the officers of the station of Masulipatam have thus been gradually led by the effects of the late prevailing agitation in the army of the Coast. He trusts, however, that this unhappy event will afford a salutary warning of the danger to which the combined interest of the public and the army must be ever exposed by the first and slightest departure from the established principles of military discipline, on the one hand; and, on the other, of a just subordination to the laws of their country and to the legitimate authority of the state. 66 The occurrence of this afflicting event, combined with the agitation which unhappily prevails among the officers of the army of Fort St. George, renders it the duty of the governorgeneral to proceed, without delay, to that presidency, in the hope of being enabled successfully to appeal to those sentiments of loyalty and attachment to their King and their country, which his lordship in council yet confidently ascribes to the general body of the officers of the coast army; whose zeal, fidelity, and professional achievements have hitherto been the theme of just and unqualified applause: and, by an accurate knowledge of all the circumstances which have attended the late agitation, to devise such means as may best tend to avert the impending dangers of anarchy and insubordination, and reestablish the foundations of public security and national prosperity in this important branch of the British empire. 66 N. B. EDMONSTONE, "Chief Secretary to Government." [0. ] 46 GENERAL ORDERS BY THE HON. THE GOVER 66 NOR IN COUNCIL. "August 3rd. Para. 1. The honourable the governor in council judges it proper to announce to the native troops, that the very improper conduct of some of the European officers of the company's service, and the refusal of others to acknowledge their allegiance to the government, have rendered it indispensably necessary to remove for a time a considerable number of European officers from the exercise of authority. 66 2. This measure will not, however, affect, in any respect, the situation of the native troops, who must know, that their first duty is to the government which they serve, and from which all authority is derived. 66 3. The governor in council entertains the same solicitude for the welfare and comforts of the native troops that has invariably been manifested by the British government. 66 4. He has no intention whatever of making any changes in their situation; and he expects that the native troops will display on every emergency the unshaken fidelity to government which constitutes the first duty of a soldier; that they will obey with zeal the orders 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 confidence in the government; and that they will not allow them. selves to be involved in measures in any respect adverse to their duty and allegiance. 66 5. The governor in council is pleased to express his approbation of 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 Vellore, and he is confident that their behaviour will be equally correct and loyal at all other stations of the army. By order of the honourable the governor in council. The hon. the governor in council has been pleased to resolve, that all the European officers of the company's service, who may be removed from the exercise of their military functions, in consequence of their refusing or omitting to sign the declaration, required in the orders of the 26th of July last, shall be permitted to choose a place for their residence until further 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 of the governor in council. 66 The governor in council is further pleased to direct, that the commanding officers of divisions, stations, or corps, shall take the most effectual measures for obliging the officers who may 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. 66 Commanding officers of divisions, &c. are directed to report to the office of the adjutant-general of the army, the names of the places which may be selected by the officers for their residence under this order. 66 By order of the honourable the governor in council. (Signed) [ P. ] A. FALCONAR, "LIEUTENANT COLONEL DAVIS, COMMANDING IN MYSORE. SIR, I have this morning received your official letter, giving cover to a copy of a letter from government, under date 26th ult. and have, in reply, to state, that I tendered the paper, in due form, to all the officers present here, who (unaminously) refused to sign it. I have delivered over the command to Subidar Bohoodling, a most respectable and good soldier, whom I had some trouble to persuade to supersede his European officers in the command of the corps and stations. The enclosures will fully explain every thing further. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your most obedient servant, 66 66 -66 SIR,-I have the honour to forward a paper, which I have to request you will forward to Madras, without delay; I beg leave, at the same time, to offer apologies for making you the channel of such communication, which proceeds from the absence of colonel Davis, and an anxiety to anticipate the orders of government, that we may share, in common with our brother officers at Bangalore, that temporary disgrace which Sir George Barlow has determined to inflict on them. 66 We, the undersigned officers of the garrison of Nundydroog, understanding that our brother officers at Bangalore have been called upon to sign a paper, promising implicit obedience to the orders of the honourable Sir George Barlow, St. George are not only the civil, but, by the express enactment of the British legislature, the military government also of the country; the whole of the civil and military government of the presidency of Fort St. George being vested in a governor and three counsellors, by the act of 1793. 66 Although it can never be proper to accustom officers to hesitate as to 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, fortunately, the principle is sufficiently understood in an English army, that the military state is subordinate to the civil, and that where there is command, there can be no duty but to obey. 66 As I depreciate the discussion in public orders of odious and delicate questions, and as I am unwilling to publish any general order on a subject so perfectly understood, (and which, but for the prejudice of the moment, could never be mistaken) I choose rather to trust to your discretion, that you will exercise 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; for when a paper of this, or any other factious nature, comes before me, I can have no difficulty in advising government how to dispose of the authors of it. 66 As compassion for major Boles may have drawn in the officers to this measure, I think it proper here to explain, that major Boles has, in my opinion, deprived himself of 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 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 if he would express any adequate regret for what he had done, as that when he had offered 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 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 cession of character, was rejected, (and not without some warmth) by his exclaiming that he was sorry for nothing that had happened, or words to that effect. 66 I beg to call your attention to the following extract of a general order, by this government, of the 30th of December, 1799, by which you will perceive the restrictions to which the circulation of addresses to the army has been limited. 66 6 His lordship in council also prohibits, under the strongest injunctions, the publication in future of 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.' 66 I have to rely on your discretion that you will adopt the means suitable to the occasion for the discouragement and prevention of the address above alluded to, or of any other of a similar description, with the division under your command. F. GOWDIE, "M. G. commanding," "Fort St. George, (Signed) Commander in Chief's Office, 10th April, 1809.” [ M. ] 66 "G. O. BY THE HONOURABLE THE GOVERNOR IN COUNCIL. "Fort St. George, May 1, 1809. The zeal and discipline, by which the military establishment 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 obedience 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 referred. The governor in council has, however, learnt, with a degree of surprise proportionate to the confidence which he reposed in the discipline of the army, that soon after the departure of the late commander in chief, proceedings of the most unjustifiable nature, and correspondent to the example which he had afforded, were pursued by certain officers of the army. 66 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 |