high authority. As a mea-
sure of emergency, its expedience, and
its justification, must ultimately rest on the
result of an impartial examination of the
relative situations and conduct of the par-
ties concerned.

The insinuations conveyed in Govern-
ment Orders of 31st January,* against the
character of General Macdowall, however
serious they may be, do not affect the
officers of the army ; neither can they be
supposed to have excited any other sentiment
than astonishment, accompanied by the hope,
that he may be able fully to justify himself,
before his King and his Country. But the
case of Major Boles, and of Colonel Capper,
as stated in the G. O. 1st February, is far
different. It may be applicable at some
period to every officer in the army, who at
all times is amenable to the penalties of
* Appendix 1).

30

martial law, for disobedience of any military
order, which is not manifestly illegal, and
is now declared to be liable to the loss of
his commission for obedience, if his imme-
diate superior shall chance to be unpopulat
with power. The only compensation for
which is an ex-post-facto opinion, that the
order was illegal, in the judgment of Lieu-
tenant Colonel Leith, who, as has been fuUy
seen, can, with equal ease, support at the
same time a proposition and its inverse^
not only by sophistry and argument, but by
authorities deduced from the laws of the
Romans.

Lieutenant Colonel Leith has proved
the legality, beyond all appeal, of Lieu-
tenant Colonel Munro having, under orders
from Sir John Cradock, falsely traduced
the character of a considerable number of
respectable officers in the service to which
Lieutenant Colonel Munro belongs; although
Sir J. Cradock was not exercising the func-
tion of command, at the time the circum-
stance came to the know^ledge of those
officers. And the same Colonel Leith has
also proved the illegality of Colonel Capper,
or Major Boles, having, under the orders
«f Lieutenant General Macdowall, s-igned

31

a reprimand to an individual officer, who
had insulted his Commander in Chief,
although Lieutenant General jNIacdovvall
was at tliat time exercising all the functions
of command, and consequently, by the
orders of Marquis Cornwallis, (as well as
by the law^s of the Romans, quoted by
Colonel Leith) neither Colonel Capper, nor
Major Boles, could appeal, nor hold any
communication with the Civil Government,
except through the Commander in Chief;
certainly such an undertaking on the part of
Colonel Leith merits high reward from those
whose purpose it is calculated to ansvrer,
but its effect on the officers of tlie armv is
deplorable. It effectually annihilates the
idea of right or claim to the possession of
a commission, and destroys the foundation
of equity and justice, upon which military
discipline and subordination depend.

The offences, with which Colonel
Capper and Major Boles are charged, being
expressed in definite terms, every reason-
able man can form a judgment respecting
them. A passage of the Judge Advocate's
opinion on the charges against Colonel
Munro, tends strongly to corroborate the

32

sentiments of Earl Cornwallis, respecting
the duty of the general staff of a Com-
mander in Chief; and as Colonel Leith
justly observes, " It is to be considered in
" what capacity the words were spoken ;
" they were- given as a general principle,
*' &c." The following are Colonel Leith's
words: '' The great principle of military
*' law, as handed down from the most
'* ancient times, is, let there he 7io appeal
" i?i mUitary cases ; let the order of the Gene^
" raly who commanded, be taken for just,
" and ratfied. Such was the rule of the
" Romans, who best understood military
" discipline, and this principle we see
" adopted in courts of common law."
Every person, acquainted with the English
language, must, upon reading this quota-
tion, form the same opinion of its meaning.
There is no equivoque, no abstract reason-
ing ; the order of the General, ■v^-ho com-
mands, is final, and not liable to appeal
by any to whom the execution may be en-
trusted.— ^Therefore, the sole responsibility
rests with the General, in the Judge Advo-
cate General's able opinion. This principle
is applied in justification of Lieutenant Colo-
nel Munro ; and an inference is drawn^

33

purporting, that the order of Sir John Cra-
dock to prepare a certain report, relieves the
person, to whom the order was given, from
all responsibility with regard to the matter
that may be contained in the report. How-
ever inconsistent this may be with justice,
it may be presumed that, coming from
Colonel Leith, it is good law ; and as the
principle upon which it is founded is general,
and therefore applicable to other cases, simi-
lar in their nature and relations to Colonel
Munro's, it will serve as a rule by which
to examine the conduct of Major Boles and
Colonel Capper. Those officers received
from Lieutenant General Macdowall, the
Commander in Chief, a general order in his
own hand writing, accompanied by a letter,
directing that the said general order might
be circulated in the usual manner, with as
little delay as possible, and assigning the
prospect of his early departure as his motive
for wishing that expedition should be used.
This letter, also, was written and signed
by the Commander in Chief. The order
of the General who commanded, being,
according to Colonel Leith, ** just and rati-
fied," ** and without appeal," Colonel
Capper and Major Boles, a fortior\, were

34

relieved from all responsibility with regard
to the matter that was contained in the
order ; or, supposing that Major Boles and
Colonel Capper had refused a compliance
with an order of the Commander in Chief,
thus peremptory in its nature, that they had
been placed under arrest, and brought to
trial for such disobedience. Colonel Leith,
being the Judge Advocate, can there be any
doubt that in such a case, the Judge Advo-
cate would, by the application of the Jus-
tinian Code, the articles of war, and the
orders of Marquis Cornwallis, have attached
to those officers the guilt of one of the
highest cnimes an officer can be accosed of ?
and that their punishment would have been,
perhaps, more severe than that which, at a
former stage of this unhappy dissension, w^as
intended for Colonels Sentleger, Martin, and
Rumley ? Assuredly not.

Yet has Colonel Leith, Judge Advocate
General, given a professional opinion (ex-
post- facto) purporting, that the compliance
of Major Boles and Colonel Capper, with
the peremptory orders of General Macdo wall,
was illegal, although General Macdowall
was at the time present, and actually exer-
cising all the functions of Commander in

35

Chief. If this be law, it is probable that
the Romans did not practice such, at the
period that they decreed, " Let there he no
" appeal in mUitai^y cases; let the order
'' of the General, ivho commanded, be taken
" /o^' just, and ratified." It is more likely
to have been their practice when they were
hurrying rapidly down the stream of cor-
ruption. " Facilis descensus averni^ To
the plain reason of miUtary men the incon-
sistency appears great.

The violent agitation, that prevailed
throughout the army, on perceiving, by the
Government orders of the 31st January,
and 1st February, that Commissions were
held merely at the caprice of an individual,
could not escape the notice of Government.
Every principle, which cherishes the honor-
able feelings of an officer, was violated.
The impossibility of conducting the ordinary
duties of the military profession, without
the regular advice of counsel, was pro-
claimed ; consequently, the rigid controul,
which should pervade the progressive ranks
in the army, was declared to be at an end.
And on what account is all this convulsion
produced ? Merely for the purpose of extin-
guishing, by force, th • just indignation.

36

which an army of officers felt towards an
individual; who had wantonly insulted their
pride, and injured their feelings : and who
had, during several years, exercised great
talents, in order to promote dissension
between the civil and military departments
of the Government ; having conducted an
animated and continued contest against the
Government, during the commands of Gene-
rals Stewart and Cradock, for the purpose
of extending the prerogatives and patronage
of the military commander; and on the
succession of Lieutenant General Macdowall
to the command, having with admirable
address altered the course of his conduct,
and denied the right of giving orders to his
staff, or being acquainted with the move-
ment of troops to General Macdowall, who
had witnessed the effects of the unlimited
influence of an individual over his prede-
cessors, and had therefore imprudently
resolved to preserve his independence from
that influence.

The patience and submissiveness of the
officers of the Madras army has ever been
proverbial ; but there is a limit, beyond
which ill usage and injury cannot be borne.
When every right is invaded, and every

37

privilege is denied, an insensibility of
wrong only serves to prove, that the
oppressed are unworthy to possess either
rights or privileges. It eannot, therefore,
be surprizing that among men of liberal sen-
timents, possessed of feelings highly honor-
able, indignation and resentment should be
awakened by the cruel and unjustifiable
punishment ofCol. Capper and Major Boles, as
announced in the Government orders of the
31st January, and 1st February, by a review
of the events which had progressively led
to those orders, and by the prospect of a
relentless persecution, the conductors of
which were not to be satiated, while
one obnoxious victim remained to be
immolated. The detention of Colonel Mar-
tin shewed that he was marked for their
vengeance in the first instance ; however,
the unequivocal indications of the general
feeling on the subject, rendered it extremely
probable, that any violent or arbitrary pro-
ceedings towards him would drive matters
to the last extremity. The Government
were, therefore, induced to suspend the
proposed measures against him, and, accord-
ingly, directed that Lieutenant Colone] Martin
should be reimbursed in the sum of star

38

pagodas 1,000, for passage money, &c. and
that he should be permitted to proceed to
England by the first opportunity.

Unhappily, however, it was soon per-
ceived, that the measure of conciliation,
which apparently proceeded from a sense
of justice, was not the effect of a dispor
sition to tranquillize the ferment that existed,
but of a reluctant compliance with necessity.
It was accordingly succeeded by rigid pro-
ceedings, from which there does not at pre-
sent appear to be any immediate prospect of
relief; the supreme authority in India having
given sanction to them. That this sanction
has been obtained through misrepresentation,
and misstatement, is evident from a pas-
sage in the letter of the supreme Govern-
ment, which was circulated on the coast.
That passage states, that the officers, who
signed the charges against Lieutenant
Colonel Munro, had consented to their
being withdrawn, than which nothing can
be more unfounded. On the contrary, a
letter from one of those officers, appealing
to the articles of war, against the opinion
of the Judge Advocate General, was one of
the immediate causes of the arrest of Lieu*

39

tenant Colonel Munro, on the 21st of
January.

The removal of several officers from
their situations at Madras, for which
removal no other reason can be assigned,
-than their objection to hold any unofficial
intercourse with Lieutenant Colonel Munro
— the removal of battalions from Madras
for 'reasons of the same description — the
means by which Sir John Sinclair procured
the situation of Commissary at the Arsenal
— and various other occurrences which have
marked the unhappy interval between the
beginning of February and the present
eventful period — will form subjects for
future communications. This one shall be
concluded with an earnest prayer, that a
consciousness of their own right, and a firm
reliance on the justice and equity of their
superiors in England, may enable the offi-
cers of the Coast army to bear with forti-
tude the trial, to which they are exposed,
only for a time. Let them reflect, that they
have a character already high, and worth
preserving by any temporary sacrifice ui
their personal feelings; and that \Nhalc\r)
may be the extent of their just indigaati<Mi
against the individuals, who are the uhju

40

diate instruments of their oppression, duty
to their country requires that it should, for
the time, be restrained within those hmits,
beyond which is nothing but crime, anarchy,
and confusion.

Adieu !

LETTER II.

Madras J 20th June, 1809.

Dear Sir,

As the narrative addressed
to you is intended to convey a simple and
correct view of the whole of the circum-
stances which have conduced to bring the
public affairs of this Government to the
critical predicament that they are now in,
it will be proper, not only that the various
events should be detailed in the order in
which they occurred, but that the connection
between them should be distinctly shewn,
as well as the effect which they produced on
the public mind.

The transactions of any given period,
during this unhappy dissension, cannot^
with propriety, be considered, of . them-
selves, to possess any particular character
or feature. No correct judgment can be

41

formed respecting them, unless they be
combined with the circumstances in which
the parties concerned were placed ; because
from those circumstances alone were they
produced, and to them alone were they
applicable.

From what has been detailed, in the
preceding letter, it will be perceived, that a
considerable degree of animosity subsisted
in the beginning of February. Lieutenant
Colonel Munro either had (or was supposed
to have) falsely traduced the characters of
the officers commanding Native corps in the
honourable Comp3ny's service; and, although
his insinuations did not immediately affect
the other officers, it was well known that
an acute sense of injury was felt by almost
every officer of every rank. Even supposing
the relative situation of the army in the
State to be very low, still the profession is
deemed honourable, and officers are usually
treated as gentlemen. It might, therefore,
be reasonably supposed, that some conside-
ration would be shewn towards the feelings
of those who supposed themselves to be
falsely calumniated ; and, as Lieutenant
Colonel Munro had not, during six months,
disavowed the calumny, that Government
would not have interrupted a public inves-

42

tigation of the subject, without, at tlie
same time, giving some kind of explanation
to satisfy the officers of the army, that the
insinuation, convejed in Lieutenant Colonel
Munro's paper, was not considered to be
appUcable to them. No such explanation,
however, was given ; and the officers of the
army naturally drew the conclusion, that no
consideration of the claim on the justice of
Government, which they considered them-
selves to possess equally \\ith Colonel
INIunro, would be allowed to interfere with
the full execution of the threat, " That
'^ Government would, in the most decided
" manner, evince their marked displeasure
'* against all, who had adopted the unfavour-
*' able impressions respecting Lieutenant
" Colonel jSIunro." They saw this disposition
manifest itself in the extraordinary, and
unprecedented, order, which directed the
Hon. Lieutenant Colonel Sentleger to remain
at Trichinopoly, while his regiment was sent
on service, — in the detention of Lieutenant
Colonel jNIartin, only a few hours before the
sailing of his ship, — and in the suspension
of Major l^oles and Colonel Capper, — they
saw the complete removal of the only bar**
rier which could protect them against the

43

vengeance of lAeuteiiant Colonel Munro,
The possession of a commission became
altogether nugatory, if it were Hable to be
annulled without enquiry, or investigation
of any sort; and if the acts annulling it,
could be justified by laws framed, (t\i-post-
facto) and by subtle arguments, or meta-
physical disquisitions, which, however well
they may be calculated for the display of the
professional talents of a lawyer, cannot be
considered as appUcable to practical military
law ; which most of all requires to be simple
and unembarrassed by obscure or ambiguous
phraseology.

No man, educated in the military pro-
fession, and looking to its laws alone, as
the standard by which his conduct and prin-
ciples were to be regulated, could be capable
of defending his honor, his life, or his com-
mission, against the sophistry which has
proved, to the satisfaction of the superior
authorities in India, that Lieutenant Colonel
Munro, as principal in his office, was not
responsible for the matter contained in a
paper, drawn up by himself; and which
sophistry has, at the same time, proved,
that Major Boles, a deputy in office, was
Responsible for the matter contained in a

44

paper drawn up by the Commander in Chief,
and transmitted to Major Boles through his
immediate principal.

Notwithstanding the pertinacity with
which the culpability of Major Boles is
maintained in all public edicts of the govern-
ment, and of the present Commander in
Chief of the army, there is much reason to
suppose that the arguments of Lieutenant
Colonel Leith, and of those who advised the
extreme exercise of power in the case of
Major Boles, have not produced that clear
conviction which just reasoning usually
does. It seems rather probable, that a con-
sciousness of the flagrant injusticje of a
measure, which had been hastily adopted,
through the influence of passion and preju-
dice, occasioned to its authors a species of
remorse, which, although it did not dictate
a magnanimous requital for the injury,
would have assented to a sort of compro-
mise. It would otherwise be difficult indeed
to account for a very extraordinary inter-
view, which took place on the 2d of
February, at Major Boles' s, between that
gentleman and a member of the council,
composing the government of Madras. The
purport of which may be tolerably well

45

ascertained from notes, which, on the 3rd of
February, passed between the former and
a third person. From them it appears, that
the writer expressed great concern for the
distresses to which Major Boles and his
family would be exposed by the loss of his
commission ; and lamented, that his utter
ruin must follow the representations which
the Madras Government would make to
Europe, and that, having a great friendship
for Major Boles, he was desirous to avert the
evil, and would undertake to become a
mediator with Sir G. Barlow, having reason
to entertain sanguine hopes of being able to
effect the restoration of Major Boles to the
service, and to his official situation, if he
would make an apology for having signed the
order of the Commander in Chief; the
member of council at the same time posi-
tively affirming, that his interference was
entirely unknown to any member of the
Government. Major Boles dechned comply-
ing with the proposed terms, as Sir G. Bar-
low had, without any enquiry whatsoever,
punished him for an act, any objection to
which on his part would have merited death
by the articles of war ; lie considered it to
be impossible, as it would be useless, to

46

make any appeal to tliat authority. That,
unless the Governor would allow him an
opportunity of justifying himself, he could
not possibly originate any appeal to him
against an act of his own, and it must ever
be impossible for him to offer an apology for
compliance with a peremptory order of the
Commander in Chief. Such an act would
be a direct violation of the articles of war,
as established by law ; and it would be
derogatory to the character of the Honour-
able the Court of Directors, to whose
equity and justice he confidently looked for
relief, against the distresses which his sus-
pension had produced to him, already \n
debt, and having a family to support.

It may be proper here to mention
another manifestation of that species of
remorse, which 1ias been mentioned above.
On the 29th of .hmuary, not many hours
after the leave of J^icutenant Colonel Martin
had been withdrawn by Government, that
officer was called upon by the Judge Advo-
cate General, who told him that the Govern-
ment were very much incensed at the hostile
disposition, which many officers had mani-
fested towards Lieutenant Colonel Munro,
whom they were determined to support, and

47

to punish those who persisted in their oppo-
sition to him. That with this view Colonel
Martin had been detained, and he might
expect to feel the effects of their high dis-
pleasure, unless he would apologize for hav-
ing signed and forwarded the charges, and
merely say that he was sorry for the part he
hadtakeninthcaffiir. In which case the Judge
Advocate General promised liim, that the
proceedings against him should be quashed,
and he should immediately have leave to
proceed on the ships which were expected
to sail that night. This proposal, as may be
•supposed, was received by Lieutenant Colo-
nel Martin with scorn and contempt ; con-
scious that no improper action or motive
could be imputed to him, he despised the
malice, and defied the perversion, and abuse
of power, of which he knew the advisers
of the Government to be capable, confiding
in the equity of trial, and the justice of tlic
laws of his profession and liis country. The
presence of General M'Dowal and other
causes had hitherto imposed considcraljk:
restraint upon the disposition which existed,
to bear down and utterly annihilate tliose
grand protectors of the rijihts of everv
British soldier and subject.

48

Incidents, in themselves trifling, at this
period acquired great importance, every
where under the Madras Government, but
particularly at the presidency. The total
disregard to all claims, arising from considera-
tions of equity or justice, and a cold, unfeel-
ing perseverance in measures suggested by a
set of men, who were guided only by their
own interests, or by prejudice, produced, not
only among the Military, but in every depart-
ment of the community, a species of sullen
discontent, and despair, which refused all>
but the outward forms of respect to the
person, or character of the governor ; and
so universal was this sentiment, that the
unhappy state of society became a gene-
ral topic. Men, whose pursuits and views in
life were totally different, felt a mutual
sym.pathy. The gentlemen in the civil
service, and those not in the company's
employ, felt their grievances to be without
the hope of redress ; as the system which
oppressed them had, by violating the rights,
and disregarding the laws of the Military
profession, removed the barrier which at once
restrains and protects that class of men, in
whose hands the physical force of the state
rests ; and in w^hom therefore it is most

i9

impolitic to drive into self-preserving
•unanimity, bj affording just cause for com-
plaint and discontent among them ; and the
Militaiy, seeing that the determined system
of the Government, while it annulled the
laws of their profession, also deprived their
fellow subjects of their civil rights, could
no longer hesitate to become unanimous in
execrating the injudicious policy from whence
it aro^e.

The measures which excited alarm and
discontent among the persons, who compose
the general class of society, do not appear
to have any immediate reference to the sub-
ject of these remarks, limited as they are to
the INIilitary question. But the merits of this
cause rests not solely on matters of fact; they
are chiefly to be deduced from opinion ; it
therefore becomes material to notice the ex-
trinsic circumstances which gave an impulse
to the imagination of Military men. Had
the prevailing system given satisfaction to
the other orders of society, it is probable
the agitation among the Military would
never have become so general, or so violent
as it did at this time. The impression pro-
duced by the arbitrary exercise of power,
however sefisibly it might at first be felt,

E

50

might have subsided, and perhaps be for-,
gotten ; if, in the intercourse of society, any
advocates had existed who could approve, or
v^ho even could palliate or defend, the mea-
sures adopted in any of the various branches
of the administration. But, unhappily,
this was not the case ; an universal clamour
prevailed ; many were injured, all discon-
tented, and the only claims of men, not violent
against the principles of tlie Government,
were those who from poorness of spirit, or
motives of self-interest, either suppressed
their sentiments altogether, or used peculiar
caution in communicating them. From
such men have the principal offices been
recently filled. Among many instances of
this sort, one is particularly striking, and
deserves to be remarked, from the example
which it affords of the advantage to be de-
rived from a perfect lubricity of principles,
A person, now holding one of the highest
situations under the Government, and who
professes to be one of the warmest admirers
of the present system, did, on the 26th Jan.
last, then being at a distant station, give his
sentiments, as they then stood, in the follow-
ing words : speaking of some of the mea-
sures of Government, he says ** the authors

51

" of this plan of degradation, and useless
" expenditure of public money, have 720^
" done the state a service ;" and again *' The
*' system is to degrade ISIilitary authority,
" and to raise the emblem of a force, that
*' can bow to civil dictators. The troops
" are now instruments of civil law ; and the
*' Military rank goes no further, than the
*' Etat Major of a Council of Elders, or in
'•' other words, old women." These being
the words of a person, who was relatively
an advocate for Government, and having been
used on the 26th of January last, any at-
tempt to prove that discontent was then
partial, or confined only to a few at the
Presidency, must appear equally f\\\i\c and
absurd. The whole service. Civil or Military,
knew that it was universal ; and that an
apprehension of mutual danger, arising from
the supposed determination of Government
to crush all who would not acknowledge
the supremacy of Lieutenant Colonel Munro,
had produced an unanimity of sentiment
throughout the Army, and a confederacy for
the purpose of mutual preservation.

On the 6th of Feb. the Government of
Madras issued a general order, professing to
contain a statement of the circumstances

E 2

52

connected with the arrest and release of
Lieutenant Colonel Munro, and there can be
no doubt, that a candid exposition of cir-
cumstances, even at this late period, might
have been of use, by tending to do away
the foundation of the odium that existed
against Lieutenant Colonel Munro. The
order in question could not however have
that effect. For, instead of adverting to the
real cause of complaint, it aliects to misun-
derstand the particular passage in the report
which had given offence, and states, that any
enquiry regarding the oflcnsive passage must
have involved a discussion of the measures of
the principal Civil and Military authorities
in this country.

Such an inference is not deducible from
any of the premises in the present case. It
had already been explicitly declared, that
the officers complaining were particularly
desirous to avoid any allusion to the general
question, regarding Camp-equipage. That
any comparison between the former and the
present systems of Camp Equipage was un-
necessary and entirely irrelevant, in discussing
the charges which were laid against Lieute-
nant Colonel Munro — ^The discussion of
those charges could not, if the president of

53

the Court INIartial knew his duty, extend to
any matter that was not requisite in order to
substantiate or refute one, or other of the
following problems.

First. — Whether the insinuation against
the officers commanding Native Corps, as
quoted in the former letter, was warranted by
their conduct during the period they held
the contract.

If the affirmative of this question was
proved, the discussion would be at an end,
and the charges against Colonel Munro must
be thrown out.

Second. — If the insinuation should ap-
pear totally groundless and false ; whether
the insertion of it in the Quarter Master
General's paper was necessary, in order
to place the subject in a clear point of
view, or to produce the conclusion, which
Lieutenant Colonel Munro might have been
directed to draw forth.

If the affirmative of the second problem
were proved, the court martial, or the Com-
mander in Chief, might, with a view to tlie
exculpation of Lieutenant Colonel Munro,
deliberate whether he was not justifiable, or
at least excusable, in uttering the falsehood,
having for its object a compliance with the

54

order of the Commander in Chief, which,
according to Colonel Leith, was to be con-
sidered " just and ratified, and without ap-
peal." But if it should appear that the insi-
nuation against the officers commanding
nati^'c corps did not tend, in any way, to
corroborate the arguments which have been
used to recommend the abolition of the con-
tract, and that therefore Lieutenant Colonel
Munro had wantonly vilified the character
of a body of respectable officers, for pur-
poses which no man can avow, it is probable
that the court martial, being composed of
men, influenced by feelings of honourable
pride, would have marked their sense of his
conuuct in the most decisive manner; and
this could have been accomplished, without
any allusion whatsoever to the general merits
of the report, for which alone any responsi-
bility can rest on the authorities who have
severally approved the work. It would be,
in the highest degree, absurd to suppose, that
a superior authority, by approving a treatise,
composed by an inferior, became responsible
for the substance of any particular passage,
although the purport of that passage wxre
totally irrelevant to the main question, and
although the total omission of the passage

55

^vould not have weakened the reasoning, or
rendered the inference ]ess direct. Yet such
hypothesis is necessary, in order to reconcile
the position laid down in the G. O. 6th Feb.
namely, that an enquiry, respecting a givoi
passage in Colonel Munro's report, would
have extended to the measures of the autho-
rities, who had approved the general tenor
of tiie report, although this particular pas-
sage had not any relation or bearing towards
the general result.

One passage in the order of Government
deserves to be particularly noticed, from the
illustration which it affords of the avowed
principles of Government. The passage is
as follows : — " In these circumstances, the
" Quarter-master General could no longer be
" considered responsible for proceedings so
" sanctioned ; and it would have been in-
^' consistent with the evident principles of
" justice, that a public officer should have
" been liable to the obloquy of a trial for an
" act not his, but that of his superiors." —
The doctrine is certainly praiseworthy ; and
every one must acknowledge great liberality
in the principle, which attaches to the supe-
riors all responsibility for the act of an infe-
rior ; but which becomes theirs by adoption

56

even, supposing the operation of the prin-
ciple to be general, and equally applicable
to all persons similarly situated. But if, on
the contrary, the spirit and letter of this doc-
trine be directly violated, in the case of
Colonel Capper and Major Boles, and that
thr^se officers are punished without the oblo-,
quy of a court martial, as being responsible
for the positive act of their superior, the
sincerity of the authors of the above-men-
tioned order will appear doubtful, at least;
and men of plain understanding will imagine
that their principles, as illustrated by their
conduct, do not appear so praiseworthy as
tliey do when publicly proclaimed in orders.

The Order concludes with an injunction,
that the question must now be considered as
concluded, and the circumstances connected
with it consigned to oblivion. It was not,
however, possible that a subject, which had
engaged the attention of all, and had excited
general irritation throughout the army, could
be obliterated by the dash of a pen ; and in
fact, the G. O. 6th Feb. served to add fuel to
the flame already spread. For, without any
explanation or discussion of the real causes of
complaint, it attempts to identify, with the
Government itself, the cause of an individual.

57

who was shunned by every officer who pos-
sessed pride .or feeling for the character of
his profession ; while Colonels Capper and
Martin, and Major Boles, officers of great
repute, and universally respected, were pu-
nished, to the greatest extent that the Govern-
ment could accomplish, for acts which are
considered to be not only justifiable but
praiseworthy.

On the 8th of February, the public were
surprised by the annunciation of a resolution,
passed ir^ Council on that day, ordering the
removal of Captain Marshall from the situ-
ations of Secretary to the Military Board and
Secretary to the Military Fund ; the removal
of Mr. Roebuck from the situations of the
Paymaster General and Mint Master ; and
Mr. R. A. Maitland from the situation of
Justice of the Petty Court. The two former
were directed to quit the Presidency, without
delay, and proceed to Vizagapatam, which
is about 500 miles distant. This circum-
stance, totally unexpected and unaccountable
as it at first appeared to be, became more
surprising, from the difficulty of forming
even a conjecture respecting the cause which
might reasonably be assigned for infficting
so severe a punishment, at once, on three

58

individuals, whose professions, pursuits, and
situations were so diflerent ; one being a sub-
ordinate military otficer, who had not hitherto
been conspicuous in any way ; another, one
of the oldest Company's civil servants ; and
the third, a gentleman not in the service, but
residing at Madras, under the protection of
the Company ; and his conduct had been uni-
formly such, as to gain him universal esteem
in the Settlement, as well as constant atten-
tion and respect from the members of all
preceding Governments.

A deUberate consideration of the various
discussions, then pending at iSIadras, sug-
gested the causes which had rendered these
men obnoxious to the rulers of the day. —
Captain Marshall, though in a subordinate
situation, had frequent occasion to meet
Colonel Munro on duty. However, no unof-
ficial intercourse had, for a long period, taken
place between those otlicers, owing to the
incongruity of their dispositions, their prin-
ciples, and their conduct. The subjects re-
cently agitated at Madras had not tended, in
any way, to reconcile the difference of sen-
timent that existed ; and, in fact, Captain
Marshall adopted the same principles which
prevailed amongst the great majority of his

59

brother officers. It was therefore consistent
with the principles upon which the Govern-
ment appeared to act, that he, although
bearing a good character, should be degraded
from his office and removed from tlie pre-
sidency, in order to make way for a person
who would probably speak to Colonel Munro.
Previous to his departure, however, he made
a modest appeal to Government, in which
he stated as follows : " I trust, I shall be ex-
cused for expressing a considerable degree of
anxiety, at the displeasure of Government,
as evinced in my removal from office,
and that a jealousy respecting my cha-
racter as a servant of the company, will
be considered to proceed from motives,
honorable to myself, and consistent with
the relation in which I stand to my honor-
able employers, after passing eighteen
years in their service."

*' The serious reduction of salary must
necessarily produce considerable incon-
venience to me; but the loss of salary
is a secondary consideration; I never
indulged the hope of attaining that exal-
tation which riches give ; I looked only
for the humble honors of a respectable
character, and I appeal to the justice of

60

*' Government to excuse the earnestness
** with which I solicit to be informed, in
*^ what part of my conduct I have given
" cause for the severe measure, which, what-
" ever be the effect, is evidently calculated
" to deprive me of my good name, in the
" absence of which, no v/ealth could make
" me ricn.

The appeal was however vain; it was
treated with contemptuous silence ; and no
reason has even yet been assigned for the
removal of Captain Marshall from Madras.
This event, which, in ordinary times, would
not be considered of any general moment,
acquired, at this period, great importance,
for it tended to confirm the general belief,
that Government were resolved to pursue
to the utmost, every individual who had
become obnoxious to Colonel Munro, with-
out regard to general character, length of
service, or other qualification, which is
usually considered to confer upon individuals
a right to the protection of Government.
Even the most moderate among the officers,
and those who had been desirous to divert
the attention of the public from the imme-
diate causes of complaint, could no longer
discover any chance of preserving the most

61

respectable part of the army from arbitrary
prosecution and cruel punishment, while
things continued to be administered accord-
ing to a system, which was not to be con-
trolled by the laws of the land, or by any
appeal to the ordinary dictates of reason,
equity, or justice. Of this disposition an
ampla illustration is thought to be afforded,
in tlic orders respecting Messrs. Roebuck
and jNIaitlaud. 'J he whole particulars of
this extraordinary transaction would of
themselves form an interesting detail. 'J'hcy
are, however, only partly connected with
the present subject; and it will be sufficient
to notice that these gentlemen were acknow-
ledged creditors of the Nabob of the Car-
natic to a verv laroe amount, and knowing
that bonds had been forged to an enormous
extent, and that the security of their pro-
perty would be injured, in proportion as
the forged bonds were admitted, they
instituted, in the Supreme Court, at Madras,
various suits against persons sii])pose(l to
be concerned in forging sundry <;f t'.orc
bonds. Tliey had already o])*:ti,i^d tv/(» v^*--
dicts from the several juries, arid although
the Advocate and Solici' ;r of ;.':e Com-
pany defended the pcr.s -/ns w ho were con-

62

victed of forging and perjury, the hand fide
creditors did nevertheless persist in appealing
to the laws of their country for the preser-
vation of their property. As no public reason
w^as assigned for the act of their removal
from office, the cause was imagined to arise,
but erroneously perhaps, out of the part
they took in these proceedings. This cir-
cumstance, it is true, has no immediate
reference to the military question, but it will
not be difficult for any to conceive that the
punishment of two respectable men, under
the prevalent impressions, could not be con-
templated with indifference by Britons. It
will not require any argument to prove,
that such a circumstance was calculated ta
exasperate feelings already highly irritated,
and that, connected as it was with the
punishment of Captain Marshall, both hav-
ing occurred in the same Council, and both
reaching the public at the same time, the
officers of the army should have perceived
in it a further confirmation of the suspicion,
that the common laws of the land could
not afford any protection to those whom the
advisers of the Government wished to
overwhelm.

The foregoing facts have been intro-^

63

diiced merely for the purpose of shewing,
that causes existed for universal disgust,
though the advisers of Government have
continually persisted to deceive the superior
authorities, by representing, that the dis-
content was partial, and confined only to
a few" individuals. It may be proper to
notice* certain facts which afford conclusive
evidence of the entire falsehood of such
assertion.

On the 13th of February, Lieutenant
Colonel jSIunro signified to the officers of
the Institution, (an establishment lately
formed for the instruction of young olficers)
that he heard they had expelled one of tlic
members from their society, " because he
had attended at an entertainment given at
the Government House," and in such case
desired that they Vvould withdraw their pro-
ceedings against that gentleman ; in faihirc
of which thev would be ordered to quit the
Institution, and to join their corps. The
gentlemen replied, that the regulations ot
the service. Para. 9th, allow " to ofllc^^rs,
" in common with other gentlemen, the
" privilege of making their own choice ot
" companions, for their private society,"
and as they felt averse to hold further

64

acquaintance with the gentleman in question'/
they conceived they were justified in the
measures they had taken, in consequence
of which they (18 officers) were sent to
their corps by the following general orders:

" Fort St. George, ISth, February y 1809.-

*' G. O. by Government :

" The Commander in Chief
" having brought under the attention of
" the Honourable the Governor in Council,
*' the recent irregular conduct of the fol-
** lowing officers of the junior class of the
*' MiUtary Institution, the Governorin Coun-
" cil directs that they do join their corps
** without delay."

[Here follow the names of 18 officers.]

Although the name of the Commander
in Chief appears in the foregoing order, it
was in a few days discovered, that he had
not even been made acquainted with the
circumstances; at least so he declared, on
the occasion of a reference that was made
to him by some of the young men. Pre-
vious to the publication of the foregoing
order, a communication was made to the
gentlemen of the Institution, by a Field
officer, purporting, that if they would pro-

65

mise to go to the next entertainment at the
Government House, the proceedings against
them would be discontinued; but, otherwise,
that they might expect to be severely
punished. They however decHned comply-
ing with these terms. Trifling as this occur-
rence must appear, in the general view of
the ^reat events which this period teems
with, it deserves particular notice on account
of the consequences it produced, and the
inferences which may be drawn from it.
It affords incontestible proof, that the feeling
of discontent and dissatisfac^ on towards the
Government was not confined to a few.
In such a case it is impossible to suppose,
that out of nineteen young men, attached
to a corps that is under the especial patro-
nage of the Governor and the Quarter INIaster
General, only one person would go to a
public entertainment given at the Govern-
ment House; or that the others, if the feel-
ing was not general, should venture to mark
their disapprobation in the decided manner
they did. This transaction also sevxe^ to
shew, that the appeal of tlie officers to tlic
regulations of the service, as established
by Earl Cornwallis, was totally disregarded;
and that ofFicers in the army were liable to

F

63

be punished, if they presumed to exercise
their own judgment in the choice of asso-
ciates, or private acquaintances.

It seems scarcely credible, that so
preposterous a doctrine should have been
publicly avowed and sanctioned by the
Government ; but the letters* which passed
on the subject are still extant, and have,
on many occasions, been produced, in order
to overcome the incredulity of persons to
whom the circumstances have been related,
at almost every station of the army. For
those young men, highly irritated as they
must have been at the recent transactions
-which they had witnessed at Madras, and
particularly at the treatment they had
themselves received, were separated, and
sent to the various corps to which thev
belonged, thus effectually disseminating (if
they had not already been general) those
opinions which are still said to have been
confined to a few individuals.

It is a matter of great wonder, that the
unequivocal proofs of discontent, which
the occurrences of every day afforded, did
not suggest to those who were the objects
of it, the expediency either of removing the
causes of it, by revising the unjust arid
* Vide Appendix H.

67

unreasonable acts that had produced it,
or even of endeavouring to prevent its
increase by appearing to consult the feelings
and the just rights of men, at least in those
matters, w^here the right of choice cannot
reasonably be denied. But, unfortunately,
those who ruled, and those who advised,
intoxicated by power, blinded by prejudice,
and impelled by ambition, were not satis-
fied by the forms of respect and obedience
which public duty re(|uired, and which
never were denied. The indignation of the
officers of the army appeared now to have
reached such a height, that some desperate
act of resentment was expected. The
resignation of the Company's service was in
contemplation among large bodies of offi-
cers ; but this measure would have inflicted
a severe w^ound upon their country and
their masters, from whom they had received
no injury, towards whom their attachment
was unabated and firm, and for whose deci-
sion they would have waited patiently, had
not the continued accumulation of injury
and insult exhausted their forbearance. At
this period, when a large proportion of the
army was carrying on warlike operations in
the Travancore country, the resignation of

68

even a small number of officers must have
occasioned great embarrassment to the Go-
vernment, and might have produced fatal
consequences to the mother country. It is,
therefore, fortunate for the State, and cre-
ditable to the army, that nothing of the
kind has yet taken place.

Some late acts of the Government
appear to have excited great commotion in
the minds of the officers of the army, and
to have resuscitated, with increased violence,
that flame v^hich had in some degree sub*
sided. Recent accounts from the army at
Hydrabad and Jaulnah, mention that inju-
dicious and indelicate allusion in a late
G. O. to the conduct observed by the troops
at those stations, has given the greatest
offence ; in short, the aspect of affairs is
now truly awful. A fatal perverseness
seems to controul every act of the Govern-
ment, and to prevent the dispositions of
the most moderate and temperate men from
becoming useful towards the restoration
of peace and good understanding. Those
blessings seem to be receding from us ; and,
unless some speedy and decisive measures be
adopted, by that authority which alone can
now effectually mediate between the Gover-

69

nor and the Army of ^ladras, the opportu-
nity of conciliating may pass by.

The particulars of the G. O. and of the
measures it has given rise to, should not be
anticipated ; for various intervening occur-
rences still remain. The next communica-
tion shall, therefore, resume the narrative
from the period when General Gowdie came
to the Presidency.

Adieu !

LETTER III.

Madras J 30 tl) June, 1809.

Dear Sir,

It will be observed that
the circumstances noticed in the foregoing
letters, and all the measures adopted by the
Government of Madras, either affecting the
army collectively, or directed more imme"
diately against those individuals who were
actuated by a desire to vindicate the honor
of the profession, proceeded under the au-
thority, and directly in the name of the
Governor in Council. The name of the
Commander in Chief is, indeed, introduced
on the occasion when the gentlemen oi tli"

70

Institution are rebuked for declining to go
to the public entertainment at the Gover-
nor's. But it is perfectly well known, that
he was altogether innocent of any concern
in that extraordinary transaction ; the result
of which, however, served to prove, that
his services were available by the enemies of
General Macdowall, who possessed power,
and therefore must be right. General Gow-
die arrived at Madras on the IJth February ;
and, shortly after his final interview with
Sir G. Barlow, he made to Major Boles a
proposal, similar in substance, and in effect, to
that which had before been made by a Mem-
ber of Council, viz. that Major Boles should
be restored to the service, and to his appoint-
ment, if he would only say that he ivas
sorry for having obeyed the orders of Gene-
ral Macdowall on the 28th January. Ko
circumstance had occurred to alter the state
of the case; and, consequently, Major Boles
excused himself in the same way that he
had done before, adding, that he really
could not say he was sorry for any thing
that had passed, having done only his duty,
and relying on the justice of his superiors,
for an ample requital of the injuries that
had been done him.

n

It will be proper to bear in mind the
terms used by Major Boles in his reply, and
the circumstances under which they were
applied ; for it will be seen, in the sequel,
that the import of those terms has since
been most shamefully misrepresented, in
order to attach to Major Boles an impu-
tation which is totally irreconcilable either
with his general character, or with the con-
duct he has observed since the commence-
ment of this discussion.

