mander-in-chief of all the forces in India, shall be vested in the same

person.

(10) And be it enacted, that when any such commander of the military forces of the said United Company on the Bengal establishment shall be appointed a member of the said supreme council, such commander shall have rank and precedence at the council board next to the governor-general, but he shall not succeed to the government of such presidency on the happening of a vacancy in the office of governorgeneral, unless such commander of the military forces of the said United Company on the Bengal establishment shall have been provisionally appointed to supply the same; but such vacancy shall be supplied by the councillor next in rank at the council board to such commander of the military forces of the said United Company on the Bengal establishment, any thing contained in an act, passed in the thirty-third year of the reign of his present Majesty, intituled, an act for continuing in the East-India Company for a further term the possession of the British territories in India, together with their exclusive trade, under certain limitations; for establishing further regulations for the government of the said territories, and the better administration of justice within the same; for appropriating to certain uses the revenues and profits of the said Company; and for making provision for the good order and government of the towns of Calcutta, Madras, and Bombay; or any other law, usage, or custom, to the contrary thereof in anywise notwithstanding.

(11) Provided always, and be it enacted, that any commander so to be appointed a member of the said supreme council as hereinbefore is mentioned, shall be subject to recall by the same persons and in the same manner, and shall have the same powers, franchises, and authorities, in all respects as a member of council, as if he had been appointed thereto as commander-in-chief of all the forces in India.

(12) Vacancies in the office of commander-in-chief.

LAWS.

1805.

45 Geo. 3, c. 36,

§ 2.

§ 3.

1813.

Vacancies. at Fort William, Fort St. George, or Bombay, to be 53 Geo. 3,

filled by appointments from the court of Directors subject to approbation by the King.

Passage Money.]—If commander-in-chief of either presidency is resident in England at the time of his appointment, he is entitled to passage money, as follows:

c.155, § 80.

$ 89.

Power of commuting sentence of Death to Transportation.

Officer commanding-in-chief instead of causing sentence of death

1823.

4 Geo. 4,

to be carried into execution, may order the offender to be transport- c. 21, § 8. ed, as a felon, for life, or for a certain term of years.-(Vide Military

Forces.)

LAWS.

August 1800.

66

66

63

Letters Patent to Marquess Wellesley, as CAPTAIN-GENERAL
IN INDIA.

George the Third, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France,
"and Ireland, King, defender of the faith, and so forth, to all
"to whom these presents shall come, greeting:

"Whereas the United Company of Merchants of England trading "to the East-Indies by their commission, under the seal of the said Company, bearing date the sixth day of October, one thousand seven "hundred and ninety-seven, have appointed our right trusty, and "entirely beloved cousin and councillor, Richard Wellesley, Marquis Wellesley, (then Earl of Mornington) of our kingdom of Ireland, "and Baron Wellesley, of Wellesley, in our county of Somerset, in "our kingdom of Great Britain, and Knight of the most illustrious "order of Saint Patrick, to be, during the pleasure of the said Com"pany, governor-general of the presidency of Fort-William in the bay of Bengal, and of all the towns and territories thereunto belonging, and of all and singular the forts, factories, settlements, "lands, territories, countries, and jurisdictions within the soubahship "of Bengal, and of, and for all the affairs whatsoever of the said "Company in the bay of Bengal, and other the places and provinces "thereto belonging, in the East-Indies, together with all and every "the powers and authorities committed and given to the governorgeneral of Bengal, for the time being, by any act or acts of Par"liament then in force; and by another commission under the seal "of the said Company, bearing date the same sixth day of October, "one thousand seven hundred and ninety-seven, have appointed the "said Richard, Marquis Wellesley, governor-general and comman"der-in-chief of the fort and garrison of Fort-William in Bengal, of "the town of Calcutta, and of all the forces which then were or "thereafter should be employed in the service of the said United

Company within the said fort, garrison, and town; and the said "Company have also from time to time appointed officers to be com"manders-in-chief of their forces at the said presidency of Fort"William in Bengal, and their presidencies of Fort St. George and

Bombay respectively, and also have occasionally appointed persons "to be commanders-in-chief of all the said Company's forces in the "East-Indies; and whereas we have from time to time caused detach"ments of our land forces to be employed in the East-Indies, for the protection of the British territories there, and the annoyance of our "enemies in those parts; and whereas difficulties have arisen and may arise in the direction and employment of our said forces, inas"much as the same are under the immediate command of officers "commissioned by us, and not by the said Company, and we are "desirous of preventing such difficulties by giving authority to the "said Richard Marquis Wellesley to act as captain-general and "commander-in-chief of all our forces in the East-Indies, and "thereby

