signation of "Commander of the Escort," without at present introducing the name. He put Colonel Allan in the possession of the draft of his auswer, in order that he might be able to do and say what friendship might dictate.

Now what friendship called on him (Col. Allan) to do, was to have the answer immediately read, though it had not yet reached the hands of the editor of the Quarterly Review.

The article addressed to the editor was then read ; it was in effect as follows: "In answer to the challenge given in the seventy-third page of the Quarterly Review, I have to state that the high and incontrovertible living authority' is the commander of the escort, who related what he saw and what he did, and is ready to verify that statement. In speak. ing of the affair as one of mystery, I left it to others to draw the inferences, and the statements which you have made, to the disadvantage of your friends, are evidently not mine. I should deeply regret the imputation of having stated of any gentleman, particularly of Mr. Staunton, that personal security, in conducting the negociation, was particularly the object of the plan. That it would be better for the commissiouers to be in a state of freedom on ship board than of imprisonment on shore is evident, and that this circumstance may account for their conduct."

The Deputy-Chairman said, one of the most vital points connected with this subject was, that so soon as the third volume of Colonel Wilkes' history was published the hon. ex-director expressed a wish to answer that part of it which related to him. The circulation of that passage must have originated more from what appeared in the Quarterly Review, than from any thing contained in the passage itself. Colonel Wilkes' book would probably have been read by a few, individuals connected with India, but the Quarterly Review, in which it was noticed, was perused by a great part of the population of this country. When Colonel Wilkes' publication was announced, it was not likely to attract any very great attention, for though he was a celebrated man amongst themselves, he could not be spoken of as a great literary character in the country. The History of Mysore was but a dull subject to readers in general, and would perhaps be superseded by some of the popular novels of the day, which commanded a greater number of readers. As soon however as that publication was ushered to the world, the hon. ex-director wrote to him, and begged of him to procure the work for his use. Why did he send for it? in order that he might rebut the calumnly which that book contained against his character.(Hear! hear!) He wished to publish an answer to it, but his

friends dissuaded him. Perhaps they thought with the wise man a great book was a great evil," and as the thing would speedily pass away, that it was better not to notice it. Several of his friends, to whose judgment he paid the greatest deference, joined in this opinion, in which he acquiesced. As things had turned out it was perhaps an injudicious opinion, but the hon. ex-director was not accountable for it. He was undoubtedly anxious, at the time, to answer the charge. He hoped the hon. ex-director would take a proper opportunity of stating, what he believed he would be justified in stating, that the whole was a fabrication. Under these circumstances, as the election was close at hand, and from what had transpired in the debate of this day, he hoped the proprietors would see the necessity of not dragging this business before the public. He trusted it would not go farther, and, if an attempt were made to force it on their attention, that the court would refuse to listen to it. It would be more just to attend to what the hon. ex-director would, at a proper opportunity, deliver elsewhere, instead of calling on him for explanation, at a moment when he must necessarily be agitated and embarrassed. He himself felt great agitation on this occasion, and he was sure the hon. ex-director must be oppressed by the acuteness of his feelings he therefore trusted that for the present the subject might be suffered to drop.

:

Mr. Hudleston (who had several times presented himself, but had given way to the kind eagerness of his friends who had risen to answer Mr. Hume) now rose, and addressed the court under visible agitation. What he had to state, he said, would be short, and he was sure would be heard with indulgence;-feeling as the hon. proprietor did, who had brought forward the subject, he was obliged to him for his open declaration and avowal of that feeling, however mortifying it must be to himself to discover how little he was known to that hon. proprietor. In not having yet publicly noticed the charge or imputation in question, he had been governed by the advice of some of his dearest and most respected friends, and his own consonant feelings, which pointed to the maintaining an entire silence until after the ensuing general election, and to relying, in the interval, on the character which he had endeavoured to sustain in life, for a refutation of the only accusation that he trusted had ever been brought against it ;-(hear! hear !)" and I now, (continued Mr. Huddleston) declare, with the utmost sincerity, that if, after all my efforts for the Company in India, and in this house-if, after twenty-three years of neither inactive nor unacknowledged services in India, and thir