It is not likely that, under any circum-
stances, IMajor General Gowdie could have
possessed much influence in the army ; he
had, indeed, acquired a high character for
bravery, on actual service in the field,but certain
well-known transactions had not rendered
him popular. Independently of this, the
relation in which the Major General stood
with respect to the Government, and to
those nominally his staff, rendered quite
nugatory any attempt of his to con-
troul or direct the opinion of individuals.
However, the unexpected exaltation to the
chief command, seems to have drawn a veil
over all circumstances anterior to that period;
and to have conferred on General Gowdie,
in his own opinion, and that of the Gover-

n

nor, a power to guide the judgments of
o.ijcers, not only in matters appertaining
to their profession, but also in subjects of
general import. The right of a Commander
in Chief to direct the actions and words of
all under him in military affairs, cannot for
a moment be questioned, particularly in
the Madras army, famed for its submissive-
ness. The suggestion of a doubt regarding the
military powers of a Commander in Chief
would at any former period have been uni-
versally reprehended ; but the fate of Colonel
Capper aiid Major Boles, and the comments
which had appeared in the Government
ordcis, subsequent to the 31st of January,
respecting the conduct of those officers, had
introduced a certain laxity of principle on
this subject, which gave rise to various dis-
cussions regardmg the legality, the propriety,
or even the necessity, which might occasion-
ally exist for particular orders.

A few days after the arrival of General
Gowdie at ^Madras, an occurrence took place
whicli afforded to Sir G. Barlow, and General
Govvdic, an opportunity of ascertaining, in
the most unequivocal manner, the sentiments
of ofH :ers towards the person of the Gover-
nor \ and at the same time the feeling which

73

they bore towards the authority delegated
by the Governor to the Commander in
Chief.

Sir G. Barlow, unadvisedly relying on
that appearance of respect which was mani-
fested towards the situations of Governor
and Commander in Chief, disregarded, and
attempted to tr^at with indifference, the
actual sentiments of a set of men whom
habitual subordination renders for the most
part passive, and who^ therefore, seldom
form an unanimous opinion adverse to their
superiors, except upon the grounds of self-
preservation, either from injury or insult.
Fortunate would it have been for his country,
for his employers, and for the Madras army,
if Sir G. Barlow had taken measures to
remove the grounds of discontent which
existed in the present instance, or even if he
had not acted in such a manner as served
gradually to render more than irritable the
sense of wrong. Although perfectly aware
that no officer except those holding situations
at the will of the Government, or Colonel
Munro, would voluntarily go to the private
dwelling-house of the Governor and his
family, where Colonel Munro was frequently
to be met, Sir G. Barlow sent cards, invit-

74

ing the officers of a regiment, in Fort St.
George, (about 50 in number) to dinner, on
the 1st of March; he, at the same time,
invited the officers of a battalion of the 18th
regiment to dinner on the 4th of March ;
the greatest part of the officers of both
corps sent apologies, couched in the usual
terms for not accepting the invitation. This
circumstance, (particularly as the greatest
part of the officers were not in the com-
pany's service) affords conclusive evidence,
if any were wanting, that the disgust at the
measures of Sir G. Barlow, was not confined
to a few individuals of the Company's ser-
vice ; however, as the consequences of it
refer to the present subject, it may be pro-
per to notice them. Between men in equal
circumstances, an occurrence of this descrip-
tion would either be considered in the light
of a direct insult, and resented as such, or
it would be altogether overlooked; but, con-
sidering the relative situations of the parties
in the present case, the same reasons appear
to point out still more strongly, the propriety
of avoiding all discussion, which could tend
to depreciate the already-fallen dignitv of
the person representing the chief authority.

75

But, unfortunately, the same fatality which
had produced several previous blunders, now
added a principal one.

In order to prevail upon the officers
who had sent apologies, to conseiit to dine at
the Governor s, various threats and promises
were conveyed from the Governor to them,
through the medium of Lieutenant Colonel
Barclay, who had, through his diligence in
offices of this description, acquired a de-
gree of confidence, which the appearances
for some time after Sir G.'s arrival rendered
very improbable. His efforts, however, on
this occasion, proving ineffectual, he was
directed to apply for the assistance of Major
General Gowdie ; and the extraordinary
phenomenon was exhibited, of the chief
Commander of an army of 80,000 men using
the influence which his situation gave him,
to induce the officers of two corps to dine at
Sir G. Barlow's, after their having signified
their disinclination to accept of his invita-
tion ; and after their refusal had thus been
so public, that it served as a topic through-
out the Settlement. The general arguments
used by the Commander in Chief were an-
swered by an unanimous voice, that if the
acceptance of the invitation were considered

76

as military, or if he. General Gowdie, would
give an order that it should be accepted, the
whole of the officers would go ; but if it
were to be considered optional, and they
had the right to decide for themselves, their
apologies should not be withdrawn. At
last, after two days discussion, General
Gowdie told the officers of the corps, in the
Fort, that he was himself to dine at the
Governor's on the 1st of March, and if they
declined going to meet him, he should con-
sider not only that they treated him with
slight, but that they were abettors of the
general discontent, which he stated to pre-
vail among the officers of the Company's
armv.

Such imputations being totally unfound-
ed, and likely to injure the officers in ques-
tion, they did not longer hesitate to accept
the invitation, and they accordingly per-
formed the duty of attending at Sir G. Bar-
low's house, at dinner-time, on the 1st of
March.

The officers of the ISth regiment, how-
ever, did not go on the 4th. The same
arguments were not used to them ; and
they had, only a few days before, on their
arrival in the garrison, manifested their

77

respect for the public character of the Gover-
nor, by waiting on him, when the Com-
mandant, Lieutenant Colonel JSI^Caully, in-
troduced them severally to Sir G. Barlow.
They therefore urged, that their declining
to go to the Garden-house could not be con-
strued into a disposition to treat with dis-
respect the public authority. If such an
idea existed, they were ready to accept of
the invitation, in compliance with any order
which General Gowdie might be pleased to
give to that eftect. No such order was,
however, given, and they consequently did
not go. But they were required to make
an apology, which they did, by stating, in
unequivocal terms, that, in declining to
accept Sir G. Barlow's invitation, they did
not intend any disrespect towards the public
character of the Governor ; but, on the
contrary, imagined that they were exercising
a right which might be exercised with im-
punity by all gentlemen in society. This
was very unfavourably received ; and it
was generally reported, and believed, that
General Gowdie had told Colonel M'Caully,
that, although he himself had not declined
to go to the Governor's, he was censurable
for not having prevailed on his officers

78

to go ; and that the corps should be sent
to one of the most distant stations. —
At a future period it will not be credited
that such a seeming abuse of power could
be imputable to the character of a British
subject to whom it was delegated. But,
unhappily, there are too many evidences
that irritating measures of this description
have been most wantonly resorted to ; and
that the pride of the officers, under the
Madras Government, has been trifled with
and insulted to a degree that will not be
credited by their friends and fellow-subjects
in Britain. On the 25th of February, Gene-
ral Gowdie informed IMajor Lindsey, that his
corps, the 2d of the ilth,was ordered to quit
the Presidency immediately, as the conduct
of the officers was disapproved by the Go-
vernor. Major Lindsey, astonished at this
communication, requested to be informed
how the officers had given offence, for he
knew them to be a very reputable set of
young men, and was not aware of any
impropriety that could be imputed to them.
General Gowdie acquainted him, that Sir G.
Barlow had learned, that Major Boles had,
some days before, dined at the mess of the
llth; and that, therefore, the corps must

79

q\iit tlie Presidency, as Sir G. was resolved
to shew his disapprobation towards those
who gave any countenance to Major Boles.
In reply to this, Major Lindsey observed,
that the officers of the 11th could not be
aware of any impropriety in admitting to
their mess an old, and much-respected bro*
tlier bfficer, more especially as Major Boles
had, since his suspension, been invited to,
and dined at, the messes of his Majesty's
Royal Regiment, and of the Artillery. This
remark was totally disregarded, and the
corps marched tov^ards Vellore, on the 27th.
The universal anxiety that prevailed at
this period, rendered every event of this
description higlily interesting; consequently
the reports of them spread quickly, and every
circumstance which could render the tyran-
nical abuse of power more disgusting, was
presented to the imagination in the mast
lively colours.

The hardship of Colonel M'Cauliy's case
was contemplated w^ith mixed feelings of
horror and indignation. This officer had
served the company, faithfully and honor-
ably, for 30 years ; and now, at an advanced
period of life, with a large family to support,
and without any other property than his

80

monthly pay, he was condemned to under-
take a long and expensive journey, accom-
panied by those most dear to him, to a sta-
tion, from whence there is httle probabiUty
that they will all ever return. Those ac-
quainted with military affairs will not per-
ceive any particular hardship in an officer
being obUged to go, in the routine of his
profession, to a station, whether healthy or
otherwise, which must be occupied by some
portion of troops ; but no perversion of the
term can ever justify the circumstances
under which Colonel M'Caully was sent to a
post, selected, as the Commander in Chief
said, because it was very distant, and ren-
dered more elioible bv the recent accounts
which represented it to be so unhealthy, that
many had already died, and general sickness
prevailed in such a degree, that the officer
then in command requested permission to
evacuate it. To the feelings naturally pro-
duced by this extraordinary circumstance,
there was added the surprise of all who had
known the character which General Gowdie
had borne ; they did not suppose it possible
that he, who had brought up a large
family, and who was, perhaps, indebted to
that family for the tranquillity with which

81

he passed some of the stages of his career,
could ever be induced to be the organ and
instrument of a gross act of injustice towards
an old and meritorious officer, whom he had
known as a boy in the service, and who
now possessed, equally with himself, all
those claims on humanity which arise from
the dependence of a family. Yet did General
Gowdie (as yet) seem to wish it to be un-
derstood that these measures originated with
himself. The disposition to persecute Major
Boles, to drive him even from the society
of his brother officers, by punishing those
who shewed him any attention, cannot be
accounted for by any of the principles which
men acknowledge themselves to be actuated
by. He had studiously avoided every means
of attracting the attention of the public to
his peculiarly hard situation; and if the cir-
cumstances of it drew from a generous
community the tribute of respect, and
commiseration, it would have been more
seemly in his enemies, powerful as they are,
to have avoided, by all means, the appear-
ance of that pitiful malignity, which seeks,
as its only preservative, the utter destruction
of those whom it has injured. But they,
judging that the means of appeal were very

S2

distant, and that their own representations,
if not refuted by the opposite party, would
probably produce a decision which must be
favorable to themselves, used every means to
oppose such refutation; and relying upon
tlie success which their unlimited power
enabled them to command, they wantonly
indulged their most rancorous prejudices,
and trampled on those rules which, in Eng-
land, are indispensable to the most hackneyed
politician.

In the infancy of British India, such
measures on the part of the rulers might have
been successful, and might have passed with-
out remark. The community consisted, for
the most part, of adventurers; the leading
individuals of whom derived their greatest
advantages from certain abuses, the indul-
gence of which was to be purchased only
by the sacrifice of those feelings, and of
that independent pride, which the consti-
tution allows every honest Briton to enjoy
ifi Jiis native country ; but at this time they
were equally injudicious, as they were ina-
dequate to the objects of their authors. For
they, whom an Indian Governor now rules,
being generally men of education and ac-
quirements, who have funned their ideas

of society, at a period which has afforded
to all the civihzed world most conclusive
proofs of the advantages which a compa-
ratively small state derives from allowino;
each individual the enjoyment of those pri-
vileges that are necessary to the maintenance
of his rank in the community; such men
cannot endure, beyond a very limited extent,
the tyrannical, or the corrupt abuse of power,
or the wanton indulgence of malignant pre-
judice. This unhap|)y contest does not
exhibit the efforts of an upright Govern-
ment, opposing the extravagant vicvNs of
ambitious adventurers ; who, goaded by
necessity, and desirous to promote a change
which may benefit, but cannot deteriorate
their situation ; on the contrary, it will be
seen, that every individual, who has hitherto
suffered by the exercise of the power of the
present Government of Madras, was in
actual enjoyment of a situation of emolu-
ment and advantage, to which the greatest
part of them had, under former Governors,
been promoted on account of the good repu-
tations which they bore, and not through
the influence of powerful connexions; the
names of Cooke, Kippen, Conway, Sinclair,
&c. will, to those who arc acquainted with

G 2

84

the modern history of Madras, afford a pretty
good criterion by which a judgment may be
formed respecting the principles which at
present regulate the selections for honorable
distinction. After the removal of the offi-
cers of the Institution, and of the 1st bat-
talion of the 18th, for not going to Sir G.
Barlow's entertainment, and that of the 2nd
battalion, 11th regiment, because Major
Boles had dined at their mess, matters con-
tinued tolerably quiet, and the community,
though under the awful apprehension of the
increased effiicts of the disposition which
the Governor had manifested, indulged a
hope that the number, and the respectability,
of the victims who had been sacrificed on
account of favouritism, would be con-
sidered sufficient to appease the wrath of
its powerful supporter. Had this been the
case, it is probable that matters might have
gradually settled into tranquillity ; and,
although it had become impossible that a
good understanding should ever subsist be-
tween Sir G. Barlow and the great body of
the officers of the army, that the latter
would have patiently waited for a decision
by the superior authority in India, or by
the sovereign authoriti'^s in Europe; but the

S5

fallacious calm of a few days was, about the
middle of March, interrupted by an act of
the Governor, bearing the same complexion
with those that have been already noticed ;
and therefore occasioning a general irritation,
the more violent as it had been for a time
restrained. At this time. Sir G. Barlow
signified his intention of immediately remov-
ing from the Presidency Major Macdowall,
the Deputy Adjutant General of the Army,
Lieutenant Stock, Deputy Secretary of the
Military Board, and several civilians. Pro-
scriptions, had now become so common, that
the term Convict was familiarly applied to
those who were found too honest to remain
in the immediate precincts of the seat of
Government. The civil Convicts, on the
present occasion, consisted chiefly of gentle-
men who had unfortunately been selected
as jurors on the famous trials of Mr. Batley
and Reddy Row, or who had been so impru-
dent as to avow, on that subject, and the
military question, opinions suggested by the
nature of the case. The cause of Major
Macdo wall's removal was not at first so appa-
rent; this officer had ever been distinguished
for his prudence, and the propriety of his
conduct, in every situation that he had hitherto

86

filled; he had been particularly selected by
General Gowdie, to fill the situation vacated
by the dismissal of Major Boles; and the
nomination had been highly approved by
the Governor, at a period only one month
prior to that now under discussion; in short,
considering Major Macdowall's character,
and the circumstances of his present situa-
tion, it was supposed that he was one of
those least likely to suffer in the general
havoc which had been denounced, and was
expected to fall upon the officers of the
army. However, being informed of the in-
tentions of the Government towards him,
he, on the 24th March, addressed a letter
to the Honourable Sir G. Barlow, in which
he states, that, during the time he had held
the situation, he had endeavoured, with
unwearied assiduitv, to afford satisfaction :
that General Gowdie had expressed his entire
approbation of every part of his conduct,
but that he feared some misapprehension
existed which gave rise to the intention of
removing him ; he therefore requests he may
be informed of the cause, in order that
enquiry may be instituted, and explanation
afforded. To this appeal, Major Macdowall
did not receive any answer; for, according

87

to the phraseology, which had been recently
adopted, it was not deemed expedient that
any reason should be assigned for the mea-
sures of Government. It would have been
fortunate if reason had been consulted in
forming their measures ; then would expla-
nations not have been required, neither would
complaints have been necessary.

Major Macdowall also addressed a letter
on the same subject to General Gowdie, to
which he received the following reply :

" My dear Sir,

I have received your letter of the 24th,
and can, with the greatest truth, declare, that
your conduct, while Deputy Adjutant General
under me, has given me the utmost satisfac-
tion ; and I must sincerely regret that
existing circumstances, of which I am not
competent to judge, has deprived me of the
services of a man of such sterling abilit}',
for whom I have the strongest personal esteem
and regard.

" I am, my dear Sir,
** Your stedfast friend,

(Signed) " F. Gowdie.

« Madras i 2Sth Marchy 180Q.
" Capt. J. Macdowall."

8^

The foregoing letter is not introduced
for the purpose of making any remark on the
style, or the orthographical merits which it
possesses, but because it affords sufficient
proof of the relative situation of a Comman-
der in Chief at Madras, at this time ; when a
person, holding that high situation, declares
himself to be incompetent to judge of the cir-
cumstances which had deprived him of the
services of an officer whose abilities he con-
sidered respectable, and for whom he enter-
tained strong personal esteem and regard. It
must be inferred either that he was kept in
totalignoranceofthosecircumstances,or that,
if communicated to him, he w^as required to
suspend his judgment altogether, even in
matters most important to the discharge of
the trust reposed in him. The situation of
Deputy Adjutant General has alw^ays been
one of considerable importance; for although,
in the presence of his principal, the Deputy
bore no immediate responsibility, it frequently
occurred that the absence of the principal
vested the Deputy with the full and exclusive
charge of the office. This was particularly
the ca^e with Major M. The Adj utant Gene-
ral, Colonel Capper, and the former Deputy,
Major Boles, had been removed ; Lieutenant

89

Colonel Cappage, it is true, had been nomi-
nated to the office, but he w as in Travancore,
far distant from the Presidency ; no accounts
had been received from him, and, indeed,
there was much reason to suppose, that he
would not readily accept, nay, that he would
altogether decline, to hold a situation ^^ hich
must be disgraceful, and disreputable, if
Colonel Munro, the Quarter Master General,
was allowed to continue to meddle with,
and derange every department of the office.
Thus Major Macdowall was the only person
to whom General Gowdie, himself a stranger
to detail, could refer on all points relative to
recruiting, discipline, courts martial, or
clothing of the army, and all other matters
belonging to the department of Adjutant
General ; yet he was deprived of the services
of such a man, at such a time, for reasons
that he was either altogether ignorant of, or
that he was not competent to judge of. It,
however, a{)peared from some expressions
which the General used, when discussing this
matter, that the true reason of Major Mac-
dowall's removal, was his refusal to hold any
communication with Colonel Munro, except
on subjects connected with public duty. He
had been induced to form this resolution

90

from an intimate knowledge of the v^cent
transaction in which Colonel Munro had
borne so conspicuous a part; and, being a man
of strict probity and honour, he would not,
hy threats or promises, be prevailed upon to
abandon wliat he had adopted from principle ;
his removal was therefore deemed expedient,
in order that a machine of more plastic
materials might be placed in his room. The
degradation of Lieutenant Stock was equally
without excuse; his correctness and assiduity
in his public duty, as w^ell as the uprightness
and integrity of his private character, had
gained this ofBcer the respect and regard of
all who knew him ; and he had every pros-
pect of rising to distinction on the Staff of
the army, had not his situation exposed him
to the necessity of making a choice whether
to consult his interest at the expense of every
feeling of pride and honour, or to follow the
dictates of the independent spirit of a gentle-
man, equally fearless and careless of the
result. Although no admirer of the principles
(or more properly) the rules which guided
the conduct of Colonel Munro, Lieutenant
Stock nevertheless continued to observe the
forms of acquaintance with that character,
until the period w^hen the interference of the

91

superior authority shielded him from the
impending dangers of public enquiry, and
justice ; then, finding that Colonel ]\runro
had eagerly availed himself of the screen,
and when concealed behind it, had emplojed
himself in turning against the most respect-
able of his brother officers, that pov^er which
had saved himself, Lieutenant Stock deemed
it unworthy of his character as a gentleman,
and an officer, to hold any further intercourse
with him. His removal appears to have been
resolved on, and his place was filled by a Mr.
Maclean, who is looked upon to be one of the
most staunch of Colonel Munro's new
friends, as not being likely to decline speaking
to him, under any circumstances, so long as
the Colonel retains the power either to serve
or to injure him.

Such instances of the abuse of power,
and total dereliction of the forms of decency,
and of the appearance of justice, which re-
pect to the opinion of the world induces
even the boldest and most unprincipled rulers
to observe, could not fail to increase the
odium, and to render more rancorous, the
detestation with which the public viewed
the authors of these measures. At every
station of the army the Convicts, as they

92

were callecL were received with enthusiastic
marks of respect and admiration. They were
ail men of good reputation, and having made
wilUng sacrifice of all their temporal interests,
and personal views, in order to preserve
their principles and their honor, thc}^ were
hailed as innocent and much honoured victims,
immolated on the altar of a cabal, who had
endeavoured to introduce a system of tyranny
and corruption, more base and vile than any
that could be found in the records of British
India. Such v/as the language that was im-
prudently used in every society; and those who
iilled the parts of delators and spies had abun-
dant means of manifesting their diligence. But
the employment of such people was more
likely to increase than correct the evil ; the
presence of spies and tale - bearers rather
irritate those whom they are intended to
restrain ; and their existence, by proving the
impurity of the system that maintains them,
serves only to increase the want of respect,
and the detestation from which their em-
ployers seek protection in them. A radical
change in the system, or a removal of some
of the causes of uneasiness, could alone
assuage the discontent, or appease the irrita-
tion, that had thus been wantonly cherished^

93

and gradually matured almost into an open
schism. The hope that any reformatiorl
would originate at Madras, was nearly
extinct ; and those who had looked with
sanguine expectations, to the good effects
which might have been produced by the
active interference of the supreme Govern-
merit, experienced the most serious disap-
pointment, from a communication which
proved, that the Governor General had been
grossly deceived, and that he had adopted
opinions which precluded all prospect that
he would either institute any enquiry re-
specting the causes which had led to the
embarrassments, of which Sir George Barlow
complained, or that he would, by the exer-
cise of his authority, prevent any further
discussion on one side, or prosecution on the
other.

It is highly probable, that, at the period
to which the narrative is now arrived, the
interposition of the immediate authority of
the Governor General would have been fully
effectual. At all events, the same measures
would have had greater weight at that period
than at any subsequent one. Indeed, the
infatuation on both sides appears already to
have proceeded to such length, that it seems

94

doubtful whether any thing short of thtf
presence of the Governor General could
now restore even moderation. Instead of
benefiting by the experience which the
effects of his former acts have afforded, Sir
George Barlow now appears to have lost the
recollection of what has passed, and all
sensibility to what is passing around him; he
seems to have put his judgment into com-
mission, and distrusting his own mental
powers, exercised hitherto on foreign subjects,
to depend implicitlyon external advice. Much
of his attention having been given to the study
of the Hindoo and Mohammedan systems
of jurisprudence, and to the formation of
regulations for the Government of Asiatics,
among whom the name of liberty is not
understood, neither has the idea existed for
ages ; it would seem that this study has
obliterated what he mav ever have known
of the characters and dispositions of his
fellow subjects of Britain, whose ancestors,
after they had submitted to the Roman Go-
vernment, were described by Tacitus in words
to the following effect : ** The Britons are
^^ a people who pay their taxes and obey the
" laws with pleasure, providid no arbitrary
" and illegal demands are madL' upon them ;

95

** but these they cannot bear without the
•' greatest impatience, for they are only
*' reduced to the state of subjects, not of
*' slaves."

That Britons of the 19th century are
equally free, and equally impatient of arbi-
trary and illegal impositions, as were their
ancestors of tiie 2nd or 3rd century, is a fact
that will not be doubted by any except those,
who may have allowed the study of foreign
constitutions to eradicate from their minds the
know ledge of that of their own country. The
sentiments of the Governor General re-
specting the state of affairs at Madras, were,
in the month of March, communicated to
the several stations under the Madras Go-
vernment, to each of which an extract of a
letter from the supreme Government, dated
20th February, 1809, w^as sent for general
information. In this letter the conduct* of
General Macdowall is severely repreliended,
and it is stated *' that the impropriety of
his conduct has been aggravated by his
placing Colonel Munro under arrest, after
the Judge Advocate General's official decla-
ration of the illegality of the charges, and by
his refusal to take off the arrest, after tlie

96

officers who had so irregularly and discredit-
ably preferred the charges against Colonel
Munro had, in consequence of the Judge
Advocate General's declared sentiments,
regarding their illegality, requested the Com-
mander in Chief to suspend the prosecution
of them." Some further animadversions on
the conduct of General Macdowall, and an
unequivocal approbation of the steps v^^hich
the Madras Government adopted towards
that officer, compose the whole of the
extract. Not a word is mentioned respecting
the dismissal from office, and the suspension
of Colonel Capper and Major Boles. From
this it appeared evident, that, although Lord
Minto could not approve of the measures
which had been adopted towards those
officers, detailed as they were only by the
opposite party, and represented no doubt in
colours the most favourable to the cause of
that party, still he had received, with full
force, the impressions which it was the interest
of the local Government to convey, respect-
ing the motives and the conduct of General
Macdowall ; and, acting under those impres-
sions, had assumed a prejudice on the subject,
which must render it every day more diffi-
cult for him to view the question with impar-

97

tlality. This prejudice, or this impression,
(or whatever it may be called) appears to
have prevented the Governor General from
hazarding any remark respecting the cases
of Colonel Capper and Major Boles, being
desirous not to disapprove, even when he
could not applaud. The officers of the
IVIadras Army therefore perceived, that the
cause of those much-injured men, w^iich
was in effect the cause of every man holding
a commission in the Company's Service, was
utterly disregarded ; they learned, with the
deepest concern and uneasiness, that there
were no hopes of redress from that quarter,
to which alone they could have looked with
any prospect of success. For it were vain to
expect consideration from their more imme-
diate superiors, at this instant, deceived
as they were by a set of men, whose powers,
and whose enormous emoluments, had been
derived from, and were supported by, the
same causes, that injured and alienated the
minds of the most respectable part of the
community.

It is not easy to account for the hardi-
hood with which the enemies of General
Macdowall endeavoured to crush him, by
u ing misrepresentation, the falsehood of

II

98

which it must be impossible for them to con-
ceal, however they may prevaricate and dis-
guise it. From the letter of the supreme
Government it appears, that General Mac-
dowall was represented as having urged the
arrest of Lieutenant Colonel Munro, in
defiance of the Judge Advocate General's
official declaration of the illegality of the
charges, and of a request to the contrary
from the officers who had preferred the
charges. This assertion, as has been already
stated, was altogether false and groundless.
The arguments of tlie Judge Advocate Gene-
ral, however specious, were not considered
to be conclusive, from the causes that have
been before noticed ; and, in fact, the arrest
of Colonel Munro was immediately caused
by an appeal which was made against the
Judge Advocate General's opinion to the
authority of the Commander in Chief, and
to the articles of war. It is probable, that
General Macdowall's enemies did not suppose
that the detection of this misrepresentation
would take place so soon, and imagined, as he
was gone from India, that the power which
they possessed would enable them to stifle
any efforts that might be made to vindicate
his cause. At all events, it was pretty certain

99

that tlie advantage which they could use of
representing the subject in the manner most
advantageous to themselves, would establish
a prejudice in their favour, which would pro-
duce the conclusion they desired, before any
discussion could take place regarding the
original merits of the question. Moreover,
it is not impossible that Sir George Barlow
was himself deceived, by those whose inte-
rest it was to vilify General Macdowall, and
whose chief object it was to retain, even for
the present, the ascendant which they had
acquired. \\^herever the deceit may have ori-
ginated, it was manifest that it had the full
effect with the Governor General; and, there-
fore, that he was strongly prejudiced against
any representation which could at this period
be made to him, relative to the new predica-
ment in which the Company's officers were
placed; of being liable to lose their commis-
sions at the beck of any time- serving syco-
phant about the Government. Such must
literally be considered the situation of every
officer in the Company's service, if Colonel
Leith's ex-posl -facto opinion be admitted, to
justify the dismissal of Colonel Capper and
Major Boles. It is scarcely possible to sup-
pose an act less likely to produce the for-

II 2

100

feiture of a military commission, than the
performance of a work (not manitestly
illegal) under the express and peremptory
order of the Commander in Chief in person.
But, whatever may be the occasion chosen
for the removal and ruin of a person who
may become obnoxious to a favourite, the
head of a government, possessing great
patronage, and great power, will always
find an advocate to justify the measure.
Deplorable indeed is the condition of persons
obliged to live under such a system. It will
not excite wonder in the minds of English-
men, and particularly of those who consider
the military profession to be the soil most
congenial to the growth of honourable
pride, and liberal principles, if the contem-
plation of such a picture occasioned to the
officers of the ^NFadras Army, an anxiety and
lUicasiness approaching to despair. They
had, for a commission to be held until they
forfeited it by the breach of some known
law, (qiiamdiu bene se gesserintj relin-
quished the society, almost the acquaintance,
of their dearest relations, the comforts and
innumerable pleasures of residing in their
native country ; they had devoted themselves
to the duties of an arduous and dangerous

101

profession, in a foreign and unhealthy cli-
mate, and they now learned, for the first
time, that these commissions could be taken
from them without any form of trial, or
enquiry whatever; that, after losing the
commission, they might be most arbitrarily
prevented from proceeding to Europe to lay
their case before the Court of Directors ; that
their* friends and acquaintances might be
puTiished for associating with them ; and
that, under the pressure of these calamities,
deprived of a profession, of the means of
subsistence, except what charity gave, and
even of the consolation to be derived from
the condolence of friends, they dared not
even entertain the hope of being permitted
to appeal to the superior authority in India.
Such were the reflections of the officers
after they had considered the substance of the
letter from the Supreme Government ; and
there were few who would not have cheer-
fully sacrificed every prospect in life, rather
than remain in possession of a doubtful pro-
perty. There were not any who doubted the
success of a regular appeal to the Honourable
the Court of Directors, from whose uniform
justice, if the case came fairly before tliem,
it might be reasonably expected that redress

102

\vould be given for the injuries that had
ah'eady been inflicted on many individuals in
the army, as well as on the whole bodv col-
lectivelv; also, that adequate punishment
would fall on the heads of those, whose abuse
of the power entrusted to them had estranged
the affections of a respectable and numerous
body of meritorious and faithful servants.
But the means to prevent appeal from re.ich-
ing the Court of Directors had been so ri(>;o-
rously used, and those which could effect
the previous arrival of the ex-par te narrative,
had been so industriously adopted, one by the
misrepresentation to the Supreme Govern-
ment, and the detention of Major Boles, and
the other by the special mission of Mr.
Buchan to England, that little hope existed
of redress by representation. The situation of
Major Boles appeared, therefore, to be en-
titled to the greatest commiseration, and to
merit every species of alleviation, which it
was in the power of his brother officers to
afford, doubtful, as it now was, whether his
fate might not be decided on in England,
before the representation of his case, or even
his memorial, could reach his judges.

It was therefore proposed, that a sub-
scription should be raised, by voluntary con-

103

tribution from the officers of the army, for
the purpose of relieving Major Boles and his
family from the imminent distress which
awaited them. The propriety of this measure
was so self-evident, that it met with univer-
sal approbation, and almost every officer who
had an opportunity, testified, in the most
unequivocal manner, his eagerness to parti-
cipate in a work, which, while it gratified
the personal feelings of each individual, did
not appear likely to incur the open displea-
sure of the powerful prosecutors of Major
Boles ; as it merely and exclusively implied,
that the officers, thus subscribing, had agreed
to appropriate a portion of their property to
the relief of a much-respected individual,
whose distresses had been brought on, not
by any act which could detract from the
respect which had before attached to his
character, as an officer or gentleman, but by
a new and extravagant interpretation of the
duty of an officer, holding a subordinate
situation ; an interpretation so monstrous in
itself, that the authors of it deemed it not
to be susceptible of justification by any com-
mon reasoning, but to require the ambiguous
aid of metaphysical sophistry, which has been

104

so dexterously applied, that every proposition
has been positively proved in favour of the side
on vi^hich it was offered, by arguments which
have, - hov^ever, failed to convince the mind
of any one impartial reader.

The enemies of General Macdovi^all
being determined, while they possessed the
power, to subdue every attempt that might be
made to favour any of those who w ere con-
cerned with him on the present occasion,
immediately took the alarm, when they found
the cause of Major Boles so generally popu-
lar. Means were therefore immediately used
to induce the officers, who had subscribed, to
withhold their contributions, and to deter
others from subscribing. In consequence of
the threats held out in this way, the officers
of two regiments, (not in the company's ser-
vice) withdrew their names from the list,
wherein they had subscribed. However, a
great proportion of officers addressed a letter
to iSIajor Boles, expressing their concern for
the unmerited punishment he had suffered,
and their resolution to form a fund for the
purpose of relieving him from the distresses
with which he was now threatened, for an act
which they were bound to approve ; as every
individual felt the conviction, that he should

105

conscientiously have followed the same course,
if he had been placed in the same predicament
that Major Boles was.

An avowal thus unequivocal, that the
measure of Government was deemed unjust
and illegal, was not made without much
painful reluctance and regret ; but necessity
obliged a body of honourable men to adopt
the*only alternative which now remained, to
avert their utter degradation. A commission,
which could at will bedestroyed by the caprice
of a prejudiced individual, was not worth hold-
ing, and the danger to which all were exposed
by arbitrary conduct, had made men bold,
because it united them in a common cause.

The letter having been addressed to
Major Boles,* a copy of it was sent for the
information of Sir G. Barlow, by an officer
belonging to his personal staff, who, con-
sistently with the honourable principles that
had uniformly distinguished him, disdained
to conceal, for a moment, an act which he
thought it proper to perform ; or to continue
even nominally to hold any situation imme-
diately under a person whose public measures
he considered to merit reproach. This
officer was deservedly held in high estimation.

* Appendix K.

106

The reputation of his activity, his zeal for
the pubUc service, and his professional
abilities, had awakened the notice even of
Sir G. Barlow. Accordingly, when the
preparations were making for the invasion
of Travancore, this officer was, by desire
of the Governor, informed, that his assist-
ance on the scene of active operations would
be very desirable. He therefore, without
any prospect of advantage beyond the satis-
faction which an officer derives from the
faithful discharge of his duty, left the Pre-
sidency, and proceeded to Travancore,
where he was at the time the letter was
addressed to Major Boles ; and it was from
thence he transmitted his resignation of the
staff- situation he had held ; accompanied by
a copy of the letter, which, as he informed
Lieutenant Colonel Barclay, the Governor's
Secretary, bore his signature, as well as
that of several other officers.

A proceeding so disinterested, so manly,
and so strongly indicating an high sense of
pure honor, might have been expected to
assuage all malignity, even though the mea-
sure might not in itself be approved. It was
like the crime of Orpheus :

" Ignoscenda quidem, scirent si ignoscere Manes."

107

And those who have passed judgment on it
have acted as the powers below did with
respect to the Musician, whose celebrity has
furnished the allusion.

The receipt of this communication
occasioned a considerable degree of com-
motion at the Presidency. The party there
had, from the first, been desirous to make
the *world believe that the discontent, and
disgust at their measures, were confined
exclusively to a few individuals, the friends
of General Macdow^all. They had now
introduced a set of men into the principal
situations, who would abet the doctrines
that were prescribed ; and matters appeared
to have got into such a train as would ren-
der it practicable to verify, and establish,
whatever story might appear most likely to
accomplish their ends. The letter to Major
Boles, as it had many signatures of persons
in all ranks, and at all stations, at once dis-
sipated the hopes that had been formed on
that score ; and, after some days deliberation,
it was resolved, that General Gowdie should
be employed to announce to the army a
circumstance which it was in vain any
longer to affect ignorance of The Com-
mander in Chief accordingly circulated to

lOS

officers in command of stations, a letter,
which seems to consist of the arguments of
Colonel Leith, in the language of General
Gowdie. Some parts of it deserve particular
notice ; they shall therefore be remarked
upon at a future period.

For some time past, much uneasiness
has been felt respecting the state of the
garrison of INIasulipatam. It appears that
the vessel in which Captain ^Marshall pro-
ceeded to Vizagapatam stopped at INIasuli-
patam for a w^eek, in the course of which
Captain Marshall was invited to, and dined
at, the mess of the Madras European Regi-
ment, on which account Captain Andrews
was superseded. Lieutenant Colonel James
Innes was sent from the Presidency to take
the command, and furnished with instruc-
tions to rebuke the officers, and to report
any circumstances which he might discover,
that could lead to the punishment of any of
them. The selection of Colonel Innes for a
duty of this description excited the greatest
astonishment in all who knew him ; and
his conduct there has confirmed all the
alarms which were felt. Several letters,
containing accusations and recriminations,
have been received from that station ; and

* Appendix L.

109

it is much to be feared that some orders,
which General Gowdie has given, will pro-
duce some desperate outrage. The smallest
spark at this time may cause an explosion
that will sliake, to the foundation, the prin-
ciples of the authority which attaches India
to Britain. The apprehension, dreadful as
it is^ cannot now be slighted. The measures
pursued have, by gradual operation, raised
in the minds of all the military a most
universal hatred, mingled vC^ith contempt,
which renders them indifferent as to conse-
quences ; and in this state of things
the same system is followed ; each previous
act of injustice seems countenanced by the
enormity of that which succeeds it; the
disposition to forbearance is nearly worn out
on the side of the army, and the com-
munity are now under the awful expectation
of some dreadful catastrophe.

Adieu !

LETTER IV.

Madras, \5th July, 1809.

Dear Sir,

The deplorable crisis is at
length arrived, and the Governor of Madras

110

has made the fatal discoyery, that there is a
limit beyond which oppression will not be
borne even by the most submissive. Recent
accounts from Masulipatam mention, that
an attempt to disperse the officers of the
Madras European Regiment, and to draft the
men, had produced a disobedience of the
orders of Government, and that Lieutenant
Colonel Innes, whose measures do not
appear to have been conducted with much
judgment, had been superseded in his com-
mand by the garrison. Lieutenant Colonel
Malcolm has in consequence been sent from
the Presidency, with special instructions to
adjust the differences which unhappily pre-
vail there : all honest men must wish him
success, and none can own a contrary sen-
timent, but who hope that the after acts of
the army may afford a seeming pretext for
the system preceding.

In order that the causes and progress of
the principal transactions may be clearly
perceived, it will be necessary that the nar-
rative should proceed regularly; for these
events, so important in themselves, of so
much moment to the East India Company,
and to the mother country, will be found
to have arisen from causes apparently tri--

Ill

fling, but each forming part of a system of
measures unprecedented in any former Go-
vernment, unwarranted by the circum-
stances of the period, and unjustifiable by
any of the principles which ought to regulate
the Government of an extensive community
of enlightened men.