"thereby to put under his orders and directions all our land forces,
" as well as the military force in the service of the said United Com-
<< pany which may be employed in those parts: Now, know ye, that
"we, reposing especial trust and confidence in the prudence, courage,
" and loyalty of the said Richard, Marquis Wellesley, have made,
"constituted, and appointed, and do by these presents make, consti-
"tute, and appoint the said Richard, Marquis Wellesley, our captain-
"general and commander-in-chief of all and singular our land forces
"employed or to be employed in our service within any of the British
"territories in India, and in all parts within the limits of the exclu
"sive trade of the said United Company, during our pleasure, to order,
"do, and perform all things whatsoever, which do or ought to belong
"to the office of our captain-general, and commander-in-chief of
"our land forces, within the parts aforesaid, and generally to order,
"do, and perform all, and whatsoever for us, and in our name ought
"to be done, in the command, order, and direction of our said forces,
" and also of all military forces whatsoever in the parts aforesaid
"which the said Richard, Marquis Wellesley, is not authorized and
empowered to order, do, and perform by force and virtue of the
"said commissions, from the said United Company, it being our
gracious will and intention by this our commission, to give to the
"said Richard, Marquis Wellesley, full power and authority to order,
"direct, and control all military forces employed, or to be employed,
"in the territories and parts aforesaid, in all cases to which the
"commissions so granted by the said United Company to the said
Richard, Marquis Wellesley, cannot extend for want of powers in
"the said Company for that purpose; and we do hereby command
"all our officers and soldiers who are, or shall be employed in our
"land service within any of the territories and parts aforesaid, to
" acknowledge and obey the said Richard, Marquis Wellesley, as
"their captain-general and commander-in-chief; but, nevertheless,
"we do strictly enjoin and command the said Richard, Marquis
Wellesley, in the exercise of the powers and authorities given
"to him by these presents, to observe and obey all such instruc-
tions, orders, and directions, from time to time, as the said
"Richard, Marquis Wellesley, shall receive from the first commis-
❝sioner for the affairs of India, or from any of our principal
"secretaries of state; provided always, and our will and pleasure
is, that if the said Richard, Marquis Wellesley, shall cease to
"be governor-general of the presidency of the British territories in
Bengal as aforesaid, then and from thenceforth all and every the
powers and authorities hereby given to the said Richard, Marquis
Wellesley, cease, determine, and become void; any thing herein-
"contained to the contrary notwithstanding. In witness whereof,
have caused these our letters to be made patent. Witness
"ourself at Westminster, the seventh day of August, in the fortieth
year of our reign.

66

66

66 we

66

LAWS.

August

1800.

66

By writ of privy seal.”

(Signed)

"YORKE."

COMMITTEES.

THE charter of King William provides, that sub-committees may be appointed for the despatch of business. The term subcommittee arose from the meeting of the twenty-four Directors of the old or LONDON COMPANY having been designated, anterior to the projected union of the two companies in 1702, a Court of Committees.

The practice which appears to have prevailed before the union, of choosing the several sub-committees immediately after the annual election, was followed when that union was completed in 1708. After the first annual election, which took place in April 1709, the several committees were chosen; they consisted of the Committee of Accounts-Buying-Correspondences Law Suits Shipping-Treasury-Warehouses-and Private Trade. In April 1771, the Committee for the Management and Application of the Military, or Lord Clive's Fund, was added; and, in 1781, the Committee for Government Troops and Stores, for the purpose of carrying into effect the provisions contained in the 17th and 24th sections of the act of the 21st Geo. III, cap. 65. In 1784, by the 16th section of the 24th Geo. III, cap. 25, the Court of Directors were required to appoint a Secret Committee, to consist of three of their members, who by the 26th Geo. III, cap. 16, were required to take the oath therein prescribed.

The existing committees for conducting the Affairs of the East-India Company may be divided into four heads:

1st. The standing Committees of the Court of Directors. 2d. The Committee of Secrecy appointed by the act of Parliament.

3d. The Secret Commercial Committee.

4th. The Committee of By-Laws.

The

The first class of committees consists of

The Committee of Correspondence,

Law Suits,

Military Fund,
Treasury, 4

Civil College,
Library.

The members composing these committees are the chairman and deputy-chairman and the nine senior Directors. The chairman and deputy-chairman are members of all committees.

The business assigned to the Committee of CORRESPONDENCE is by far the most extensive. The whole of the advices from India in the public, political, military, revenue, judicial, law, separate and ecclesiastical departments, come under their review and consideration; as also the replies to such despatches before they are submitted for the approbation of the Court of Directors. The Committee of Correspondence report the number of civil, military, and medical servants necessary for keeping up the establishments abroad, and on the applications of all such servants for leave of absence, or for permission to return to their respective presidencies. All representations and applications for redress of grievances or pecuniary demands from the Company's servants are, in the first instance, decided by this committee, and likewise the various subjects growing out of the employment of the royal navy, and of his Majesty's troops in India. The recruiting department is under the Committee of Correspondence, to whom it also belongs to submit such appointments as may be necessary in the secretary's, examiner's, auditor's, military secretary's, military fund, and treasury departments, to the decision of the Court of Directors, as well as the stationing of the several ships for their respective voyages. It belongs to the Committee of Correspondence to issue the secret instructions to the commanders of the Company's ships as to the course they are to proceed on the voyage to and from India and China, and in the time of war to apply to the Admiralty for convoys, and for devising and taking such precautions as the committee may deem necessary for their safety with regard to signals and otherwise.