teen years of application of my best faculties to their interests here, I possess not character sufficient to prove a shield for me against this unjust attack, without my uttering a single word, I ought not to be re-elected a director. In the event however of my being re-elected, I will submit to my constituents a statement which I am now preparing, of all that the lapse of thirty-four years, and the ravages of death in that interval, have left me to offer in vindication of my own character, and that of my late friend and colleague Sir George Staunton, whose name is included with mine in the charge. The narrative I shall draw up I shall be ready, most undoubtedly, to seal with my oath, if it be required; —(hear ! hear !)—and I now pledge to them my honor, that if it shall fail to convince them of the injustice of the charge, I will resign the direction by disqualifying." The proprietors would feel, that the lapse of thirty-four years, had a very obliterating effect, and they would perceive, that death in that interval, had deprived him of those sources of evidence, on which he might have safely relied for his exculpation, without saying a single word himself.-(Hear! hear!) -As to the charge itself, he would say at present, (at another time he would enter into it more at large,) that it was not founded in fact. "I declare," said the hon. ex-director, upon my honor, as a gentleman, and I will, if it be necessary, seal the declaration with my oath, that I am as guiltless of the charge contained in that book, that I am as unconscious of having been guilty of the charge imputed to me as I was at the hour of my birth;"—(hear! hear!) the moment I heard it, I made a short declaration to that effect, to provide against the worst." Whatever of surprise and regret he had felt, at observing by whom the information appears to have been furnished, having been always on the most cordial terms with him, he believed that in forming the narrative he did not mean to exaggerate one tittle; he was of opinion that he had himself been deceived. All those with whom he (Mr. Hudleston) had acted were gone, and he was left to bear the brunt of an accusation, founded on circumstances that had happened many years ago; but so far from thinking that his hon. friend had been guilty of a fabrication, he could hardly doubt that there had been some circumstance the mis-apprehension of which gave rise to the statement he had some remote aud indistinct idea of an intention having been entertained of effecting a communication on ship-board with Col. Macleod, when commanding at Cannanore. He was sure that that hon. person, had he been alive when the accusation was brought forward, would have been as much astonished as he him

self was when he heard. it; he would have been as much surprised as if he had been charged with murder, high treason, or any other atrocious crime. In clearing himself from this charge, he would have to include his departed friend: the course his friends directed he would follow, and he was most ready to abide by the decision of the proprietors.

The Chairman. "I should hope, after what has fallen from the hon. ex-director, that nothing farther will pass on this subject. He has given a solemn pledge to stand or fall by the determination of the general court, and I trust he will be allowed fair time to redeem that pledge.”(Hear! hear!).

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The hon. D. Kinnaird declared, upon his honour, and the declaration was, a most sincere one, that he never had his feelings so much interested on any similar occasion. He had been before present when accused persons spoke for themselves; and even when previous character did not operate in their favour, be had wished that they might be able to exculpate themselves. But, he asked, how much more strong must be that feeling, when the person accused had so long maintained a pure and unspotted character, a character that had placed him within their bar? He felt the strongest possible desire that the hon. gentleman should hereafter stand as clear from such charges as he had done through a long and useful life. Looking to the distance between the time to which the charge referred and the period when it was brought forward, looking to the manner in which it was introduced, and considering the reason he adduced for not answering it, he conceived that he was entitled to every indulgence of the court. When he spoke of the way in which the charge was introduced, he did not allude to the manner in which his hon. friend had brought it forward; and he would say, that they were not the friends of the accused party who wished the matter to be passed over silently, when they were about to proceed to an election. With respect to the reason why he had not answered the charge, it had considerable weight with him. The omission was not Mr. Hudleston's fault; an unfortunate opinion was pressed on him, that he need not answer the charge; and, confiding in the judgment of his friends, he adopted it. That it was an unfortunate opinion was evident. A charge being made in the first instance and not answered, a succeeding publication would necessarily take the previous silence of the accused person as an admission of guilt. hon. friend had fairly stated, that Col. Wilks's book, containing this charge, was published, and that no notice was taken of the accusation; and he then

His

am innocent." If the hon. gentleman failed in setting aside the criminatory statement before the election, and any person came forward to oppose him as a candidate, he conceived the court was bound to support that individual. The hon. gentleman ought to meet them that day week or ten days with full and complete proof of his innocence.