'towards the end of April, the circular
letter from General Gowdie, dated the 10th
of April, had been received at the principal
stations of the army, when certain parts of
it excited feelings very different from those
which it was intended to produce. The
Major General, after stating that " he depre-
cates the discussion in general orders, of
odious and indelicate questions," proceeds
to comment on the particular case of Major
Boles, in the following words: '' As com-
" passion for Major Boles may have drawn
" in the officers to the measure, I think it
'^ proper to explain that Major Boles has,
*' in my opinion, deprived himself o^ any
" particular claim to feelings of that nature.
'' It had never been, I was persuaded, the
** intention of Government to deal severely
" with that officer; but only to vindicate
** that respect due to their own authority,
*' which every Government must be anxious

112

" to maintain. And, accordingly, (but
" without any instructions to that efiect)
" soon after my succeeding to the command,
" I took the occasion to signify to Major
" Boles, that if he would express any ade-
" quate regret for what he had done ; as, that
*' when he affixed his signature to the order,
" he was not aware of the consequence,
*' and thought he was acting right without
*' meaning any offence to Government, but
*' was now sorry for what had happened ; I
'' would make it my business to get him
" reinstated iti his rank and othcial situation ;
^' but this explanation, so natural to have
" been expected, and which included in it
" no personal concession of character, was
" rejected, (and not without some warmth)
" by his exckiiming, that he was sorry for
" nothing that had happened, or words to
" that effect." The avowal of modesty,
" which deprecated the discussion of odious
and delicate questions," did not excite more
surprize in the minds of those who had per-
sonal knowledge of the timid delicacy which
marked the Major General's sentiments and
manner, than the malicious attempt to injure
Major Boles did indignation in all who read
the paragraph above quoted. It is impos«

113

bible lo contemplate, with any degree of
gravity, the rhodomontade that is displayed
in it. Major General Gowdie who, on the
24th of March, publicly declared bis inconi -
petcncy to judge of the chcumstances which
deprived him of the services of Major ^lac-
do wall, whose conduct ae Deputy Adjutant
General he had highly approved, this Gene-
ral, on the 10th of April, states, in all the
pomp of substantive authority, that he was
persuaded theGovernmenthad neverintended
to deal severely with Major Boles, and that,
upon certain conditions, he, Major General
Go\^ die, would make it his business to get
Major Boles reinstated, &c. Such profes-
sions, however well they might appear at
first view in an official communication, were
calctdated to produce a feeling very differer.t
from respect among the officers of the army,
who were perfectly acquainted with the
extent of General Gowdie's influence, as
Commander in Chief. But the bitterest
indignation of these officers was raised, when
they found, that he who had for many years
enjoyed the opportunity of associating with
men of honourable principles and generous
sentiments, had lent his name, and the shadow
of authority, which was allowed him., for

I

114

the purpose of completing the ruhi of an
individual, whose greatest imputed crime
might, according to the Generafs acknow-
ledgment, have been expiated by liis saving,
*' He was sornj,'' And whtn they considered
the insidious insinuation, which was intended
to prevent them from reheving the wants
of Major Boles, by deceiving them into the
belief that he had been contumacious,
although General Gowdie was perfectly
aware that ^lajor Boles could not consis-
tently, either with principle, or with duty,
originate any apology, or express his con-
trition in any other terms than those he had
already used, tor an act which it would
have been criminal in him to ha-se declined.
However, the disposition and character of
Major Boles were too well kno\^n to
admit of any credit being given to this insi-
nuation, and, upon the whole, the letter of
General Gowdie did much mischief. In allu-
sion to one of the expressions contained in
it, it was called the odious and indclicafc
production, and served as an object of much
ribaldry and jocular mirth.

About this period, a circumstance
occurred, which gave another proof of the
relative situation of the head of the militarv

115

establishment, and afforded a further elucl*
dation of the terms upon which Major
General Gowdie was fain to bear the no-
minal title of Commander in (3hief. At the
time he succeeded to the command, his kins-
man, Lieutenant John Wilson, held the situa-
tion of personal Aid-de-Camp to himself; but
as hd hoped soon to be able to procure a more
advantageous situation for Lieutenant Wil-
son, he gave a positive promise that Lieu-
tenant J. Scott, Adjutant of the 1st battalion,
22nd Native regiment, should be appointed
his Aid-de-Camp ; accordingly, when Lie^l-
tenant Wilson was appointed Assistant Adju-
tant General to the Northern division. Lieu-
tenant Scott and his friends expected that
he would be called to the Presidency,
to the family of Major General Gowdie ;
they therefore experienced great surprise
and chagrin on finding that General Gow-
die's promise could not bejcept, and that
Lieutenant Scott could not be appointed.
This information was communicated by a
letter from General Gowdie, in which he
expressed much concern on account of not
being able to fulfil his engagement, as the
Governor, Sir G. Barlow, had told him that
he could not permit Lieutenant Scott to get

I 2

116

any appointment, because his name was
among the signatures to a certain memorial^
which had some months before been addressed
to the Court of Directors. The General
notices, that he is obliged to take into his
family, as Aid -de-Camp, Lieutenant Walker,
a man whom he had not seen, and of whom
he knew nothing further, than that he was
a relation, or dependant, on Lieutenant
Colonel Barclay, the Town Major, and
Military Secretary to Sir G. Barlow. This
explanation fully acquitted General Gowdie
to Lieutenant Scott, and his friends, of any-
intentional breach of his word in failing to
fulfil his promise ; but afforded to all the
army an opportunity of remarking the strik-
ing contrast w bich existed between the actual
power possessed by him, and that which he
vaunted forth in the letter respecting Major
Boles. He therein professes not only his
ability to. reinstate, but intimates, that he
was in some sort informed of the intentions
of Government, when they suspended that
officer, tvifhoiit meaning to deal severely with
h'un. Such a contradiction produced conclu-
sions not very favourable to the General.

The latter events which have been men-
tioned. Were not calculated to produce any

117

convulsion among the officers of the army,
although they served to rivet more strongly
in their minds the sentiments of detestation
and abhorrence with which they viewed the
prevailing system, and its authors. Of the
same description were the vexatious mea-
sures adopted respecting Lieutenant Colonel
Sentleger and Captain James Grant : they
wer^ considered merely vexatious towards
individuals ; and the horror which was felt
at the prospect of the consequences that
might result from manifesting resentment
so frequently as occasion was given for it,
accompanied by the hope that it might yet
be possible to prevent an open rupture, and
that regular order might subsist, until a
decision on the great question might be
received from Europe, induced the moderate
to inculcate forbearance, and disposed all to
practice it. Nearly three months had at
this time elapsed, since the departure of
General Macdowall ; it might, therefore,
reasonably be hoped that he was now well
advanced on his way to England; and as
Colonel Capper had joined him at Ceylon,
that the common superiors of the parties
in dissension might, through the means of
those officers, obtain a fair statement of

118

circumstances, or such at least as might
enable them to form an equitable judgment
on the cases of Colonel Capper and Major
Boles : all these considerations operated
strongly, and their influence produced a
calm which only felt temporary interruption
from the occasional acts which Sir G.
Barlow exercised towards those individuals,
whose principles, or firmness, had rendered
them obnoxious to him, or his minions. At
the Presidency, it is true, the alarm was with-
out intermission. The number of spies, who
were interspersed through all ranks of soci-
ety, most effectually extirpated general con-
fidence, and introduced a suspicious coldness
that was much increased by the presence of
persons whose conduct and character had
hitherto kept them at a distance, but who,
availing themselves of the encouragement
given to the qualities which they respectively
possessed, now found their way into every
circle, and effectually contaminated the cur-
rent of social intercourse, by the suspicion
with which each looked upon his neighbour.
All this tended to increase that sullen gloom
which arose from contemplating the unpre-
cedented daily acts that have rendered this
period an epoch in the annals of British India.

119

Yet, while those feehngs prevailed at
Madras, the societies at out- stations enfoyed
a comparative degree of tranquillity ; for,
although they were perpetually disturbed
by accounts of the transactions of the Pre-
sidencv-, still they experienced that sort of
satisfaction and comfort which arises from
mutual confidence and good understanding.
The * most strict obedience and attention
were still paid to every part of public duty,
notwithstanding the freedom with which all
thought, and spoke, of certain characters in
high situations- Indeed, subordination and
good conduct prevailed so much, that Sir
G. Barlow, and his advisers, affected still to
consider the great body of the officers as
inditierent, or in some sort reconciled to his
measures; and, relying upon the proverbial
submissiveness and discipline which had ever
distinguished the Coast army, he resolved
on a fatal measure, which struck at every
principle of feeling and pride, which attached
the officers to their profession. There is lesi-
son to suppose, that Sir G. Barlow might still
have avoided the destructive course he took,
had he not been betrayed hy false misrepre-
sentations, and driven blindlold into the
snare, by the creatures in whose power he

120

actually was, without being aware of it.
They could not entertain the hope of retain-
ing their ill-deserved stations, if matters re*
mained quiet, or if those individuals who
felt an interest about their profession, and
whose judgment could not be bought off,
were allowed to represent their situation
in any way.

Such appear to have been the motives
and the means by which Sir G. Barlow was
led to adopt an act, most injudicious, impoli-
tic, and rash. — This was the suspension of
four officers from the service — the removal
of two from important commands — and
that of two others from staff situations — as
announced in the general order, under date
the 1st of May, to which unfortunate pro-
duction is to be ascribed every singular pro-
ceeding which has since taken place in the
army, as well as those which are still to be
apprehended, unless some fortunate occur-
rence intervene to produce a change in the
system.

No description would be adequate to
conX'ey an idea of the agitation aa liich the
receipt of this general order produced at all
the army stations. From its melancholy
effects, however, it will be easy to judge ;

121

but, previous to mentioning them, it will
be proper to advert to the particular passages
of the order itself.

The order commences with a studied
eulogium on the long-established zeal and
discipline of the Madras army, of which
the Governor seems to have formed an idea
rather hyperbolical; for it is stated, that
they induced an expectation that the sus-
pension of Colonel Capper and Major Boles,
w^ould be received with respect and obedience.
The natural infirmity of mankind renders
it impossible that the persons selected to fill
the various departments of Government
should be perfect : it therefore becomes
necessary to the maintenance of order, and
it is a maxim in the constitution of civilized
nations, that obedience shall, in the first
instance, be paid to all orders proceeding
from the authorities regularly constituted,
although those orders may in themselves be
unjust. But neither law nor reason can
pretend to exact from men, possessing any
idea of civil liberty, respect towards acts of
positive injustice. Such doctrine is calcu-
lated only for the nations of India, amongst
whom respect consists in gesticulation and
outward forms j and with whom it may

122

possibly be proper to enforce various laws,
that Englishmen could not understand, and
certainly would not conform to.

The general order proceeds to notice,
that proceedings of an unjustifiable nature
had taken place subsequent to the departure
of General Macdowall ; and to state^, that
the most reprehensible of those proceedings
was, tlie preparation of remonstrances to
the Governor General^ on the subject of the
late proceedings at INIadras ; in the prepara-
tion and circulation of which paper Captain
Marshall and Lieutenant Colonel Martin are
stated to have been principally concerned. —
Lieutenant Colonel Sentleger and Major de
Morgan are said to have been active in the
circulation of it.

The general order then notices the ad-
dress to Major Boles (which has already
been mentioned); and this- address is said
to have been forced on the attention of the
Governor by Captain James Grant. The
circulation of this paper, at the ^Vlount, is
said to have been promoted by lieutenant
Robert Bell, of Artillery ; and Lieutenant
Colonels Chalmers and Cuppage, are men-
tioned as having taken no steps to repress^
or to report;, the proceedings pursued by

123

the part of the troops under their orders.
Captain J. M. Coombs is also noticed as
having been concerned in these reprehensible
proceedings.

Then follows the expression of the dis-
pleasure of the Governor in Council, in
terms perfectly unequivocal, as they declare
the suspension from the service of

Lieut. Colonel the Hon. A. Scntleger;

Major J. de Morgan ;

Captain J. Marshall ; and

Captain J. Grant ;
The removal from military charge and com-
mand of Lieutenant Colonels Robert Bell
and Chalmers, and the removal from their
staff situations of Lieutenant Colonel J.
Cuppage, Adjutant General, and Captain
J. M. Coombs, Assistant Quarter JNIaster
General, in Mysore.

After a short explanation of the pow-
ers of the Governor, Sir G.Bariow expresses
his satisfaction in publishing his conviction
that the majority of the army had resisted
all participation in the proceedings described
in the order, and his approbation of the
conduct of the troops in his Majesty's ser-
vice.

The concluding paragraph contains a

124

passage equally pernicious as any part of the
order, and which first gave rise to the pro-
ceedings that have followed. The passage
is as follows :

'' The information before the Govern-
*' ment, does not enable the Governor in
*' Council to distinguish, by the expression
" of his approbation, all the troops of the
" Company's service that have manifested
*' the same disposition (as those of his Ma-
" jesty's service) ; but he deems it to be
** proper to notice, on this occasion, the
** satisfactory and exemplary conduct of the
" part of the army composing the Hydrabad
** subsidiary force."

Such is the order of the 1st of May ;
which, whatever be its intrinsic merits, has
produced consequences that must ever be
regretted by all who feel an interest in the
welfare of Britain, but particularly by those
who wish well to the establishment of the
East India Company.

Th€ terms of the order are so positive,
and the punishment which it announces, is
so severe and exemplary, that any disin-
terested person, upon the first perusal of the
order, will take it for granted, that the facts
alleged against each individual, were fully

\2i

proved, or at least that they were susceptible
of proof. However, it was known to all,
that no public inquiry whatever had taken
place; that none of the parties had any oppor-
tunity of defending themselves against the
informations that had been procured through
the vilest channels ; and to many it was
kno\^n, that the allegations were not only
without proof, but that they were scanda-
lously unfounded and false.

On recovering from the shock which
the publication of the order produced, peo-
ple began to consider the circumstances of
the case, which were universally known to
the following extent:

On the 11th April, Captain Barlow,
Aid-de-Camp to Sir G. Barlow, came to
the Military Board office, with a summons
for three young men, two of whom were
employed in the office, and the third had
been in the private employ of Captain Mar-
shall, as Secretary to the Military Fund.
These being seized by Captain Barlow,
were taken to the Council Chamber, and
examined, on oath, by Mr. Anstruther,
the Company's Advocafe, in presence of
Sir G. Barlow, Mr. A. Falconar, Lieutenant
Colonel Leith, and Captain Bariow. The

126

result of the examination of these persons
was, that a paper addressed to the Governor
General had been copied in tlie office of the
Secretary of the ISliUtary Board, and two or
three were taken from two drafts in the
hand-writing of Lieutenant Colonel ISlartin
and Captain J. Marshall, according to the
belief of the deponents respectively. Various
interrogations were made respecting the per-
sons who visited Captain Marshall in the
office, and the manner in which he conversed
with them, whether in a public or retired
part of the office, &c. (for Captain Marshall
continued to do duty in the Military Board
office until the 10th of March, although he
had been officially removed from it by order,
dated the 7th of February.) However, no
information was obtained that could in any
way corroborate, or add, to that which has
been noticed. Yet, upon such information,
have Lieutenant Colonel Martin and Captain
Marshall been publicly vilified and stig-
matized, in the public newspapers of Madras,
Bengal, and Bombay. Neither of them has
been allowed any opportunity of pleading
against the accusation ; I>ieutenant Colonel
Martin having sailed for England on the 1st
of jNIarch, and Captain ^larshall having

127

been seized at Vizagapatara, — sent on board
the Asia Indiaman, for the purpose of being
transported to Bengal, and, ultimately, to
Europe. However, the hardships to which
it was intended that Captain ^Marshall should
be exposed, were increased by the wreck
of the Asia in the river Huo;hlev: on which
occasion he lost the greatest part of tlje
property which he had been able to collect
at the time he was seized at Mzagapatam.

At the time that Captain ^Nlarsliall's writers
were seized, Lieutenant Colonel Barclay was
cmploy-ed in a service of the same descrip-
tion, which \^'as executed in the following
manner : Lieutenant Colonel Barclay pro-
ceeded in his curricle to the office of jNIr.
James Balfour on the beach, at a time of
the day when jNIr. Balfour was not tliere,
and calling for a native waiter, with whose
name he had been previously furnished, lie
seized him, and carried him, in terror and
astonishment as he was, in his curricle, to
the Fort. On his arrival there, he delivered
the terrified writer at the Council Chaniber,
wdiich had, before this, acquired the more
common title of the Sfar Chiiiaucr.

The examination of this poor fellow
was conducted in the same manner as tliat

128

mentioned before ; it produced information
that Captain Coombs had procured copies of
several documents, relative to the points of
difference between General Macdow^all and
Sir George Barlow, and that he had also pro-
cured a copy of a paper, which was consi-
dered to be a summary statement of the vari-
ous occurrences that had taken place during
the altercation, which was carried on previous
to the General's departure.

In order that the weight and importance
of this information may be fully perceived,
it will be proper to notice that Captain
Coombs had been Aid-de-Camp to General
Macdowall, and lived in his family. No
attack had been openly made against the
General's character until after his depar-
ture from Madras, consequently it was natu-
ral to suppose that this officer would arrive
in England without the means of defending
himself against the very serious charges that
had been levelled against him, after his back
was turned. Under this impression. Cap-
tain Coombs considered that he could not
better manifest gratitude to his benefactor,
than by supplying him with authentic copies
of the correspondence, and other documents,
which related to the occasion, that had been

129

taken to asperse and vilify his character.
They were accordingly prepared and arranged
by Captain Coombs, who drew out an
abstract of the whole pt-oceeding, with
reference to the several documents, in the
order in which they had originated ; but, as
it appeared to be important that this summary
should be transmitted, with the least pos-
sible delay, Captain Coombs procured from
Mr, James Balfour, who was an intimate
friend, and a connection of General Mac-
do wall, the services of a writer, who was
the identical person in the seizure of whom
Lieutenant Colonel Barclay acquitted him*
self in the manner above described. This
is actually the head and front of Captain
Coomb's crime, on account of which he has
been ignominiously deprived of his staff situ-
ation.

The means by which information was
procured against Lieutenant Colonel the
Honourable A. Sentlegcr are not so pub-
licly known ; there is only one person in
the character of an ofncer who has on this
occasion been suspected of a breach of the
ninth commandment of the Christian Deca-
logue ; but as the public ate not in posses-

K

130

sion of the circumstance, and as suspicions
at the present period will doubtless arise,
on slight grounds, it is considered to be im-
proper to inculpate that individual. Certain
it is, however, that some person has given a
false evidence against his neighbour on this
occasion, as it is incontestiblj proved, by the
declarations which Lieutenant Colonel Sent-
leger procured from almost every officer who
had been under his command in the Tra van-
core army, and also from Lieutenant Colonel
Colin ^lacaulay, the English resident at the
court of Travancore, who has not scrupled
to say that Sir G. Barlow had been deceived
by some infamous misrepresentation, or vile
falsehood. It is to be hoped, for the sake
of justice and honour, that the Honourable
Lieutenant Colonel Sentlcger may arrive safe
in England, and that, through the influence
of his friends, and the justice of his cause,
he may be enabled to vindicate his injured
character, and to expose, to the indignation
and contempt of his brother officers, and of
his country, the vile instruments, and the
base acts, which have been employed to con-
duct this scene of the tragedy.

The information respecting I;icu tenant
Colonels Cbalmer and Cuppage, and INIajor de

131

jNiorgan, is nearly of the same description
\vitli that which regards Lieutenant Colonel
Scntlegcr ; and probably the sources of it,
and the clianncls through which it has
passed, may hereafter be fully developed, but
at present it would be improper, and perhaps
imfaiv, to indulge any speculations regarding
it.

The case of Lieutenant Colonel Robert
Bell, of Artillery, who commanded the IMount
Cantonments, and held a seat at the Military
Board, is, however, very difFerent. Tlie
vicinity of his residence to the Presidency
atibrded the best means of ascertaining tlic
correctness, or otherwise, of the information
which had been obtained respecting him, if
such had been desired. But this transac-
tion may, at a future period, be fully
explained to the public; for the present,
any further discussion of it is deferred.
Colonel Bell having himself made an
appeal to that source, whence the Govern-
ment of India derive their authority. It
may not, however, be irrelevant to notice,
that, on the day after the order was re-
ceived at tlie INIount, all the officers who had
been stationed there, (one only excepted)
drew up an address to Lieutenant Colonel

K 2

132

Robert Bell, in which they expressed, in the
warmest terms, their regret at the loss which
they were about to experience in his removal
from the command of the station, and from
their society. They also offer the most
solemn declaration, that the charge contained
in the general order of the 1st of May,
against Colonel Bell, was wholly and entirely
groundless. The exception amongst the
officers to the signing of this paper was Sir
John Sinclair, who had just been appointed
Commissary of the Arseni'.l at iMadras.

Colonel Bell conceivins; that the Go-
vernment might be desirous to beundeceived,
in a matter of so much importance, would
willingly have transmitted to them a copy of
the declaration of the officers, together with
an affidavit, or any other asseveration, from
himself, purporting that he was wholly and
unequivocally innocent, in thought, word,
and deed, of the charge specified against
him, in the general order of the 1st of May.
However, this step was prevented, by his
learning, through a third person, a Member
of the Council, that tlie Government would
resent, in the most severe manner, any
attempt at the justification of himself by
the transmission of the paper. And Colo-

133

nel Bell has been obliged to rest satisfied,
with the consciousness of his own innocence,
and to wait patiently for a decision from
Europe, (which possibly may take place on
the ex parte statement of Sir G. Barlow)
or for a change of the Government, before
he can hope for even a public investigation of
the subject.

*Such being the motive, and the ground
upon which the punishments announced in
the general order of the 1st of May had
proceeded, it cannot be a matter of surprize,
that universal indignation was felt on the
occasion. However, such was the general
feeling towards the Governor of Madras,
that the compliment paid to the Hydrabad
force, in the last paragraph of the order,
was deemed a greater insult than even the
punishment, and the defamation of the re-
spectable characters who are vilified in it.

The receipt of the order at the several
stations of the army, produced considerable
solicitude and commotion ; but at Hydrabad
the ferment was excessive ; one and all felt
the keenest sense of injury and insult, from
perceiving the paltry attempt to sow dissen-
sion among the officers of the army, by sup-
posing a difference of feeling, and interest.

131

between men, whose characters and fortunes
were united by the estabUshed system of the
service, as well as by those ties which are,
above all, dear to men of honor and principle.
As might naturally be expected, a perfect
unanimity prevailed among the officers at
Ilydrabad ; who, as soon as practicable,
after the receipt of the order, addressed tq
the different divisions of the army, a paper
to the following effect ; a copy of the same
being also sent to the Governor of ^ladras,
through the officer commanding the force.

*' In the late general order by Govern-
ment, under date the 1st of May, 1809, tlie
conduct of the officers of this force, with
respect to the late occurrences, is particularly
mentioned in terms of approbation.

'^ This unexpected compliment may
possibly have impressed our brother officers
throughout the army, with an idea that we
tacitly have approved of the acts of Govern-
ment to which the general order refers, and
that we are divested of those sentiments and
feelings, which have been excited throughout
the army.

*' Under this impression, we feel it to be
a duty incumbent on us to declare, that we
have viewed, with the most lively cmotii^cis

135

of concern, the extreme acts of power, and
exertions of authority, by which so many
valuable and respectable officers have been
displaced from their commands, and sus-
pended from the service ; and while we
assure you of our resolution to contribute to
the support of those officers who have
incurred the displeasure of Government, for
their exertions in a cause which we must
pronounce jiisty we shall be ready to par-
ticipate in any legal measures of temperance,
dignity, and lirmness, which may be thought
effectual, to remove the cause of the present
discontent, and to restore our brother officers
to the honourable situations from which they
have been removed.

[Signed by 145 field and other
officers of the troops com-
posing the Hydrabad Sub-
sidiary Force.]

« Hydrabad, \Mh May, 1809."

Were not the above facts susceptible of
the most unequivocal proof, by the number
of persons to whom the particulars regarding
them are fully known, no indiiferent person
would believe, neither would any venture to
assert, that the chief organ of a Government,
so extensive as that of Madras, could, after

136

the errors already discovered, be deluded into
so stupid, so unnecessary, and so irremediable
a rneasure as this, which exposed the Govern-
ment to the utmost contempt, by having its
praises indignantly rejected, as insulting and
injurious to the feelings of a great body of
those who were subject to the authority of
the Government. This occurrence may be
considered to have completely dissolved the
relation which should subsist between the
rulers and the ruled, and it had its origin, as
all the other unfortunate events have had, in
the imprudent and injudicious councils which
3ir G. H. Barlow unhappily followed.
Among those about him, there was not one
who possessed the confidence of any part of
the officers of the army, or one, who, if
acquainted with the actual state of the public
mind, would run the risk of displeasing the
Governor, and thereby perhaps losing his
own situation bv telling him the truth, when
truth might be unpleasant to him. This,
unfortunately, would have been too often
the case, during the period that he has been
at the head of the government of 3^Iadras.

The officers at Hydrabad, as it appears,
acted without delay ; but they did not act
without reflection ; and their reflections

137

informed them, that no situation or circum-
stances whatsoever, could give to Sir G. H.
Barlow, or to any man, a right to proclaim to
the world, in a public newspaper, that they
had viewed recent public measures in a light
different from that in which they had been
viewed by their brother officers, particularly
as the assertion was totally unfounded. This
general order wdll, through the Madras news-
papers, probably find quick circulation among
the friends, the connections, and the enemies
of the officers of the Madras army, in the
various quarters of the world ; and as it
is calculated not only to represent the
Hydrabad officers as differing from the
rest of the army, but also implies the pos-
sibility, that the measures adopted by Sir
G. Barlow, could be contemplated by any
part of the officers, without exciting the
greatest degree of indignation and resent-
ment, it must be considered as a defamation
of the body of the Madras officers, and as a
misrepresentation of the circumstances then
existing.

The general circulation of the famous
order of the 1st of May, gave rise to an
incident, which had considerable influence
on the subsequent events, and therefore

138

deserves to be noticed. The Bombay troops
had, during the last ten years, been much
employed with those of the coast army ; and
the oliicers, consequently, had many oppor-
tunities of becoming acquainted with the
characters of several of tlie officers of the
latter, more especially of those distinguished
by command, by staff situations, or other
circumstances, whicli give celebrity to indi-
viduals. They could not, therefore, be alto-
gether insensible to the details that are set
forth in tlie order of the 1 st. Accordingly,
when this order was exhibited to the view^
oi the public, at their presidency, they
deputed certain individuals from their body
to address the officers of the Coast army,
and a letter was sent to the principal stations,
the substaiice of v/hich was, ^' that the
pu]3lications in the Bombay newspapers, of
a general order, issued at ^Madras on the
1st of i^Iay, had excited, in the minds of
the Bombay officers, the greatest surprise
and disgust, as it mentioned the suspension
of some of the best and most respectable
officers of the Coast army."

" That, participating in the feelings of
,the Madras officers on this occasion, all were
luianimous, and there was not a dissenting

139

voice in announcing the wish of the Bom-
bay officers to afford everj facility which
might lay in their power, towards procuring
redress against the tyrannical and oppressive
conduct of the Governor of Madras and his
advisers."

To those who may he disposed to form
an impartial judgment on the suhject, the
conduct of the Bombay Officers is worthy
of consideration : they were sufficiently near
the scene of actior> to acquire a competent
knowledge of the leading circumstances,
and they were so totally distinct, as well
in distance of situation, as in routine of
duty, that they scarcely could be influenced
by personal or local prejudices. The opinion
which they formed may, therefore, be con^
sidered to be as free from partiality, or party
feeling, as that which any community could
form on a subject of this nature. If this
conclusion be just, the unequivocal terms,
in which the opinion of the Bombay officers
is expressed, must have afforded to the
officers at Hydrabad a considerable degree
of satisfaction ; inasmuch as it appeared fully
to justify the decisive conduct which they
had adopted, in repelling, with disgust, the
praise which was offered to them, under

140

the presumption, that thej had tacitljr
approved (because they had not publicly
resented) the measures of Sir G. Barlow ; —
measures which have already produced very
<Iisagreeable consequences, and which, if
pursued, may lead to disasters of the most
serious nature to the officers of the Compa-
ny's service, to the Company themselves,
and to the vital interests of the mother
State.

It is truly painful to contemplate
the crisis to v^hich the alTairs of the Madras
Government have been brought by this man.
The officers of the most etiicient part of
the military establishment have been com-
pelled to vindicate their feelings, by inform-
iu^ the Governor of INIadras, that his
praise of them was considered an insult, and
could not be accepted.

The officers, with the troops that com-
pose the principal garrison in the Northern
division, have suspended the functions of
their commandant, who had been sent as
a sort of avowed spy over their conduct ;
and the officers of a separate establishment
have publicly ^expressed their surprize and
disgust at the oppressive conduct which has
produced this phenomenon. Yet, with these

141

awful warnings, the same system of terror
is pursued, and measures seem to be adopted
to prevent any communication to the Gover-
nor Genera], which might inform him of
the actual state of affairs, and might enable
him, by the seasonable interposition of his
authority, to prevent the calamities which
seem to impend over this presidency. In
vain have various occurrences happened,
during the present enlightened period of his^
tory, which might have instructed the per-
sons in pov^'er here, of the wisdom of that
maxim obtaining in the pohtics of free states,
that when those vested with authority are
conscious of having adopted a bad cause, and
when they perceive that the great body of
those, whom they rule, will not be recon-
ciled to a system that is founded on injustice,
and unsupported by reason ; in such a case,
it is the practice of those rulers, according
to every principle of patriotism and policy,
to prevent the horrors of civil discord, to
shew a seasonable condescension to the pre-
vailing opinions of the great majority of
those who are subject to their controul ; but
who, if they saw a palpable neglect of their
interests, and a relentless perseverance in
the svstem, which at once insults and injures

142

them, might abandon themselves to the
sway of their personal feehngs, and become
totally indifferent to sentiments of public
duty, and to consequences of the greatest
general import.

That Sir G. Barlow, and his minions,
were fully conscious of the impropriety of
their conduct, with respect to Major Boles,
is evident from various expedients to which
they resorted from time to time, but chiefly
from the overtures that were made to Major
Boles through the channels of a member of
council, and General Gowdie ; the expedients
which those characters adopted of declaring,
that they were not instructed to make the
proposal, is too shallow to deceive the most
ignorant or inexperienced; it, in effect, pro-
duced a consequence, quite different from
that w^hich was intended ; it was one of
those awkward frauds which carrv their own
antidote along with them ; and may very
aptly be compared to the finesse adopted by
a certain great character, now high in office,
who, having occasion to discuss the subject
of an interference on his part, which was
highly improper, and highly criminal, com-
menced his explanation with, " By the
§acred God, Sir, I never got a rupee by it."

1^3

He had not been accused of any sinister
motive, neither would the idea of the pos-
sibihty of his receiving a bribe have occurred,
but for his unsohcitcd defence, which
excited suspicion, and led to the positive
discovery, that he had actually recci^ed a
douceur of 5000 rupees. Tlie declaration
of the last-mentioned gentlemen, that they
were not employed by Sir G. Barlow, appears
to have been as unnecessary as the disavowal
of the bribe was in the instance mentioned ;
and, like it, creates suspicion, and renders
it, in fact, probable that Sir G. Barlow felt
an emotion of compunction at the retro-
spect of the acts he had counselled.

In short, the blind perseverance in acts
of error, and an unqualified support of tlic
doctrines of a set of men, who hav(^ wormed
themselves into confidence, by the basest
means, have brought the affairs of this Go-
vernment to the verge of ruin ; for, although
no open act of violence has yet taken place,
there can be no doubt thiit matters may
soon proceed to that extremity. Unhappily,
their proceedings are so well calcukited to
produce that end, that it is no longer reason-
able to entertain a hope ol thc^ir failure,
unless the private coinn)unieati(;rjs v\h!cu

144

may reach Lord INIinto, may induce him
to interpose his personal authority, and, by
his presence at Madras, to restore some
degree of confidence to the sincere friends
of established Government, administered
with justice and equity.

The transactions at Masulipatam suc-
ceeded next in order to those which have
been detailed ; they shall accordingly be
noticed in the next communication.

Adieu !
LETTER v.*

Madras, IQth September , 1809.

Dear Sir,

INIy letters by the last dis-
patch will have prepared your mind for the
reception of the accounts that I am about to
give you. The discontents of the army are
no longer expressed in angry declarations
and memorials, but have shewn themselves

* The preceding 'titers are written, as the Reader
must have observed, by the same correspondent. It is
to be wished that the series had been complete, but they
were originally written, it is necessary to remark, for
the information of a gentleman at Calcutta, and have

145

in deeds, not to be doubted, or denied. As
the discontents were general, as has been
described to you in my previous correspond-
ence, so the effects of them do not appear
to have been confined to one station of the
army.

At Masulipatam, Hydrabad, and Serin-
gapatam, many direct acts of insubordina-
tion have occurred. The Government have,
in consequence, had recourse to summary
means, to suppress the prevailing spirit, and
to reduce it within its proper boundary.
Large forces of his Majesty's troops, joined
by a part of the Native army, commanded
by King's officers, have been sent to the
Southward and Northward ; and a detach-
ment, consisting of troops of a hke descrip-
tion, with the addition of the INIysore
cavalry, have been ordered to march to Se-
ringapatam. It will be necessary to observe,
that before these extreme measures were
pursued, the Government had the most un-

been since forwarded by him to this country. This will
account for the series being interrupted at the interesting
period, at which it closes. The remaining letter [No. 5.1
is written by another hand, and must serve to fill up the
thasni in the correspondence, which otlierwisc it would
have been difficult to snj>pl\'.

U

UG

doubted proofs of the disaffection of the
army at the piincipal stations. The first
declared symptom of it w as manifested at
JNIasuhpatam, in the month of June, in the
arrest of Lieutenant Colonel Innes, who had
been recently placed in the command of the
European battalion, in the room of Lieute-
nant Colonel A. Taylor, who was supposed
not to have been active enough in keeping
under the rising spirit of discontent among
his officers, which had discovered itself, as
reported, on several occasions, at the mess
of the regiment, in obnoxious toasts, and
allusions to the acts of the Government.
The cause of the arrest of Lieutenant Colo-
nel Innes was, an attempt on his part to
carry an order of the Government of Fort
St. George into effect, directing the em-
barkation of one or more detachments of
the European regiment, on board certain of
his Majesty's ships, in the capacity of jNla-
rincs. Li communicating his orders to the
regiment. Lieutenant ColTnnes, imprudently
published the letter of the Adjutant General,
accompanying them, and which was meant,
it may be presumed, for his private perusal,
as it conveyed a threat in the event of any
irregularity on the part of the officers, that

147

the regiment should he dispersed, and the
whole of the officers, with the exception
of the general statF, would be placed on
half-pay. On this circumstance being made
known, a general agitation ensued, which
seemed to threaten the personal safety of
Lieutenant Colonel Inncs, who was then
prepa^'ing means to resist it by force, when
^lajor Storey, the next officer in command,
waited on Colonel Innes, and explained to
him the sentiment of the corps, and ex-
pressed a wish that he would abandon,
through an apprehension of the probable
consequences, his meditated opposition, and
requested, that he would be so good as to
suspend the execution of the orders, until
further explanation could be received from
the Presidency. Lieutenant Colonel Lines
refusing to comply with this request, was,
at the recommendation of the officers pre-
sent, put under arrest ; — not, as it is said,
out of personal disrespect, but under an im-
pression, as before explained, that his per-
son, otherwise, would not have been in
safety, from an idea, generally entertained,
that he was to be made the instrument of
dispersing the corps, in order ultimately to
reduce it. Major Storey took immediate

L 2

lis

means of reporting to Government the ne-
cessity, in his mind, for having acted in the
manner described. This original act of in-
subordination was followed by others equally
strong. The fortress was immediately
taken possession of by the European troops
and the Native corps in the neighboiu'hood,
and means prepared for defence. Commu-
nications, it must be understood, were con-
stantly kept up at this time between the
garrison and other great stations of the
army, through the instrumentality of com-
mittees, regularly organised, and empowered
to act for the whole. Colonel J. Malcolm,
at this juncture, was sent, on a special mis-
sion, from the Government, to endeavour to
produce submission in this branch of the
army ; but he was for some time denied ad-
mission into the garrison, and was at length
obliged to return to Madras, without etlect-
ing the object he had in charge. The regi-
ments in possession of Masulipatam refused
to submit but on the condition of a general
amnesty, which Colonel iSIalcolm was not
authorised to grant. The only terms pos-
sessed by him were, that none of the mem-
bers of the garrison should be punished but
by the sentence of a court-martial. As this

149

would have left all the officers at the
mercy of Government, at the moment when
it was most offended, it is not strange that
the proposal should have heen rejected,
as it offered nothing but what each of them
would have been entitled to, even under the
last and most unfavourable circumstances.
After the dismissal of Colonel Malcolm, the
regitnents within the garrison meditated on
a removal from jNIasulipatam to join the
corps at' Hydrabad. But they w^ere per-
suaded to change these intentions, as it is
said, by a communication from the officers
of the last-mentioned station, or more pro-
bably by an order issued by Major General
Pater, commanding the Northern division of
the army.

Whilst these matters were passing at
Masulipatam, the conduct of the officers of
the subsidiary force at Hydrabad, w'as not
less marked with offence towards the Go-
vernment. This was not anticipated by the
civil authorities, inasmuch as the officers on
this station had refused, as the Government
supposed, to join the other officers of the
army in the intended memorial to the Go-
vernor General of India, which gave occa-
Bion, as I have before explained to you,, to

150

the publication ot the long order of" Lord
ISIinto, and on account of such supposed
refusal, the Governor of Madras had thought
fit to thank this part of the army in public
orders. On the 15th of June, hoN^ever,
the officers of the subsidiary force, disdain-
ing the compliment paid to them at the ex-
pense of their brother officers, forwarded an
address to Sir G. Barlow, stating, that they
participated in the general sentiments ex-
pressed by the officers of the army, in re-
spect to the late transactions. It concluded
with recommending an abrogation of the
orders of the 1st of ]May. But a more posi-
tive act of disobedience was manifested on
the 8tli of July, in an absolute refusal of
these officers to permit a battalion to be
moved from the subsidiary force, thouo-h
directly ordered by the Government. On
the 21st of the same month, a further ad-
dress was communicated to the Governor,
througli the officer commanding, repeating
the former requisition, and moreover insist-
ing on an indemnity to the officers of the
garrison of Masulipatam. In this disposi-
tion of things, a test ^^'as framed by the
Government, which was tendered to the
officers generally of the Hon. Company's

151

service. Tliis was accompanied by a circu-
lar letter, m hich gave great ofTencc to the
feelings of the army, who were required to
subscribe the test, and was aggravated still
further by the means wliich attended tlie
subscription of the paper. In many instan-
ces, when officers were sent for to head-quar-
ters to subscribe the test, their return to
their corps was cut off by troops, drawn up
with a view to intercept them. In others,
the head-quarters were surrounded by a
military force ; and in one place particularlv,
at Trichinopoly, the officers who were de-
sired to subscribe the test were not only
hemmed in by the troops, but were after-
wards marched to the main ouard bv an
escort of Europeans ; and, after remaining
in confinement for the night, they were
marched down in actual custody to Tanjore,
whence they were suffered to proceed at
liberty to some part of the coast between
Sadras and Negapatam. The feelings of the
officers, on these degrading acts, may be
collected from the inclosed paper,* which is
subscribed by the officers of all the corps,
and is to be presented to Lord Minto, on liis

* Appendix Q.

152.

arrival at this Presidency ; an event which
is hourly expected.

