discussion and a division, was carried. An amendment, proposed by Mr. Baring, taking from the Board of Control the power of obliging the Company to grant licenses to persons going to India, was negatived without a division; and after a desultory conversation, the whole of the resolutions were agreed to, except one, asserting the duty of this country to extend to India useful knowledge, and moral and religious improvement, and recommending facilities to be given to persons desirous of going to or remaining in India, for the purpose of accomplishing such objects. This it was determined to postpone, and transmit the other resolutions to the Lords.

On the 18th of June, some conversation took place on the resolutions; and on the 21st, the House of Lords went into Committee on them. They were agreed to almost unanimously; the Earl of Lauderdale alone saying, not content to the first, and stating generally, that he objected to them all, but declined at that time discussing them. On the motion that the report should be received on the following day, the Marquess of Lansdowne moved that it be received that day three months. The amendment gave rise to some debate. Lord Melville supported the views of Ministers. The Earl of Lauderdale made a violent speech on the other side. He condemned the conduct of the Directors in the severest terms, and declared them unfit for the civil and military control of India. He alleged, that to say that the Court of Directors afforded the best form of government for India, was to give the lie to all experience. If the position were just, the British constitution of King, Lords, and Commons, ought to give way to a body of twenty-four Directors-for if twenty-four Directors residing in England formed the best government for India, twenty-four Directors residing in India would be the best government for Great Britain. This position of the noble Lord's it is, perhaps, unnecessary to discuss; but it is remarkable that Lord Lauderdale was, a few years earlier, very desirous of becoming the instrument through which the twenty-four Directors, whom he now denounced, were to exercise the powers of Government. Lord Grenville repeated some of his former arguments as reasons for delay; and two or three of the ministerial peers having spoken on the opposite side, the amendment was lost, on a division, by a majority of thirty-five. The bringing up the report, on the following day, gave rise to scarcely any observation.

On the 22d, an important discussion took place in the Commons, on the resolution which had been postponed. Lord Castlereagh delivered a guarded speech in favour of a regulated toleration of missionary exertions. Sir Henry Montgomery opposed it-declared the religion of the Hindoos pure and unexceptionable-denied both the practicability and the necessity of converting the Hindoos to Christianity; and represented their moral character as much superior to that of the people of this country. He treated the missionaries generally with little respect; and threw out some insinuations against the character and labours of Swartz, who, he said, was a politician as well as a preacher. He was answered by Mr. Wilberforce in a speech of great length and power. Mr. Wilberforce argued for the practicability of the conversion of the Hindoos, from experience. He refuted

the aspersions cast upon the character of Swartz, and adverting to the charge that he was a politician, he said:

"I thank the honourable Baronet for reminding me of it. Swartz was a politician, but not a volunteer in that service. He became a politician at the earnest and importunate entreaty of the East-India Government; because, having to negociate with Hyder Ally, they could find no one in whose integrity and veracity that chieftain would confide, but Swartz the missionary. He therefore became a politician and an accredited envoy; because, as a missionary, he had secured to himself the universal confidence both of the Mahometans and the Hindoos."

Mr. Wilberforce proceeded to show the degraded moral state of the people of India, and the necessity and duty of permitting the Christian religion to be freely imparted to them. His speech was throughout able, eloquent, and convincing: it must be hoped, that a large portion of it would in the present day be unnecessary. The resolution was carried.

On the 28th, the House resolved itself into a Committee upon the bill. An extended discussion took place, but little additional light was thrown upon the various questions. The most remarkable speeches were those of Mr. Lushington and Mr. William Smith; the former against the conversion of the Hindoos to Christianity; the latter in its favour. "If," said Mr. Smith, "I did not believe one iota of the divine origin of that religion, yet, as a philosopher, I should admire it for the pure principles of morality which it inculcates; and I should be anxious to introduce it among the Hindoos, for the purpose of driving from the shores of India that cruel and bloody superstition which at present disgraces them." Mr. Tierney repeated his former arguments against the proposed changes. Finally, the report was received, and ordered to be taken into further consideration on the 1st of July. On that day, various amendments were proposed and lost. Among them was one against the clause respecting the propagation of Christianity in India. Mr. Marsh made a violent speech against the missionaries, and was answered by Mr. Wilberforce. On the following day, the Committee was resumed, and some discussion took place, but it proceeded languidly. A motion for an establishment for the Scottish Church in India, was lost. On the 12th, the report was brought up, when Mr. Howarth opposed its reception, in a speech of much power. In the course of it, he said:

