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And for the more fpeedy and effectual punishment of offences committed in India, by perfons employed in the fervice of the faid Company, be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, That whenever any charge of corruption, peculation, oppreffion, extortion, receipt of prefents, ufury, breach of orders, or other grievous offence, fhall be exhibited or made before the Governor General and Council of Bengal, or the Prefident and Council of any of the Prefidencies or fettlements abroad, of the faid United Company, and tranfmitted from thence to the Court of Directors, hereby difcontinued, or to the faid Directors hereby appointed, against any of the faid Governors, Prefidents, or Members of the Council, of any of the faid Prefidencies or fettlements of the faid United Company, or others, in any office, ftation, or employment, civil or military, in the faid United Company's fervice; or which fhall be exhibited or made by any of the native Princes dependent upon, or under the protection of the faid United Company, against any such perfon or perfons; the faid Directors hereby appointed, fhall, within twenty days after the fame fhall be received, enter into an examination of fuch charge; and if, upon, or in confequence of such examination, fuch Directors fhall not think proper either to recal or order a profecution against fuch perfon fo charged, each and every fuch Director, making fuch examination as aforefaid into fuch charge, fhall enter in writing, and fubfcribe with his name, in the journals of fuch Directors, his opinion on the validity and importance of fuch charge, with his fpecific reasons, on the particular cafe, for not recalling the perfon fo charged, or for not ordering a profecution upon fuch charge.

And be it further enacted by the authorty aforefaid, That before any perfon or perfons whatsoever, who have been, are, or shall hereafter be, in the fervice of the faid United Company, in any office, ftation or employment whatfoever, civil or military, in any of the Prefidencies or fettlements of the faid United Company abroad; and who have been, or are, or shall be, in Great Britain after fuch fervice abroad; and against whom any charge fhall appear upon any of the Company records, or shall have been made to the faid Court of Directors hereby difcontinued, or General Court of Proprietors, or fhall be made or exhibited to the faid Directors hereby appointed; fhall be permitted by the faid Directors hereby appointed to return to any part of India, either in the fame or in any other office, ftation or employment, in the fervice of the faid United Company; and alfo, before the faid Directors hereby appointed fhall confirm the appointment, or fuffer the departure from Great Britain for India, of any perfon or perfons who may have been, or fhall be, appointed to any office, ftation, or employment whatsoever in the fervice of the faid United Company, and against whom any fuch charge fhall appear, or fhall have been made, or fhall be made as aforefaid; and also before the faid Directors hereby appointed, fhall themselves appoint any perfon, having before been in the fervice of the faid United Company, to any office, ftation, or employment whatfoever, in the faid United Company's fervice, and against whom any fuch charge fhall appear, or shall have been made, or fhall be made as aforefaid; the faid Directors hereby appointed fhall, and they are hereby required to make a full and particular examination and enquiry into the conduct of every fuch perfon, relative to the faid service, and the subject matter of fuch charge; and fhall enter on their journals their reafons for permitting any fuch perfon to return, or confirming the appointment, and permitting the departure, of any fuch perfon, or for

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themselves appointing any fuch perfon (as the cafe may be) notwithstanding fuch charge.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That in cafe of any difputes, differences, or controverfies whatfoever, which have arifen and are depending, or which fhall or may hereafter arife, between the Governor General and Council of Bengal; or between any of the Prefidents of any other of the fettlements of the faid United Company, and their respective Councils; or between any of the fubordinate Chiefs and their Councils; or between the government of one fettlement and the government of any other fettlement; or between any of the Governors or prefiding powers of any of the fubordinate fettlements; the faid Directors hereby appointed fhall, within twenty days after the receipt of any official account of any fuch difpute, difference, or controverfy, enter upon an examination and enquiry into the fame; and fhall, within three months thereafter, either come to a definitive decifion, thereupon, or enter upon their journals their reafons, figned with their refpective names, for not coming to fuch definitive decifion.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That if at any time the Governor General and Council of Bengal, or the Prefident and Council of any of the principal or fubordinate fettlements, fhall require the direction or opinion of the faid Directors hereby appointed, on any matter whatsoever for the government of fuch Governor General and Council, or Prefident and Council, or for the fettlement or accommodation of any matter in difpute, or likely to come into difpute, between or among them, or any of them; the faid Directors fhall return an answer, opinion, or direction, to fuch requifition, within three months after receiving the letter or letters containing the fame, or enter upon their journals their reafons figned, with their respective names, for not fending the fame within the time aforefaid.