But to proceed with the account of
transactions in this quarter. On the od of
August, Colonel Close, the late most re-
spected Adjutant General of the army,
arrived at the Resident's house at Hydrabad,
having been ordered to that station by the
Government, to take the temporary com-
mand of the subsidiary force. This seemed
a well-advised measure of the Government,
as it promised, through the influence and
character of the neVk^ly-a])pojnted comman-
der, to reconcile the differences that had
arisen. But, unfortunately, they were now
at such a crisis that men could not recede,
without the danger of supreme punishment,
unless Colonel Close's mediation had been
attended with a proposal of a general obli-
vion of what had passed. After an ineffec-
tual endeavour to adjust misunderstandings.
Colonel Close was obliged to relinquish his
command; in which, indeed, to speak pro-
perly, he was never fairly inducted. Things
were carried to so great a pass before this
gentleman was sent to Hydrabad, that it
was intended that the whole of this force
should proceed to Madras, to seek a redress

153

pf grievances by the forpe, or influence, of
their appearance before its walls. A batta-
lion was actually sent in advance, and the^
whole were to be joined in the march,
as it is said, by the discontented part of the
army at Masulipatam. But this scheme was
abandoned, on a representation from the
Resident at the court of the Nizam, that a
largfe body of Mahratta horse was stationed
on the frontier, and ready to rush into the
Company's territories, and those of their
allies, if the country should be deserted by
the British force. This information, even
at this juncture, and in the height of the
irritation of the army, had more weight
than the orders of Government, and deter-
mined them instantly to give up their own
supposed interests in deference to the more
important, and more valuable, interests of
their country.

But the most violent, and the last mea-
sure has been resorted to and accomplished,
in the vicinity of Seringapatam, where the
troops, adhering to the Government, and the
disaffected corps, have unhappily come in
hostile contact with each other. The 8th
and 15th regiment of Native Infantry, sta-
tioned at Chittledroog, had seized at the

154

end of tlie month of July, under the orderls-
of the committee at Serlngapatam, the Com-
pany's treasure at the former station ; and,
notwithstanding the remonstrances of tlie
resident, and the officer commanding in
IMysore, marched with these pecuniary
resources towards the latter garrison, and
had nearly terminated their march, without
opposition. But, on the Cth of August,
when they were at a small distance from
Seringapatam, they v/ere encountered by a
detachment, under the command of Lieu-
tenant Colonel Gibbs, consisting of European
and Native infantry and cavalry, and a party
of the Mysore horse ; and, after a trifling
shew of resistance, the battalions from Chit-
ttedroog were routed. The Government
order on the occasion, states these battalions
to have been " entirely defeated and dis-
persed, and that nearly the whole of the
rebel force was destroyed."* But in a sub-*
sequent account-f- it is mentioned, that a con-
siderable number escaped into the garrison
of Seringapatam. It is said, and generally
believed, that these regiments would not

* Appendix R.
t Do. Order of Aug. 20th,

155

liave made any resistance, if they had been
aware that the force which suddenly opposed
their march, belonged to the British army.
The attack commenced on the part of the
^Mysore horse, and was resisted by the 8th
and 15th battalions, imtil the European
troops came up ; when all resistance ceased,
and the whole column endeavoured to gain
the 'garrison ; suffering themselves to be
cut down by the cavahy, without any
opposition. It is described, in the Govern-
ment order, lately published, as an act of
cowardice, arising out of a consciousness
of the badness of the cause, whilst it is
painted in other accounts as an act of devo-
tion in the otBcers and men of the battalion
of their persons and their lives, to a neces-
sity which they could not resist, without
wounding the bosoms of their countrymen,
and their brethren in arms. On whicli side
the truth exists, I cannot presume to decide.
A sally, it appears, was made from the Fort,
at the time that the general affair happened
between the detachment under Lieutenant
Colonel Gibbs and the battalions from
Chittledroog ; but which did not succeed ;
the assailants were driven back by the
Picquct, and a detachment from the 5th

156

rrgiment of Native cavalry, under the com-
mand of Captain Beane, of the 25th dra-»
goons. This circumstance diverted the
attention of Lieutenant Colonel Gibbs, and
probably saved the Chittledroog detachment
from annihilation. Some officers of the
latter are wovmded and taken prisoners, but
I cannot procure any accurate statement of
the casualties. Since these unhappy occur-
rences, it is believed, that no other hostile
acts have taken place; and, on the 31st
ultimo, we are told by a general order of
Government, that the officers of Serin-
ga patam have surrendered at discretion, and
iiavc been marched into the interior of
Mysore. Some circumstances are said to
have attended this last measure, marked by
a severity, which it could scarcely be neces-
sary to use, but which, at present, I do not
feel myself sufficiently informed to relate.

Of the Ilydrabad, or ^lasullpatam pro-
ceedings, no further accounts have been
received, than a general rumour of their
having submitted. But on the Jth instant,
an order was issued by Government, direct-
ing that all corps moving without orders
ihould be considered as in a state of rel>elli on;
which would seem to infer, that at that date^

157

all was not considered by the Government,
to be in a state of tranqnillit3%

I have given you a general statement
of things as they have occiired ; and must
refer you for more particular accounts of
some of the events described to the official
papers of government, which I have enclosed
in a separate packet. You will have letters
written by other hands, more full and circum-
stantial than mine, but probably not morr
authentic.

* * ^:-

P S. I just open my letter to add, that
Lord jSIinto has arrived, and, in his courteous
reception of certain inviduals here, who
were somewhat under a cloud, opinions are
entertained that his Lordship does not ap-
prove so wliolly as w^as imagined of the
strong acts of our local Government.

15S

LETTER VI.

Extract of a Letter from Fondiclierry,
received by the Margaret.

September 23a', 1809.

You must have heard, by more
direct communications, that more than four-
fifths of the Company's officers, have been
removed from their respective battahons, on
their refusal to subscribe to a test submitted
to them by Government. Their places have
been supplied by King's officers. The test
merely inferred, " that the officers (required
to sign it) should obey the orders and sup-
*^ port the authority of the Governor in
'^ Council of Fort St. George," no more
than is expressed or implied in the com-
mission of every officer. But the letter
inclosing the test, and which was ordered
to be read to the individual officers, who
were required to receive it, contained insi-
nuations, so pointed against the whole body
of the army, that a general repugnance to
subscribe it was felt and expressed, not only
by those who were desired to subscribe the
test, but by those appointed to administer
it. The consequences you already know.

159

Tlie recusant officers have been allowed to
proceed to different parts of the coast.
IMany are at this place, and others at Sadras,
and other places on the same line. The
Sepoys have expressed, universally, a dislike
to their new officers, and some even have
refused to act until their former officers be
restored.

An order of Government has been pub-
lished, signifying to the Native troops, that
their former commandants and subaltern
officers, had been removed for disobedience
or disaffi^ction to the Government, but this
did not seem to lessen the dislike of the
troops to the measure. It was, however,
persisted in, and carried into effect at Trichi-
nopoly. Bangalore, Nundydroog, Travancore,
and the whole centre division of the army.
An attempt was also made to carry it into
effect at Seringapatam, but it w^iolly failed,
and terminated in the possession of the for-
tress by the officers, A\'ho were hostile to
that measure. The King's troops were dis-
missed from the garrison ; and the place was
promptly occupied, and held by the insur-
gents. It was shortly afterwards invested by
the troops of Mysore, and a detachment of
King's troops, and communication of course

166

impeded with the surrounding country.
Two battalions from Chittledroog endea-
vored to relieve it in the middle of August;
but were in part cut off with the loss of
nearly 200 men, and two officers killed and
wounded : the rear guard particularly suf-
fered from the attack of the European and
jNIysore cavalry ; they are reported to have
made but a slight resistance.

Early in the last month. Colonel Close
was sent to Hydrabad by the orders of
Government, to take the commnnd, and
introduce the test at that station ; but, after
ineffectual attempts to take the charge,
and administer the test, was obliged to with-
drawn He addressed both officers and the
Native troops in their turn, but was equally
unsuccessful in both addresses ; he was armed
with full powers to negociate with the
Native officers and men, to withdraw them,
if practicable, from the influence of their
officers, by all the temptations in the hands
of authority to offer. But all apparently
was vain, though it is said that the acts of
subordinate agents were afterwards more
successful, both here, and in other places.
So much alarm, of late, has been excited by
these practicf^s, that a renewal of the fatal

161

scene, which happened at Vellore, has been
every where dreaded. This, with othei*^
causes, and the expected arrival of Lord
Minto, according to the proclamation of his
Lordship at the end of July, induced the
subsidiary force at Hydrabad, to send their
submission to jNLadras, to be presented to
Lord Minto, when he should arrive, and to
express a readiness on the part of the officers,
to sign the required test. This example
operated on the minds of the officers of the
garrison of Seringapatam, who have also
surrendered at discretion, and are marched
into the interior, though the Sepoys had
loudly clamoured for revenge for their late
suffiering, and " demanded to die at their
posts in the defence of their officers." The
officers at Masulipatam have also submitted,
having first prevailed on the men, though
the task was not easy, to accept the
amnesty proclaimed by Government.

Since these acts have occurred, there has
been an awful pause, and no one can con-
jecture what will be the ultimate event. This
silence keeps many tender sentiments alive,
in respect to the parlies involved in th.cse
melancholy transactions. It is happy, how-
ever, that Lord Minto is at the Presidency

162.

of jNIadras, where he arrived about a fort-
night ago ; and it is hoped, that his presence
may be serviceable in healing the wounds,
which the unaccountable severity of prccedng
acts had unfortunately opened. Heaven
prosper so charitable an endeavour !

Though the preceding letters afford a full
and circumstantial account of many impor-
tant events, of which the public hiiherto were
but imperfectly inforn"icd, it is a matter of
regret that some particulars are } et wanting,
to render the detail complete. We are still
w^ithout accounts of the actual loss of
officers and men in the unhappy occurrence
at Scringapatam, except the short order,
published by Goverimient on the 18th of
August, shall be considered in such a light.
We are also but slio-htlv advised of the imme-
diate means that led to the surrender of the
disaflected corps at the last-mentioned sta-
tion ; but the fact seems to be indisputable.
What is even more to be lamented, we
have no other than an accidental rumour of
a general submission and amnesty, with an
exception, or extension, to three or four indi-
viduals, whose cases, it is said, are reserved

163

for tiic decision of the proper authorities in
this country. We shall he liappv to have all
these desirable particulars confirmed, and to
learn, on credible authority, that the power
of the East India Company over their armies,
as demi-ofHciallv announced, is increased
and established by the close, or consum-
mation of the disastrous events that have oc-
curred, beyond the reach of human assault,
or the hazard of future fortune.

There may be many who may not
chuse to assent to all the propositions and
conclusions founded on> or deduced from
the facts stated in the preceding letters.
The writers of them, being on the spot,
where thfe transactions, of which they speak,
were passing immediately under their eyes,
and which they describe as fraught with
universal interest, might reasonably be deem-
ed, in their relations, but more especially in
their course df reasoning, to be subject to
a bias — an involuntary leaning to the one
side or the other. They exhibit not, indeed,
any ostentation of neutrality. But though
this circumstance might lead us to distrust
the deductions they should draw from facts,
it would seem to dispose us to credit the
facts themselves, so far as tbcy arc detailed.

M 2

lOJ-

For who are so well qualified to givT ris
autlicntlc narratives (]]' circiniistcmccs, as
thcv who arc themselves e\x-u itnesses of
them ? I'he marks of t!ie torcgoing corres-
pondence arc the intrinsic marks of antlien-
ticity and truth apparent on the face of it :
the fauU, if it be thonglit tliat there bc^ any
discoverable about it, is the leaning, or in-
chnation, of the Nvriters respectively (o [he
claims of the army. If it be not a speei(\'i
of gallantry, it is a sign, at least, of gene-
rosity and independence to adli; -'c to an un-
successful cause.

But the sensible and aide writers of tlie
foregoing letters, notwithstanding they are
influenced by a visible predilection for (!^,e
success of the army, arc not blind, as it
should seem, to the inherent defects of its
pretensions, nor of the mode by vvliich tlic
attempt was inade to advance them. "^1 hey
record vvith grief and nductance — but tlicy
do record — the unfortunate and fatal extre-
mities, into which an originally well-intcr:-
tioncd, and most lionorabie bntly (;f nu^n
were gradnally provoked, and imi'erccptibly
involved. They express a concern tor tlu^'r
errors, but they do not tndeavour to throw
ovcrtliem a justilication or defence.

16'5

^Vc are not ashamed to feci and avosv
that we own somewhat of the same senti-
ment with these writers, springing, as we
conf^:ss, tK/Tn the same eause — a long inter-
course with the Indian army, and a firm
and nnshakcn conviction of its worth. Sin-
cerely and dc(M)ly do we de}>lore tlie melan-
clio!^' events th:it have closed their recent
struggle. l)Ut melanclioly though they he,
and tlioiio'h they njav he lustiiv, and incon-
siderately condemned hy tliose who haye
ncitlier interest nor patience to investigate
the circumstances attending them, or the
causes that gave them hirtli, there is not a
thinking mind, we speak ^^■ith confidence,
or a feeling lieart within the kingdom, that
can contemplate tliem without suggesting
a palliation of the error which produced
them, or returning a responsive sigh for the
consequences likely to result from it.

A general cry has gone forth against
lh(^ malcontents of the Coast army, sounded
in a variety of tones — from the whisper of
private insinuation, to the fulminiuing re-
j)ort of the Governor General in Council.
'J'lie public c'dv lias been stunned and v. ca-
ried with never-ceasing accuse tio!iS. [t ii
now ti:ne that it should be opened to the

16^

still voice of truth, wliich seeks not to pour
into it any laboiired or varnished story, but
v^Miose first and last declaration is, that it
aims not at the perversion of justice, through
nice subtleties and metaphysical reasonings,
but claims an extenuation of the offence,
which it candidly admits, from the provoca-
tions which promoted it.

He who shall cast his eye, liowever
negligent and hasty may be the glance, over
the first acts that gave rise to the discon-
tents of the army, cannot withdraw it with-
out an impression, that there Vv-as abundant
food for complaint.

Kot to dwell on minute and extreme
matters, we would ask, Is it no cir-
cumstance of bitterness, tliat establislicd
emoluments should be taken from certain
members of the army, not only without
remuneration, but without the form of
a previous and customary enquiry ?
that they should be taken from them on
grounds w hich they v»ere not permitted to
controvert, and on the assertion of a junior
officer, unconfirmed by any external autho-
rity whatsoever, whilst they were denied by
a respectable part of the staff? Is it no
injury to have the door of justice shut in the
face of their solicitation, though couched in

167

llic most respectful terms, and urged under
the most direct and avowed responsibility ?
Is it no injury, whilst their own claims to
justice are refused, to see the object of
their pursuit walking at his ease, and at full
liberty, and in the plenitude of power to
molest them still further, in despite of their
means to pursue him, and in contempt of
the authority which they had been taught to
reverence ? Is it no mortification to look
for ultimate redress ^^'here they have been
wont to find it, and to be disappointed in the
appeal ? Is it no grievance to have the
the source of promotion changed, from one
who has an intimate knowledge of military
merit and deserving, to another who is unac-
quainted even with the names that stand on
the army list, and who is not to be ap-
proached but through the introduction and
condescension of one in the meridian of
grace, though in the dawn of service ? Is it
of no concern to them, to see ofUcers of dis-
tinguished rank flying from their em i neat
stations, in disgust and loathing, giving-
tlie truest test of the sincerity of their sen-
timent, in the relincjuishment ot lucrative
j)lace, in the dearer consultation or UiCir
dignity, and honor? Is it no grievance

168

that the chief of the army staff are deprived
of their offices, and suspended from their
station in the army, on the sole and avowed
ground of their having paid an unquahfied
obedience to the orders of their Commander
in Chief ? Is it a matter foreign to the
feehngs of an officer, to perceive his bre-
thren arbitrarily put beyond the pale of the
armj^ without enquiry, and without a hear-
ing ? Is it of no annoyance to them, in
holding a commission, rendered insecure,
not only by its being subject to be seized on
some military impeachment or insinuation,
but that it shall be exposed to suspension,
at the w4iim or caprice of power, for alleged
reasons, unconnected with military mea-
sures? Is it of no importance, that officers,
having leave to quit the company's posses-
sions, from infirmity or the urgency of their
private affairs, should be detained in India
against their will, from vain and capricious
motives of men in power ; and be dismissed
at length, without explanation, to pursue
their original destination ; whilst others of
high rank and character, sliould be hurried
with ignominy, and almost under the de-
grading circumstances of felons, though
■without a verdict or judgment, beyond the

169

company's confines, and finally to England,
contrary to their declared vvisliCs, and in
direct and express violation of their interests?
If these things have happened, and none
can seriously dispuLe t!ie facts, have we
occasion to look around us for reasons for
the irritated feelings of the coast army ?
Some of the circumstances, embraced by
these (piestions, may be partially contro-
verted or qualified, but the greater part of
them are admitted by the official documents
of the local Government, though an endea-
vour is made to disguise them by a false
glare of colouring, or to contravene them by
sophisticated argument. A sutiicient answer
has been given, we apprehend, to these
ingenious artifices, in the correspondence
that has foregone.

The inllamed sensations of parties were
further aggravated by matters, which, under
other circumstances, would have passed
unheeded. We shall not here pause to add
any new article to the long catalogue of
otFencc, which \\c have hastily ran over.

It hardly will be denied that there was
not much irritable matter, lurking under the
obnoxious acts enumerated, which, if it should
at any time find vent, would produce the

170

most mischievous consequences. It was tlie
dr.tj, however, of individuals, it will be
said, to smother their inward feehngs, in
dutiful respect to the constituted authorities
above theui. ]jut there would appear a sort
ol correspondejit duty on the side of those
aut!iorities, not to harass individual feelings
unnecxissarily, or to put them to trials, \N'hich
they might not, from human inlirmity, be
able or sulhcient to sustain. Though a
•soi-lier has to exercise and practice himself
to submission and obedience, in controul
of temper and passion, it is not to be
assumed, because he has put on the uniform
and the dcvotedness of his order, that he has
theretbre cast off the ordinary feelings of
his nature. These may be outniged by
unconimon incidents or aggravations, so as
Uj overcome habits that long patience and
professional principles have united to confirm.
AVlier) the condition of the soldier is beheld
in a liberal point of view, and in which it
ought ever to be beheld, it w ould infer a spe-
cies of cowardice in him, who should wan-
tonly assail it. What a soul must that man
liave, who would irritate him to resentment,
wlicn the consequence of resentment, which
in an inditFerent person would be innocent,
hi him would be a crime .^

171

But it is doubtless the business of a
wise Government, to compass its strong
measures, by means as mild and moderate,
as tlie accomplishment of the ends will
admit. The wisdom of such a rule of
action has all the authority of a political
maxim, established on the practice of legis-
lators of all ages and of all countries. On
the other hand, it is a sign of mental weak-
ness, and depravity of a meaner sort, to
enforce a violent act, by violent and oticnesiv<?-;
means. Such a conduct, while it overlooks
the nature of man, treats his best sensibilities
\\ ilh contempt, and displays, in the act of
authority, all the littleness, and the grovel-
ing and the debasing qualities of private and
humorous spleen. If there be anything
more likely than another to stir men's pas-
sions, and to betray them out of their course,
it is the wild and unrestrained exercise of
power. For, when the humiliating weaknesses
of individuals are discovered in the sacred
organ of Cjovernment, which should be sup-
posed free and untouched by such infirmity,
it loses the best homage of respect: it approx-
imates to the condition of ordinary beings,
and it is not to be wondered, it* men, having
lost all respect for it, should foi^et what is

172

still due, from the essence of which it par-
takes.

But it is no justification, we are aware,
of the officers of the coast army, to shew,
tliat tlie liead of the local Government had
also his demerits or defects. Their offence
is not to he done away hy any supposed
failing of another. It will be sufficient to
assert once more, tliat no defence is attempted.
Eut we may have the benefit of this obser-
^•ation, at least, from tire circumstance, that
if at this interval, the highest authority of
the state could not keep itself aloof from
the dominion of passion, that they who had
less dignity and place to guard tliem from
vieldino; to such an influence, mav not be
too harshly censured from falling into the
same excess.

It woidd be useless, and it certainly
would be painful to us, to recapitulate all the
acts, succeeding one another in a train of
necessary consecpaence, as described in the
iiarratives, already in the possession and
recollection of the reader, and which served
to iced and keep alive the embers of dis-
content. It must, however, be noticed,
that at the moment when the agitation of
tlie army was most general, from the con-

/^

tinucd removal of officers from the service,
without any of the forms of trial, the
officers at the presidency were in^ itcd, in a
sort of mockery of grace, to partake of the
banquets at the Government palace. TJjev
were bid, and in some instances compelled
as it uere, to share in these splendid enter-
tainments, whilst their hearts w ere breaking
from the deprivations they were cotulcmned
to, by the band which dictated the com[)li-
mentary card of invitation. In insult of
their best feelings, they were constrained
to sit down with a man, on whom ,ihcr-
wise they vvoidd have disdained to look, v\ ho
was the author, in their apprehension, of all
their accumulated wron<i;s. Thus an in2,e-
nious contrivance was invented to pierce
the heart and soul at the same moment, and
to tuni the blessings of provivlence, n(»t
into nourishment, but atrophy, or into a
pahulam tor the passior\s, that aJready fcACjed
and consumed tlie frame. For not attending
to this ''feast of reason and tiie flow (;f soul,"
a promising band (>i vuuths were diiwn
fiom their military studies, ijalf prosccuLtnl
and half-digested, to spread the liberal doc-
ti'ine just communicated to th(*m, iiT and
wide through the army, whilst the veteran

17i

"vvas doomed, as it is related, but wc cannot
bring ourselves to credit the fact, to proceed
over a wide track of country, from tlie coast
of Coramandcl to the opposite coast of
jNTalabar, from jNTadras to Goa, before he
had shaken off the fatigue, or had relieved
himself of the expenses of a long previous
march, and was sent undefended or nntented,
at the commencement of tlic ]Monsoon,
against " the pelting of the pitiless storm."
Other similar practices are mentioned, but
these are sutlicient for anv breast not har-
dened or callous against human sutiering.

]S^o new contrivances were necessary
to draw forth men's opinions, nor were any
new means requisite to distend the chasm
of disunion between the person at the head
of the Government and the individual officers
of the army. The measures of Government
had the rare operation of turning every
heart against it, and had, contrary to commori
experience, involved the authors and advi-
sers of them, personally, in all the odium
attached to the acts themselves. It is to be
wished that, instead of pushing matters to
extremes, and dwcllinLC on the verv ver^'c of
power, in nice calculation of its (^xtcnt, a
spirit of conciliation had been seasonably

173

manifested, so far as it miglit have been
discovered, without the compromise of any
leading principle of (Government. Some
may think that such a spirit might h ,vc
been shewn, witliout prejudice to authoritv,
in allowing the proceedings against the Quar-
ter Master General to take their d\ie coiu'sc;
or possi])ly, tliat this favourite nfight have
been abandoned, even, at a more advanrcnl
period of discontent, when it had ])cen unc-
rjuivocally understood, that his ministry was
odious, and could not be further contiiuicd
with advantage to his country. It" the ojfi-
nion of the public should be allowed to have
any influence on tlie admiifistration of civil
alFairs, it should not be neglected or con-
temned, it should seem, in the military state.
Popular clamour is sometimes delusive, bTit
popular feeling is seldom agitated to any
great degree without real and singular causes^
It is alv\avs most desirable, that the love
and alTection of the subject should go hand
in hand with his duty. Our history is not
without instances, \\ lierc Majesty it-'^h' h.-is
yielded, in the surrender of its immedialc
Servants, in deterence to the voice of the
people. It could surely have bcf.'ii of little

176

reproach to a secondary or derivative Govern-
ment to have profited by the example.

At the time to which we now allude,
no circumstance of much acerbity had arisen
to prevent an early and an easy accommo-
dation of differences. The commandants
of corps, it will be recollected, did not
object, nor covdd they reasonably have
objected, to tlie act of Government, that
deprived them of their tent allowances, nor
did they remonstrate on the manner, \\ hich
was not very gracious, by which that mea-
sure was etFected. Their complaint, so
far as it had the most distant relation to the
tent-contract, was bottomed on a part of the
report of Lieutenant Colonel Munro, which
was thought to be unfounded and calumnious,
and which v^'as regarded and treated as tluit
gentleman's sole and undivided act. It is
lit that this fact should be rightly and dis-
tinctly understood, as much misconception
has been entertained of the origin of the
discontents of the army, from \\ ant of in-
formation on this particular point. I'he
abolition of the contract, it may be con-
fidently said, formed no ingredient in the
causes of the temporary disaffection towards
the Government, The report alone was

1/7

supposed to be injurious and adverse to the
interests of the army, and it was on that
account resented. Whether a just or erro-
neous opinion uas conceived of it, we arc
not now disposed to enquire. It is to be
lamented, that the merits or demerits of
this paper, and the matters connected with
it, \tcvG not submitted to the determination
of a forum, pecuUarly fitted to decide on
the subject; and when sucli decision, most
probably, would have been the means of
averting all the unfortunate occurrences that
subsequently happened.

But the complaints of the C'ommandants
of Corps were treated with disregard, and
the right of constitutional appeal to the
Court of Directors, was denied by the Go-
vernment, by a positive refusal to transmit
their jNIemorial, complaining of grievances,
through the customary channel. This extra-
ordinary proceeding was followed by the
orders of the 31st of January and 1st of
February. The suspension of the Adjutant
and Deputy Adjutant General greatly in-
creased tlie discontent, as the principle,
asserted in the act, was not partial but
universal, and might be extended, at will,
to every component part of the army.

N

178

What was the fate of these officers to-da}%
might be the fate of others on the morroWc
It is not to be wondered, therefore, that a
common party should be made, in a sense
of common danger, with the officers newly
suspended from the service. The suspen-
sion of an officer at any time, even under
the most flagrant appearances, without
affording him an opportunity of excusing or
explaining his conduct, cannot but be re-
garded as a harsh and severe measure. It is
an act of extreme Authority, and ought not
therefore to be resorted to, but in seasons
of pecuUar danger, or in instances of rare
and extraordinary offence. To condemn,
and afterwards to hear, is the practice not
of a defined and limited Government, but
of unbounded and tyrannic power. But the
exercise of such a right, in so remote a
quarter of the world, admitting that such
a right lawfully exists, as by analogy it is
contended, and that it is wisely and politi-
cally exercised in the particular instance,
is attended with aggravated circumstances,
incident to local situation. It leaves the
party suspended at a distance from his home,
possibly without the means of support, or
conveyance thither, or, if his means be small.

179

there is a chance of their being exhausted
on the spot, or of being consumed in the
purchase of a passage to Europe, so that
he may be set down in a new world, without
the power of seeking redress, where alone
it is to be found, and where he is to endea-
vour to obtain it almost under insuperable
disadvantages ; w^hilst the avenues that
approach it are fully in the possession of
the enemy.

The frequent exercise of the assumed
right of suspension, not only forced itself
as a matter of general interest on the notice
of men ; but led them to inquire on what
precise ground a power, so sweeping in its
nature, and so intolerable in its application,
fundamentally stood. It was found, on
examination, to depend more on analog}'',
and nice reasoning, than on declared and
defined principle. It is not asserted in the
act of George the Second, or articles of
war, framed for the government of the
Company's Indian army, or in any other
public instrument whence the Company's
authority is derived, and to which the army
might look for necessary information. But
though it is not to be discovered in these
sources, it is supposed, by those who

N 2

160

exercised the riglit, to reside iii the original
power delegated to the Company hy the
Legishiture, to raise and maintain an army ;
which would seem of itself to infer, that
all the necessary means, calculated to insure
the objects of the grant, were at the same
time intended, and by implication given.
This would have been more clear to common
rapacities, if there had not been any laws or
rulesprcscribed by the Legislature and his Ma-
jesty tothe Company, for themaintenance and
discipline of their armies, v\ hich appear in
some sort to repel the implication, more
especially as the s?g?2a superioritaiis are
reserved to his jNIajesty, in the privilege
declared bv the act, of framino; the articles
of war, to be established for the govern-
ment of the Company's forces. Some jea-
lousy might have been reasonably enter-
tained as to the grant of so vast a power to
a private body of men, and as it might by
possibility be abused, and become detri-
mental to the King's subjects, this reserva-
tion probably was introduced. It is a
power, it is to be observed, to be exercised
by one description of his Majesty's subjects
over another, without any comnumion with,
or reference to, the Executive organ, or tlie

181

common laws of the realm. That It should,
therefore, be subjected to some controul, or
superintendanee, and that it was meant to be
so subjected, by the act of Geo. II. and the
articles of \\'ar, is no very irrational suppo-
sition. It is true, that in the act and arti-
cles there is no provision for the dismissal of
an officer, but by the sentence of a court-
martial. So often as cashiering is mentioned
in the articles of war, as often is it de-
clared, that it is to be effected bv the sen-
tence of a court-martial, which would
favour an inference, tliat so penal an act
could not be carried into execution, on
whatsoever account, unless under the sanc-
tion prescribed by the articles of war, in a
like case. Yet cases might occiu', where
it would be desirable to use more immediate
means for the discharge of a most dange-
rous individual. Sucli a prompt and sudden
remedy is vested in his ^Majesty, in relation
to his supreme command of the national
force ; and it has been therefore argued, by
analogy, that the right of dismissal is inse-
parable from the supreme command of an
army. But is there no diircrencc in the two
cases ? The power vested in his jfajesty is
of the essence of the constitution, whereas
that of the Company depends on particular

182

and peculiar laws, and must therefore be
circumscribed and governed by them. The
one is used at home, over subjects in alle-
giance— the other in a distant and foreign
country, over fellow-subjects, who owe no
allegiance, strictly speaking, but the duty
of servants, yet still remain under the pro-
tection of the Crown. The course of rea-
soning, therefore, in the two instances,
cannot be the same.

But if the right of dismissal is, by fliir
reasoning and necessary inference, in the
executive body of the East India Company ;
if the right be contended for, on analogy,
and parity of principle, it should be bounded
by the same wise and discreet fence, which
our most gracious Sovereign has voluntarily
placed around it, when carried into practice.
His Majesty has never, in our recollection,
suffered this kingly prerogative to be exer-
cised by other than royal hands ; whence
justice, tempered with mercy, is ever ex-
pected to emanate. What has been ob-
served in respect to the right of dismissal
of officers, with equal propriety applies
to the act of suspension ; which, as a minor,
or moderated, employment of the same
power, over the same subject, may be sup-

183

posed to "be included in the greater autho-
rity. We ave not disposed to consider too
rigidly the right of the executive body of the
East India Company to dismiss their military
servants, or to narrow^ them in any of the neces-
sary means for the government of their armies
and extensive possessions. But, allowing
them the utmost which they could them-
selves claim, we cannot bring ourselves to
believe, that any right given to them by the
Legislature, for public purposes, and to the
due exercise of which a responsibility
attaches, can by them again be deputed to
be exercised by others at a great distance,
to whom the penalty of responsibility can
scarcely reach, and over whom all present
controul is absolutely impracticable. Such
a preposterous position cannot, it is thought,
be maintained on any common principle, or
even on the anomaly of the constitution ot
the East India Company.

The suspension of the Adjutant and
Deputy Adjutant General of the army
afforded an instance of as arbitrary a cha-
racter as could possibly arise, and tended,
accordingly, to raise a general sympathy and
indignation through the army. Under the
dominion of this mixed sentiment, the-

181

officers, at the different stations^ proposed
a subscription for the support of one of the
individuals, whose private fortune was not
co-extensive with his Military ]Jesert, and
who had fallen, as they considered, a ]Mar-
tyr to a cause, in which all of them were
equally interested. The subscription, it is
almost unnecessary to state, was instantly
tilled. The paper, \vhich \^as to convey
the good intentions of the body of the army
to the late Deputy Adjutant General, Vvas
moulded into the form of a letter, subscribed
by a long list of names, and displayed some-
Avhat of the feeling, it may be s\ipposcd, in
which the subscription had been dictated.
The proceeding is thus particularly described,
as it is stated to have given peculiar offence
to the Government. It is certain, that seve-
ral officers were aftervrards suspended for
having subscribed it.

^J he great feature of offence, if offence
it were, was the combination of parties to
supply an individual with pecuniary resour-
ces, which, among other purposes, might
possibly be applied the recovery of his
suspended rights. But the supply of money
was an innocent, if not a commendable act,
unless attended with some obnoxious cxtrin-?

185

sic circumstance. Kovv the letter announc-
ing the subscription was consitlercd of this
laUer quahty. The letter, however, was
ot a private nature, and \\ as addressed per-
sonally to Major Boles, and not intended tor
general publication. It was not framed,
therefore, for any purpose of delianee to
Government^ nor was it calculated to that
end.* It passed, however, by accident into
the hands oX the Governor, and was con-
verted into ii fresh reason, as has already
been remarked, for the suspension of several
other olKcers.

But tiie paper, under consideration,
was only a consequence, and a remote
consequence of the subscription, \^hich
must be regj.irded as the primary ot^ence,
if any such can be inferred. Subscriptions
of alike charcxter, it may be noticed, were
not entire novt^lties in India. A very memo-
rable one must be in the recollection of
every military i nan, having many of the
distinctive features which are recognisable
in this subscrip tion. It \^ as raised on the
behalf of an officer, who had been dismissed
the Company's service, by an order from
the Court of / Jirectors, for alleged causes,
that had been investigated, previously, by a

186

Court Martial, and of which the partj had
been acquitted. It was esteemed, as natu-
rally it might, if not an arbitrary, at least
a most rigorous proceeding;* and gave rise
to a subscription, general throughout the
army, to provide the dismissed officer, as in
the case of Major Boles, with an annual
amount, equal to the pay of which he had
been deprived. This was not a private pro-
ceeding, but was countenanced by every
field officer of the army, and was promoted,
with a great deal of zeal, by the Commander
in Chief for the time being. So that a pre-
cedent was not wanting to justify the measure
itself, whatsoever may be objected to the
manner in which it was brought about.

That there are passages in the letter,
which might properly have been omitted,
cannot be denied. Yet it is impossible that
they will admit, without putting a violent
and outrageous construction on them, of the
harsh interpretation given to them by the
Indian governments. If by any possibility it

* The Reader will be glad to le;irn, that this severe
and unpopular act of the Court of Directors was
afterwards most judiciously rescinded, when its effect
was known, by a voluntary and gracious recommendation
of the Court itself, to the body of the Proprietors at
large. Would that the liberal policy of thi» decision,
had been recognised by their servants abroad !

187

can be supposed, that the last paragrapU
conveys the sense of a declaration of ad-
herence to one another by the subscribing
parties, the spirit of it, it must be under-
stood, is confined to a particular case, of an
officer suspended for obeying the orders of
his Commander in Chief, and such could
not be expected very often to occur. The
adherence cannot be tortured to a greater
extent — and the guilt of it, if any, must
depend on the justice of the Actof Suspension,
which is not to be taken as defined by the
mere exercise of the act, but is to be declared
by the decision it is afterwards to receive.
The act is even now siib-judice, and may be
affirmed or not by the power to which it
is referred, as well by the Government itself,
as by the parties suspended. The first blush
of the paragraph shews an anxiety in the
writer or writers of it, to make the bounty
tendered agreeable to the object of it; by
stating, that it is such a relief that ought to
be accepted, and that is claimable under like
circumstances, by every member of the
army of his common brethren. It is scarcely
possible to put another construction on it,
unless it be taken in a most illiberal sense. It
appears to be an effort and expression of
delicate and refined benevolence ; it migh^

188

have been made and uttered, perhaps, in
a way less liable to exception. But the
intent must be examined, and not iijercly
the deed. It was not resorted to, as has
been explained, as a Vseapon of annovunco
to the Government or anv other, but a^ an
instrument of peace and eomfurt to ;:n i[v]\-
vidual ; not meditated as an act oi jjnijiic
wrong, but an exertion of private good- v\-.il;
a manifestation of a kindly attention to a
comrade struck otf' from tlieir socict\ , and
thrown helpless, without any acknov>iedged
or investigated ciime, on the charily of tlie
\^"ide world ! The intention of rectitude
V\'ill not be refused here, wlien it is willingly
granted to those, who nrge, witli a boastful
ostentation, daily subscriptions for suspected
Patriots, who are smarting, horrible to
relate ! under the erncl and overwhelming
pressure of the successive and unsparing
verdicts of their country.

At the time that the letter to Major
Boles was in circulation, it appears, that a
memorial,^' stating the aggregate grievances
of the army, intended ultimately to be pre-
sented to the Supreme Government, was also
submitted and proposed for general sig-
nature. AVhether this paper might have

-^ Appendix I.

isg

received the approbation of the great body
ut" the army, or have been sta\ed in its pro-
gress by tlie expression of dissent on the
part of numbers, to whom it might have
been afterwards offered for siiaiature, can-
not now be ascertained. It was interrupted
in its inchoate state, and no place of repen-
tance was allowed between the time of the
«

intent, and the proposed point for tlic exe-
cution of it.

This paper was put into the possession
of the local Government in an imperfect
form, and without a single subscription
appearing at the foot of it ; and Mas for-
warded in tjiat condition to the supreme
Government of India.

These acts, or half-perfected acts,
occasioned, as has been intimated, the sus-
pension of several officers from the service,
and of manv more from their stalF and
armv appointments. As these removals,
like the former, took place \^ilhout any
formal or known investigation, tliey served,
of course, to swell the breath of discon-
tent. The orders, directing these sus-
pensions, were published on the 1st ol" May;*
and state the causes, though not \c.vy (fis-
tinctly, why the respective parlies, the
* Appendix M.

190

objects of the orders, had been severally
marked as examples to the army. But the
facts, it will be kept in mind, out of which
these causes were asserted to arise, were par-
tially assumed by the Government, and
which the persons whom they concerned
were not permitted to question or deny.

These orders also, in a kind of gratuitous
invective, arraign the conduct of General
Macdowall, the late Commander in Chief,
who had been deprived of that situation,
before any acts to which these orders have
reference, had been contemplated by the au*
thors of them. Neither this nor other cir-
cumstances that occurred about this period,
and which have been described, most par-
ticularly, in the preceding letters, abated
the agitation which seemed to be felt
throughout every part of the coast army.
While the whole body was thus convulsed,
it was not to be expected that any wise and
temperate suggestion should proceed from
any of its members ; and, unfortunately,
the condition of civil society, giving credit
to the accounts in the correspondence, was
in a state scarcely less irritated. — So that,
instead of the one being a corrective, from
social contact, of the inrlamed disposition
of the other, through the inbtrumentality of

19X

udvice and example, they administered only
countenance to each other, in the descrip-
tion and comparison of their supposed
wrongs.

Certain of the suspended officers, and
more especially Major Boles and Colonel
Martin, were refused, it may not be too
much (at this day) to say, on idle pretences,
to proceed to Europe, though they had
respectfully requested leave to embark. They
were afterwards allowed permission ; nay,
one of them was actually ordered to go cir-
cuitously to Europe, at a time, and in a way,
not convenient to him, without any altera-
tion in his condition, since the date of his
request. It is to be remarked, that in the
interval, Mr. Buchan, the Secretary to Gs>-
vernment, had been dispatched to England,
for the purpose, as it was generally believed
in India, of affording an ex-parte statement
of the ditFerences that had arisen between
the Government and the Army.