"The monopoly of the Company was originally granted them for the public benefit; and it is but fair to ask whether it has produced it. Through all the varied vicissitudes of two centuries, they were, undoubtedly,monopolists: nobody was found to claim a participation with them in the drenchings at Amboyna; they were left in the undisturbed possession of the Black Hole in Calcutta ; they had the exclusive privilege of fighting, single-handed, against all the powers of Europe who had got a footing on the peninsula of India. But, now that they have, with a valour almost unexampled, driven every hostile European from the Continent of India; now that they have acquired an extent of territory of nearly 4,000 square miles; brought under the government and controul of this country a population of sixty millions; realized a revenue of sixteen millions; raised an army of 150,000 men; erected fortresses; established factories; swept the Indian seas of every hostile flag, and possessed

themselves of a sea-coast of 3,000 miles in extent, with all the facilities of commerce; now it is that the liberality of the British merchant claims an unqualified participation in a free trade to India; now, the wisdom of the Legislature interferes to render inefficient that instrument by which these acquisitions have been allowed; and its equity is now about to refuse to secure even the dividends of that capital stock which has been sunk in the public service. Now, it is discovered that twenty-four merchants are very unfit persons-not to manage the government-for that, they are admitted to be eminently qualified-but to manage the commerce of their dominions."

There was certainly much truth in this; but it was hardly to be expected that truth and justice should be successful in a contest with selfishness and avarice, fortified, as they now were, by the iron doctrines of political economy.

On the 13th, the bill was read a third time, and passed. In the House of Lords it passed almost sub silentio, the Earl of Lauderdale alone opposing it, because it did not go far enough; and his hostility evaporated in an angry protest.

Thus was inserted the narrow end of the wedge, which was to shatter the mercantile privileges of the East-India Company. It has since been driven home; and the commercial grandeur of the Company is among the things that have passed away.

DAVID HALLIBURTON, ESQ.

E.

We have this month to record the death of David Halliburton, Esq., a gentleman whose long and honourable career in the Civil Service of the East-India Company calls for, at least, a brief notice.

Mr. Halliburton entered the service on the Madras Establishment in the year 1770, and immediately on his arrival in India, was employed in the Revenue Department. From the moment of his landing, he devoted himself with extraordinary ardour and perseverance to the acquisition of every species of knowledge connected with the interests of the Company, to whose service he had devoted his time and talents. His exertions were as successful as they were unremitting. He rapidly acquired an extraordinary degree of familiarity with the customs and languages of that part of India in which his lot had been cast; and he found ample opportunities of applying his information beneficially for his employers and the country which they governed. At an early age, he obtained the office of Persian translator, and the ability with which he filled it more than justified the selection.

While thus honourably occupied in the laborious discharge of his duties, and the sedulous cultivation of his mind, he had the happiness of being instrumental in introducing to India two individuals, destined to act a conspicuous part in its history. In 1779, Sir Thomas Munro arrived, to join the Madras army, and in 1781, Sir John Malcolm landed for the same purpose. Mr. Halliburton received both these distinguished officers on their arrival, and was not slow in discerning their talents. The countenance and support of a servant of Mr. Halliburton's character and experience were valuable aids to the personal claims of the two young officers, and they were bestowed with frankness and sincerity.

From 1782 till his retirement from office, Mr. Halliburton was unremittingly employed in revenue affairs, and in 1791 he obtained a seat at the Board. Here his fine talents, extensive knowledge, and laborious industry had an ample field for their display. The period was a remarkable and critical one. Among the duties devolving on the Board, was a new arrangement of the territories of the Carnatic. Mr. Halliburton had also to contend against a hostile administration; but though he encountered an opposition both determined and unscrupulous, he finally triumphed. His conduct throughout this arduous period reflected the highest honour on himself, and afforded the fullest satisfaction to the Court of Directors. In 1795, he retired from the service; on which occasion, the Government of Madras transmitted to the Court of Directors a most gratifying testimonial to his merits and services. The judgment of the Court confirmed that of the local Government. The eulogium was declared well-merited, and the conduct of Mr. Halliburton pronounced worthy of the imitation of the service generally.

