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of affairs was entrusted to a Naib , or chief manager , -appointed by themselves . Notwithstanding these anomalous relations between the Nawab and the Bombay Government , no great inconvenience was experienced ttfitii the total wreck of the Mogul Empire . TTliey liad hitherto stood on parallel lines , ¦ which now threatened to converge . Only one consequence could possibly ensue . The weaker power must be absorbed , or effaced , by the stronger . The Nawab saw , and
subwords , the Legislative Council of India assumes to itself the power of suspending the fundamental laws of the British Empire . It pretends to deprive a British subject ot thn rio-h t of appeal . It might as well suspend the action of the Habeas Corpus Act in any individual case , or deny an accused person the privilege of being tried by his peers- But these acts of arrogance , this spirit of aggression , must ever be expected so long as the present system of Government prevails in India . If the
authorities can screen themselves from investigation into their many deeds of arbitary violence and oppression , it is "vain to ask of the natives to xevere the religion , to cultivate the civilisation , to respect and love the institutions , customs , or persons of their rulers . Unless the direct government of the Crown , actingthrough a responsible minister , be speedil y extended to those immense territories , the British public will be perpetually startled and shocked by disgraceful exhibitions of cupidity , meanness , and insolent oppression ,
In spite of this Legislative Council and its special acts , Meer Jaffier AiiiEhas tlie spirit to appeal to the justice and good feeling of the ' British ifation . It has long since been decided that he should ¦ •¦ receive one-half of £ 11 , 000 a-year- ^—the other moiety being distributed amongst collaterals . But , as it appears b } ' the
" custom " of the family , which in India is held superior to either Mahommedan or Hindoo law , that these collaterals are not entitled to inherit , he demands that Tc > 0 th . moieties shall be paid to himself alone . He further aslcs that the decision of the Bombay Government with respect to the private property of the late Nawab . shall be referred to the Judicial Committee of the
Privy Council . These questions will be brought before the House of Commons on Tuesday next , when the representatives of the British people will have an opportunity of proving to their fellowsubjects in the far East , that no act of injustice can be perpetrated with itopunity -within the bounds of the empire , however powerful the oppressor , however insignificant the victim . A simple act of justice is sued for at their hands . They cannot , in the face of Europe , turn a deaf ear to the cry .
mitted to , his fate . He consented to hold directly of the English , as he had formerly held of the Emperor of Delhi . The objectionable office of Naib was then abolished , and the Nawab was permitted to mis-govern his people after Bis own fashion— -his merchantmasters guaranteeing him against all foreign foes , in consideration of a certain annual subsidy , jkfter a time , however , it was discovered
on my part , as a sincere friend . " It does not appear what was the result of the Eesident ' s application , or that he ever made any . However , on the death of one of the Nawab ' s daughters her husband waived all claim to the succession , and his brother , Meer Jaffier Alee was left sole heir to his father-in-law . This prince unfortunately died suddenly from an attack of cholera , without having made a ¦ will , though his intentions in favour of Jaffier Alee had been long and universally known .
Sir George Arthur , then Governor of Bombay , declared in an official minute that the Government was " bound in honour and dignity to continue the pension of £ l 5 , 000 to the Nawab ' s family , " and recommended that the amount should , be divided "between the surviving daughter and certain collateral members of the family . This recommendation was only in part acceded to by the Governor-Oeneral , who logically reasoned that if the office was extinct the pension should also
expire , but his Lordship was willing to continue its payment as " a bounty " Strange to say , the Government of Bombay now declined to recognise Meer Jaffier ' s claims " either as a bounty or a right . " They went still further , and actually seized upon the private estate of the late Nawab , and even upon , the property he had presented in his lifetime to his daughter and her mother . Upon this Meer Jaffieb came to England , in 1844 , and urged his claims upon the justice and generosity of the Court of Directors . That honourable Board
decided , however , by a majority of one , that the Governor-General ' s opinion should be sustained , but the Chairman personally assured the claimant that onl y a small portion of the pension would be withheld . Grateful for small mercies , Jaffier Alee returned to India only to learn that the local authorities set at naught the orders of the magnates of Leadenhall-street . ' The Bombay Government had the audacity and meanness to offer him a pension of £ 1 , 200 , and the same sum for his two 'daughters during their respective terms of existence . And these
payments were to be accepted as a definitive satisfaction of all claims . This glaring act of injustice necessitated a second appeal to the Court of Directors , in 1848 , who repeated their former orders , and insisted upon their execution . The Bombay Government now resolved that £ 4 , 000 should be deducted from the annuity of < £ 15 , 000 , to represent the amount expended on State ceremonies , which would not be expected from the present claimant . This resolution , though manifestly arbitrary , would still leave a pension of £ l 1 , 000 ; instead of which only £ 5 , 200 was actually paid .