In this unfortunate posture of affairs,
men freely expressed to each other their
common injuries, and communed together,
whenever they met, on the most advisable
means of redressing them. It will create
but little surprize, tliat these accidental

192

meetings led subscqaentlj to regularlv -
appointed assemblies, and, as a natural 'jon-
sequence, from the inconvenienee of dis-
cussing matters in extensive boj.les to the
formation of committees, er^trusted with
the direction of the affairs and interests of
the body at large. This, however, is not
a simple operation, and was not here the
work of a single day. The danger of such
a confederacy, in such a state of things,
must have been foreseen by a Government,
that did. not entirely shut its eyes to sur-
rounding events, or its heart to the effects,
which were likely to result from them. The
mos'. striking incidents described in the nar-
rative, happened between the months of
January, I80y, and of July in the same
year. Between these intermediate dates, it
will be fit to inquire vvliat the local Govern-
ment had attempted, with a view to conci-
liate the minds of the discontented, or to
convince them of tlieir error, it need not
be observed, that it is tlie duty of eveiy well-
constituted Government, to prevent the evil
consequences of error, rather than to dis-
play its power in punishing it, when it has
grovrn into actual offence. Now what was
the preventive caution of the Madras Govern-

193

ment ? AVhat the means which it employed
in this most delicate situation?

We are concerned to state, that it docs
not appear, from any thing that has come
to our knowledge, that any shew even of
conciliation was affected, or any measures
of wisdom adopted, either to eradicate any
erroneous opinions entertained, or to guard
against the probable effects of them. All
the reliance of the Government seemed to
be rested on its power. Every act of grace
was discarded from its policy. All its busi-
ness was the fabrication of orders, expres-
sive of its own strength, in the principle of
its constitution, or of devising stratagems,
indicative of its weakness in reducing the
principle into action. Hence proceeded a
variety of orders to the army, " full of
sound and fury," and of acts, '* signifying
nothing."

The hrutum fid men against General
INIacdowall, after it was known that he was
without the hearing of it, — though the
orders of the Government were announced
under the artillery of the Fort, — was not
formed to claim the character of vigor, to
which it unfortunately pretended, though
it was accompanied by a command, at the

o

194

same moment, for the dismissal of the Ad-
jutant and Deputy Adjutant General of the
Army, for obedience to the autliority of the
repudiated Commander in Chief. The act
of suspension of an officer of the latter
rank, without the dull, cold, tedious, pro-
cess of inquiry, was not considered to be
singular enough, without giving him the
company of his immediate stalf. Cool de-
liberation and reflection, sanctioned by
public opinion, might afterwards have ad-
vised, that the supposed injury of the
Government might have been atoned by the
punishment of the principal, without any
visitation of the accessories, acting under
the orders of their legitimate Head, and in
a known course. Such counsellors, and
such advice, were not likely to intrude on
the visions of proud and inflated superiority.
It was only necessary, in the prevailing
system of action, to issue commands, and
to exact and enforce obedience.

To the orders of the 31st January and
1st of February, were added the subsequent
ones of the 1st of May.* We purposely
pass over the mediate mandates, dismissing
and dispersing a variety of officers from the
Piesidency, for thp high crime and misde-
* Appendix IM.

195

meanoiir of not privately admiring the so-
ciety of tlie protege of Government — Lieu-
tenant Colonel iSIunro ; as if the allections
and courtesies of men were to be regulated
by the tat of the drum. The last- mentioned
orders, like the preceding, laid the defalcation
in the, duty of the army at the door of
General Macdowall, who had been the
cause, as it was insinuated, why any doubt
was entertained of the supremacy of the
civil Government, in military as well as
general atFairs ; — a doubt that might have
been the parent of the succeeding acts of in-
subordination, which these orders deprecated
and punished. Happy had it been, if even
at this date, though it liad tardily presented
itself, the idea had occurred, that as the
guilt had been principally, nay, almost
wholly assigned to the agency of the Com-
mander in Chief, for the sake of the high
example, the punishment might be confmed
to him. No; it was thought that the dig-
ifity of place was better consulted by adding
a long list of names to tlic scroll of the
proscribed.

It is difficult to view* the conduct of
the Government, just at this interval, w ith-
out some compassion for its weakness,
o 2

196

Anxious to make a display of its greatness,
it fell, as the correspondence shews, into
the meanest arts for impressing it. Loth to
discover any symptom of grace, at the com-
mencement of the differences, it suspended,
without any urgency, the Commander in
Chiefs staff; and when it perceived even
that this measure produced a general disgust,
instead of voluntarily repairing the appa-
rent, or imagined injustice of the act,
by a gracious restoration of the suspended
officers to their former stations, it truckled
and bargained with the only remaining gen-
tleman on the spot, for the purchase of his
restoration, at a price which he would not
condescend to pay for it — the admission of
a fault, of which he was unconscious. The
reader will observe, that we are alluding to
the coquetry, first of a jNIember of Council,
and then of General Gowdie, in order to
induce Major Boles to re-accept the office of
Deputy Adjutant General, on the eas^'
terms of an apology ; which that very con-
scientious officer, though urged to it by
numberless near and tender motives, had
the magnanimity to disdain.

Beyond these orders, and some con-
trivances, not very remarkable for the

197

policy in which they originated, we have
heard not of any active measures pursued to
quell the rife spirit of discontent, or to
obviate the ills that might possibly flow from
it. On the devices, adopted on this occasion,
Ave shall be excused from dwelling at any
length. Though they were new, they are
not very interesting ; and though some of
them were successful, the success does not
seem to make amends for the sacrifice made
of the principle in the means adopted for
the attainment of it. The first of these
was, the experiment (and how mortifying
must have been the issue ?) to ascertain how
much the person of the Governor was held
in disgust by the individual ofiiccrs of the
army. Hence proceeded the invitations,
the rejected invitations, to the Government
House, which men, rather than accept,
abandoned eligible situations, lucrative em-
ployments, advantageous society — every
thing but honorable sentiment — and exposed
themselves, we blush to write it, to un-
healthy and destructive climates, to com-
parative penury, and to the confinement of
their own houses.

The next experiment, though some-
what later in point of time, was as complete

198

in its discovery, as the antecedent one, and
perhaps equally as mortifying. This was
made, through the medium of the test,
directed to be administered to every officer
in the arni}', \^'hich was the immediate cause
of demonstrating, that the Governor, if pos-
sible, \\'as as little regarded as the man.
About 400 officers are said to have refused
their subscription to the test, not so nmch,
it is added, on account of the letter or
spirit of the instrument, but the extreme
obnoxious instructions \\ith which it \\'as
accompanied, and of which every officer was
duly informed, before he was desired to
subscribe it. If it were the intention to
obtain, generally, the signatures of officers
to the test, which scarcely can be imagined,
the maimer of requiring it was the most
clumsy, ungracious, and inefficient that
could have been counselled. But we have
not hitherto had the pleasure to observe one
act of the Government blending any sign
of grace, with the principle of authority.

There are one or two measures, indeed,
that we shall take the liberty to mention
here, which grew out of this unnatural
state of things, though not exactly in the
order of time in which we have liithtrto con-

199

sidered events, but wliich must ^^ Iih justice
be acknowledged, as having completely
unswered all the expectations of the head
which planned and advised them ; we
refer to the stratagem of detaching the
King's from the Company's otBcers, whom
they had shewn more than a disposition to
espouse, and to the various schemes prac-
ticed v\ ith particular corps, and through par-
ticular agency, by promises and bribes, to
alienate the minds of the native soldiery, for
a while at least, from their European officers.
Of the prudence and wisdom of this latter
act we forbear to speak at present, though
it may be shortly adverted to hereafter.

Besides these remarkable and noticeablq
transactions, we arc unadvised of any pub-
lic measures that were embraced by the
jVIadras Government, at this awful and
eventful conjuncture. The supreme Govern-
ment communicated, as it seems, during
this anxious interval, with the local Govern-
ment of Fort St. George, but made no
effectual effort to assist it further, than
by issuing long and laboured instruments,
commending and confirming all the proceed-
ings, without a single exception, of the
subordinate Government.

200

It may be expected that some notice
should be taken, in this place, of the cele-
brated letter of Lord Minto, under date the
27th of May, as it has been treated by some
persons in India, and even in this country, as
a composition of peculiar excellence, and
most happily adapted, as it is said, to the
time at which it was written. That
the high character given to this production
may not operate as a species of imposition
on plain and incurious judgments, it may
not be unseasonable to iriquire into the
intrinsic merits of it, in order to ascertain
whether it be entitled or not to the repu-
tation it has acquired.

The intent of this paper is ostentatiously
declared, at the first opening, as the appli-
cation of a *' Restraint, or Check, to the
Progress of Error," by the " Promulgation
of sounder principles." It is written with
the express design of discountenancing all
deliberation in the army, and of rendering
it subordinate and subservient to the will
of the executive Government. It inculcates
on [)rmcipl' s, which we have no inclination
to controvert, the most pure doctrine of
passive obedience in general military con-
tingencies, with certain modifications as
applicable to particular cases. In an official

201

writing of this description, it is to be ex-
pected, that any statement of undefined prin-
ciples, or any apphcation of them to doubt-
ful and questionable premises, should not
find a place.

But it is to be remarked, that throughout
this long and laboured paper, there is scarcely
a solitary allegation that is not questionable, in
point of fact, or any one deduction that is not
more than questionable in point of reason-
ing. It sets out with a string of truisms,
in respect to military combinations, so trite,
that the merest military proficient could not
be ignorant of them, though they are pro-
mulgated in the language of the noble
author, for the information of the profession!
It then proceeds to examine the acts of the
Government of Fort St. George, as con-
nected with the preceding transactions.

The first circumstance noticed in this
extraordinary document, is an alleged me-
morial* of the ofiicers of the Madras iirmy ;
a paper which is every where considered, hy
Lord Minto, as an authentic and perfect
instrument in all that it pur[)orts to he ;
whereas, at the commencement of the letter,
it is descrihed by his lordship, as a frroposcd
memorial to the addn^ss of the (jovernor

* Ai>pcndix I.

202

General; and might, or might not, accord-
hig to subsequent circumstances, have been
completed and for\varded to that address.
Until, however, it had come into the Gover-
nor General's hands, in that ripe form, and
in that official way, it was not on any fair
principle to be held in the light of a regular
and formal document, so as to involve the
writers of it in the responsibility attachable
to it as an act fully executed. Any other
consideration of it cuts off from those, who
may have rashly meditated a deed which
prudent council and reflection shews to be
erroneous, the desirable opportunity of tra-
cing back the first step towards crime.

Though the intended memorial cannot
be a subject of commendation, it docs not
;ippear to be so oflcnsively reprehensible, as
it is stated by Lord Minto, nor is it replete
with all those flagrant and mischievous prin-
ciples, with which it is declared to abound.
It is assumed in his F^ordship's letter, to be
the main aim of the memorial, to assert the
right and privilege of the army, to cashier
their Governors at will, whilst the whole
tendencv of the memorial, as it is called, is
to endea\ our to prevail on the Governor Ge-
neral, by the representation of many harsh

20:

acts of the subordinate Government, to
exercise the authority resident in him, and not
foohshlj supposed or pretended to be in
them, to rescue tlic army from similar occur-
rences, injurious to the State, and hurtful,
as represented, to the universal feehng. It
is intreated that this may be done by re-
lieving them Irom tlic controul of their pre-
sent ruler ; but the memorial presumes not
to dictate in what manner it should be
executed; whether by suspending the whole
authority of the inferior Government, or
restraining it ^^ ithin its ordinary bounds, so
that it could no longer press on the affairs
and general business of the army. Jt is no
where suggested that the ariny had any inclina-
tion, much less any right, to redress their own
detailed injuries. B\it, on the contrary, the
whole bearing of the memorial tends to
seek redresss, we wish to say nothing of the
language in which it is souglit, at'the hands
of the Governor General, and through the
medium, for it could not otherw ise be at-
tained, of the verv Government of ^Madras.
Where, tlien, are we to look for the dan-
iierous doctrine that the Governor General
lias conjured up to terrify himself and
others ? uhless it may be thought to lurk

201

under the expression, broadly intimated,
of an intent of the best part of the army
to resign a service, rendered intolerable and
dis^nsti np".

This paper is again misinterpreted,
when it is stated, as in the Governor Gene-
ral's letter, that it claims a further right and
privilege, on the part of the army, of hav-
ing a representative in council. But where
is such a claim set up? Certainly not in the
memorial ; and therefore all the learned
argument, built on this assumption, all the
illustration of the military condition by
many beautiful allusions to maxims bor-
rowed from the civil constitution, tumble
headlong to tlie ground. There is a pro-
fusion of good writing, and good principle;
but it is out of place.

A general concern is expressed in the
memorial — but this is all — that the army
have not a representative, as it is described,
perhaps not very accurately, in the Council
of Fort St. George, — as for some years,
previously, they had, — to which circum-
stance is imputed a great part of the griev-
ances of which they complain. If a mili-
tary counsellor had been present at the public
consultations, it is imagined, from his know^ -

205

ledge of military practice and feeling, tliat
many of the grounds of complaint would
not have arisen, and which at length had
made it necessary, as it is added, for the
memorialists to implore the " gracious inter-
position of the Goyernor General in Coun-
cil." The appeal is made here, as in the
former instance, not to any fanciful right
in themselves, as again misrepresented, but
to the actual authority of the controuling,
or Supreme Government. Why are all
these fearful phantoms created, except to
show the power o^ the mighty magic that
can lay them ?

To the seeondary grievances, stated in
the memorial, the letter next refers, and
which are described to have arisen out of the
release of Lieutenant Colonel jNIunro, and
the suspension of Colonel Capper and ^lajor
Boles.

""Jlie first is alleged to be an " act of
grace," and some wonder is expressed that
such an act should have occasioned any
thing but good will- But if it be an act of
grace, it is of a very novel hue, unless the
phrase shall be taken to have simple refe-
rence to Lieutenant Colonel Munro ; there
can be no doubt citlicr of the intent or

206

operation of the act to that individual. It
was but too plain to the army to observe,
that this was a studied compliment to him.
But what was an act of oracc to Colonel
^lunro, was an insult to the feeling and
understanding of the general body of the
army. Why scoff them, therefore, with
such terms at the very time that the door of
justice is rudely closed in their face ? While
the fancied wrongs of the one arc promptly
remedied, the injuries of the other, loudly,
but decorously preferred, are dismissed unin«
vcstisfated ?

That specious distinctions were made in
the two cases, is allowed: but, in despite of
all subtilties, it is plain, that the question
was with Colonel Munro, and the Com-
mandants of Corps, and not between the
former and General Macdowall, as Com-
mander in Chief, to whom it is shifted in
the letter of the Governor General. Nor
was the matter entangled, as is also ingeni-
ously inferred, with any fine-spun niceties
respecting the power of a subserpicnt Com-
mander in Chief over the acts of his pre-
decessor : nor was any difficulty presented
by the circumstance of the report out of
which the charges arose, having been

207

approved by a preceding Commander ia
Cliief — or if it liad been approved by one
hundred like authorities. All these conside-
rations are foreign to the purpose, though
they are all pressed in the letter, \\ ith much
anxiety, as if they were strictly in reference
to the subject — and numberless shcwcy
argun]ents are drawn, adapted to the peti-
tioned premises, but not apposite to fact as
ihey stood. The report, it is fair to con-
chide, was taken, when it was originally
delivered in, to be true in all its tcnour; but
if it were not so, in point of fact, it could
not become so by any subsequent appro-
bation proceeding from any source however
higl), or howsoever often confirmed. If
such report, in any of its statements,
worked an injustice to any individual or
body, it was his and their right, the moment
such injustice was felt, to complain and to
be heard, so that the complaint \\as made
til rough the proper channel. The autho-
rities who adopted the report, approved it
only in so much as it was concei\cd to be
correct, and as it appeared to hold out a just
oj)portunity for an occonomical arrangement.
They viewed it in no other light than as an
ex-partc statement — and, as such, liable to

208

be arraigned, if it interfered with, or in-
fringed upon, any private interest. An
accredited officer, it may be admitted, and,
on the reasoning of Lord Minto's letter, is
protected, in all his measures within the
scope of his employment ; but it cannot be
denied, in the resulting conclusion, that if
he exceed, and step out of the boundary of
his commission, wantonly to inflict an injury,
that he must answer for it to tliQ offended
laws of his country. The authorities, under
which he acted, are not disgraced by his
responsibility ; for they had no share in his
offence. They desired legitimate proceed-
ings ; if they be otherwise, it is not their
reproach. Nothing is decided here, God
forbid ! in respect to the conduct of Colonel
INIunro — but a general principle only is laid
down. It is contended that, as certain
charges were alleged against that gentleman,
by certain avowed prosecutors, preferred in
the usual manner, and in prescribed time,
and to a competent tribunal, peculiarly
appointed by law to take cognizance of the
offence embraced by the charges, that no
pov^ cr could lawfully take him without the
hands of that tribunal, until he should have
been duly delivered of the charges. It was

^ 209

Competent to Colonel Munro, of course, to
urge all or any of the matters stated,
referring to his official relation, either in
jiisdtication or excuse ; and it would be
injustice to the military court to suppose,
that it would deny him the advantage arising
from any exculpatory evidence. But it is
absuril to conclude, that he should commit
a possible offence, without any possible
punishment. The constitution knows not
but of one, w^ho is superior to all question ;
we have never, till this instance, heard of
the same exemption having been arrogated
by any other.

All that is insisted on in the memorial,
is, that Colonel Munro was not abov^ the
law — whether it could reach him in the
particular charged, was a mattter to be
determined — it has never yet been deter-
mined. All the argument in the letter of
the Governor General will not overturn,
in our humble opinion, the simple statement
of the fact, to which we have almost wholly
confined ourselves.

Lord Minto, having defended the
Government of Madras, for the unprece-
dented act of the liberation of Colonel
Munro from his arrest, criticises, in the most

p

210

free, and, it may also be said, the most inde-
cent terms, the conduct of the late Com-
mander in Chief, in having dared to censure,
in public orders, the minion of the local
Government. At the time when his Lord-
ship reprobates the act of General ]Macdowall,
he was acquainted but with one of the
grounds on which the General's censure was
founded — the supposed and militart appeal
of Colonel Munro to the civil power. Nei-
ther his Lordsliip, nor any other party, could
have known the particulars of the personal
disrespect shewn by the Quarter INIaster
General, to his im»mediate Commander m
Chief, stated in the general orders of the
25th of January, as the primary and most
striking feature of the offence. To pass^
therefore, an indiscriminate sentence on
General Macdowall, who had been unheard,
and whose conduct had not been sufficiently
understood, gave a practical gloss to the
transactions on which his Lordship was
commenting, and wliich the army, at least,
imagined to be governed by a narrow and
party spirit. Of the order itself, little need
be said — but that it was supposed by Lord
JVIinto, as well as Sir G. Barlow, to have
a tendency to implicate, in an indirect course..

211

the act of Government, as connected with
the release of Colonel ]Munro. But the
General is not to be condemned for aiming: at
his victim, merely because the shadow of
power chanced to rest upon it. Not intend-
ing here to enter on the defence of the
General, \n c shall advert briefly to the effect
of the order, when published ; which >\ as,
the suspension of the Adjutant, and Deputy
Adjutant General, from their respective
offices, and from their rank in the service ;
and for the avowed and sole cause, of their
having given publicity to the order of the
Commander in Chief. To the exercise of
this power by the Government of Madras,
the letter subsequently refers, and considers
and approves it in unquahfied terms.

It seems somewhat curious, as the
letter of Lord Minto appears to have been
written with the direct intent of restraining
all deliberative propensities in the army, that
the suspension of these officers should be
defendcii on the around tliat thcv did not
deliberate as, it is argued, tliev ought. It
is generously admitted in the letter, that
subordinate officers, generally speaking, are
obliged to obey the orders of their superiors,
>\ ithout presuming to question them. But

p2

212

then tbe rule is liable to a certain relaxation j
aii:i the exc-;;:';3on is, chat tucy are not
obliged to shew obedience to an illegal
order ; of which description the order zander
consideration is alleged to be.

But why is the order supposed o be
illegal ? Not certainly from the source
whence it flowed. It is admitted that
General Macdowall, at the instant, was in
possession of the olHce of Commander in
Chief. But it is said, that the illegality lay
in the body of the orders. It was plain to
see, as the letter argues, that Government
was tacitly reprimanded in the reprimand
overtly given to Colonel Munro. But it
requires more sagacity than we are possessed
of, to espy this purpose in the order
taken by itself. But it seems, if we may
credit the letter of the Governor General,
that there had been a direful misunderstand-
ing betV^een the Government and General
Macdowall, and that many sharp retorts had
passed between them ; or, in the words of
the letter, " that there was a warm and
** vehement discussion between the Com-
** mander in Chief and the Government.'*
And it is stated, that it was impossible that
tliese things should have been unknown to

213

the General's Staff — and thence it is con-
cluded, that they should have refused the
direct order of the Commander in Chief.
Now, what is all this but ascribing to men a
knowledge of facts, of which they might
have been utterly uninformed, and claiming
a right to punish them for their ignorance ?
Nay, further, if this passage in the letter
meanS any thing, it would convert the Ad-
jutant and Deputy Adjutant General into
Judges of the warm discussions of the
Government and Commander in Chief, to
decide not only who was wrong — but to
debate on all their public acts, in order to
ascertain whether they were tinged or not
by the spirit of their private feuds. This
would seem rather a novel way of support-
ing authority, or of carrying on the con-
cerns of an army. But this is seriously
insisted on at the time, when obedience and
non-resistance is preached to the orders of
superiors !

Never, we believe, was mixed together
such a strange compound, of what is right
in principle, and erroneous in application.
We subscribe most readily to the recognized
doctrine, that men are not obliged to obey an
illegal order. But we should be very tender

214

in carrying this doctrine into the camp ; lest
we might involve military men in difficulties,
where they have not many, or very ready
means of extricating themselves. If the
orders in question were to be taken as a pre-
cedent, it would require not a little nicety,
or special pleading, in the examination of the
commands of superiors. The time for
action would be consumed in deliberation
on the import of the orders received, and all
the circumstances related with them. If we
have any just conception of the real extent
of the rule, we should deem it to be narrow
indeed, and it has become fit that it should
be delincd and well understood. The ille-
gality of an order, as we consider it, must
be collected not from the letter or phrase-
ology of an order, but from the thing com-
manded to be done. If that be plafnly and
manifestly illegal to common capacities and
understandings, the order ought not to be
complied with. For the sake of illustration —
if a soldier were ordered by his officer to
fire on a quiet, peaceable, and unoffending
citizen in the street — it would seem to re-
quire no great intellect to understand that he
ought not to obey the command — or, if he
■Were directed to rob a house, if such a

215

direction could be supposed to be given — In
cases like these, disobedience would not
only be excusable, but commendable; but
we can hardly think, in cases less clear and
perspicuous, that any subordinate military
agent would be justified in disputing the au-
thority of his principal To argue that an
inferior officer should look into the construc-
tion and recondite meaning of every sentence
in an order given to him to execute and con-
sider all its bearings, w ith his knowledge of
supposed circumstances having reference to
it, seems a bold undertaking, and not
hitherto to have occurred to any man in the
possession of ordinary sense.

As the address to Major Boles has been
noticed in an earlier ])lace, and the nature of
it considered at some length, we shall not
resume the subject, though it is one of the
leading topics in the Governor General's
letter. What we have before said, will be
a sufficient answer on this head ; and we are
anxious to dismiss the paper before us.

Whilst the two Governments, instead of
pursuing measures suitable to the ends of
their avowed policy, and calculated to in-
spire a prompt submission to their behests,
were busily employed in arguing with the

216

passions, and writing and beating down, as
they supposed, the pretensions of their
discontented military servants, the latter
were allowed to brood over their original
grievances, till they were habituated to the
employment, and which derived a fresh
interest every day by the occurrence of
new incidents. If the rnind grew frantic at
last, by ruminating without interruption on
the accumulation of real or imaginary evils,
it WQJl not be viewed, we are certain, either
by the philosopher or statesman, among the
number of supernatural effects..

We are constrained to remark, that the
conduct of the discontented, at the close of
the month of July, underwent a most mate-
rial change. It was no longer distinguish-
able, as heretofore, for passive obedience,
but impatience of all controul. It became
offensive to Government, by demanding a
revocation of its acts, and at last, in defying
its authority. They who know how easy
and imperceptibleare the transitions from one
extreme of passion to the other, will not be
surprized at the quick succession or order of
their events, according to the different de-
grees of irritation. However we may be
grieved in recording the fact, we shall not

217

attempt to deny that, in the sequel, the
majority of the officers on the establishment
were involved in a most unquestionable state
of mutiny. The unhappy excesses into
which they were successively hurried, we
should have no pleasure in retracing, nor
would the reader take any delight, we are
assured, in re-perusing them. We shall be
more* readily excused in passing over them
as speedily as we can, since they are truly
and circumstantially set forth in the fore-
going pages, with their immediate causes,
and eventual effects. Though a justification
cannot be offered for them, they are not, as
we must contend, wholly without apology.
The provocation, as has been explained, was
neither simple nor light ; nor were the ulti-
mate steps retorted to, for the redress of
their wrongs, though most indefensible in
themselves, attended by any ferocious or
daring incidents, or directed with any other
aspect than the remedy of their supposed
injuries. It does not escape us, that the
greatest possible offence of a military na-
ture, is that which is now under our con-
sideration. The framers of the military code,
seeing how men, acting generally in a body,
may inadvertently fall into this heinous

218

crime under the impulse of passion, imless
restrained by checks always present to them,
have exhibited pecuhar pains to guard against
the completion of the offence, by declaring
it to be a crime of no secondary quality, in
any officer who does not do his utmost to
prevent it. To what moral consideration
then is the conduct of those liable, who
assume the full exercise of military supre-
macy, and consequent responsibility, if they
neglect to repress acts having a manifest ten-
dency to insubordination, by the seasonable
introduction of the strong arm of power, but
stimulate to further excesses by paltry and
petty provocations ? If the natural checks
were wanting here, that were intended ever
to be present, and if, from the absence of
these, crime has been permitted, which
might not otherwise have been consummated,
it may amount, by no forced construction,
to a partial extenuation of the offence. But
if, in addition to this, the temptation to the
offence was as strong, as the preventions
against the commission of it were weak, the
apology for it would become in proportion
less difficult and fastidious.

They who consider the grievances,
singly and separately, under which the

219

coast army conceived itself to labour, may
be unable to descry any one grievance of
sufficient magnitude to threaten the awful
events whicli have ensued. But a succes-
sion of trivial injuries, as they seem to evince
a fixed temper of injustice, so they seldom
fail to stir up a resentment and resistance,
in whicli the intrinsic merit of every indivi-
dual *act is lust in the sum of the whole
accumulative account. If insult, too, ac-
company the most insignificant act, it gives
to it a distinct feature, and lends a frown to
it almost challenixinG: defiance. Thev who
have concludv^d, from what they have yet
known of the late transactions on the coast
of Coromandel, that no adequate causes
existed for the occurrences that have unfor-
tunately taken place, may perchance forego
a part at least of their previous opinion, on
a re-examination of the events as they
arose.

It is deeply to be lamented, that the
reiterated complaints arising out of the de-
tailed grievances of the army, were either
miserably misunderstood, or the prol)id)Ic
consequences of them much underrated or
misconceived by the Governor General of
India : or it would seem that it should have

•220

Ijeen among the first measures of his poUcy,
to have introduced the presence of the su-
preme authority in the seat of disaffection.
The crisis of the times was difBcult, import-
ant, and sufficiently knotty to demand this
extraordinary interposition. There were
causes enough of dissatisfaction. The cries
of complaint were loud enough to have
roused almost the dead. But the Governor
General did not awake from his trance until
the. flood of discontent had rolled from the
coast with a stormy violence into the many
mouths of the Ganges. Of the value of a
sage, temperate, and respected Mediator, at
a tempestuous moment like the present, to
compose the swelling surge, no one can form
perhaps too high, or too favourable an
estimate.

Ac veluti magno in populo cum saepe coorta est
(Seditio, saevitque animls ignobile vulgus,
Jamque faces et saxa volant, furor arma ministrat :
Turn pietate gravem ac meritis si forte virum quern
Conspexere, silent, arrectisque auribus adstant ;
Ille regit dictis animos et pectora mulcet. Virg.

Alas ! no mediator was here, until the
waves had exhausted their fury, and had
sunk fatigued into a calm.

LordMinto left not his courted retreat at

221

Calcutta, until the 6th of August, and ar-
rived at Madras about the 11th of the ensu-
ing month ; when the last deed had been per-
fected, had been signed in blood, and sealed
with the lives of men. His Lordship reached
Madras just in season to record, that the
wisdom and energy of the Governor, his
compeer, had been able to achieve the pru-
dential ends of his policy, by restraining the
violence, which his own councils had unhap-
pily induced.

In describing the extremity of these
fatal transactions, if any one hereafter
shall have full materials, and possession of
feelings suitable to the task, he will not
forget to note that, however stirred by
repeated wrongs, however stimulated by
excessive provocations, however depressed
into despondency, however raised into
frenzy, that the misguided members of the
army, though temporarily estranged from
the person of their immediate head, never
once lost sight of the great interests of tlieir
country. That if they had been Cfjually
intent on the accomplishment of their own
purpose, as they were determined to protect
the rights, at ail hazards, peculiarly en-
trusted to their safeguard, such purpose
would have been completely ctfectcd. For

222

what, at this juncture, could have hteii
successfully opposed by the Government to
the arms of the Hydrabad subsidiary force,
aided by the whole of the Company's Euro-
pean troops and artillery, if it had marched
at the time proposed to the walls of ISIadras ?
and from which course it was alone diverted
by the call of the resident, not by the sway of
any personal persuasion, but by the solemn
representation and assurance of the public
danger that would ensue. Forty thousand
INIahratta cavalry were at this time hover-
ing on the borders, and only waited for the
signal, to pour immediately on the antici-
pated deserted districts.

He will not forget, if he shall write at
a season when heat and party shall have
subsided, to describe in the strain, not of
eulogy, for the occasion unfortunately pre-'
eludes it, but of plain and simple truth, the
devotedness of the corps before the fortress
of Seringapatam, where they suffered them-
selves, in ranks, to be mowed down by the
devouring sword, in a spirit of indurance and
of suffering, which, in another cause, might
Have claimed, and ha\e been allowed, the
virtue and the meed of martvrdom.

In the casual exculpatory obsenations

223

t])at we have offered on the behah' of thOr
otHcers ot the army, and the circumstances
of extenuation that we have ventured to
state, let it not be understood that weare ge-
nerally advocating their cause ; that we are
attempting to justify acts that cannot admit
of justification.

\ Puclet here opprobria nobis,

Lt dici potuiiise et non potulsse refcUI.

It will not be over-looked, however,
that in the prosecution of our subject,
we have exhibited a she\\% at least, of
care to set some doctrines at rest, which,
if received on tlic high aiithority j)ronud-
gating them, \\'ould have a tendency to dis-
turb that tranquillity which they pro])osed
to secure. If we have not spoken more
decisively of the offences of tlie orders,
\\hich have been admitted even by them-
selves, our conduct has been governed Iw
authorities greater than our own. An am-
nesty is said to have been throv\ ti over all
transactions that arc gone, ^'hiy tiicy be
remembered no more, than as examples Un
future governn^cnt — though the ellects ot
tljem may be felt, when the precedents
themselves shall be utterly forgotten.

Of the immediate consequences of the.sc

224

lamentable events, we shall not be required
to speak — they are fresh in the mind of the
reader. Of more remote ones, it may be
thought, that we should take some passing
notice. These, however, though they may not
lie immediately at hand, are yet at no great
distance from us, and are, avowedly, so natu-
ral and so obvious, that we cannot be long
delayed in our reflections upon them.

Among the latter may be reckoned,
first, the impossibility of dependence, for a
time at least, of the Government on the
army — than which, in local circumstances,
perhaps, a more extensive evil could not
well be fancied. — Next, the disunion, on
all occasions, when joint operations may be
necessary, between the King's and Com-
pany's officers — and scarcely in a secondary
degree, the separation of one description of
officers on the same establishment from ano-
ther, between whom a distinctive mark,
which is scarcely to be obliterated, is now,
for the first time, placed. And not among
the last consequences is to be noted, the
utter destruction of all tie and ancient reli-
ance between the European officers and the
Native soldiery — and of the latter with its
officers. That these things must result,

225

it were almost impossible for the most
bigotted to deny, or the most interested to
doubt.

That events more destructive have not
already ensued is more ascribable, we are
obliged to say, to the forbearance of the
army, than the prudence of the Govern-
ment. The latter are not to be thanked, if
we may give evidence to the accounts
received, that the provinces entrusted to
their keeping, are yet in their possession.
They have been endangered beyond any
former example, within our recollection, or
reading. Did we say have been endan-
gered ? Alas ! the danger has not yet passed.
It hangs tremblingly over us even now, and
is suspended only by a liair. The wretched
device which has been hatched in a fatal
hour of policy, or rather of fatuity, to pur-
chase the service of the Sepoy, which, if
not commanded, was of no substantial
worth, in contradistinction to his officer, has
not only burst the bond between them
asunder, but has made him an object of
traffic — to be bought and sold for the pur-
pose for which he may be required. His
own Government has bought him ; now
another may wish to purchase him on some

226

future occasion — and the best bidder will
naturally have his services. ^\ hen we
reflect that four-fifths, and more, of our
armies are composed of men of this descrip-
tion, need we do more than state the fact,
to condemn the practice ?

When it is recollected how many of
our frontier garrisons in India are defended
only by native troops, with a small, a com-
paratively small, proportion of European
officers, how slight must be the terms of
future tenure — how unequal the opposed
powers to create a balance in conflicting and
adverse contingencies — and how inadequate
the security resulting from the emanation of
the authority of the state through the
medium of its officers ? We shudder, as
we pass even thus lightly over the possible
effects. The task of looking at probable
incidents, though in this general way, has
become already so distressing, that we turn
from it with disgust.

We have said sufficient, v/e would
hope, to engage the attention of the proper
authorities in this country, to the conse-
quences that may, nay, that will, result,
unless some timely means are used to pre-
vent or to avert them. If his Majesty's
Mhiisters, at this moment, are occupied bv

227

matters of nearer concern, and of para-
mount importance ; and heaven knows, at
this most momentous and unprecedented
crisis, that they have cares enough around
them, without the pressure of distant
incumbrances, — if they should not be able
to lend the benefit of their councils to the
crying and urgent necessities of our affairs
in the East, it will be doubly incumbent on
the Court of Directors, we should pre-
sume, to give them the most serious and
grave consideration.

If their possessions be dear to them — if
they have an interest in their preservation,
we conjure them to watch, night and day,
with a never-ceasing anxiety, over their trust.
Let them take a fair and bold view of the dan-
gers that impend, and apply every vigorous
and honest mean within their power to repel
them. They are a thinking body of men,
and, w^e would conclude, without flattery,
that they are also a wise association, when
they undertake to think for themselves We
trust they will not lend themselves up, un-
suspectingly, at the awful moment of their
affairs, to the advice of individuals, who,
to speak no worse of them, have produced
that melancholy crisis, which has filled

q2

228

the whole country with consternation and
dismay. Let them examine, comprehen-
sively, the events which have happened
with their own eyes, and we shall look with
confidence to such decision, as the necessity
of things requires.

None of the calamities that have hap-
pened can be ascribed, with fairness and
with truth, to any mistaken proceeding of
their own — except the removal of the Com-
mander in Chief, from a seat in the council,
may be viewed in that relation. But the
surest and best amends have already been
made for this unfortunate policy, in the
revocation of its principle, and in the arrest
of its effects. The Court of Directors,
therefore, will feel Iheir conduct free and
unrestrained, in the full range of the inquiry,
which we zealously recommend. Fortunate,
indeed, it would have been, if the neces-
sity of such an investigation had been obvi-
ated, by the exercise of a preventive caution
in India, operating upon, and restraining
the manifestation of, tliat early spirit, which,
in its full growth, produced so many and
such mighty mischiefs. If the shame and
the reproach of these deeds could be now
done away, what sacrifice too great, what

229

sum too large, for the. accomplishment of
so signal a service. Yet these might have
been once purchased. Oh ! that wisdom
had intervened ! at an easy and a small
price. If an obnoxious, we will not say
an offending, member and minister of the
army, had been rendered up, not to the
clamours of a military public, but to the
course of military justice. How sincerely is
it to be lamented, that the authority which
should have consulted the popular feeUng,
was alone busied and delighted with the
demonstration of extreme power, instead of
using its true strength in moderate and tem-
perate rule, sweetened by the ministry of
grace.

If we have spoken with more freedom
than may be supposed to become us, of
great persons, and of dignified offices,
our excuse is, that we were desirous that
the eminence of station should not dazzle
weak eyes, and so conceal the urgency of
inquiry. If the times were more smooth,
we should have been inclined to be more
courteous.

It may be considered presumptuous and
arrogant in us, to point out the line of
policy which should be adopted in the dilfi-

230

culty of our Indian affairs. One or two
suggestions, however, we shall hazard,
though it should chance to expose us to
the severity of such a censure. It will be
not among the last endeavours of the Court
of Directors, to bring back men's minds, so
far as it be practicable, to the state in which
they stood, before extremities were resorted
to. As a primary means of effecting this,
we would seriously recommend, that all
objects should be removed from the sight,
that would be likely to excite a recollection
of what has passed. In the first place, it
would appear an obvious act of policy, to
prevent the collision of the Company's
corps, on the IMadras establishment, with
those of his Majesty, \\'hich have taken an
active, striking, and, we will add, a merito-
rious part, in suppressing the late outrages.
Any collision between the two services,
under these relative circumstances, could not,
we apprehend, be productive of much good,
whilst it might keep fresh in the memory of
both, what had better be consigned, and
as speedily as may be, to the stream of
oblivion. We will not bear it to be msinu-
ated against us, while we are urging this
suggestion, that we are throwing aside

231

instruments now they are no longer useful,
or of creating a field and range for unshack-
led discontent. To release such minds, as
are capable of tliese suspicions, from the
anxieties consequent upon them, wc must
add, that when we advised the removal of
these bodies, we intended that their places
should be supplied, with an equal number
of his Majesty's corps, brought from other
parts of India, whence they might be
easily forwarded, and not inconveniently
interchanged. It would be needless to point
out, that such a measure would reduce things
as near as possible to their primitive situation,
when no distinction, and no cause for it,
had existed between the separate branches
of the service.

We sincerely wish that so immediate a
reparation could be made of other no less
eminent evils. But it will demand more
than individual wisdom to devise measures
to heal the animosities which exist in the
different members of the same body. It
will be a work of some time and of much
labour, we are afraid, of studied and of con-
tinued policy, to harmonize the distracted
feelings of those who favoured separate
courses of action in the l^te disputes ; and

232

of those who found their safety in a neutrar
lized demeanour. But it will be the master
difficulty to restore the opinion which has
been destroyed, in the division of interests,
for the purposes of governing them in their
separate conditions, between the native
soldier and his European commander. Here
is a diversified and perplexed duty, and
surely a most imperious one, that cannot
be executed but by the hand of Time, and
by the concurrence of good fortune.