From the period of his retirement, Mr. Halliburton resided in England, enjoying in the retrospect of an active and useful career, and in the friendship of a wide circle of intelligent and estimable men, the best reward which virtuous exertion can receive on this side the grave. Though withdrawn from any official connexion with India, he never ceased to take a warm interest in its welfare; and every question bearing upon its prosperity seemed to call forth afresh the energies of his youth.

He died at his seat at Bushy, on the 12th June 1836, in the 86th year of his age.

OPERATIONS IN GUZERAT, IN 1803.

At the time the action described in this paper was fought, few military operations in India, except those on a large scale, ever found their way to the Indian, much less to the British public. It is an attempt to rescue from oblivion one of the many gallant, but nearly forgotten, actions performed by the army in India.

"It was on a fine morning in the month of February, 1803, as I recollect, when our brigade, which consisted of the 75th regiment, part of the 86th, and two native battalions, the 2d battalion, 1st regiment, and a battalion of the 7th, was paraded in marching order at day-break; but there being some demur at head-quarters relative to our movement, we remained rather a long time sitting under trees, wrapped up in our cloaks.

"The officers for the advanced guard, however, were at length summoned; the guard moved off, and we fell in, and followed them; the 75th leading, and the detachment of the 86th in the rear.

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I ought, perhaps, to have premised, that this brigade formed a part of the British force stationed in the province of Guzurat, and was employed, after the siege of Baroda, in a harassing pursuit of a rebellious brother of the Guicowur; also, that our encampment was to the northward of the Mehindri or Mihie River, and not far distant from the town of Dakoor.

"Our march, which we now learned was to attack a large body of Arabs, Sind'his, and Mahrattas, under Kanojee, the above-mentioned brother of the

Guicowar, led through a thickly-wooded or jungly country, intersected by deep ravines, and skirting the high banks of the river Mihie, one of the largest in the western provinces of India.

"We had marched through rugged and dusty roads, about eight or nine miles, when, at the entrance into a deep ravine, leading down to the river (which ravine had a small open space before it, and in the vicinity of which the enemy were encamped), of a sudden, we heard a few straggling shots, and by and by a continued blaze of musketry.

"Our men were, therefore, halted to load, and the fire still continuing in front, we moved on. We had not, however, proceeded far, when a rush from the ravine, like a torrent, bore us back a considerable distance, and we found that the advanced guard, penned up in a deep narrow road, exposed to the fire of the Arab sharpshooters, posted on the steep sides or banks behind trees, and without the power to return it, had suffered so severely in killed and wounded, that they had been obliged to retire.

"A six-pounder also, the artillery-men being mostly killed or wounded, had fallen into the possession of the Arabs.

"In these circumstances, the flank companies of the 2d battalion, 1st regiment, and the detachment of the 86th, were immediately ordered from the rear to the front, and headed by our gallant commanding officer, Colonel H., charged, cheering, down the ravine, and being in some measure covered by the fire of our flanking parties, and two six-pounders, after a sharp conflict, in which the combatants fought hand to hand, drove the Arabs back with great slaughter, re-taking the gun, which they had not had time or space to turn against us. Following up their success, and passing over the bodies of friends and enemies, they soon reached the encampment of our concealed foes, in the midst of the jungle, and took almost every article in it,—tents, camels, and baggage of all descriptions.

“The fugitives in their dismay flew to the river, leaving all behind them, and many were said to have been drowned in crossing; however, they soon after collected together at a town about ten or twelve miles off, and we were obliged to follow, and beat them again, before they dispersed.

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The booty taken was, I believe, considerable, as camels were sold in our camp next day at twenty and thirty rupees each; and one of the native officers of my company obtained a belt belonging to one of the Arab chiefs, filled with knives and daggers, the whole hilted and covered with pure gold.

"The narrow road down to the river was completely covered with the bodies of the slain.-Europeans, Arabs, and native infantry lying promiscuously; some of them across each other. They were, however, strewed thickest near the gun, which appeared to have been the scene of a most desperate conflict.

"No fault could be attributed to the advanced guard for retiring, in the difficulties in which they were placed; the leading sections being killed and wounded to a man.

"After all was over, we were obliged to remain at this place until the evening, to provide for the carriage of the wounded officers and men; and this being effected, and the dead buried, we returned to our encampment of the morning, worn out, and with heavy hearts; for scarcely any but had to regret the loss of a comrade or a friend.

"I forgot to mention that we had a party of Mahratta Horse with us; but, I believe, they restricted their exertions to sharing very largely in the plunder of the enemy's camp."