Nor was this all . It has already l > een mentioned that the Nawab ' s private estate was placed under sequestration soon after his decease . But seven years afterwards the Government discovered that they had acted illegally , and wore liable to an action for damages being laid against them in the Queen ' s Bench . They , therefore , obtained from the Legislative Council of India a special act of indemnity , couchod in the following terms : — "The Governor of Bombay in Council is empowered to act in the
administration of the property of whatever nature left by the late Nawa i * of Surat in regard to the settlement and payment of dobts and claims standing against the estate of the Into Nawaii at the time of his death , and to make distribution of" the remaining property among his family . And no Act of the said Governor of Bombay in Coxmoil in respect to the administration to , and distribution of , such property , from the date of the death of the said late Nawab shall be liable to be questioned in any Court of Law or Equity . " In other
that the stipulated sum was inadequate to the exigencies of the case . Frequent disputes thence arose ; but the Bombay Government was spared the pretext for either violence or fraud by the death of the ISawab , wh-o was speedily followed to the gr ^ -ve by his inlarit $ on ! . - The last reigniidgjprince , it is triEte , had left a ;¦ brother , who , , according to the Manommedan law , might reasdiiably expect to succeed to trie Musnud . But the British
Government apprise'd him of his naistake , by intirnating ; that the office was not hereditary— -the CxRE ^ t MbotnL ii aying appointed whom he woula at . each recurring vacancy , they , as the successors of tn ^ t iHusterious potentate , were ( equally entitled to exercise their pleasure or discretion . Their requisitions were such as ho prince could accept without hope of evasion ; but to evade them , tinder such a imlitai ^ despotism as the British , was an idea top , chimerical to be entertained . They were ,
eohseqxiently , refused ; and the East India Company took possession of the revenues and government of Surat , conferring on the heirapparent to that dignity the title of Nawab , and a pension of « £ 15 , 000 a-year , for himself and his heirs for ever , oruntil such heirs became extinct . . This is acknowledged by Mr . Dun-CAN ^ tiie Governor of Bombay , who signed the Articles of A-greement ,- on the 13 th of May , 1800 ,, in the name and by the authority of the new Governor General , the Marquis of Wellusley .
The annuity of . £ 15 , 000 was regularly paid the Nawab , and , likewise , to his son and successor ,, until the death of the latter in 1842 , N " ow MEER Afzuloodeen Khan died without male issue and also intestate . His two daughters had been married to the sons of Meer Surfakaz Alee , " a distinguished general in the service of his Highness the
Gui-COwab , " with the distinct understanding that these young noblemen , should inherit the property of their father-in-law , and that one of them should succeed to his title . The question here naturally arises , had the Nawab the power to make such an agreement ? That lie himself entertained doubts upon the subject is apparent from his letter to Mr . Wil-WAjrsj the Resident at Baroda , After
announcing , the marriage of his daughters , ho says :- — " I am , exceedingly pleased with them ( his sons-in-law ) , and have appointed them my successors . I request the same of the IJonourablo the Government , and for the tfar ^ e r caspn I beg of you to keep this matter , jn . your re / lection . " Mr . Williams yet xnore clearly assumes that it rested with h ' w Government to sanotion or annul this settlement . . These are his words : — "In this rcator I write to you , as a friend , that I will uso all the endeavours in my powor with the honqur ^ l e Government , in the object above ctfed / , . yofu . flhould . think of no omission
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|_ TW THIS DEPARTMENT , AS ALX OPINION ? , nOWP . V ]! lt l'XTIimrE ABE AfcliOAWED AN" EXPRESSION , tlfE EDITOR NECESSAHM . ' , BOIiDS HIMSELF UESrONSllJljE VOlt 1 , 'ONE . J
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There is no learned man trat will confess ho hath much proiltcd by reading controversies , his aensua awakened , and his judgment sharpened . If , then , u be profitable for him to read , why should it hot , fit least , bo tolerable for his adversary to write ? — M ii / ion .
THE NATIONAL GALLERY—Til IS NEW PURCHASE . ( To the Editor of the Leader . ) Sin , —I have seen to-day , for the first timo , thonew picture in the National Gallery , attributed to Paul Veronese . Ah ouo of tho witnesses examined by the " Solcel Comrnittee on tho National Gallery" of 18 r > : > > , and iw ono of thoso -who , in 1855 , signed tho " Protest and Counter-statement" against tho report of that Committee , I now protest against tho purchase , at any price , of a picture so bad , and so Hcoumil ami ropainted aa tho ouo in q ueation .
To expend ptiblio monoy upon so worth Iokr a picture , ia not only a gross misapplication of tho revenue , but it \ h also calculated to bring iho nut ion into contempt , a » ostubliHhLng , proBUinptuouuly , that workw of tho lowoat typo are the most congenial 1 <» uh , aud that in selecting event theso , vo arc incompetent to distinguish the gonuino from tlie spurious . It has boon wtatod officially that one thousand nine hundred and xeventy-savenpounds woro paid Co )' thin picture , I will venture to awHort , tlml no pioturovnluer worthy of orodit would nppmho It at <> no-louth of that sum ; but , I repeat , that , at no price ought it to hove boon purchased . Even at nt / ifi it ; would wot bo worth tho space it ocoupiow in tho National Gallery . Youi-h , &o ., WlMtAM ( JoNINUIlAM . Koinptown , February 20 , 181 ) 0 .
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Ifi 182 T H E L E A I > S B . fNa , 309 , Saturday , . i . . , ' -f — — ,...- — ¦ .. — ... . . . .. ., - ¦ ' .. ' ¦ . - ¦ ¦ m . jini lj .. . ¦ . ¦ i ' . itj ' T " _ Li _ i _ iuujiiii ^ - ' "¦ * ' - »¦
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dDpeir Cnttnrri .
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Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 23, 1856, page 182, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2129/page/14/
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