But, though no immediate means
may be descried for the reconciliation
of these jarring interests and passions,
some effectual ones might be found for
reconciling individuals to themselves. It
would not appear any very arduous employ-
ment to discover the way for soothing and
allaying the irritation of the army. It
requires but to call into use the dictates
of a natural and liberal policy. It is
only to extend the principles of the amnesty,
declared in India, to every indi\idual
involved in any of the stages or acts
growing out of the late discontent.

It can be no great effort of magnani-
mity to restore those again to their rank
and to their stations, who have been dis-

233

missed from them without a hearing, and
without investigation, unless it shall have
been carried on behind their backs, and
have been supported by representations as
partial as the proceeding itselt. If there
can be any reason for a momentary pause,
it will arise, w^e are sure, from the impres-
sion, necessarily suggested by every liberal
bosom, that some enquiry is due, as a mat-
ter of strict justice, to the injured feelings
of those individuals, who have been hur-
ried from India to this country ; unheard,
though not unjudged ; whose punishment
has foreran their trial; and whose injuries
will not be redressed by the mere restitu-
tion of their offices. But, above all, it will
be a wise exercise of discretion in the Court
of Dii'ectors to reprobate, and to abolish,
that baneful and odious practice, which is
alone sufficient to account for all the ills
that have happened, of dislranchising men
of their rights, acquired by patient, and per-
haps meritorious service, without allowing
them the opportunity of protecting and
defending their interests, or the privilege
scarcely of complaint. So long as this
arbitrary principle shall obtain, it will re-
quire not the spirit of divination to forctel,

234

that so long will subsist, however it may
be suppressed and masked for a time, an
universal sentiment of disgust and abhor-
rence. It arises from a cause so thoroughly
ingrafted in our nature, as to exceed the
reach of human pow er to eradicate or cor-
rect it. It is against the essence of justice
itself, as implanted by the hand of Provi-
dence in our hearts, and as evinced in all
its ways and dispensations. Let not the
pride of State forbid what it is the best inte-
rest of the State to grant. Let it not be
imagined, because the mutiny itself has
been subdued, that the spirit w^hich engen-
dered it is dead. Nor let those, to w^hom
we are now addressing ourselves, believe,
that a passion which we have described
to be universal, has been confined to a local
habitation. If the flame of discontent, by
accident or other causes, hath only yet
burst forth in one place, let them not flatter
themselves that it has been quenched and
extinguished in all ; but rather fear, — for
there is but too much cause for such an
apprehension, — that it is only smothered for
awhile, and may blaze forth, unexpectedly,
w ith a fury, redoubled by the circumstances

235

of its suppression. Let them be wise in
season, and from precept, and not wait for
the instruction of further calamitous events.
But in a disposition of grace and fiivor, let
them lay down imaginary privileges or rights,
which are not suited to the condition of
things, or cannot be exercised v, ithout work-
ing extensive practical inconvenience, and,
without endangering the very foundation
of justice. There are none amongst
the warmest advocates of this fanciful
right of suspension, who can go the length
of supporting it, in its full exercise, as in re-
lation to thepresentacts. For, whatever powder
the legislature may be supposed to have
given to the representative body of tlie East
India company, it never could have intended,
that it should have been deputed by them
to any other, who might disband at its own
will, and at its own caprice, without the
shew and the form of any judicial proceeding,
their best officers from the army, nay the
whole extended circle of them, with a single
dash of the pen. Let them renounce this
suspicious and dangerous practice, and com-
fort themselves with this undoubted conso-
lation, that what they may lose in power,

230

they will gain in reverence and respect.
This act alone would call back men's duties
and alTections, were they estranged at a
greater distance than they are. Such a wil-
ling offering to peace, would do more than
a hundred examples of sanction and of
vengeance. The hour may come, notwith-
standing the present meridian height of our
Eastern splendour, when every heart and
hand may be required to secure even a safe
possession. Let not any ungracious perti-
nacitv dissever one from the other.

Let not any one represent these plain
observations, as adverse to the interests, or
disrespectful to the rights of the constituted
body, to which they are principally addressed.
They are not offered in the feeling of an
enemy, but in the sentiment, and with the
warning voice of a friend. If the style or
manner of the address shall be deemed in
some parts to be rude, the intent at all
times, and in all places, will be seen, we
trust, to be honest. The case in our view
of it, appeared to be extreme, and despe-
rate, and not to admit of any trifling pallia-
tives, or more flattering digestives. It would,
in our contemplation, have been an act of

237

ilishonesty, to " skin and film the ulcerous
part," and leave the Constitution to be wasted
underneath, by secret and lurking corrup-
tion. We have boldly applied the bold
treatment, which, in our mind, it seemed
to demand, though the caustic burn, and the
knife should wound.

POSTSCRIPT.

Since the preceding pages have been in the
press, letters have been received from India
of so late a date as the 22d of October,
which confirm the previous accounts of the
amnesty granted to the parties involved in
the late unhappy occurrences on the Coast
of Coromandel, and describe the particular
exceptions, which are more numerous than
hitherto supposed, as well as the grounds
on which they had been governed, in the
application of the general rule. This act
of grace was declared in a General Order
bf the Governor General of the 25th Sep-
tember.

The principle on which it proceeds may
be best understood from the language of
the order itself, in which Ix)rd Minto thus
expresses hinaself:

23S

" The principle I have thought myself
at liberty to adopt has been to limit the
number of punishments, since impunity
cannot be general ; and to mitigate their
degrees to the utmost extent of lenity, not
entirely incompatible with the public
good, and the indispensable demands of
justice.

*' In the execution of this principle, it
has been necessary to make a small selec-
tion from a great mass of delinquency, all
subject in strictness to the penalties of the
law; and that such a choice should nei-
ther be capricious nor subject to the sus-
picion of partiality, I have adopted general
criterions, the principles of which are
manifestly just, and the application of
which to particular cases is subject to no
difficulty.

*' The first ground of selection is the
commission of some overt act of rebellion
or mutiny, such as seizing on fortresses,
or public treasure ; actual hostility against
the troops of his Majesty, the Company,
or its allies; quitting the station allotted
to troops without orders, or the refusal to
obey the orders of Government.

'' This principle of selection woidd

239

^* liberate a considerable proportion of the
'• army; but it would involve a much greater
*' number than it enters into my views t»
** exclude from pardon.

*' It is necessary therefore to select
** from the numerous class already described
" a smaller number comprized within a
*' narrower head oi distinction.

*' That selection is to consist of the offi-
■' cers in command of stations, or bodies of
** troeps, commandants of corps and per-
*' sons peculiarly distinguished for a forward
'* and violent part in tlie most criminal acts
'*' or proceedings of the army.

*' The Vvhole of this highly criminal
-' and peculiarly responsible, but not nu-
*' merous class, will most justly be sub-
'' mitted to a trial by Court Martial.

*' But as the Courts Martial may of
" necessity be bound to pass sentences of
*' greater severity tlian it is in contcm-
** plation to extend without distinction to
*' the whole number of those submitted to
" trial, a more minute sub-division will }et
'' be made, and the officers in command of
'^ garrisons, or considerable bodies of troops,
*' w ill be separated, on this ground of higher
*' responsibility, from tlie commandants of

240

** corps. The former will be subjected at
** all events to trial; the latter will be
" allowed the option of a trial, or dismissal
" from the service.

** In order that no anxious uncertainty
" may remain concerning the application of
*^ these rules of selection to individual cases,
" the names of all the officers intended for
" punishment, are expressed in the following
- list:"

Then follows the list of the officers
included in the separate classes.

In the first are described those, who
are to be absolutely tried by a Court Martial,
and those appear to be

J.Bell, Lt -col. Artillery, commanding at Seringapatam.

John Doveton, Lt.-col. Sth reg. N. C at Jaulna.

Joseph Storey, Major, 1st bat. 19th reg. N.I. Masulipatam.

In the second are contained the names
of those, who have the option of abiding
the event of a Court JNIartiaLor of dismissal
from the service, which are as follow:

Robert Munro, Lt.-col. 2d bat. 15th reg. Seringapatam.
David C. Kenny, Major, 2d bat. 19th reg. Ditto.
T. F. De Haviland, Capt. Engineers- Ditto.

George Cadell, do. 12th bat. N.I. Ditto.

H. M'Intosh, do. 1st bat. Sth reg. 1 Marched, wt. orders,
F-K. Aiskill, do. 1st bat. 15th reg. / from Chittledroog.

241

A, Aftdrews, Captain European rcg. Masulipatam.
James Paterson, do. 1st. bat. 1 1th reg. Samulcottah.
George AVahab, do, 1st bat. Cist reg. Chicacole.
James Sadler, do. 1st bat. 2 kli rcg Ellore-
J. L. Lushington, do. kh Reg. cavalrv, Jaulna.
A. M*Leod, do. 8th Rcg. cavalry, Ditto.
G. Hopkinson, Cnpt.-It. 1st bat- Art. Sen.Oflr. Art. Jaulna.
G. W. Poignand, do- H. Art. Sen. OfFr.of the Corps, Jaulna.
G-M. ^Gibson, Capt. 1st bat. lOih reg. Jaulna.
Thomas Pollock, do. 1st bat. I2:hreg. Ditto.
Mathew Stewart, Major, 2d bat. ITth reg. Ditto
John Turner, Capt. 2d bat. l5th reg. Scringapatam,

The order then proceeds:

" It is with corresponding satisfaction
" and joy, I have now to perform the more
" grateful office of announcing to every
" other officer, who lias been involved in
" any of the criminal proceedings of the
" army, since the 1st of May, a general and
** unqualified amnesty ; to the benefit of
*' which those officers, who have hitherto
*' declined the test, will be admitted on their
" signing that declaration.

" This amnesty is not granted in the nar-
" row spirit of mere pardon. It is tendered
** as an act of total and sincere oblivion ; it
*' offers on the part of Government a full
*' restoration of confidence and esteem; and
** it invitqs from those, who arc the object

R

242

'' of it, not a sullen discharge of constrained

" duty; but obedience which comes from

" the heart, and the cheerful, animated ser-

'' vice of cordiality, affection, and zeal."

The time will not permit us to take
any particular notice of this order, or to
publish any other part of it, than the fore-
going short extract. This, like the former
memorable order of Lord ^Slinto, is tediously
long and garrulous, though it contains some
good and salutary doctrines, strongly inter-
woYeti, as in the prior instance, with many
remarks, much out of time and place.
Several topics are comprehended in it, which
true policy would have left untouched.
While the amnesty to the great body of the
offenders is announced to be attended with
a general oblivion, obserA'ations are unfor-
tunately introduced in the same breath,
tending to a\A'aken and stimulate feelings
freihly allayed, and before they had time to
cool. Harsh and nnnecessary contrasts are
made, as if there had been a perverse bias
in the pen, to a course foreign to the pious
purpose of the writer. There are some
distinctions taken in the cases, excepted out
of the general amnesty, which it would
soem diiiicult to reconcile with the prin-

243

ciples on which the act is stated to proceed.
On this and other points, if an opportunity
be allowed, we may offer some future remark.
We cannot at present forbear the obser-
vation, tliat the measure would appear more
consonant to our humble notions of what
is right, if it had stood on more simple
ground, or if, indeed, it had been applied
without exception and distinction of any
kind, and certainly without any long reason-
ing on an act, which if it carried not a plain
and perspicuous meaning on the surface of
it, could not be improved by argument or
oratory, though urged by the ingenuity, or
enforced by the eloquence, of the Governor
General of India.

If, in our present uncertahity, we may
be indulged in the expression of a hope, it
is, that the numbers embraced in the j)re-
ceding list may be yet lessened, by a fur-
ther exertion of mercy, and on the appli-
cation of a party, who had no secondary
share in the acts, that brought about the
extreme events recorded in the f(»(^going
pages. Such a hope springs not on!} out
of our interests and wishes, but is ibiinded
on a report generally mentioned in the let-
ters just received from ^Madras.

244

It is with regret that we notice any thing
which may disturb the satisfactory conclu-
sions drawn in the order of Lord Minto, and
adopted by the pubhc, of the entire suppres-
sion of the discontents of the Madras army ;
but we think it our duty to add, though we
hope that the information may prove, erro-
neous, that private intelhgence suggests,
that the subsidiary force at Jaulnah, had
manifested a disposition to resist the orders
of Government, for the arrest of the officers
attached to that division of the army. With
pain we have also to remark, that a part of
the ill effects, anticipated by us in an earlier
place, has been already realized, and that
two trials by Court Martial had taken place,
arising out of the temper, generated among
different members of the same service, by
the different parts which they took in the
late disputes. We fervently wish that these
may be the last !

March Uth, 1810.

APPENDIX.

Jilt' mortal from the Officers commanding Native Corps
upon the Establishment of Fort St. George, to the
Hon. Court of Directors of tiie Hon. East India
Company .i S;c. Sheweth,

1 . That we, the undersigned memorialists, oRIcers command*
vAg native corps upon the Madras EstabJishmcnt, have the
honour, with all deference and respect, to solicit the attention
of your honourable Court, to tiie subject of our appeal, which
we, with the u'.most duty and subtnissijn, ofier to your con-
sideration.

2. Your memorialists beg to state, tliat Captain Jolm Munro,
of the European regiment on this establishment, and Quarter-
Mastcr-General of the army, delivered some months since to
(he Commander in Chief at Madras, certain proposals, bearing
date 30ih June, ISOS, recommending the abolition of the Tent
Contract, which, on the the 1st of July last, was taken from
officers commanding native corps in your army at Madras.

3. Whether the Tent Contract, as consistent with the good
of the public service, should or should not have continued to
exist, is a subject yoiu' memorialists will not presume to trouble
your honourable Court upon; but certain articles which the
Q.uarier-Master-Gencral has inserted in his proposals, as motives
that prevailed with him for recommending the abolition of the
Tent Contract, your memorialists have to observe, no less
excited their surprize, than they did the feelings of poignant;
concern, in peiceiving such dishonourable principles so
unjustly attributed to then).

4. Your memorialists will here furnish the extracts from the
Quarter-Master-Gcneral's proposals, on which they ground
their complaints to your honourabjc Court ;

Six years CNpcricnce of the pracicai effects of the existing
system C)f the camj) equipage equipment of the native army,
has afforded means of iurming a judgment rcLtivc to U5 advan-

s

246 APPENDIX.

tages and efTiclency, which were not posse.'^scd by the persons
who proposed its introduction ; and an attentive examination
of its operations, during that period of time, has suggested the
following observations regarding it : By granting the same
allowance in peace and war for the equipment of a Native corps,
while the expenses incidental to that charge are unavoidably
much greater in war than in peace, it places the interest and
duty of officers commanding native corps in direct opposition
to one another ; it makes it their interest that their corps should
not be in a state of efficiency lit for field service ; and therefore
furnishes strong inducements to neglect their most important
duties.

By charging Commanding Officers of corps with extensive
concerns, immediately affecting their private interests, is calcu-
lated, particularly in the field, to divert their attention and their
pursuits from the discipline and management of their corps ;
objects that should furnish them with sufficient employment for
the whole of their time.

(Signed) " JOHN MUNRO,

« Quarter Master General of the Army."'

5. Your memorialists, with the justest sentiments of defe-
rence to your honourable Court, beg to state, that these articles
unequivocally convey a most cruel and wanton insult, as well
as an injurious aspersion (we all feel it) to officers who have
faithfully served their country, many for nearly 30 years, some
more, in affirming, that upon the experience and observation of
six years, formed upon the judgment of practical effect, it
appears, officers commanding Native corps have strong induce-
ments, from interest, to neglect their most important duties, in
order that their corps should not be in a state of efficiency fit
tor field service.

6. Your memorialists conceive that these assertions, in their
application with regard to time, and operation, with respect to
effect, are no less than accusing them of having sacrificed tlie
interests and security of the public service for a base purpose,
and of having violated that trust which your honourable Court,
which Government, and which the Commander in Chief, in
certain confidence place in them. Your memorialists perceive
in them also an insinuation of an utter dereliction of the pride
of military spirit, in their having a wish, from pecuniary
motives, not to be prepared to meet the enemies of their
country.

7. Impressed with those painful sensations, which such serious
imptitaiions cannot fail to create, your memorialists, in several
instances, without delay* and with all possible respect, separately

APPENDIX. 247

addressed themselves to his Excellency the Commander in
Chief, Lieutenant-General Hay Macdowall, upon the subject
of the Quarter-Master-Gcneral's allegations. His Excellency
had the condescension to answer the several applications of
appeal ; but in a circular reply, observing in subst-ince, tliat as
he had not been consulted svith regard to the abolition of the
Tent Contract, he did not feel himself at liberty to interfere in
any matter connected with the subject, upon individual appli-
cation.

8. Your memorialists have to state to your honourable Court,
that, in consequence of this notification, feeling the injury
done them by the insinuations in the Qjaarter- Master- General's
minute, they adopted the means of redress which appeared to
themto))e most consistent with their ideas of justice, and with
the duty they owe to their superiors, submitted to their imme-
diate principal, the Commander in Chief, the substance of their
complaints, in the form of a military charge ; but finding that
this mode was considered by the Judge-Advocate-Gencral to be
irregular, or ineficctual towaids the vindication of their injured,
feelings, they respectfully abide by that opinion for tlie present,
and have solicited a suspension of the direct charge against the
individual, while they appealed to the candour and justice of
your honourable Court, trusting it may please them to order
an investigation of the subject, as from an investigation alone
can they hope for a removal of the disgraceful impressions
which the insinuations in the Quarter-Master- General's pro-
posals arc calculated to produce, and which your memorialists
in confidence beg to assure your honourable Court are equally
unfounded in fact, as they are injurious to the characters of the
officers of the Honourable Company's army.

9. Your memorialists have further to state to your honourabla
Court, that had the Qiiarter-Master-General promulgated his
injurious insinuations, serious as they are, in his capacity of
Captain in the European regiment, a conscious integrity might,
from the repugnance your memorialists feels to complain, have
treated them probably with a dignified silence, or with private
dissuasive admonition ; but, armed with the authority of the
Quarter-Master-General of the army, your memorialists are of
opinion, that they obtain a consequence and consideration, which
it is apprehended by them, cannot fail to influence the public
mind, not only in India, but in Europe; and create a belief,
that a Quarter-Master-Gcneral could not possibly circulate
6uch serious assertions, against a body of officets of that army
of which he is Q^ianer Master-General, without an existing
just cause.

S 2

248 APPENDIX,

10. To remove such an impression, and to establish, upon
incontrovertible testimony, liiat the officers commanding Native
corps have faithfully fulfilled those dudes which the public
service expects and requires from them, are the primary objects
which gave birth to that solicitude on the part of your memo-
rialists, for an investigation. A secondary object is to stamp,
with due effect, the nature of that offence in promulgating such
serious and erroneous matter, so highly injurious to their cha-
racters as officers and gentlcrtien, as well as to the respectability
of the Honourable Company's service in general.

] I. Your memorialists anxiously hope, that when the magni-
tude of the subject of ^v'hich they complain shall be taken into
consideration by your honourable Court, it will fully appear to
your judgment that they are not actuated in their appeal by any
frivolous or unreasonably tenacious principles, or any object
not strictly connected with that perfect moderation and tem-
perate pin^suit of justice, wliich your honourable Court in its
Vv'isdom and consideration, are ever disposed to attend to, with
those who, under the feelings and firm persuasion of just com-
plaint, claim your protection and support.

12. Your memorialists, through the medium of their imme-
diate superior, his Excellency the Commander in Chief, Lieu-
tenant-Gcncral Hay Macdowali. transmit their memorial; and
in relying upon that distinguished liberality and goodness which
have invariably marked his attention to them, to give their cause
that support which in his judgment it may deserve; they will,
with every sentiment of profound respect and deference, sub-
missively wait for, and obediently conform to such decision,
as your honourable Court shall, in the justness of your wisdom,
determine upon their cause.

Signed by thivfy-two ofucers, Commanding Native Corps.
Madras, December 1808.

[This was rejected by Sir George Barlow^ and returned to
General Macdowall.3

TO THE ADJUTANT-GENERAL OF THE ARMY.
Sir, — We, the under-mentioned officers, commanding
Native corps upon this establishment, have the honour to forward
the accompanying memorial, which we request you will lay
before his Excellency the Commander in Chief, Lieutenant-
Gene; a! Hay Macdowall, and which we have to solicit his
Excellency will take such measures as to him may appear most
suitable for the transmission of the same to the honourable Court.
\ii Directors.

APPENDIX. 219

^ * The Commander in Chief being already so well acquainted
with the general and particular circumstances that ga\c rise to
the immediate subject ot appeal, it becomes wholly unnecessary
onourpart to enter into any turthcr explanation lor his Excel-
lency's information.

The long series of years which the Commander in Chief
has served withfthe const army, and that benign goodness with
which he has invariably, both in public and private character,
distinguislied many of those who now apjSeal through his
authority, under a period of painful concern, creates every con-
fidence and hope that his Excellency will, as our immediate
superior, condescend to honourour memorial with such assistatice
and support, as in his judgment the subject has claim to, and
which, we are fully persuaded, cannot fail to give it the most
impartial introduction to the attention of the honourable Court
of Directors.

[Signed by thirty-two officers commanding Native corps,]

" Madras Establishment, Dec 1808."

GENERAL ORDERS— BY THE COMMANDER IN
CHIEF.

" Head.quarters, Choultry Plain, Jan. 25, 1809.

The immediate departure of Lieut. -General Macdowall
from Madras, will prevent him from pursuing the design of
bringing Lieut. -Colonel Munro, Qiiarter - Master - General,
to trial, for disrespect to the Commander in Chief, for disobe-
dience of orders, and for contempt of military aurhority, in
having resorted to the Civil Government, in defiance of the
officer at the head of the army, who had placed him under
arrest on charges preferred against him by a number of ofiicers
commanding Native corps ; in consequence ot wliich appeal
direct to the Hon. the President in Council, Lieut-Gcn.
Macdowall received a positive order trom the Snj)reme Go-
vernment to liberate Lieut. -Col. Munro Irom his conhnemcnt.
Such conduct on the part of Colonel Munro being destructive
of subordination, subversive of military discipline, a violation
of the sacred rights of the Commander in Chief, and holding
a m.ost dangerous example to the service, Lieut-General
Macdowall, in support of the dignity of the profession, iiid
his own station and character, feels it incinnhent upon him. to
express his strong disapprobation of Lieu. -Col. Munro's unex-

250 APPENDIX.

amplecl proceedings, and considers it a solemn duty imposed
upon him to reprimand Lieut. -Col. Munro in general orders,
and he is hereby reprimanded accordingly.

F. CAPPER.

" Adjutam-General of the Army."

[C. ]

GENERAL ORDERS— BY THE COMMANDER IN

CHIEF.

The moment is now arrived, when Lieut. -General
Macdowall is to take leave of the Company's army, whoseardent
courage, consummate discipline, and persevering Frmness, have
been displayed in the achievements of those brilliant exploits
which have secured its own glory, and added to the British
empire extensive fertile regions of incalculable value and impor-
tance. May your patriotism, valour, and worth, be acknow-
ledged and rewarded by your King and the East India Company,
in proportion as they are known and appreciated by your Com-
mander in Chief.

Had Lieut. -General Macdowall succeeded to the high and
enviable office with all the advantages enjoyed by his prede-
cessors, he would, upon first assuming the command, have
promulgated his sentiments on so flattering an event ; but the
circumstances of his appointment were so humiliating and
unpropitious, that he declined addressing the army, in the
anxious hope that the Court of Directors might, on further
deliberation, be induced to restore him to his right, by altering
the new and extraordinary forms of Government, and have
enabled him to exercise the functions of his station, as the
representative of the army, with honour to the service, and credit
to himself; no prospect of such an occurrence being at all pro-
bable, in justice to the army, and to his own character, he has
determined to retire.

On quitting a country where he has passed the greatest
part of his life, and where he possesses many dear and respec-
table friends, Lieut. -Gen. Macdowall cannot view his separation
from a body of men he is sincerely attached to, without suffer-
ing the most painful sensations 5 from the nature of the service
he can have little chance of ever meeting with them again, but
he is bound to declare, that the whole of their conduct meets
with his entire approbation, and he will boldly affirm, without
danger ot contradiction, that Hi.s Majesty has not, in any part
01 his dominions, a more loyal, patriotic, sind valiant class of

APPENDIX. 251

soldiers and subjects, than the officers composing the army of
Fort St. George. That success may continue to attend tlieir
steps ; that their dearly-bought laurels may never decay ; and
that their bravery and discipline may gather additional wreaths
in the field of honour, is the sincere prayer of a man who will
never forget ti.em,

(Signed) " F. CAPPER,

" Jan. 23, <• ^^dj.-Gcn. of theAimy."

[D. ]

GENERAL ORDERS— BY GOVERNMENT.

•' Fort St. George, Jan. 31, 1809.

" It has recently come to the knowledge of the Governor
in Council, that Lieut. -General Macdowall did, previously to
his embarkation from the Presidency, leave to be published to
the army, a General Order, dated 28th instant, in the highest
degree disrespectful to the authority of the Government, in
which that officer has presumed to found a public censure on
an act adopted under the immediate authority of the Governor
in Council, and to convey insinuations grossly derogatory to
the character of the Government, and subversive of military
discipline, and of the foundation of public authority. The
resignation of Lieut. -Gen. Macdowall of the command of the
army of Fort St. George, not having been yet received it
becomes the duty of the Governor in Council, in consideration
of the violent and inffammatory proceeding of that officer, in
the present and on other recent occasions, and for the purpose
of preventing the repetition of further acts of outrage, to anti-
cipate the period of his expected resignation, and to annul the
appointment of Lieutenani-Gcneral Macdowall to the com-
mand of the army of this Presidency ; Lieutenant-Gencral
Macdowall is accordingly hereby removed from the station of
Commander in Chief of the Forces at Fort St. George.

" The governor in Council must lament, witii the deepest
regret, the necessity of resorting to an extreme measure ot this
nature; but when a manifest endeavour has been used to bring
into degradation the supreme public authority, it is essential
that the vindication should not be less signal than the offence ;
and that a memorable example should be given, that proceedings
subsversivc of established order can find no security under
the sanction of rank, however high, or of station, however ex-
alted.

*' The General Order in question having been circulated

252 APPENDIX.

under the signature of the Deputy Adjutant General of the
Army, it must have been known to that officer, that in giving
currency to a paper ot this offensive description, he was acting
in direct violation of his duty to the Government, as no autho-
rity can justify the execution of an illegal act, connected as tliat
act obviously in the present case has been, with views of the
most reprehensible nature, the Governor in Council thinks
proper to mark his highest displeasure of the conduct of Major
Boles, by directing that he shall be suspended from the Com-
pany's service.

The General Order left by the Commander in Chief for
publication, under date 2Sth inst. is directed to be expunged
from every public record, and the Adjutant-General of the
Army will immediately circulate the necessary orders for that
purpose.

By order of tlie Honourable Governor in Council,

" GEORGE RUCHAN,

Secretary to Government.**

G. O. BY GOVERNMENT.

« Foit St. George, 1st Feb. 1809.

*' It having been made known to the honourable the gover-
nor in council that the adjutant-general ot the army wns
materially implicated in the measure of giving currency to the
offensive general order of the commander in chief, dated the
2Sth ultimo, it becomes the duty of the honourable the gover-
nor in council to direct that Lieutenant-colonel Capper be
suspended from the service of the honourable company, and
that officer is hereby suspended accordingly.

" The governor in council directs that major Robert Barclay
will take charge of the duties ot the oUice of adjutant-geiicrai,
until further orders.

By order of the Honourable the governor in council.
(Signed) " G. BUCHAN,

" Chief Secretary to Government."

THE HONOURABLE SIR G. BARLOW, BART. K. B.
PRESIDENT IN COUNCIL.

" Fort St. George, January, ISOf).
'^ Sir, — Impelled by a laudable ambition which had long led
rrc to aspire to the ciiiei comniand of the respectable army

APPENDIX. 253

under this establishment, I viewed my appointment to that high
office as the happiest event ot" my lile, concluding;, that 1 should
succeed to all the ri<^hts and privileges enjoyed by mv prede-
cessors. The decision, however, of the court of directors,
confirmed by the board of contrrMil, has placed me in so extra-
ordinary^nd unexampled, and so luitniliatini; a predicament, that
the most painful emotions are excited, an ! I, at one i^lance,
perceive that it is impossible to remain with ; ny prospect of
perlorming my duty with credit to tlic East Inilia company, of
acquiring tor myselt any reputation, or of doing justice to
those over whom I am called to preside. Divested of the power
of selecting for command, or of requiting the meritorious (tfficcr,
by the restriction of military patronage; deprived of tlie re-
spectability which in this country attaches to a seat in council,
and abridged iu the U'bUal emoluments of office ; it is incon-
sistent with the character I have ever endea\-oured to maintain
to hold an appointment of such magnitiu'e and responsibility
thus degraded ! I have thcrelore t;^ honour, honourable sir,
to request that I inay be permitted to resign my commi'^sion of
commander in chief, and to pr<Kecd to Iluropc by the pi'.-sent
opportunity. Inferring that the plan, tor the e\c'i:v;on of tiie
commander in cliief from council, m.UNt h.ue been l\MMicd
with sufficient deliberation, to preclude tlic por,s;b:;i:y of ar-y
arguments of mine producing an alteration ot sen'iiiient on
the projectors of it, I decline touching on t!:e siibjcct ; nor
will I condescend to make any reference to those, wlio liave
premcditately injured me, and who without a conciliating c\ ;'ies-
sion or any explanation whatever, have severely wouP'i' (i iiie
feelings ot an officer who has served them with zeal and tideh.y
(with a short inlermission) fo*r seven and twenty ycais. In
adverting once more to patronage, it is not possib'e t>> view
without the deepest regret, a scheine tor disconnecting tlie
authority tocommmd service, from the power of aiirnaiing
it by reward ; and tor allotting to the connnanicr in chief ail
the invidious duties of his station without tb.e means of solteir.ng
them to the army, by acts ot favour and kindness, derived
immediately from the fountain head; and I may he allowed to
observe that the plea of public utility o;ioh; to be clear and
urgent, which calls for the extinction or abridgement of any
of these rights which the army, throu.'h its natiira! leiMfsenta-
tive, possess, or which can justify me in adniitung, tlut an
experiment is necessary to ascertain with how small a I'ortion of
power and intlnence, the militaiy diuies umh-i th;s goveimiu-nt
may be cairied on.

" Notwithiianding these observations, (v/hich have nothing

254 APPENDIX.

of novelty to recommend them) and my determined resolution
to quit India \vith the spring fleet, should you, honourable sir,
he of opinion that the public service will, in any shape, suffer
detriment by my departure at the present moment, I shall con-
sider it an imperious duty to abandon every personal feeling,
and to submit to your judgment, should my exertions be deemed
of importance ; at the same time implicitly relying that your
honourable board will sanction my embarkation, when the cause
of my detention may be removed.

I beg, however, that it may be distinctly understood, that
this is not meant as courting an invitation to stay. I have been
oiTered an indignity, and my pride and sensibility would compel
me to retire, even were the sacrifice greater ; for I cannot tamely
submit to see the exalted station disgraced in my person, nor
can I be answerable to the army if 1 do not resist so uncommon
a deviation, which deprives it of a representative.

The accompanying copy of a letter from his excellency
the commander in chief in India will inform you, honourable
sir, of his acquiescence to my application for one year s leave
of absence.

I have the honour to be, &,c.

" HAY MACDOWALL."

[G. ]
GENERAL ORDER BY GOVERNMENT.

" Fort St. Georgf, 6th Feb. 1809.

The honourable the governor in council having lately
adopted the measure of ordering the release of the quartcr-master-
general of the army from arrest, and it being desirable that the
circumstances connected with that measure should be distinctly
and publicly understood, there being reason to believe, that a
great degree of misapprehension has hitherto existed, the gover-
nor in council thinks it proper to state, that the quarter-master-
general was placed under arrest by the late commander in chief,
on charges founded on a report which was submitted by the
quarter-master-general, in conformity to express orders ; which
report having been approved and adopted by tire commander in
chief, lieutenant-general Sir John Cradock, was by him com-
municated to the late right honourable the governor in council
of Fort St. George, and finally laid before the sujrrcme govern-
ment, under whose approbation and orders, it became the foun-
dation ot measr.res already known to the army.

In these circumstances the quarter-master-general could

APPENDIX. 255

be considered no longer responsible for proceedings so sanc-
tioned, and it would have been inconsistent with the evident
principles of justice, that a public officer should have been
liable to the obloquy of a trial, for an act not his, but tb.at of his
superiors — the question whit h in such case would have been
submitted to the cognizance of a iniliiaiy tribunal, would not
have involved only a discussion of the conduct of the qi.irter-
rnaster- general, but would have extended to the measures of the
principal civil and military authorities in this country ; mea-
sures which had undergone the niaturest consideration, and
which had been carried into effect under the most formal sanction
— it must be apparent, that a discussion involving consequences
of this nature, would have been contrary to law, contrary to
reason, ruinous ot public confidence, and subversive of the
foimdations ot military discipline, and ot public authority.

Impressed with these sentiments, it became the solemn, the
bounden duty of the governor in council, on the facts being
made known, by a communication from the quarter-mastcr-
general, (which, from the nature ot the question, it became the
right and duty ot that officer to submit by direct reference on
the communication having been refused by the late commander
in chief) to interpose the authority of the government, for the
prevention of the most fatal evils — it was the wish, it was the
earnest endeavour, of the governor in council, to eiTcct this
object, by every means of conciliation and explanation ; but
such means having been used in vain, and having been even
repelled under circumstances highly offensive, no alternative
remained, but that of conveying a specific order for the removal
of the arrest.

The governor in council desires, that the officers of this
army will be assured that this government would not be less
solicitous to vindicate their honour and reputation, by rejecting
all injurious imputations, if such could have been supposed,
than the officers of the army could have been solicitous in their
own vindication. The governor in council has accordingly,
under this impression, been led to an atientixe consideration
of the expressions which are understood to have been deemed
objectionable, and he has no hesitation in declaring, that it
appears in his judgment, inpossible, under any correct con-
struction, to attach an offensive meaning to words, where injury
was not meant, and where the intention ot offence assuredly did
not exist.

" Having stated this explanation, the honorable the governcT
in council deems it his further duty to observe, that the question
which has been under deliberation, must be now consiJeied

256 APPENDIX.

as concluded — the farther agitation of a subject of this nature
could be availing for no purpose, but that of disturbing the
established course of public affairs, and for the excitement of
feelings injurious to order and authority, and it will be
accordingly of importance to the public welfare, that the
circumstances connected with it, should be consigned to
oblivion.

By order ot the honourable the governor in Council.
(Signed) ^ " G. BUCHAN,

" Chief Sec. to Govt."

[H. ]

TO THE OFFICER OF THE WEEK OF THE JUNIOR
CLASS OF THE MILITARY INSTITUTION.

Sir, — Lieutenant-colonel Munro, quarter-master-general,
having heard that the officers of the junior class of the military
institution, have come to a resolution of expelling from their
society Mr. Poole, for attending at the late entertainment given
at the government-house^ 1 am directed to ascertain if that cir-
cumstance had influenced them in their resolution against IVIr.
Poole, and if this should be the case, to inform the officers that
they are to withdraw their proceedings against Mr. Poole, or
lieutenant-colonel Munro will judge it proper to apply to
government for an order, directing the gentlemen to quit the
institution and join their corps. You are therefore requested to
state to me what was the fact, and if it is the intention of the
gentlemen to comply withtlie above direction.

" C.KINSEY,

" Feb. 13th 1809. *' Assistant Instructor."

'' TO LIEUTENANT KINSEY.

Sir, — In reply to your letter of yesterday, the officers of
the n)ilitary institution beg leave to state, that they conceive the
f)th paragraph regulation code, fully justifies the measures they
have deemed fit to adopt against Ensign Poole, and as he is a
person whose acquaintance they feel averse to, they have availed
thetTiselves of the privilege therein granted, to officers in
common with other gentlemen, of making their own choice of
companions for their . private society,* to acquaint Ensign

APPENDIX. 257

Poole, that his longer continuance in the mess would be unplea-
sant to all panics.

I have the honour to be, sir,

\cuT most obedient scrvp.nt,

•' R. MACLEOD,

'' Dent's Gardens, Feb. 14, 1S09. «' Ensign."

" TO THE OFFICER OF THE WEEK OF THE JUNIOR

CLASS OF THE MILITARY INSTITUTION.

Sir, — I have the honour to transmit to you the copy of a
letter I have just received from lieutenant-colonel Munro, quar-
fcr-master-general, and Irequestthat you will be picascd to send
me a lis^ of the officers composinf^ tbe junior class of the mili-
tary institution, at the same time making the distinction tJicreiu
mentioned.

C. KINSEY,

*' Feb, 17th, 1809. " Assistant Instructor."

*' LIEUTENANT KINSEY.

Sir, — You will be pleased to fotuard to mc, Tvi'hout dcla' ,
a ii.<t of tiie namts of the offictis coniposing tuL- junior ciass (A
the military institution, distinguishing those who subscn!)cd to
the sentiments stated in the letter tiom the officer of the day, which
you fui warded tome. You will be piea-^cd to direct tl^e latter
officers to hold themselves in readiness to join their corps.

*' J. MUNRO,

'* Q. Master General's Office, " Qua:tei Master Gen.'^

FoitSt. George, Feb. i7th, 1809."

" LIEUTENANT KLNSEY,

** Sir, — Agreeable to your request I have tl>e hf)nour to
subscribe the names of the officers composing the junior class
of the military institution, who've sentiments were expressed in
the letter forwarded to you far the information ot lieutcnani-
colonel Munro-

Lieutenant StopforJ Enugns Williams

Ensigns Mark love Hodp;es

Spicer W. Taylor

Heath Clarke

Low iMolcslcv

258 APPENDIX.

Ensigns McNeil Ensigns Macleod

Grant Christie

Budd J.W.Taylor

Snell Ball

These are the names of all the oflTicers of the institution, at
that time present, with the exception of cornet Raymond
Williams.

" R, MACLEOD,

" Ensisrn and ofBcer of the Week.*

*' TO LIEUTENANT KINSEY, ASSISTANT
INSTRUCTOR.

Sir, — I have the honour of expressing the desire of the
commander in chief, that the officers attached to the junior
class of the military institution, whose names are stated in the
accompanying list, may be directed to join their corps forth-
with. The places of these officers will be supplied at the insti-
tution without delay.

" J, MUNRO,

" Quarter Master General."
'* Q. M. General's office, 20th February 1S09.'»

CHere follows a list of the officers mentioned in the preceding

letter.]

INTENDED MEMORIAL.

" The respectful Memorial of the Madras Army
humbly sheweth,

That your memorialists, deeply impressed with the sense
of the duty which they owe to their country, earnestly implore
your gracious interference for the purpose of cancelling a
system ■which has occasioned the most serious alarm, lest the
rules and ordinances which define their place in the community
may be completely subverted.

