fringing any rules or regulations laid down for their guidance, neither they nor their associates in India suspected. But the Court of Directors took another view of the matter. They believed that such an arrangement had too much of the commercial element in it, and that it was better that their servants should abstain from connecting themselves with assigneeships for the future. On the 6th of April, 1821, they despatched a public letter to Bengal, communicating their sentiments on these subjects; and Sir Charles Metcalfe, therefore, took the earliest opportunity of withdrawing his name from the list of assignees, and of recording, in the following minute, an explanation of his conduct :

"August 28, 1831.-Having this instant read the letter from the Honorable the Court of Directors of the 6th April, I lose no time in stating that I shall have the greatest pleasure in applying to the Supreme Court to have my name removed from the list of assignees for the estate of the late firm of Palmer and Co.

"I have not taken any part in the management of the affairs of the estate since I entered on the office of Vice-President.

"With respect to the office of attorney for a mercantile house in London, that has long since ceased. It was undertaken for an urgent but temporary purpose, from regard for a friend.

"In becoming an assignee I yielded to the desire of the creditors of the insolvent firm.

"In either case, if I had consulted my own convenience or advantage, I should have refused to act. I should also have done so if I had conceived the possibility of any impropriety or irregularity in taking on myself the duties which those trusts imposed.

"As any gain was totally out of the question, although there

THE ASSIGNEESHIP.

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might be heavy loss from the responsibility which I incurred, I did not apprehend that in the duties which I undertook for the benefit of others there was the slightest similarity to the situation of 'partner in a mercantile house,' or that of 'agent for a mercantile house,' situations in which the parties engaged have their own profit in view, and which I could never consider myself at liberty to occupy.

6

"The Honorable Court observe, We have to express our surprise that up to this hour we are without any official information from you of a fact by which you could not but suppose that we might consider the interests of your Government liable to be seriously affected.'

"In what way the interests of the Government could be in the slightest degree affected, I am quite unable to imagine, and I beg leave to assure the Honorable Court that if I had supposed such a consequence possible, I should not have undertaken. either of the trusts in question.

"I presume that the other members of the Government were equally free from such an apprehension, for certainly if they had entertained it, they would have objected to my acceptance of those trusts, which was a matter publicly known; although as I was acting in my individual capacity, without the least doubt of the perfect propriety of my proceedings, I never thought it necessary to make any official communication to the Government on the subject.

"I trust that nothing that I have said in explaining my own conduct will be construed as questioning the expediency of the order now issued by the Honorable Court. I have no such presumption-I bow to the Court's pleasure with implicit deference. As far as my own convenience and interests are concerned, the order brings me relief; and I am not sensible that those of any other party will be now injuriously affected by it."

Such, briefly narrated, was Metcalfe's "time in Council." I come now to speak of his elevation to a higher post.

CHAPTER VI.

[1835-1836.]

THE GOVERNOR-GENERALSHIP.

Institution of the Government of Agra-The New India Bill-The Provisional Governor-Generalship-Correspondence with Mr. Tucker-The Ootacamund Council-Suspension of the Agra Government-Resignation of Lord William Bentinck-Succession to the Governor-Generalship-Contests at Home-Lord Heytesbury and Lord Auckland.

"King

IT may be remembered that when Charles Metcalfe held the office of Political Secretary, Sir John Malcolm urged him to plant his standard in Central India, assuring him that although he might go there as a Commissioner, he would soon grow into a Lieutenant-Governor.* The temptation to become a was eventually resisted; and Malcolm, who earnestly desired to leave his old field of employment in the hands of one whose great powers he knew how to estimate, was disappointed that his charmings met with no better success. Soon afterwards he returned to England. The idea of this Central-Indian Government still held possession of his mind. With all the earnestness and activity

* Ante, Chapter XIII. Vol. I.

SIR JOHN MALCOLM.

207

which were such conspicuous features of his character, he urged upon the Home authorities the expediency of establishing a new administrative system for the provinces of Central India; and it would seem that both at the India House and at the Board of Control the validity of his arguments was recognised.

On the last day of the year 1826, Mr. Wynn, who then presided at the India Board, wrote to Sir John Malcolm, that he would be glad to visit him at Hyde Hall. The object of his visit was to press upon him the acceptance of the Government of Bombay. Among the most persuasive of the President's arguments was one to the effect that it would be of immense advantage to the public interests that the supervision of Central India should be entrusted to one so intimately acquainted with that part of the country. It was stated that the Chairman of the Court of Directors was of the same opinion regarding the expediency of forming a new administration for Central India, and commissioning Malcolm to give it effect. The temptation was great; but it was not yielded to without a fortnight's consideration. Then Malcolm wrote, that "under the circumstances of its being in contemplation to form an administration for Central India, on a plan of more extensive native agency than has usually been employed in our Indian territories, and that it was desired to give him the supervision of such a plan," he would accept the Governorship of Bombay.

Called upon to state fully his opinions regarding this contemplated administration, Malcolm drew up

an elaborate report, in which all the details of the proposed scheme were mapped out with the hand of a master. It was to be a Lieutenant-Governorship subordinate to the Governor-General in Council. But the Court of Directors were not at this time prepared to give their sanction to the great experiment. "A change so important required," they said, "the most attentive and serious consideration." Malcolm was thanked in becoming terms for his valuable report. He was told that his propositions were duly appreciated; but it was intimated to him that in the mean time he was " to consider himself as appointed exclusively to the office of Governor of Bombay."

So the great project for the establishment of a Government in Central India was folded up and shelved for a time. But as the period drew near for the re-consideration of the entire question of Indian Government, and it became necessary to frame a new act for the administration of our Eastern dominions, this matter, of a second local Government under the over-grown Presidency of Bengal, presented itself among the foremost points of discussion to all who were, either directly or indirectly, concerned in the work of legislation for India. The advantages of a presiding influence in Upper India were patent to all who considered the immense extent of the Bengal Presidency, and the difficulty of extending efficient control over all the details of administration in remote places, reaching to the banks of the Sutlej, from a seat of Government planted in Calcutta. All the most experienced Indian statesmen were now of Malcolm's opinion, that it had become necessary

to