And be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, That if at any time complaint fhall be made of any breach of treaty, injury, wrong, or grievance, done or committed against any native Prince in India, by any of the governments of the faid United Company's fettlements, or any officer or other perfon, civil or military, in the fervice of the faid United Company; or if any fuch breach of treaty, injury, wrong, or grievance, fhall (without.complaint being made thereof) appear upon any part of the correfpondence relating to the faid United Company's affairs; the faid Directors hereby appointed fhall, as fpeedily as may be, enquire into fuch breach of treaty, injury, wrong, or grievance; and fhall begin their examination into the fame, by reading and confidering any treaties, agreements, or affurances, fubfifting between the faid United Company and fuch native Prince, or any way relative to him, if any fuch there fhall be, or any orders which may have been given by the Court of Directors hereby difcontinued, or General Court of Proprietors, relating to fuch native Prince; and the faid Directors hereby appointed, fhall do full and complete juftice to fuch native Prince for fuch breach of treaty, injury, wrong, or grievance, and on every material article and head of charge (if there be more than one) fpecifically, and not upon the whole of fuch charge in grofs. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That three, and not lefs, of the faid Directors, fhall form a Board for executing this act, or any of the powers thereof, or any other powers vefted in or committed to, or which fhall be vested in or committed to, fuch Directors, and the major part of the faid Directors prefent fhall determine, except where the voices shall be VOL. XIII. equally

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equally divided, and then the Chairman, or in his abfence, the Deputy Chairman, fhall have two voices, or the cafting voice.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That all the correfpondence of the faid Directors hereby appointed, with all perfons whatsoever in the service of the faid United Company, fhall be figned by the Secretary of fuch Directors, by order of the Board.

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And whereas by virtue of the charter of the faid Company, and the regulations which have from time to time been made for the better government of the faid Company, it is required, that certain Acts should be done or confented to, and that certain accounts fhould be figned by a particular number of the Directors hereby difcontinued, be it therefore enacted by the authority aforefaid, That in all cafes whatsoever, where any act, matter, or thing is directed to be done or confented to, or any accounts or writing to be figned by the Directors hereby discontinued, or to be done or confented to, or figned by any particular number of such Directors, fuch act, matter, or thing fhall, from and after the commencement of this act, be done or confented to, and fuch accounts or writing fhall be figned by three of the Directors hereby appointed. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That the faid Directors hereby appointed, and Affiftant Directors, and each and every of them, during the continuance of this act, fhall be utterly incapable of taking, holding, or exercifing any office, station, or employment whatsoever, in the fervice of the faid United Company; and fhall alfo be incapable of taking, holding, or exercifing any other place of profit from the Crown, during pleasure.

And be it further enacted, by the authority aforefaid, That it fhall and may be lawful for his Majefty to remove any of the faid Directors hereby appointed, or affiftant Directors upon an addrefs of either House of Parlia

ment.

And whereas a doubt may arife, whether the place of Director, when the fame fhall be held by any perfon, to be appointed by His Majesty, in manner herein before provided, be not within the provifion of an act of the fixth year of the reign of Queen Anne, intitled, " An Act for the fecurity of Her Majefty's perfon and government, and of the fucceffion to the Crown of Great Britain in the Proteftant line," although the faid place fhall have been created and erected by authority of Parliament: be it therefore enacted and declared by the authority aforefaid, That fuch office shall not be deemed and taken to be within the intent and purvieu of the faid act;.nor fhall any per fon accepting and holding the fame, by an appointment from His Majesty, under his royal fign manual, be thereby difqualified from being elected, or fitting and voting as a member of the Houfe of Commons.

And be it further enacted, by the authority aforefaid, That there fhall be allowed and paid for and to each of the Affiftant Directors, for fo long time as he fhall continue in the office, a clear yearly falary of five hundred pounds, payable by half yearly payments; and that the refpective payments of the faid falaries fhall be ftated and allowed in the account of the disbursements for the management of the affairs of the faid United Eaft-India Company.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That this act and all the provifions herein contained, fhalf commence and take effect from and immediately after this act fhall have received His Majefty's royal affent, and Thall continue, and be in full force for and during the space of four years. A BILL

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A BILL for the better Government of the Territorial Poffeffions and Dependencies in INDIA.