Your memorialists are uninfluenced by extravagant notions
of freedom, or any idea of independence, inconsistent with the
rigid subordination which characterizes the profession, as essen-
tial to its existence; they do not expect, nor do they ask, for
the relaxation of any tie, or the dissolution of any bond, by
which the stupendous fabric of an extensive army is maintained
in a state of due subserviency to the supreme power of the

APPENDIX. 259

constitution, of which it Forms a part, being justly sensible that
inconsiderate indulgence of imnuuiity, engender habits of
licentiousness, necessarily tend to destroy the principles of
discipline, and to make that body, which was formed for the
protection of the state, subversive of its tranquility.

Your memorialists, the tree children of that country,
'.vhlch, while the rest of Europe is enslaved, boasts a constitution
the basis of which is civil liberty, — your humble memorialists,
not the abject slaves of a country enthralled by despotism,
respectfully assert a claim to certain riglits and priviledscs, tlie
enjoyment of which may be allowed them without impairing or
encroaching upon the dignity of government, or in any way
mtcrfering with the other departments of the state.

Yo\ir memorialists have to lament generally, that although
their body is now extremely numerous, and the question regard-
ing their claims, their duties, and their priveled<res are so multi-
farious as to require the assistance of f.r^.ctical eNperiencc in
discussing the merits of them, yet they have not a representative
in the council of government, where alone the diNCus-jion can
be agitated ; to this cause, probably, may be ascribc-d the
recent measures which have n:ade it necessary for your n;crno-
r:a:ists to implore your gracious interposition, as they are
directly subversive of those principles of honour and discipline
which harmonize and cement the constitution of a militair
body, and are, at the same i;:ne, grossly insulting to the general
c/iaracter of the military profession.

A succinct notice of those measures v/i:l amply devclope
the principles by wliich your memorialists estimate the i'^juncs
they have already received ; and, by ilic further abuse of autho-
rities, which they have reason to apprehend, unless the svs*^cm,
so manifestly hostile to the honourabie feelings of a military
iociety, be seasonably cliecked.

It may be already kncu'n to your lordsI:ip that Ijeuten.uir-
colonel Munro, a member of the body to which your memo-
rialists belong, having incurred the su<^picion ol havmg acted
in a manner that was most generally considered to be crioiinal,
was openly and publicly impeached by a considerable niimLer
of respectable officers, who preferred charges against him. 1 hi .
measure was adopted in the hope that a cordial examiriatioM
before the honoui able tribunal of a court-martial might coriiinn
the supposed guilt, and lead to adequate punishment, or, if guii:
dfd not actually exist, that, purircd by that ordeal, he might
again return to take his pldce, in a -society, in ^^hictj, as must b<*
v/eli known to your lordships, supicion is considered ai equiva-
lent to infa/ny.

260 APPENDIX.

In consequence of those ckarges, and by virtue of the
warrant which gave to the commander in chief, and to him
only, the judicature of the Madras army, and vested in him
alone the jurisdiction, for the time being, Heutenant-general
Macdovvall placed lieutenant-colonel Munro under arrest; he
has since reluctantly released that officer, in consequence of the
interference of the civil governrnent, who have thus disunited
the chain, upon the integrity of which the principles of mili-
tary subordination depend ; tor, if the source from whence
authority and subordination flow to all members of the military
body be violated, the subordinate branches, which derive their
existence from thence, must lose their virtue.

Viewincc the interference of the civil government to check
the prescribed laws of military dependence, as a dangerous
violation and infringement of the solemn laws of the army,
your memorialists perceive in it the seeds of unlicensed anarchy
and confusion; no desultory exercise of arbitrary power, how-
e\'er severe, can be expected to restrain the passions or feelings
or cnlighieued men, although it may mortify or distress indivi-
duals ; the doubt regarding the legality and precarious prin-
c:;.\e by vvhicli it must ever be regulated, deprive it of that
aiuhority and re,sj)ect v.-hich attaches to an established system of
jurisprudence, sanctioned by tiie legislature, by prescription,
by habits, and by the feelings of those educated under its
inni!e:ice.

In order to vindicate the cliaracter of his profession, and to
maintain the integrity of the military authority overthose under
hi.' command, lieHtenant-general Macdowall directed the publi-
Ctslion of a geneial order, conveying a reprimand to lieutenant-
colonel Munro, for disresv? --t r-.i "s commander in chiet in not
abiding by tlse regular course ol enquiry, laid down in similar
ca'^es.

As the f.'inner acts of the government had proclaimed to
the army that lieutenant-colonel Munro was not amenable to
military law, on this occasion tliat ofi'icer was declared to be
superior to t!ie controul of the commander in chief, by the
pubiicuion of an order, in which general Macdowall is stigma-
tized witii the rei:>roach of having acted in a manner derogatory
to the C!!c.racter of goveinment, and subversive of military disci-
pline, and the foundation of public authority, although the order
of gen. Macdowaii icfeis purely tothedisresiect.thedisobedicnce
of Oiders, and the contemjU of military authority, manifested
!jy an officer, who was not only under his general controul, as
belonging to the army which he commanded, but who, attached
to 'n's i;nme;li ite staff, ou'cd him particular respect and obedience
Your memorialists, accustomed to judge of the acts of

APPENDIX. 261

military men as referable to the standard of right and wrong,
which h4§ been established by tb.e le;;islaturc for the controul oi
their body, cannot discover any relation between the orders of
government, and the rules of discipline and subordination,
equally subversive ot the foundation of authority, as that reso-
lution of' government, by which the adjutant-general and his
deputy are ignominioiisly suspended trotn the service, for
having obeyed the orders of their coinmaiidcr in chief, which
obedience is stated to be a direct violation of the duty of those
ofTiccrs towards the government.

It must be painful to your lordship, as it is to your memo-
rialists, to contemplate the possible consequences of a procedure
equally unprecedented as it is unaccountable, by any other
rules that* thoseof blind prejudice, or deluded infatuation.

Your mcmoridlists percreive a commander in chief, who
had lived among them, who v.-as personally beloved by many,
and who was known by it'.l, to have manifested great forbearance,
under circumstances extremely mortifying, from the conduct
which government observed towards him, they perceive the
character of such a man grossly calumniated, while their regret
for his departure was yet fresh ; tliey perceive two ofTicers of high
rank, character, and respectability publicly degraded, deprived
of their rank, and suspended from the service, for having obeyed
their commander in chief, in signing and publishing an order
written by himself, for the purpose of vindicating the dignity
of his military authority, which had been flagrantly violated by
one of his own staff, who openly defied and disregarded the
supreme military commission; they perceive this odicer, who
had been publicly impeaclied, under charges of a serious nature,
and who had insulted his commander in chief, sheltered from
the natural effect of such misconduct, by the interference of
government. Your memorialists cannot avoid declaring, that
they see, in this evasion of the fundamental laws of discipline,
a most dangerous infringement of the military code ; that bul-
wark which protects the state from the licentiousness of an armed
rabble, a power subject to no controul, cxcejn the c-^jvrcc or
prejudice of an individual; ai"! y..nr memorialists f( el ajusi
alarm, lest the repetition of acts, wliich are not guided by any
rule, may tend to wean their affections, and ili-^pose thciTi to
consider as enemies those whose situations should niake theiri
their friends.

" Your memorialists have learned, v.'ith indignant regret, tliat
their enemies, and the enemies of their country, have 1 (-pre-
sented a public disafTection the discontent produced by local ard
partial injuries, arising fro'n iln- present ruiit'irc, but they c.n-

26'Z APPENDIX.

fideni-iy appeal to die zeal and ardour with wlilcli a large pro-
portion of them are now discharging the most arckious duties ia
the service of the state; they appeal to tl;c moderation with
Avhich they have stifled their feelings, that tiic recent conduct
of the Madras government was calculated to inspire ; and whde
they declare their Inviolable attachment to the state untlcr which
they serve, and to their profession, as regulated by its own law,
they cannot suppress the expression of their concern, at the
manner in which the exclusive rights of the army have recently
been violated, and their sanguine hopes and earnest entreaty that,
the supreme government may, in its wisdom, be induced to
appease theu" just alarms, and to anticipate the extreir.e crisis ot
their agitation, by relieving them from the controu! ot a ruler,.
whose measures, guided by tlieir enemy, are equally dctiimental
tothe interest of the state, astb.ey are injurious to the feelings of
a loyal and patriotic army."

[ K. ]

'' TO MAJOR BOLES.

Sir, — The officers of the Madras army whose names are
hereunto annexed, can no longer abstain from expressing to you
their surprize and concern at the severe and unmerited punish-
ment inflicted on you, by an act ot the civil government of Forr
St. George, for no reason that is stated, but tliat you obeyed the
orders of the commander in chict, in a case purely military.

Feeling the question to involve circumstances cssciuial to
their best interests, and tundamental totlie character and respec-
tability of the army, no less than to the principles of martial
law, they consider themselves called upon to signify to you their
marked appn bation of your conduct as an officer on the gene-
ral stafFon that occa.sion.

Whilst your brother officers seize this opportunity to ex-
press tlieir sense ot the propriety of your conduct, they fully
appreciate t'lii; personal inconvenience to which von arc exposed
by suspension from office, and trie service. With these feel-
ings they request the honour ot repairing your injuiies, in the
mean time, as tar as lays within their power, by sub^ci ibing and
paying to your order, monthly, the full amount ot tliat pay, and
stair allowance, of which you have been in this extraordinary
manner deprived.

As your conduct on the occasion alluded to, is exactly con-
forniable to what the undersigned, it placed ia your situatu;i>^

APPENDIX. 263

wnull ]\:\vc pursued, tlicy cannot avoid making your cause thvir
own, ancT^ under existini; circuiiistancc-s, such nvitiial support
must be expected, and accepied by all who, hke yourself, have
or may become suiTerers, tluouoli any such exceptionable mea-
sures ontlie part of th.e civil gdverimicnt o)i Fort St. Geoi ^c, as
have rendered necessary the painful step \veha\e now taheii.

[ I^. )

« TO THE OFFICER COMMANDING THE FORCES
SERVING IN TRAVANCORE.

SiRj---It havin<T come to my knowledge thiit papers of a
very improper natiue are in circulation anioufj the olheers of
the a! my, regarding tlie suspension of major Boles from the
situation of deputy-aiijiitant-geiieral of the arrry, in consetiuencc
of having apjjlied his signature to the general order ot t'ae JSih
of January last; as this circtunstance has not come before me
m any public or authenticated form, I am induced to notice it
to you in this way, rather than throtigh tiic channel of a gener<d
ord.er.

The paper in question, it I am rightly inR)rnied, has, {or
one of its (objects, the collection of a subscription for the le'ief
ol major Roles, a circumstan.ee which, as commander ol the
army, I could take no interest in, as officers may apply t'.ieir
money for the benefit of whom they please, did it not, at ihc
same time, it" I am rightly mtormed, mtmiate an intention o{
supporting all others who may, in like manner, tall under tl;('
<lisp!easureof government, and imply also a justilication oi the
principle upon which major Boles acted.

It is impossible tor tlie comm.uider of an English army to
take a passive part, whilst such thinLjs are tranSiicting among
those under his command ; as the<;e officers, by pdacing then-
principles in direct opposition to tliat ot g«)vern:7K'!r, and
holding out a security anrl indemnity, in l-'Ct eiico'.uaguig 1:^0-
bedience and revolt, as far as it is possible for tr.em to do.

It were needless for me to explain, to a per-^ on ot your
experience, that an officer, uiuU'r an English government, ( .;u
only be justifiable in obeying a legal order, and th.ir ilu- oidcr
in question was of a nature calcid<ued to excite sedixon n: ihe
army, and, as such, unjiistifiab'c and illegd on the lace ol it,
and ought accordingly to h.ivr been dcclin 'd. by I'wrv wvil-
i'lformed otHcer. Major B<;!es inut, fiorn his siti!a!i<»n, be
;-nppo3ed to have known, tiiat the govinor atil couri-il ot Fuit

264 APPEXDrx.

St. George arc not only the civil, but, by the express enact-
ment ot the Britisr; legislature, the military government also oi
the country ; the whole of the civil and military government
of the presidency of Fort St. George being vested in a gover-
nor and three counsellors, by the act of l/pS.

Although it can never be proper to accustom officers to
hesitateasto obeying the usual commands of their superiors, yet
this principle, if not limited by law, would, in its operation,
tend to the subversion of all government, and put it in the
power of any desperate leader, by indemnifying all under him,
to issue what orders, and do what act he chose. But, fortu-
nately, the principle is sufficiently understood in an Engllsli
army, that the military state is subordinate to the civil, and that
where there is command, there can be no duty but to obey.

As I depreciate the discussion in public orders of odious
and delicate questions, and as I am unwilHng to publish any
general order on a subject so perfectly understood, (and wr.ich,
but for the prejudice of the moment, could never be mistaken)
I choose rather to trust to your discretion, that j'ou will exer-
cise the influence of your situation in explaining to those under
your command, the impropriety of their conduct, in thus gving
circulation to sentiments of such unfounded and pernicious
tendency, as are said to be found in that paper regarding major
Boles, and which, I am much afraid, will be attended with very
serious consequences to those who have been so ill advised as to
fix their signatures to it ; ior when a paper of this, or any other
factious nature, comes before me, I can have no difficulty in
advising-fovernment how to dispose of the authors of it.

As compassiyn for major Boles may have drawn in the
officers to this measure, I think it i)roper here to explain, that
major Boles has, in my ojjinlon, deprived himself ot any par-
ticular claim to feelings of that nature. It had never been,
I was persuaded, the intention of government to deal severely
with that officer, but only to vindicate that respect due to their
own authority, which every government must be anxious to
maintain. And, accordingly, (but without any instructions to
that effect) soon after my succeeding to the command, I took
the occasion to signify to major Boles, that it he would express
any adequate regret for what he had done, as that when he liad
ofFered his signature to the order he was not aware of the conse-
quence, and thought he was acting right, without meaning any
offence to government, but was now sorry for what had hap-
pened, I would make it my business to get him reinstated in his
rank and official situation. But this explanation, so natural to
have been expected,, and which included in it no personal con-

APPENDIX. 260

cession of character, v>'as rejected, (and not without some
warm'U by liis exclaiming ihat he was sorry for nothing that
haJ hiopencd, or words to that effect.

I beg to call your attention to tiie following extract of a
general order, by this government, of the 30th of December,
^799) by which you will perceive the restrictions to which the
circulation of addresses to the army has been limited.

His lordship n council also prohibits, under the strongest
injunctions, the publication in future ot any addresses to the
army, or to any division of it, by any person or persons
whatever, without the previous sanction of his lordship, or
of the governor general in council.'

I have to rely on your discretion that you will adopt the
means suitable to the occasion for the discouragement and prc-
ventiort of the address above alluded to, or of any other of a
similar description, with the division under vour command.

(Signed) " F. GOWDIE,

" Fort St. George, " M. G. commandiiii,',''

Commander in Chief's Office, 10th April, 1S09."

[ M. ]

*' G. O. BY THE HONOURABLE THE GOVERNOR IN
COUNCIL.

•' Fort St. George, May 1, 1809.

*' The zeal and discipline, by which the military cstablisli-
ment of Fort St. George had long been distinguished, induced
the governor in council to expect that the measures which the
violent and intemperate acts of the late commander in chief had
imposed on the government, would be received by all the
officers of the army with the sentiments of respect and obedi-
ence prescribed by the principles of military subordination, and
due to the government by which those measures were adopted,
as well as to the authorities to which they were ultimately refer-
red. The governor in council has, hi-^wever, learnt, with a
degree of surprise proportionate to the confidence which he
reposed in the discipline of the army, tliat soon after the depar-
ture of the late commander in chief, procepdings of the most
unjusti(;able nature, and correspondent to the example which
he had afforded, were pursued by certain officers of the army.

*' The most reprehensible of those proceedings consisted in
the preparation of a paper, addressed to the right honourable the
governor general, purporting to be a remonstrance, in the name

266

ArPEXDIX.

of ibc army, against the acts of tr,e government under which it
serves.

That paper is not more lio'Jtiic to the aiuhority of thi<;
government than to the fnst principles of all government. It
n.aintains opinions directly adverse to the constitution o[ the
British service, and is calculated to destroy every foundation
ol discipline, obedience and fidelity,

The secrecy observed in preparing this seditions paper,
prevented for some tirne the discovery of the persons engaged
in that proceedmg. But it has now been ascertained that caprain
Josiah Marshall, late sectetary to the militarv board, and lieu-
tenant-colonel George Martin, lately permiitcd to proceed to
England, were principally concerned in preparing and circu-
lating the memorial in question, and thit lieutenant-colonel, the
honourable Arthur Sentleger was acti\ e in promoting its circu-
lation, employing the influence whicii he dcrivef! from the
important command confided to hitii by the government, for the
piu-pose of attempting the subversion of its authority, and
spreading disaffection among the troop-s which it haci entrusted
to his chc-rge.

It has also been ascertained tbiat major J. De Morgan
lias been active in the circulation of the n.cnuirial.

Tiie governor in council is also un.icr the necessity of
noticing another paper, of a most dangerous tendencv, lately in
circulation at some of the military s'-ations, purnoriiig to b'" an
address from the ofiicers of the army to major Boles, the late
dcpnty-adjulant-general. In this address a up:'-. ;s assumed to
decide on the acts (d the government, by ccjndemning in unqua-
lified terms, the sentence of suspension passed on n;ajor B(dcs ;
and an encouragetnent is held out tn otlver officers to violate
tl'cir duty to the go^■ernmPnt, bv afiording a pecuniary ind.em-
nibcation, not ciiiy to tnajor Boies, but to ail sucli officers as
shall suffer by any ;;ct of the governmeiif which the subscribers
to the address may deem exceptionable. This paper, so incom-
patible with the military character, and so repitgnant to the
Jundarnental princ!i)'es of military discipline and government,
was forced on the attention ' f tb.e governor by captain Jamcs
Grant, commandant of his bjdy guaid, who, whtic holding that
confidential sitiaation, and employed, by order of the governor
in council, under the resident at TravatKore, tiaiismilted a copy
of the paper to be laid belore the governor, with an avowal, that
he had affixed his signature to it, and a defence of the grounds
on winch he adopted thai proceeding.

It has also been ascertained that a paper of a similar ten-
flcncy hu: been circulated among the officers of the corps of

APPENDIX. 2G7

a'lillen- at ilieMor.nt. and iliat its circulaMon lias been promr-tcd
In- licvuenant-coloncl Robcit Bel!, the otficcr commanding tbat
corps.

The governor in council rcgi'^ts tb.it lie isob'ie^cd to notice
also the conduct ot hcutenaiu-coione' C!;almers (ci:n,':,a!: '••ifr
in l^ravancore,) and licutcnant-coKjnel Cuppagc (i.ucly com-
manding in Malabar, and employed \vit!;, ibe troops luider lii-j
ord -'s at I'ravancore) who appear to have taken no steps what-
ever either to repress or report to the gover-jneu'' tlie improper
proceedings pursued by part of the troops under their orders. It
is not sufl^cient lor officers holding cornm,>nds to avoid a partici-
pation m such proceedings; it is their positive and ind-ipensable
duty to adopt the most decided measures toi their suppressK,n,
and to report them to tb.eir stiperior authorities.

It 'has further been ascertained that captain ]. M, Coombs,
assistant-qnarter-ma<;ter-general in Mysore, has been concerned
in tb.ese leprehensiblc proceedings.

It becomes t!ie painful duty of tlic governor in council to
mark with the displeasure ot the government the conduct of the
ahovcmentioned officers, who have been engaged in a course of
measures equallv dangerous to the existence of discipline, to the
found, itions ot legal governnienr, and to the interests of their
coimtry.

The undermentioned officers arc accordingly declared to
be suspended from the service ot the honourable company, until
the pleasure of the honourable the Coint of Directors shall be
known.

Lieutenant-colonel the lion. Arthur Sentleger.
K^aior John de Morgan,
Capiain Josiah Marshal
Captain James Grant.

Lieutenant-colonel cominandant Robert Bell, Is removed
from all military chcirge and command, until the pleasure of the
honourable the Court of Directors shall be known, but lie is per-
mitted to draw his regimental pay and allowances.

l.ieutenant-colonel commandant J. XL Chalmers is removed
from the command of the subsidiary torce in Travancore.

Idle under mentioned officers are removed from their staff
jippointments, and ordered to join the cori)S to which tliey stand
attached.

Lieiitenant-coIf)nel John Cuppac^e.
Captain J. M. Coomlis.
" 'Idle governor in council considers it to be proper to avail
him%elfof this occasion to correct a misapjirehension, biffn'y
dangerous in its tendency, which lias .iiiscu in the minds ot

26S APPENDIX.

some of the officers of the army, with regard to th.e nature of
the authority of the governor in council. This misapprehen-
sion appears to have originated in tlic genera! order, published by
the late commander in chief on the 2Sth of January last, from
which it might be inferred that the authority of the governor in
council is only of a civil nature, whereas, bv the express enact-
ment ot the legislature, the entire civil and military government
of the Presidency of Fort St. George and its dependencies is
vested in the governor in council. It is therefore to be dis-
tinctly understood that no officer, of whatever rank, while
serving under the presidency ot Fort St. George, can without
incurring the penalties of disobedience to the legislature of his
country, issue any order in violation, or to the derogation, of
the authority of the government ; and that every officer com-
plying with an order of that description under any prete ce
whatever, renders himself liable to the forfeiture of the service,
and to such legal penalties as the nature of the case may de-
mand.

While the governor in council deems it to be proper to
aflTord the foregoing explanation, he feels himself at the same
time bound to acknowledge that the principles to which he has
adverted, have never been called in question, until the publica-
tion ot the above-mentioned order of the late commander in
chief. On the contrary, these principles had been invariably
acted upon by the government and by the officers of the army
of this presidency, who have been no less distinguished for
their obedience and discipline, than for their achievements in the
field. The governor in council also experiences the most sincere
satisfaction, in publishing his conviction that the majority of the
army have resisted all participation in the improper and dan-
gerous proceedings described in this order ; and it is an act of
justice to the troops of his Majesty's service to declare his entire
approbation of the order, discipline, and steady adherence to
duty, which they have invariably manifested. The information
before the government does not enable the governor in council
to distinguish, by the expression of his approbation, all the
troops of the company's service that have manifested the same
dispositions ; but he deems it to be proper to notice, on this
occasion, the satisfactory and exemplary conduct of the part of
the army composing the Hyderabad subsidiary force. The
honourable the governor in council is also confident that such
officers as have inadvertently yielded to the misrepresentations
of individuals, who have been engaged in the prosecution of
designs equally fatal to the honor and to tlie interests of the army,
will in future manifest, in the service of the government, the

APPENDIX. 269

ohcilicncc, fidelity and zeal which constitute the first principles
of their profession, which have hitherto distinguished the army,
and which are indispensable to the prosperity ot the British
empire in India.

By order ot the honourable the governor in coimcil.
(Signed) " A. FALCONAR,

*' Chief Sec, to Govt."

GENERAL ORDER BY GOVERNMENT.

" May 1, 1809.

The honourable the governor In council has been pleased to
make the following appointmci-ts :

iVIajor T. H, S. Conway to be adjutant-genera; of the
army, with tlie official rank oi lieutenant-colonel^ vice Cup-
paye.

Captain P. V. Agncw to be deputy-adjutant-gcneral of the
arniy, witf: the official rank of major, vice Conway.

Lieutenant-colonel T. Clarke to be commandant of artil-
lery, with the staff allowance annexed to that station, and a seat
at t;;e military board, vice Bell.

Alcijor Sir John Sinclair, Baronet, to be commis-
sary of stores in charge of the arsenal of Fort St. George, vice
Clarke.

Lieutenant A. E. Patullo, to command the honourable the
governor's body guard, vice Grant.

Captain J. Dovcton, of the /th regiment native cavalry, to
be paymaster at Vizagapatam, vice Marsiiall.

The following officers, who have been suspended from tlie
service of the honourable company, until the pleasure oi the
Court of Directors shall be known, are directed to ho'd them-
selves in readiness to proceed to England, by such opportuni-
ties as the iionourable the governor in council may think
jiroper to point out, viz.

Lieutenant-colonel the honourable Arthur Scntlcgcr,

M.ijor Thomas Boles,

Major John De Morgan,

Captain Josiah Marshall,

Captain James Grant.

Lieutenant-colonel Scntlcgcr is further directed to rcpairto
the presidency without delay.

The honourable the governor liaving l)ccn pleased to appoint
Lieutenant-colonel Herny Coin an, of his Majesty's royal rcgi-
;ncnt, to command the whole of the troops composing the

270 APPEXDIX.

jB[;^rrison of Fort St. George, the governor in council directs tliat
col. Coiiran <;ha{l be considered to bcentitledtothesameallovvances
as otiier officers holding commands under the appointment ot
tlie governor in council.

By order ot the honourable the governor in council.
(Signed) ■'; A. FALCONAR,

" Chief Secretary to Government."

By order oi major-general Gowdic, commanding the army."

[N. ]

«.• GENERAL ORDERS BY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
THE GOVERNOR GENERAL IN COUNCIL.

« Fort William, July 20, 1809.

The right honourable tlie governor-general in coimcil has
received private but authentic advices, that orders liaving beeit
issue ! by major-general Gowdie, the officer commanding in
cjiief (Ml tl;e coast, to lieutenant-colonel Inncs, commanding at
Masulipatam, directing the embarkation ot one or more detach-
ments of .'he Madras Euro])ean regiments on board his majestv's
ships, tor the purpose ot serving as marines; the officeis ot ihe
station were induced to entertain ilie erroneous supposition, that
tlie object of those orders was to separate, and finally to disperse
that regiment, (a design which the government of Fort St.
George has tormally disavowed) and, imder the influence ot tliis
misapprehension, declared their resolution to resist the execu-
tion of tliem; that lieutenant-colonel Innes, having manifested a
determination to cntorcethem, the officers ot the garrison pro-
ceeded to the barracks, and by personal representation suc-
ceeded in seducing the troops from their duty, and m obtaining
from them a promise of support ; that major Storey, the next
in command, who was then in the cantonments, proceeded to the
garrison, and having endeavoured, without success, to induce
lieiuenant-colonel Irmes to depart from the obligation of his
pid)lic duty, by abandoning his resolution to carry into elTect
the ordeis which, lie had received, adopted the extreme measure
of placing that officer in arrest, under the charge ot European
Gentries.

The governor-general in council has deemed it necessary
to apprize the army of Bengal of an event so deeply interesting
io the feelings of every loyal subject, and especially of those
wlio have the honour to bear a military commission. The
goveinor-generai in council has received, with sentiments of the
deepest affliction, the intelligence of the excesses into which

APPENDIX. ^71

the ofTiccrs of ilie station of Masulipatam have tims been gradu-
ally led by tb.e e'fects of tlie late prevailing agitation in the army
of I he Coast. He trusts, however, tiiat this unhappy event
^^.i!l aford a salutary warning of the danger to which the com-
bined interest of the public and the army must be ever exposed
by the first and s'ightcst departure from tlie cst;^bhshcd princi-
ples o\ military discipline, on the one hand ; and, on the other,
of a just subordination to the laws ol their country and to the
legitimate authority ot the state.

The occurrence of this afflicting event, combined with the
agitation which imhappily prevails among the olficers of the
army of f^ort St. George, renders it the duty ot the governor-
general to proceed, without delay, to that presidencv, in the
hope of being enabled successfully to appeal to those sentiments
ot ioyaiiy and attachment to their Kji^ and their country,
winch his lordship in council yet conhile it.y ascribes to the
general body of the (officers of the coast army ; whose zeal,
hdelity, and professional achievciriCnts have hitherto been the
tlieine ot just and luiqualified applause : an.l, bv an accu-atc
knowledge of all the circumstances wiiich have aiien'ied the i^te
agitat;on, to devise suc.i means as may best tend to avert tlie
impending dangers ol anarchy and insubordination, and re-
e^tabh'^:! the foundations ot public ^ecuriiy and national prospe-
liiy ;n tliis important branch of t le British empire.

"• N. K. KDMONSTOXE,

" Chief Secretary to Govermiient.'"

[O. ]

" GENERAL ORDERS BY THE HON. THE GOVER-
NOR IN COUNCIL.

" August old.

Para. ]. The honourable tlic governor in council judges
it proper to aimouncc to the native troops, that the very im-
proper conduct of some of the European oncers ol the com-
pan\ s ser\icc} and the refusal of others to acknowledge their
allegiance to the government, have rendered it indispcn'^ably
necessary to remove U)r a time a considerable number of Euro-
pean ofticers from the exercise of auitiority.

'2. This measure will not, however, ;iffect, in any respect,
the situation ot the native troops, who nnist know, that tlieir
first d!ity is to the government which tl.cy serve, and from
which all authority is rlerived.

J. '1 lie govciiijr in council entertains the same solicitude

272' APPENDIX.

for tlie welfare and comforts of the native troops tliat has inva-
riably been inanitcsted by the British government.

4. He has no intention whatever of making any clianges
in their situation ; and he expects that the native troops will
display on every eraetgency the unshaken fidelity to government
whichconstitutes thelirstduty-of a soldier; that they willobey with
zeal the ciders of the officers whom the government shall place
in authority over them ; that they will refuse a belief to all
reports calculated to agitate their minds and diminish their con-
fidence in the government ; and that th.ey will not allow them-
selves to be involved in measures in any respect adverse to their
dutv and cliccriance.

5. The governor in council is pleased to express his appro-
bation (ji the good conduct which has been recently manifested
by the native troops at the presidency in the camp at the Mount,
at Trichinopoly, and at Ve'.loie, and he is conndent that
their behaviour will be equally correct and loyal at all other
stations of tliearmy.

By order of the honourable the governor in council.

(Signed) " A. FALCONAR,

" Chief Sec. to Govt."

'' August 5tlj.

The hon. the g'nernor in council has been pleased to
resolve, that all the European officers of the company's ser-
vice, wiio may be removed from the exercise of their military
functions, in consequence of their refusing or omitting to sign
the declaration, reaui'ed in the orders of the 26th of July last,
shall he permitted to choose a place for their residence until
fmtf.cr orders, between Sadras and Negapatam, both places
included, from which they are not afterwards to proceed beyond
the distance of five miles, without the permission ot the gover-
jior in council.

I'hc governor in council is further pleased to direct, tliat
the commanding officers of divisions, stations, or corps, shall
take the most effectual measurers for obliging the officers who
«iay be suspended from the exercise of their military functions,
for the reasons above stated, to quit the stations of their corps
without any delay whatever, and to .proceed, with all
practicable dispatch, to the places which they may choose for
their residence.

" Commanding officers of divisions, &c. are directed to report
to the office of the adjutant-general of the army, the names of

APPENDIX. 2/3

the places which may be selected by the officers for their resi-
dence under this order.

*' By order ot the honourable the Governor in cowncif.
(Signed) *• A. FALCOXAR,

Chief Sec. to Gov.'

[P. ]

'' LIEUTENANT COLONEL DAVIS, COMMANDING
IN MYSORE.

Sir, — I have this morning received your official letter,
giving cover to a copy of a lotier troin government, under date
26th uIk and have, in reply, to state, that I tendered the paper,
in due form, to all the officers present here, who (iinamin<nislY)
refused to sign it. I have deliveied over the coiinnand to
Subidar Bohoodhng, a most rcspect-iblc and good soldier, uhotu
I had some trouble to persuade to supersede his European
officers in the command of the corps and stations. The enclo-
sures will fully explain every thing further.

I have the honour to be. Sir,

Your most obedient serv.mt,

(Signed) " JAMES WELSH,

" Lute major, &c.''
« August 6th, 1809."

" LIEUTENANT COLONEL GIRRS, COMMANDING
IN BANGALORE.
** Sir, — I have the honour to forward a paper, which I have
to request you will torward to Madras, wiihout delay ; I be<T
leave, at the same tinx', to offer apologies tor making you tlie
channel of such communication, wliich proceetis tiotn the
absence ot colonel Davis, and an anxiety to anticipate tfe orders
of government, that we may share, in commc^u with our brother
officers at Bangalore, that temporary disgrace uiiicb Su" George
Barlow has determined to intlict on tlicm.

1 have ib.e honour to be, Sir,

Your most obedient sei vanf,

" JAMES WELSH."

We, the undersigned officers of the garrison of Nundv
droog, understanding that our brother officers at Bang.dor^
have been called upon to sign a paper, promising implicit obcd:-
cnce to '• ' '"ders of the honourable Sir (George Barluw,

274

APPENDIX*

governor of Fort St. George, and threatened w'ah stispcnsiori
in case of refusal, conceive it our duty, unasked, to step for-
ward and declare, that, under existing circliinstanccs, we shall
decline signing any such paper, if tendeicd to us ; at the same
time, we think it incumhent on us to assign our reasons for this
act of disobedience to the mandate of our immediate supe-
riors.

It is not, at this late period^ necessary to state all tliosc grie-
vances under which the company's officers alone labour, (for the
officers of his Majesty's service have been entirely exempted
from a participation of them) it is sufficient for us to declare,
that we arCj from principles, embarked in one common cause,
and that we have voluntarily pledged ourselves to co-operate
with our brother officers, in all legal means to obtain redre s. It
Will, therclore, clearly appear that signing such papers as th.e one
in circulation, would be an abandonment of those sacred prin-
ciples of honour by which we are actuated> and a breach of
iaith towards our suffering brother officers, and a tacit acquies-
cence in those measures which we conceive to be ot tlie niost
pernicious nature to the interests of the lionourable company,
(our masters) and of the most degrading tendency to our wliole
body, and the service in general. We lurthcr have reason to
suspect, that were we base enough to sign such a promise, though
through fear of losing ourcommissions, (now no longer valuable^
it we cannot hold them with honoiu", that our swords, hitlierto
only used against the enemies of our coimtry, would be directed
against the bosoms of our brother officers, and our energies
employed in overturning that empire which our honourable
masters have acquired by our u'.nemitting exertions, and pur-
chased at the expense of our blood. The right honourable
Loid Minto has admitted the right of soldiers, on some occa-
sions, to consider the nature and tendency ot orders ; under
this sanction, we solemnly })rotest against measures which, if
persisted in, cannot fail to ruin our honourable masteis. ^^^e
see the evil far advanced ; we behold the probable consequences
of the present system ; and we shudder for th.e fall of British
India. We declare ourselves true to the service ot our ho-
nourable masters, and ready to expose our lives in defence of
tlieir rights and territories, but, at the same time, resolved never
to compromise our own honour.

(Signed) " J. WELSH,

P. STEVENSON,
J. WALKER,
J. TEGG,
J. M, W^ATSON.

'■ Nundydroog, ith of August, 1809."

APPENDIX. 273

[ Q. ]
" TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD MINTO,
GOVERNOR GENERAL OK INDIA.
My Lord, — We,tlie undersigned e^cers of the Madras
establishment, congratulate ourselves and out brother oH'irers,
on your Lordship's arrival at this Presidency, and, impressed
with sentiments of high respect tor your lordship's ci.aracter
and station, as well as urged by every motive of ardent loyalty
and allegiance to our king, undiminished attachment to our
country, and unshaken fidelity to our employers, hasten to
address your lordship. We do, therefore, most respccthilly,
but most earnestly, implore your lordship, to grant a patient
and indulgent consideration to the circumstances \vc have to
suhtnit. » We entreat you to sus]-)end your judgment, to banish
fiom your mind any unfavourable impiessions you m.iy have
received ot our national attaclnnent, or obedience and icspcct
lt)r the local administration of India; and not to admit tho.'-c
suggestions, which would impute to the officers ot the Madras
army any thing like disaffection to the state, or any premeditated
disposition to insult the authority, or injure tlie intciests ot the
British government in India ; for we do most soicmnly and
exj)licitly disavow any such sentiments or intentions.

2, Your lordship is too well aware ot the uidiappy and
general agitation prevailing throughout the army of this presi-
dency. We, my lord, rnost sincerely deplore its existence,
and lament, with unfeigned regret, the extremes to which it
has led, and the awful crisis it has produced 5 we, therctorc, lull
your lordship's arrival as an anspicioi;s event, wliic:-. ^vill dispei
the impendii'.g gloom, avert the threatened calaniities, lestore to
the army ot tliis presidency its former happiness and tran-
quiiity ; we repose unbounded confidence in your Inidship's
wisdom, justice, and liberality, and cherish a saUiiniiic
hope, that you svill not deem it unwortiiy of your high sta^i.jn
to investigate those causes, that have combined U) place a !:irge
portion of the company's officers in the pairJul and distressing;
situation in which we now stand. May we not furtlier hope,
that your lordship's magnanimity will extc;ul to slicw sonic
attention to the feelings of a large respectable body of officers,
whose minds liave been agitated beyond the power of our nature
to controul.

3. It would be unbecoming in us, at this moment, and
inconsistent with the high respect we feel for your lordship, to
obtrude a statement ot tlu/se particular grievances, which tlic-
codst army so krenlv feel, and so bitterly complain of; it is for
U"; to represeiK the recent measures which has placed us, and .:
large body of our brother officers, in our present unexamidcd

276

APPEXDIX.

situation, and to solicit your attention to the detail of the cir-
cumstances attending it.

4. On the 26th of July, we, the officers serving with the
troops in camp, and at St. Thomas's Mount, suddenly received
orders to repair to lieutenant-colonel Hare's house, (at s<;n]e
distance from our camp) which we immediately obeyed ; thr^
piquet, which we had necessarily to pass, being drawn out to
preclude our return to our camp. On being assembled, lieu-
tcnant-colonci Hare read to us certain parts of a dispatch,
addressed to him by government, in which a large portion of
the company's ofhcers were rej)resented to be in a seditious,
rebellious state, prosecuting measures of hostility against the
go'^ernment, which rendered it necessary to separate the faith-
ful from the seditious ; to make which discrimination, the
government required, that the olficers of the army should sign a
pledge, solemnly binding thenrselvcs to act up to the tenor of
their commissions ; and it was directed, that those who might
decline to subscribe that test, should be removed from their
corps, and suspended from all military employments, till the
temper of their minds should allow of their being employed
in the service of the state. It was further directed, that they
should be detained till their tents could he struck, and they were
then to be removed to a sufficient distance to prevent their
return to, or communication with, their corps. Your lordship
may form some idea oi our situation, but it is far beyond the
powers of language to convey to your lordship a just or ade-
quate impression of our feelings, on this extraordinary occasion.
Amongst us, my lord, were some who have served the h,)-
nourable company with zeal, and unquestioned fidelity, for
nearly thirty years; others for shorter periods, but all with equal
ardor and attachment ; yet we found ourselves placed in the
humiliating situation we have described, betrayed, (ii we may
use the term) into a snare, surrounded by troops, and called upon
to subscribe to a test, which in itself, implied more than a suspi-
cion oFour fidelity, and, combined with the circumstances undei'
which it was offeie;l,was deeply injiiiious to our sensibility,
our pride, and our honour.

We could not accept it ; but, mortified as we were, we left
nothing ambiguous, having distinctly explained to lieutenant-
colonel Hare our principles and sentiments, by stating to him,
that the commissions we held contained every obligation speci-
fied in the proposed pledge ; that ' w'e had never departed from
those obligations, or disobeyed any orders of the government ;
that so long as we retained them, we should fulfil their obliga-
tions, and obey the lawful orders of our superiors : and that

APPE3CDIX. 277

' for any disobedience thereto, we knew we were amenable

* to military law and liable to the penalties of the articles of

* war, — and we could not consent to subscribe a pledge, the

* object of which might be to oppose us to our brother officers,

* and the interests of our service.'