The hon. W. F. Elphinstone could not help rising, with the most painful feelings, to call the attention of the court to what had fallen from the hon. proprietor. He asked, was the speech they had just heard consistent with what had taken place? Was it fair to make such observations after what had passed? The hon. proprietor spoke soft words, but there was poison in them; he wondered the hon. proprietor's feelings could have suffered him to proceed so far: he would not, on any consideration, not for all the world could bestow, have delivered such a speech, for it was a speech calculated to injure an innocent man. (Heur!

hear!)

Mr. Grant said, he was as anxious as any man for the purity of the character of that court; but the conduct of the hon. proprietor that day, particularly with reference to is concluding observations, did not accord with his own feelings at all. He thought the hon. gentleman had overstepped the line of propriety in a very considerable degree; especially when he argued that in the course of ten days or a fortnight the hon. ex-director might prepare an address on this most delicate subject. This was reducing a gentleman, on a case that never occurred before, to a most unjust situation; it was taking him at the greatest possible disadvantage. The hou. ex-director said, he did not answer the charge because his friends stated to him that it was unnecessary. It had since appeared in a public journal, at a time when the hon. ex-director was not in a state of health to admit of his coming forward with such a refutation as was now called for by the hon. gentleman. What then was the state of the case as it at present stood? It was simply this: here was an accusation brought forward on one side, and on the other there was a most solemn denial of it. With what was that denial backed? It was backed with a life of honor passed in the service of the Company.—(Hear! hear!) Were gentlemen, then, so hypercritically nice, with respect to character, that an individual, who had during his whole life maintained an unblemished reputation, was to be called on, when a charge was unexpectedly made against him, to justify himself in a fortnight or three weeks? He trusted the proprietors knew what justice was better; he trusted they knew what human nature was better; he trust

ed they knew better the state of society in which they lived, where the most shameful and the most unfounded accusations are frequently levelled at the purest and best characters, than to sanction such a principle.-(Hear! hear !) He believed they would not suffer a matter of this kind to outweigh the confidence founded on a long course of life marked by honourable exertions. He did not think they would suffer such an accusation to envelope in disgrace and dishonor a character long prized and respected. (Hear! hear!) He would appeal to every gentleman present, and to the public at large, on this subject. He hoped the hon. ex-director would stand on a level with the other candidates, after his explicit denial of the charge. He might now boldly face his constituents; and when a proper opportunity offered take the best course to repel this slander, which he must say was brought forward in the most cruel manner.-(Hear! hear!) When was it introduced? Thirty-four years after the circumstances to which it related were said to have taken place; when the transaction was incapable of clear proof, most of the parties having departed to another world. The circumstances too, it should be observed, took place in a far distant country; and the statements connected with them relied on native evidence, which every person acquainted with India knew perfectly 'well was not to be depended on. course which honor and justice pointed out on this occasion was extremely plain. This charge was not supported by any proof, and the hon. ex-director ought not to be called on immediately to produce his explanation. Time ought to be given him to enable him to shape his proceedings in the way most likely to attain the desired end; in his situation it would be most cruel to press him for an instant defence. He trusted it would be perfectly understood, that though this gentleman was accused, that accusation did not stand on proof. Why the court of directors, after a life spent in the service of the Company in India and in England, should form a bar to his coming forward, as other gentlemen did, he could not conceive. Having stated his opinion, he trusted the hon. ex-director would not be called on to produce a paper on this very delicate subject, until he had given it proper consideration; because, from its nature, it was evidently impossible to do it justice on the instant.