WHEREAS great diforders have prevailed in the government of the British territorial poffeffions, and dependencies thereof in India; and the laws and lawful authority of this kingdom have not been duly obeyed by divers of the fervants of the United Company of merchants trading to the Eaft Indies:

For remedy whereof in future, be it declared and enacted, and it is hereby declared and enacted, by the King's most excellent Majefty, by and with the advice and confent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this prefent Parliament affembled, and by the authority of the fame, that there is not, nor hath been, any privilege, authority, power, pre-eminence, or jurifdiction granted, or meant or intended to be granted, in and by an act of the thirteenth year of the reign of His prefent Majefty, intitled, "An act for establishing certain regulations for the better management of the affairs. of the Eaft India Company, as well in India as in Europe," or in and by any other act or acts whatsoever, or in or by any law or ufage whatsoever, for the Governor General and Council of Bengal, or either or any of them, collectively or individually, or any other perfon whatsoever in the fervice of the faid United Company, which doth or fhall in any manner exempt him or them, in the exercise of any powers or authorities whatfoever, from a strict and faithful obedience to the orders and directions which have been iffued to or for them, from the late or any other Court of Directors, or which fhall or may be iffued to or for them by the Commiffioners named and appointed in an act of this feffion of Parliament, to manage and govern the affairs of the faid United Company, inftead of the faid Court of Directors and General Court of Proprietors, or fuch other Commiffioners as fhall or may be lawfully ap pointed for exercifing the powers given them in and by the faid act.

And be it further declared and enacted, That all general or fpecial orders of the Court of Directors of the faid United Company, for the regulation of the conduct of the Governor General and Council of Bengal, or of any other Prefident and Council, or of any other perfon or perfons, in any other station, office, employment, or capacity whatfoever, in the service of the faid United Company, fhall be, and are hereby declared to be, rules by which the perfons herein before defcribed fhall be governed and directed, until notice fhall be given by the faid Commiffioners, of any alteration, revocation, or repeal of them, or any of them.

And whereas pretences have been used to evade the falutary regulations of the faid act of the thirteenth year of his Majefty's reign, relative to rules, ordinances, and regulations, as if the provifions contained in the faid act, relative thereto, were confined to certain forts and factories; whereby a power fubject to no control has been exercifed throughout the provinces of Bengal, Bahar, and Orissa; be it therefore declared and enacted, That all rules, or dinances, and regulations, which by the faid act it is made lawful for the Governor General and Council of Fort William to iffue, for the good order and civil government of the faid fettlement, under certain reftrictions and provifions in the faid act contained, were not, nor are meant or intended to be,

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confined only to fuch rules, ordinances, and regulations, as are made or iffued for the government of, or relative to forts and factories, or other fubordinate places in the faid fettlement only; but fhall, and all fuch restrictions and provifions are hereby expreffly declared to extend, without any exception or limitation whatsoever, to all rules, ordinances, and regulations, as are made or iffued for the government of or relative to forts and factories, or other fubordinate places, in the faid fettlement only; but fhall, and all such restrictions and provifions are hereby expreffly declared to extend, without any excep tion or limitation whatsoever, to all rules, ordinances, and regulations, made and issued by the faid Governor General and Council of Fort William, in whatever place, or wherefoever, or over whatsoever clafs or defcription of perfons, the fame are to operate.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That any fuch rule, ordinance, or regulations, fhall not only be duly registered and published in the Supreme Court of Judicature, but an account or abstract of the true effect and fubftance thereof, and of every claufe and provifion thereof, in the Perfian and Hindoftan languages, fhall be registered and published, and affixed up in fome commodious and confpicuous place, in each and every provincial Court within the provinces of Bengal, Bahar, and Oriffa, or within the territory to which it relates.

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And be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, That no delegation whatsoever of the powers of the Governor General and Council of Bengal, or of Prefident and Council of any other of the said settlements, fhall be made or given to the faid Governor General or Prefident, or any other perfon or perfons whatsoever; and in cafe the faid Governor General, or any Member of the Council of Bengal, or any President or Member of the Council of any other of the faid fettlements, or any other perfon or perfons whatsoever, shall be employed in the execution of any special commiffion, the proceedings thereupon fhall not be finally approved, and confirmed until a full report of the fame fhall be made to the faid Governor General and Council, or Pefident and Council, respectively; and the person or perfons fo employed fhall, upon the requifition of the Governor General or Prefident, or any Member of the faid Council, deliver into Council his documents or vouchers in fupport of any particular fact or facts alledged by him to have happened in the execution of fuch commiffion, and in fupport of which documents or vouchers might have been had.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That all correfpondence and communication whatfoever, of or by any refident, agent, or other perfon employed at the Court of any native Prince or State, or of or by any fuch native Prince or State, or any agent or minifter of fuch native Prince or State, or of or by any Chief and Council of any factory or, fubordinate fettlement, or any of them, or of or by any collector of revenue, fhall be addreffed to the Governor General and Council, or Prefident and Council, refpectively; and all correfpondence and communication whatsoever of or by any fuch perfon or perfons, whether addreffed to the faid Governor General or his Secretary, or to any Member of the Council or his Secretary, fhall be laid before the Council, after the fame shall be received.

And be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, That the Governor General of Bengal, and the Prefident of any other of the faid principal fettlements in

India,

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