" 5. Sach a test, and tendered to us under such circumstances,
couldnot but degrade us in the estimation of our brother officers
of his Majesty's army, to whom no similar proposal was made;
whose conduct was described in terms of warm and unqualified
approbation, while the company's officers were stigmatized by
epithets of reproach, censure, and disgrace ; yet, my lord, we
may appeal to our conduct, on all occasions, for the proofs that
we have never been inferior either in loyaltj^, fidelity, or pro-
fessional zeal.

" 6. These are the circumstances under which we have been
removed from our employments, and from those troops we have
so long commanded, whose discipline we established, whose
confidence and attachment we have acquired, whose zeal we
have animated, and whose exertions we have directed, in the
service of the East India Company.

" 7. Though we will not presume to suggest the conse-
quences likely to result from this separation of the officers from
their men, it is a justice due to ourselves, to declare most
solemnly to your lordship, that, however agitated our feelings
have been, we have most studiously concealed from the troops,
under our orders, any knowledge or communication whatever,
of any disagreement between the government and the army.
Your lordship's justice will, we trust, therefore, absolve us from
any reproach for any evils that may arise ; and here, my lord,
it is not without the greatest pain that we are compelled to
remark, that, before our removal from our corps, we had
detected emissaries among our men, endeavouring to seduce
them from their obedience to their officers, to weaken their
attachment, to infuse suspicion into their minds, and to prejudice
them against us while we were in the actual exercise of com-
mand.

" 8. We will no longer trespass on your lordship's time, but
we cannot conclude without repeating our earnest and impres-
sive appeal to your lordbhip, and adjuring you, by your regard
for the prosperity of this great empire, committed to your
charge, and by the most sacred of all obligations, your love for
our parent country, that you will condescend to hear the com-
plaints of a respectable body of British subjects. Do not, my

u

APPENDIX.

■d, reject our petition, nor condemn us u]-)on the rcpresen-

.ions of those, who have alreatiy, we fear, piideavcured to

;i|;!ess on your lordsliip's mind an mifavour;;^ e opinion of

;r principles. Let th.e claims the comp.my's uiiicers liave

t iblished on their country, be alone ptesent to yoiu- lordship's

ind, and let us owe to your lordsliip's justice th.e relief we

■ ip'lore ; this will secure to your lordship our lastii:;; gratitude

id atTection, and inspire sentin.tnts v. hichno tii^.e wiil cr Lse.

" We venture to assure your lordi.liip, that no obstacles will

■pose your endeavours to restore tranquillity, and that your

:-dship may conlidein the honour and p;itriotism oi tlieclTIcers

'i this army. We come not to you a clamorous muUiti'dc, nor

.e we a lirentlous b^,dy, impatient of ccnitrouh aixl spurr.ingat

..f ix'ati.i.ints of authority; we are not actuated by any t.lsc

lions of liberty, we do not seek, or desire, any emancipation

oni the rigid, but just, rules of our order; we are not prose-

ling views of professional aggrandizement, arid far le«s viny

.e.isure of hostility against the governinent under « h:c'\ we

- .-ve ; we explicitly disclaim every such idea, and anyvish,

..■ompatible with the strictest subordination to legitimate auilio-

■7, and to the lav,s of our country. Our respect for tlie

.•i:':Ority of government, as bv law established, continues undl-

'.. wished, and, under that authority, as heretofore admiiiistered,

' e have lived happily, and perform^ed our I'.nty cheerfully : we

A bound to convey to your lordship this explicit and h\)le;nn

-'trance, that our loyalty and allegiance to our King is unim-

^ired, orr zeal and fidelity for our employers imdindnished, and

;:.t our attachuicnt to our country is un,ib.;ted, and we are rj;niy

shed the last droi) of our biocd in defence of the iiritish uovver

. India.

'• W"^ ' liave the lionour to be, mv lor(!-,

'•' Your lordship's mott faitb.ful, devoted servants,

i Sigtted by the officers of all the corps, j

Poiidicheiry, 8th August, isC'J.''

[R. ]

" BY GOVERNMENT.

•■ iort ^.;. Geoij^e, .Airru't 9, \f<':^9.
'' The gcvernor in council having taken into co^.-Mc-ation
:e whole of the transactions that i a\e occurred to tlie gai/ibon
f Masulipatain, anc! being satisfjp-' ♦•^^^t- the pa^; borne by the
::;:n in those transactions is to ,c entiici) m , u'r:' tu tl^e mis-
ei)rfcsentalioiis ;uid sed'T^ixO;. cl their Euro.yCau oix'reis, is

APPEXDIX. 279

pleased to proclaim a full pardon to the European non-commis-
sioned officers and privates, and to the Native commisbioncd
officers and non-commisbioned officers of the garrison of Masu-
lipatam, who were concerned in these improper proceedings.
'I'he governor in council entertains a confident persuasion, that
this act of lenity will produce a proper effect in the minds of
these men, and induce them to manifest in future that fidelity to
the government, which constitutes the first duty and highest
praise of every soldier.

" The governor in council prohibits the march of any body
of tr-tops Jrom tlie garrison of Masulipatam, without tne orders
of .Major C^eneral Pater, commanding the northern division ;
and directs, that any troops who may have marched from Masu-
lipat:im *vithout due authority, shall return forthwith to that
static :, on pain of being cor.sidered to be in a state of rebellion
to the government.

« A. FALCONAR,

" Chiel' Secretarv."'

« GENERAL ORDERS BY THE HONOURABLE THE
GOVERNOR IN COUNCIL.

'• Fort St. George, Aug. 112, 1809.

** The cour<?e of proceeding followed for some time past by
the officers of the honourable company's army at this presi-
dency, has obliged the government to adopt the most decided
measures for the preserv.tion of the important interests com-
mitted to its charge. These proceedings may be stated to i'ave
commenced with the transmission to die government by the late
commander in chief of a memorial addressed to die honourable
the court of directors, dated January, 1809, and signed by a
large proportion of the company's eilicers. Akhough that paper
exhibits claims of an ungrounded nature, and contains observa-
tions equally improper and unjust on the orders of the honour-
able the court of directors and the government, the governor in
council was induced to permir it to pass without th.e serious
norice which it appeared to demand, by a confidence in the dis-
cipline of the army, and a pefsuision that the objectionab-Ie
p.issuges in the memorial wqre inadvertently and uninteniionally
iutroduced.

" The subsequent conduct of the commander in chief forced
the government to vindicate its authority, by a signal example of
punishment. It was well knowii to the company's officers, that
the who'e ofrhis proceeding was referred to the supreme govern-
incnt, and the authorities in lur.jpe: that it. would receive

V 2

280 APPENDIX.

from their wisdom a decision conformable to the soundest
principles of reason and justice : and that its discussion could
not belong to the cognizance of the army^ who are precluded
from becoming a deliberative body. Notwithstanding these
considerations, the governor in council, anxious to remove every
cause of misunderstanding relative to a measure of so important
a nature, published an order, dated the 31st January, explaining
to the army the grounds on which it was adopted. The gover-
nor in council had a right to expect, on the most obvious grounds
of discipline and respect for the laws, that the question would
have been permitted to rest here, and r-jceive its final reward
from the only pov»^ers competent to decide on it ; and itwnswitli
feelings of equal surprize and concern he learned, that a memo-
rial to the supreme government, of the most intemperate de-
scription, vvascirculated in the company's army.

" Tlie governor in council, desirous to avoid a recurrence to
iiieasures of severity, and persuaded that it was sufficient to
apprize the company's officers of the improper nature of the
proceedings, to induce them to de:-ist from their prosecution,
authorized the commander in chief to issue a circular letter,
dated the .'th IMarch, IS^P, explaining to tho?e officers the
impropriety of their conduct, and calling upon them, by the
most pov/erfal motives of duty, allegiance, and honour, to
a'jstain from such unjustifiable measures. A letter from the
right honourable the governor in council, dated the 20th Feb.
ISOf), approving of the steps adopted by the governor of Fort
St. George, with respect to the late commander in chief, was
also circulated to tiie army, in the expectation that the senti-
ments of the supreme government v/ould have suppressed the
spirit of faction and insubordination which prevailed. These
letrers appear to have produced no effect ; the memorial to the
supreme government made further progress ; and an address to
Major Boles, an officer under sentence of suspension, written in
language of determined sedirion, was circulated in the army,
and forced upon the notice of the governor in council, by a com-
pany's oi'icer, holding a confidential situation on his staff — the
governor in council was still induced to pursue a system of for-
bearance, by the scr.timents of affection and respect which he
V.MS disposed to entertain towards the cou;pany's officers ; and
by a conviction that the piinciples of zeal, discipline, and
nati- 'lal attachment, by which he supposed they were actuated,
woi'i ! lead them to relinquish the reprehensible measures in
which -.nry were engaged, on being made fully acq'i-iTned with
their impropriety and danger. The commai^ ' in chief,
accordinetv, under the sanction of the govc . .c issued a

APPENDIX. 281

second -circular letter, dated 10th April, I SOP, again calling upon
the ofllcers of the company's army to adhere to their duty, cor-
recting,the erroneous opinions which they had received, regard-
ing the powers of government, and describing the unjustihable
nature and dangerous consequences of their proceedings. The
governor in council learned, Avith deep regret- that these mea-
sures of moderation, these repeated and urgent appeals to the
discipline, duty, national attachment, and professional honour of
the company's oHicers \vere entirely nugatory; that the memo-
rials continued to be circulated, and that sentiments of sedition
were openly declared in many parts of the army ; the further
forbearance of the government would have encouraged the
progress of those evils ; a course of explanation and exhortation
had been pursued in vain, and it became imperiously necessary to
check, by a salutary example of punishment, a spirit of insubor-
dination that threatened the most dangerous consequences to
the prosperity of the empire. The general orders of the 1st of
INIay last were accordingly passed. The governor in council is
concerned to st;:te, that this example, which was conilned to the
persons who were principally instrumental in promoting sedition,
and of Avhose delinquency the most ample proofs existed, and
which was intended to obviate the necessity of more extensive
punishments, failed to produce the beneficial effects anticipated
from its adoption, and that principles of insubordination and
sedition continued to prevail among the company's officers, if
possible with aggravated violence ; the company's officers of
the Hydrabad subsidiary force, whose good conduct in refusing
to affix their signatures to the seditious addresses, had received
the approbation of the government, intimated to the rest
of the army, in an address dated in ISIay last, scarcely less repre-
liensible than the papers that had incurred the animadversion of
the government, their participation in the disaffection which
prevailed so extensively in the company's army.

" The ofHccrs at Hydrabad followed up this act, by threat-
ening, in an address, dated 15th June, transmitted direct to the
governor in council, to separate themselves from the authority
of the government, established ever them by their country,
unless a submission should be yielded to their menaces, by
abrogating the general orders of the 1st of May, and the com-
pany's oflicers at Masulipatam imprisoned their commanding
officer, and made preparations to desert the post entrusted to
their charge, and to join the Hydrabad subsidiary force, thorebv
involving, on account t)f views personal to theniselves, the men
under their command in the guilt of rebellion, and furnishing
to the Native troops a dangerous example of resistance to autho-
rity. Tiie governor in council, still anxious to impress on the

282- APPENDIX.

minds of the compnny's officers a sense of the impropnety of
their conduct, published to the army the dispatch from the
supreme government, dated tlie 21st of May last, which con-
tained an entire approval ot the measures of the government of
Fort St. Georire, and stated the most forcible and conclusive
arguments against the system of faction and illegal combination
which had been introduced into the coast army. This solemai
decision of the supreme authority in India, lias also proved to
be ineffectual ; the officers at Hydrabad, although they knew
the sentiments of the supreme government^ refused, in a body,
in a letter to their commanding c fticer, dated the Sth of July,
obedience to the orders of government, for the miarch of a
battalion from Hydrabad, adding, as a threat, that its services
might soon be useful to their cause ; and have since forwarded
to the government, in a paper, dated the 21st of July, the con-
ditions on which they are willing to return to their d.uty, and
which they require the governm.ent to riccept, in order to avert
the impending awful evils ; evils that can result only from their
own criminal determination to place themselves in the situation
of enemies to their country. The conditions on wiiich those
officers presume to state that they will yield obedience to the
national authorities, afford further proofs of the nature ot their
designs, for they demand the public revocation of the general
orders of the 1st May ; the restoration to tb.eir rank and
appointments of all officers removed by this governn;ient, how-
ever obnoxious and criminal the conduct of those offices may
have been ; the dismission from office of the officers of the
general staff, who may be supposed to have advised the govern-
ment to the trial by a general court martial of the officer com-
manding Masulipatam, who was arrested by his own disobedient
officers ; and, finally, an amnesty for the conduct of the com-
pany's army. The garrison of Masulipatam have placed them-
selves in a state of rebellion, the troops of Scringapatam and
Hydrabad, have fol'ov/ed their example, and it has been ascer-
tained that the military authority entrusted to commanding offi-
cers has been usurped by self-constituted comjniittees : and that
an organized system of combination, for the purpose of sub-
verting the authority of the govcrmnent, has been established
throughout the greatest part of the army of this establishm.ent.
** The governor in council perceives, in the foregoing course
of proceedings on the part of European officers of the com-
pany's army, which has equally resisted measures of forbearance
and punishment, a determined spirit of revolt that must, unless
speedily repressed, produce tJie most fata) consequences to the
constitution and authority of the government and the interests
of the nation. No means compatible with the honour and

APPE^"DIX. '2t

authoritv of the government hive been omitted fo rccal t:
co-iipany's ofiicers to a sense of their duty as soLJiers, and '.
tiicir allegiance as British subjects. The forbearance display.
by the government, under circumstances ol aggravated indignii ■
demonstrate the satisfaction with which it would have regardo
anv disposition on tlie part of the company's ollicer.s to mar
fe.sc the usu.il obedience required from all soldiers. No dis^-.,
sition, however, of that nature has appeared ; on the contrar
those officers, by a systematic course of aggression and insub(;
dination, have forced tlie government to adopt measures of th
most decided nature for the support of its authority.

" The governor in councl would be guilty of a most criir,'
nal doscrtian of his duty and the cause of h.is country, if i-,
were capable of compromising the evils of sedition and mutiny I
a subiTtisslon to the menaces of a b.vly of men, placed by ti..
law under his government. Such a course of proceeding wou:
prostrate the authority of the state before a disaffected ai;
seditious faction ; it would effectually incapacitate this and ever-
succeeding government from executing the functions of adm:
nistrati;jn, and would be fatal to the prosperity of the enipire i
India, by affording an cxr.mplc of S'lccessful opposition to auth:
ricy, and bv weakening the power and dignity of thegovernme;:'
which, in this country, are peculiarly essential to its exiitenci;
Influenced by t.hese consideiMtions, the governor in council h,
considered it to be Ins sacred duty to resist every appearance (_
concession to the threats of insubordin.Ttiou and faction, and t
employ the jjowcr and means at the dis:iosal of the governmc::;
for the restoration of iu discipline and the maintenance of i
honour and authority.

" In this state of affairs, it is a ."ource of the most gratifvj;
refiection, that zeal, loy.dty, and discipline of his Ivlajestv
troops, and of many of tiie most respectable ofiicers of tl.
company's army, combined wiih the iidelity generally maii.
fested by t'le nati'.e troops, will enable the government 1
acco;nplish the important ol'-jc^ct of re-establishing public orde; .
I he good conduct of his INhijcs^^y's troops during the dissensioi
that have occurred, their zealous adhereiice to d'lty, the prefl
rence which they have manifested to the principles of honfu..-
virtue, and patriotism, over the personal views aiid dissrdr: ;
pxssions which prevailed around them, reflect the greatest crcu
on tiieir character, and demonstrate that tf.ey ■ re animated 1
the same ardent love of their coimtry, which h;s distiuguislu i
their l)ro;her soldiers in Europe. J lis M !■ sty's troops under ;I. .
government v.'ill posrcss the gratil}'in;'^ reflection of hiving di
served the approb.tion a!id gratitud.e of their tountry, and ( ;
haviufj eiuir.c:itly c )ntriln;ted to the preservation of an impo; -
lant branch of tke empire.

284 APPENDIX.

** The governor in council entertains a hope that the com-
pany's officers, who have threatened the government of their
country with the most serious evils, who have demanded, as the
condition of being faithful to their duty, the execution of mea-
sures degrading to the character, and f^ital to t!\e interests of
the State, will pause before they attempt to proceed further in
tiie course of sedition and guilt which they have puijr>. '. It
has been the earnest v/ish and anxious desire of tlie frc. -ir;C- in
councu to avoia measures of extremity, to re-establish order by
the course of the lav/, and to give up to miiit.;ry trial the authors
of the present seditious proceedings. In proseci'tion of meas.:rcs
so consonant to justice, so necessary for rcstoratic.i of di^^cipline,
and so conformable to the ordinary course of military gcvern-
ment, the governor in council is persuaded that he shall have the
concurrence of all persons in the civil and military services., v/ho
have not banished from their minds every sentiment of national
feeling; and he exhorts the officers of the companv's service,
by submitting to that cou'-se of measures, to avert the evils
which they are precipitating upon tlicmselves. Such a result,
gratifying at any period, Avould, at the present moment of
national difficulty, be peculiarly acceptable to the view and
feelings of the governor in council; and, adverting to the zeal
and patriotism by v/hich the officers of the company's army have
been distinguished, he still encourages a hope, that by miSnifest-
ing obedience to the governnient, they will obviate the adoption
of measures of extremity, arrest the certain consequences of
their past conduct, and promote the restoration of general confi-
dence, order, and discipUne-

*' By order of the honorable the governor in council,

(Signed) « A. FALCONAR."

« BY GOVERNMENT.— GENERAL ORDERS.

" Fort ^t. Geoige, August 18.

*' The governor in council has received intelligence that the
troops at Chittledroog, consisting of the first battalion of the
6th and .5th regiments of Native infantry, scizcdj in the latter
end of July, the public treasure at that station, deserted the post
entrusted to their care, and, in obedience to orders which they
received from a committee who have usurped the public autho-
rity at Seringapatam, m.arched on tlie Gth instant to join the dis-
affected troops in that garrison, plundering the villages on their
route.

" The British resident, and the officer commanding in
Mysore, prohibited, in the most pcbitive terms, the advance of

APPEXDIX. 285

the troops from Cliittledroog, and demanded from tlieir Euro-
pean officers a compliance with the resolution of the governor
in council of the 'iGth ult. by either declaring that thev would
obev the orders of government according to the tenor of their
commissions, or withdrawing,'for tiie pre:;entj from the exercise
of authority.

" The officers having refused to comply with his requisition,
and having persisted in advancing towards Seringajjatam, it
became unavoidably necessary to prevent by force their entrance
into that garrison.

'* In the contest which ensued, a detachment from the Bri-
tish force, under the command of lieutenant- col. Cibbs, aided
by a body of Mysore horse, at:d one battalion of the 3rd regi-
ment of Native infantry, entirely defeated and dispersed the
corps from Chittledroog.

" During t^his affair a sally was made by the garrison of Serin-
gaj^atam on lieutenant-col. Gibbs's cama, but was instantly
driven back by the piquet and the ,"th regiment of cavalry,
under the. command of Capt. Bean, of his Majesty's 25th dra-
goons, in charge of that regiment.

" Nearlv the whole of the rebel force was destroyed, while
one casualty alone Vv-.is sustniried by the l^nrish t»-o,"i-:.^, lieutenant
JerY:jr;es, of his ]\T;i;csty's '2Jd\ reg'mcnt of ''.:-': dragoons,
having zealously offered his services to carry a .'lag of truce,
which lieutenanr-col. Gibbs, anxious to prevent the effusion of
blood, w;is desirous of dispatching to t!ie rebel troops, was
slightly wounded In the execution of that duty by a volley
fired under the express command of an European oilicer.

" W'hile the governor In council participates in the feelings
of sorrow that must have been experiericed by tlie british
forces, In acting against the rebel troops, and deeply laments the
unfortunate but Iniperious necessity v/iiich existed for that pro-
ceeding, he considers it to be due to the cond'ict of the iu-itisli
forces to express his high admiration and applause of the zeal,
firmness, and patriotism which they displayed on that most
interesting occasion. '

" Their conduct affords a furtlier proof of the superior
Innucncc In their minds of the principles of virtue, honour, and
loyalty, over every other consideration, and eminently entitles
them to public approbation. ].ieut.-col. (jibbs, lieut.-icolonel
Adam, major Garden, capt. Bean, and lieut. Jefferies, availed
themselves of the opportunities offered to them, ou this occasion,
of serving tliclr ccnintry.

" The g )vernor in council is also happy to dist;i)guish the
zeul and loyalty displayed by the 5th regiment of Native cavalry.

28G

AFPE.XDIX.

the 1st battalion of the Srd regiment of Native infantry, and
the I\l}'sore tioo^js, who all manifested an eager desire to per-
forin their duty. 'I'he Mysore horse, on one occasion, put the
column of the Cinitledrcjog troops to ihght, and took two guns
«rid both the col oin-s from one of the battalions ; a memorable
proof of the weakness oi men acting in tlie woi-st of cau:-e:>.

" Tlrat a body of ihiii^h ollicers should deliberately disobey
the orders ot tiieir govcrnmcJit — seize the public treasure under
tiieir proleciion — abandon the post entrusted to their charge —
march to join a party of men i;i open opposition to authority —
plunder the dominions of a British al'v, and finally bear arms
ag,".inst their country, must excite grief and astonishnitnt ; but
the conduct of these officers in ursine tlic innocent nien under
ll'.eir connnand, who had the mo.-it po'.verful claims on their
humanity a id care, into the guilt and danger ot rebellion, con-
stitutes an aggravation of their offence that cannot be contem-
T)latcd without feelings of the deepest indignation and sorrow.

" The governor in council is very far from wishing to aggra-
vate the misccnLluct of these deluded ?.nd unhappy m.en ; but
he earnes;!/ hopes, that the exaiiiple of their crimes and their
fate v/ill still iin[/re.ss on the minds of the officers who have
ioined in tlieir plans a ^ense of the danger of their situation,
and the propriety of endeavouring, by their early obedience and
fuvnre zeai, to efface the deep stain which lias been cast on the
honour of the Madras army.

" Ta antiouncing to the native troops the distressing cven^,
described in this order, the governor in council must express his
concern, that any part of the native army should be so far delu-
ded bv misrepresentation, and so lost to a sense of the obligation
of fidelity, li 'nonr, and religion, as to act against the government
v/iiicii has so h)ng sn[')ported them.

" The gener<ii ord.er of the Srd instant, and the conduct that
has been observed towards the native troops at the Presideiicy,
the ^jount, Vtllore, Trichinopoly, Bella'ry, Gooty, and Uanga-
lo.-e, must convince the whole Native army of the anxiety of
govern-nent to promote tlieir welfare, and save them from the
dangers intt) wliich they were likely to be plunged. The go-
vernor in c Juncil still places the greatest confidence In the fidelity
aiid zeal of the Native troops, md -s convinced that they will not
wiliin'dy stdly the high reputation which they have so long
■en'ioved, by ioining in the execution of plans that must end h»
their disgrace avd ruin.

'< Tiie governor in counci! tru;:ts the unhappy fate of the
Chittledroog battal ons, who allowed themselves to be engaged

ArPENDIX. 2^7

in opposition to their government, will have the effect of pre-
vailing on any other part of the Native army from suffering
tlicmselves, under any circumstances, to be placed in a situation
adverse to their duty and allegiance.

'* Ihe governor in council avails himself of this occasion
to express, in the most public manner, his high sense of the
zeal, moderation, energy, and ability displayed by the govern-
ment of Mysore, and by the British rersldent and conmianding
officer, during the transactions that have recently occurred in
that countrv. The l^ritish resident and the commanding
officer in Mysore did not permit the adoption of coercive
measures until every means of expostulation and forhearance
had been cxliausted, and until they were compelled to embrace
the alternative of employing force, in order to prevent the most
fat.'.l cvkls to the cause ot their country.

" '('he governor in council requests, that the honourable
Mr. Cole and lieutenant-colonel Davies will be pleased to
accept the expression of his highest approbation and thanks,
for the moderation, nrmnc!^.s, and ability, which they mani-
fested on tl:is unprecedented and distressing occasion.

"A. FAi.CONAR,

" Chief Secretary to Government."

« GENERAL ORDERS, BY THE HON.THE GOVERNOR
IN COUNCIL.

" Fort St. George, Ai;g. 30.

" A report has been received by the gorernor in council
from the officer commantling in Mysore, stating, that the
troops which composed the garrison of iSerlngapatam surren-
dered at discretion, on the 23d instant, delivered up their ara^s,
and proceeded to the stations in Ptlysore allotted for their
rei^idence.

'* It has been ascertained that the Native troops which pro-
ceeded from Chittledroog were entirely ignorant of the real
design of their officers, and marched under an impression,
jiroJuced by their ofllcers, tliat his highness the rajah of
r>lysore had commenced hostility against the British govern-
ment, and attacked tl\e Fort of Seringapatam. The appear-
ance of the Mysore horse confirmed this opinion in the niindi*
of tho-.e troops, and whoi they found in the contest befor^
Scririg.ipa'.ani, wliich was i)eguii by the Mysore horse, iha$
the British force acted against them, they abandoned thcif

288 APPENDIX.

arms, and eiiJeavourod to save their lives by flight. It appears
that a considerable number escaped into the Fort of Seringa-
pa tarn.

" This explanation is due to the general conduct of the
native troops under this government, who, under circumstance-;
of peculiar difficulty, manifested a fidelity and attachment to
the state that reflects great honour on their character.

" The governor in council was persuaded, that it was only
by deceiving the native troops that they could be misled from
their duty, and their conduct, in every situation where they
had an opportunity of being more acquainted with the true
situation of affairs, justifies the high opinion which he enter-
tained of their zeal and fidelity, and entitles them to the appro-
bation and thanks of the government.

" The governor in council greatly ascribes the early termi-
nation of the disturbances in Mysore to the vigilance, energy,
and talents of the acting resident, the honourable Arthur Cole,
and the commanding oiiicer in Mysore, lieut.-colonql Davies,
and he judges it proper agdin to express his high sense of the
important services which they have rendered to the interests
of their country in India.

*' By order of the honourable the governor in council,
(Signed) " A. FALCONAl-l,

" Chief Secretary to Government.

" By order of major-general Govvdie, commanding the armv.

«« J. H. PEELE,

" Secretary to Goverumtnt/'

[ s. ]

« TO THE flON. SIR GEOPvGE BARLOW, BART, K.B.

" Sir, — We should be wanting in the first principles of duty
to our country and ourselves, both as subjects and soldiers ;
and v/e should be insensible to the just feelings of honour,
]:ntriotism, and loyalty, were we longer to remain silent, or
abstain from addressing you : indeed, the moment has arrived,
when it has beconie a bounden and a sacred duty for us to
come forward, and with one voice, deny those unjust impu-
tations upon the character of the company's officers which
have been industriously disseminated through the channel of
the public prints; and to convey to you, Sir, such an explicit
declaration of our principles, that, on a future day, when
the tircumstantcs of this av/ful and eventful crisis slviU

APPENDIX. 289

be submitted to the solemn investigation of our country, we
may appeal to a faithful record, and challenge the testimony
of this address.

" It would be vain for us to attempt to describe the sensations
of honest indignation with which we have perused the docu-
ments circulated in the public Gazette, or the sentiments of
regret, with which we perceive, that some of our countrymen,
an I fellow subjects, have received an impression, that the
ofHccrs of the company's service entertain designs repugnant
to their first duties as subjects and servants of the state ; and
that, under such impression, tliey have been induced to express
a sentence of unqualiiied condemnation. — But, that you, Sir,
should avow such a belief, and ascribe to the officers of the
lionour^able company's army a deliberate, premeditjtcd design
to subvert the government, to claim the surrender of its autho-
rity, and thiow off their allegiance to tlieir King and -.ountry,
is what we cannot read without sentiments of indescribable
horror and surprize.

*' With emotions of equal horror have we read that these
sentiments, and a more extensive charge of positive rebellion
have been promulgated from the awful bench' of justice ; such a
cha; ge, and arrned with such authority, demands the most
solemn and most public vindication.

We have not forgotte;'!, Sir, that we are Eritlsh subjects, the
children of tlic happiest country, and the most g'orlous cou-
srltutlon in the world ; nor have we ever entertained a thought
at variance with the pr.rest and m.ost sacred principles of loy-
alty, allegiance, and fidelity. — Our bosoms still glow. Sir,
with enthusiastic attachment to our beloved King and country,
in whose service and for whose interests, we are ready to shed
every drop of our blood ; not less, is our fidelity to the East India
Company, nor our respect and obedience to their governments
in India. We have never clainied the surrender of the autho-
rity of the government, or aimed at trampling down tlicse first
principles of duty and obedience, v/hich we know to be
solemn and primary obligations. We appeal to our services
and character. Is it probable that the officers of the company's
army, many of whom have passed the best portion of their
.lives in the service, should entertain the mad project of sub-
verting that power they huvc shed their blood to establish and
secure.

" No, Sir, such a thougiit never occurred ! The company's
officers have sought no immunities, we have asked from you
cnly ihost rights ixihich^ us Bntatis^ ii^e derive from our kirth, —

2<)0 APPENDIX.

the protection of the laws of oitr country, and the vnpariiaJ achnU
fi'utration of British justice ! These are the privileges v/e have
hitherto er.ioyed, these ore the claims nve have made upon yju^
and ivhich the governwetit has denied to us ; and it is this denial
of those sacred unalienable rights, secured to us by our con-
stitution, that has agitated the minds of the company's officers,
and driven them to despair. — You, Sir, have justly stated,
that there is a principle of national feeling and attachment
inherent in Britons, which cannot be eradicated. V\'e feel
the truth of this observation, and it is that ardent attachment
to the laws and liberties of our native country, which warms
our hearts, and which has raised the voice of every one amongst
us, to call upon you to secure to us their uninterrupted enjoy-
ment and protection.

" Had we not been bereft of those our dearest privileges, had
not those sacred rights, for which our ancestors bled, been torn
from us, not a murmur of discontent would have been heard
in the company's arm.y j not an expression discordant -with the
strictest rules of respect and obedience. If you will revert
to the period. Sir, when you assumed charge of the govern-
ment of this presidency, your candour will acknowledge, that
you found the army in a state of perfect obedience and tran-
quillity, and in such a state it cont nued till the moment,
when the constitutional rules of our order were infringed,
the ordinary and establislied tribunals subverted, and sum-
mary severe punishments inflicted, without trial or inves-
gation.

" Far be it from us, to remark on the conduct of government;
but it is not inconsistent with just and proper respect, in our
present extraordinary situation, to shew the effects which
"V^'ere produced, and which gradually led to that insupportable
irritation that has, at length, unhappily terminated in extremes,
which we deplore equally with every member of the govern-
ment.

«' We wish not to trespass on your attention, but, at this
awful moment, when a general unqualified calumny is gone
abroad ; when our loyalty, our allegiance, and our national
attachment is called in question, and becomes the theme
of public reproach ; wlien the newspapers of the day proclaims
our misfortunes, and our degradations, it would not become
us to be silent.

" We hesitate not to say, that misrepresentations have been
too successfully employed, and that prejudices hare been adopted
vuifavourable to our principles and couduct.

APPENDIX. 291

'* It will be unnecessary to enter Intoa Jeini! of oar serious
wron.^i at present ; but v/e cannot paso over tl;e deepest wound
iiiun-reJ on tiiearmy ; — th: oittW of the l.r/ cf j^lny ,- the ctiecis
t)f' wiiieh nr.iv be lamenteJ to tl>c last hour that tlie British inllu-
eiice e-xists in fp.aia In this order many of the most respected
■i.xr\ most valuable officers were disgraced, punished, and
suspended from the service, not only without trial or inves-
tig.ition, witliout liearing or defence, but without knowing
their accuser?^, or even their crime. In vain did these officers
seek and 1 npiore a trial • This indulgence was not only
denie^i to th-.-n; but ib.e vindication they offered was either
rr'iectej, neglected, or ^suppressed. It was known to the army
tii'i many of there c:iicfrs were absolutely innocent ot tlie
fl:..rgcs for wliich th^y bad been punished, and had it in llieir
power to substantiate their exculpation upon t!ie clearest and
i:.!j-^: unequiv'.K\l testimony. — Yet, not only redress, but <^vcn
lie-.rinp; was denied to all their entreaties, and the serious
iif.puraticns against them, the' sentence of their punishment,
r....la general impeachnient against the coast army, was clrcu-
1,.; J to the world in tne public journuls of the day. Can
it, thiv.i, be wondered, that general discontent should follow,
tli.it ;;'.arm should be excited, and that every individual should
consider himself in danger of falling a victim to secret calumny
or suipicion i It appeared to the army, that a deliberate
.syst . n existed to subvert the right of trial, and it was feared
tli^.t It would nli'mately tend to degrade an honorable profession
into 1.1 abject and disreputable servitude

'* T\t)\v well founded tho;;e appre'nensions were, we will not
cnqaire. As subjects of Great Britain we can never forget
the ri^lus to which we are born, and which we do not forfeit,
becri'.isc v/e are soldiers. — But we cannot more forcibly describe
iiir fecl'ngs, than by referring to the just and emphatic decla-
ration of our most gra:.iuui sovereign, on a recent occasion,
wb .?n lie says, * And I must remind you, that it is inconsistent

* witii the principles of British justice, to pronounce judgment
' witli.jut previous investigation' And if we needed a further
iPustration of the grand ftindamental maxims of our constitntiou,
we s'l.'.ll iiud theui elegantly stated, in the fuliowing words ol
a^ exa.cel and learned character, — who says, — ' He called uprn

* tliein for wh?t every British subject had a right to, and

* Vshicli no British man could refuse; he called upon

* .'urn to uspend proceedings which migiit have the cG" cr

* A f^'ulemnino -without a (rial ,- and, before judgment, to hear

* bujli evidence as was required for the ends of justice, bv

292- APPENDIX.

* the laws of the land. It was not to prevent impeachment,

* but to claim the privilege of every British subject, from the

* highest to the lowest, and tlie lowest to the highest, to have

* his trial before condemnation, in a cause v>diich affected his

* character, integrity, and honor.'

" It has been asserted, that it is our duty to await patiently
the result of a reference to liurcpe ; and impatience of this appeal
is imputed to us, and reprobated in strong and angry terms.
We acknowledge it to be our duty, but have we ever been told,
or had the satisfaction of knowing, that our petitions, and our
grievances, have been appealed to the authorities at home;
have not our petitions, our humble memorials of our complaints
been received with reproaches, and rejected with derision and
disdain .'' When we ventured to express our complaints to our
isuperiors, were we not branded with miUtiny and sedition ?
Even the individu;us, who have been punished, who vainly
supplicated trial, have they received even the poor consolation
of knowing, their defence ?i\<\ vindication had been, or
should be submitted to those ulterior authorities v;ho were
to pass a final jn'J;.;incnt upon their case, and whose decision
was to cciifiim tlitir condeir/nation, or restore them to their
rank and situ::tion ? '1 he^e, Sir, are amongst those moat serious
injuries, v/li;,:h tie oiliccrs of the company's service loudly
complain of, and v.I:ich, hzd you condescended to redress, or
even to invcstivTate, v/ould have secured to you the gratitude
and attachiuent of the coast aririV, and averted those calamities
which have ensued. Llay we not, Sir, also notice, without
invidious comparisons, the ende;ivor.rs to promote discord,
jcak.usy; and a scn.'ratlon of interests betv/een the officers
of his rnujesry's service and those of the company's army, — our
brothers in arniS r.n^i fellow subjects?

" Tlicy have n. v^ vwA cannot sufTer our wrongs ; the con-
stitution of their ..v,rv'.ce riftbrds them that protection which
\^'e do i.iot enioy, r;r;d t!ey hrve r>ot had grievances to complain
of; unbounded cncon^.huriS have been lavished on themi, while
indiscriminate »nd h<irsh reproaches ha\e been bestowed on the

* com.i)..r'y's olnccrs,' anti aspersions upon our loyalty, honor,
and fidelity, proniulgaled to thev/crld.

" We I'.ave not merited this. Sir, from your hands, nor from
your governn-.eiU ; we have quitted our native country,
our relations, r.rrl friends ; and we have sacrificed the dearest
ties or nature, to devote cur lives, and our service, for the
interest of the East India company, and the good of our

APPEXDIX. 293

country, in a distant and unwholesome climate, where too many
of us fall victims to our zeal.

** But we will now not further complain, nor dwell on
that last act which, attended with circumstances of peculiar
humiliation, has placed us in an extraordinary predicament,
and subjected us to be treated with such public indignity and
contempt. We look to the justice of our country for redress,
and to rescue a numerous body of loyal, faithful, merito-
rious subjects from the unmerited obloquy cast upon us, in
consequence of the publication circulated in the newspapers.

" Poudicherry, August, 1S09.''

[T. ]

« GENERAL ORDERS, BY THE HON. THE GOVERNOR
IN COUNCIL OF MADRAS.

*' All civil and military officers, exercising the authority
under the government of Fort St. George, having been directed
to consider all corps moving without orders as in a state ot
rebellion to the government, and .o offer every practicable
obstruction to their progress, the ho!;ourable the governor in
council is pleased to direct, that timely notice s'lall be given
by officers commanding divisions to the different collectors
and magistrates, through whose districts any troops under their
orders may have to march, in order that such collectors and
magistrates may be prepared to afford the supplies and assistance
to those corps which they would, without such notice, consider
them.selves bound to withhold.

*' The governor in council is further pleased to direct, that
the notice to the civil officers shall distinctly specify the
strength and description of the corps or party moving, and the
name of the officer in charge of the same, who must produce
a written order, with a translation on the back of it, in the
common language of the district, signed by the officers com-
manding the division, wihout which, the native servants of
the civil officers will withhold all supplies, and oppose every
impediment to the march of the corps.

" By order of the honourable the governor in council,
(Signed) "A. FALCONAR,

'« Chief Secretary to Government.
* Madrai, 7th September."

29'i APPENDIX.

« GENERAL ORDERS, BY THE HON. THE GOVERNOR
IN COUNCIL.

« August 26, 1809.

** Circumstances having occurred, which induced colonel
Close to relinquish the command of the Hyderabad subsidiary
force on his arrival there, on the 3d instant, when it was
resumed by lieut.-col. Montressor, the honourable the go-
vernor in council is pleased to re-appoint colonel Close to the
command of that force, and also to the command of the field
force assembled in the ceded districts.

" By order of the honorable the governor in council,

(Signed) *' A. FALCONAR,

" Chief Secretary to Government."

" GENERAL ORDERS.

" The declaration required from the European commis-
sioned officers of the honourable company's service, by the
order of the 26th July last, having been tendered to the medi-
cal officers at several stations of the army, and refused by some
of them, in consequence of which they have been removed
from the exercise of their functions. The governor in council
is pleased to publish, that it never was intended that the medical
officers should be called upon to sign the declaration in question,
which is in no wise applicable to them, and to direct, that all
those who may have been removed from their duties, do imme-
diately return to their stations, and resume the duties of them.—
Madras GazeiU, August 19.'*

G. Sidney, Printer,
Korthucibcrland Street, Strand, ft 0 O 2

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