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Correspondence of Charles, first Marquis Cornwallis
Correspondence of Charles first Marquis Cornwallis Author:Charles Cornwallis Cornwallis, Charles Ross Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER XVIII. Discontent of the Officers of the Bengal Army—Dislike of Lord Cornwallis's plan of amalgamation — Objects and proceedings of the Discontented —... more » Alarm of the Indian Government — Delay in the news reaching England — The New. Regulations — Lord Cornwallis sworn in as Governor General — Concessions to the Bengal Officers — They return to their duty — Lord Cornwallis resigns his appointment — Bad effect of the concessions. In several preceding letters, allusion has been made to the discontent existing among the officers of the Bengal army. The plan suggested by Lord Cornwallis for amalgamating all the European troops in India,1 had not met with approbation, either from the Court of Directors or the Company's officers. The latter held meetings, named Delegates to confer with the Government, and urged their pretensions with great pertinacity and much intemperance. But it was not till the close of 1795, that the full extent of their machinations became known to Sir John Shore. A meeting of the Supreme Council was suddenly called on Christmas-day, and the Governor-General laid before them most important information, which had reached him, and the Commander-in-Chief, that day, and the day before.2 It was a communication from an officer, whose name, though known to them, they would not mention in the Minutes, nor is it given in Sir Jolm Shore's despatches to the Secret Committee. He detailed the steps taken by the discontented officers, and disclosed the names of those most deeply involved. It appeared that the officers had formed the Delegates into an Executive Board, for the inviolability of whose persons the whole army became responsible, and whose pecuniary losses, if any, were to be made good by a general subscription. This Executive Board was authorised to treat in...« less