The

The hon. D. Kinnaird understood the hon. ex-director to say, that he would answer those charges as soon as the circumstances would permit him, and under that impression he would most willingly support him at his election.(Hear! hear !) It was most important,

unquestionably, to him, to repel the accusation as speedily as possible. If it had not been for the unfortunate opinion of his friends, he would not now be asking the indulgence of the proprietors, in stead of challenging their support; he, however, was not under any obligation to him (Mr. K.), because his support would be afforded to the hon. ex-director on account of his previous character. If he mistook not, however, a charge was started some years ago against an hon. director, which the executive body themselves took up. They found it to be their duty then to investigate the matter of accusation, as it affected the purity of their own body, and they acted on that principle. Now he meant only to say, that what was justice for one was justice for another. On that occasion they certainly did think it proper to inquire into transactions that took place many years before.

The Deputy-Chairman sincerely hoped, after what had passed that day, that his hon. friend would put so many words together, as would amount to an absolute denial of the charge forthwith. After

what had occurred in that court, he owed it to himself-he owed it to his constituents, and justice claimed it as a tribute due to his exalted character.

He

LITERARY AND

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believed throughout the room the excellence of that character had been admitted. (Hear! hear !) But doubts appeared to have entered an hon. gentleman's mind and it was necessary that his hon. friend should stand, like Cæsar's wife, not even suspected. (Hear! hear !) As he was going before the proprietors with the usual recommendation, he trusted he would satisfy them and his own mind by a declaration in three words, that the charge against him was without foundation : that might be followed up by explanation hereafter. The ground would thus be cleared, and he would come out of the trial pure as unsunned snow, and entitled to that confidence which he was sure his hon. friend had ever deserved. Adjourned sine die.

In reference to our report of the debate of the 3d July last, in page 159, we are requested to state, that the observation made by the Hon. Wm. Elphinstone upon the subject of the Company's trade in wine, and in which the name of Mr. Divie Robertson was introduced, was as fol lows:

"That the Company's wine was oried down by the people in India interest PrestainA the sale of their own wine

DISCOVERY OF THE LONGITUDE.

Mr. Croker, the Secretary to the Admiralty, has lately taken occasion, in the House of Commons, to introduce a very important topic, and has afforded the public an explanation respecting the mistakes in the Nautical Almanack. He moved for leave to bring in a bill to consolidate the Longitude Acts. The hon. gentleman said, that the number of acts on this subject was, of itself, a sufficient reason for the introduction of the measure he should propose they were in a state unparalleled in legislation. By an early act, £4,000 were granted for a certain step towards the discovery of the longitude, and by a subsequent statute £20,000 were appropriated to the same object. An individual had made the extent of discovery contemplated, and, in consequence of the confusion in those acts, received £24,000 instead of the reward which was evidently intended. On every new discovery it was found necessary to come to Parliament, and the consequence was, that a great number of acts on the same subject were, in some degree, in force. He wish

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ed to consolidate them, and to reduce into one act all the parts of those now in existence which were worthy of being continued. Before he submitted his motion to the house, he would shortly state what had been done on this curious subject. The first statute enacted in this country relative to the longitude was that of Anne; but long before that period, as early as the time of Philip II. of Spain, when that monarch was laying the foundation, as he supposed, of the maritime glory of his nation, which was afterwards altogether destroyed by British skill and prowess, he conceived it necessary to offer a large reward for the discovery of the longitude: the Dutch also offered a reward, but in neither instance was the study attended with any success. Frenchman of the name of Meran, in the time of Louis XIII. first hit on the idea of finding the longitude by means of lunar observations, but, in consequence of the want of lunar tables, the plan failed; that plan was now relied on with the greatest confidence. Sir Isaac Newton was particularly alive to this subject, and to his

A