Claudius Buchanan,* for the excellent sermon preached before his Lordship at the New Church of Calcutta, on the 6th day of February, the day of general thanksgiving, appointed by the Governor-General in council, and that Mr. Buchanan be desired to print the said sermon."

"The oblivion of the Sabbath in India," remarks the Rev. C. Buchanan, in his review of the state of religion in India, “is that which properly constitutes banishment from our country. The chief evil of our exile is found here; for this extinction of the sacred day tends, more than anything else, to eradicate from our minds all respect for religion, and affection for the manners and institutions, and even for the local scenes, of early life."

* It can scarcely be necessary to remind the reader that this is the same Rev. Claudius Buchanan who subsequently attracted so much attention by his writings in relation to the evangelization of India. We shall have occasion to speak of the reverend gentleman in a different character in another part of these volumes.

CHAPTER XIX.

Commission of Captain-General conferred for the first time on the Governor-General.-Copy of the Writ of Privy Seal.-General Orders in the Calcutta Gazette.-The Porte confers the Orders of the Crescent on the Marquess Wellesley.-Copy of the Letter from the Grand Seignior. Congratulations in Letters from England from the Duchess of Gordon, Lord Dunstanville, Marquess Downshire, Earl of Westmeath, Earl of Inchiquin, Lord Howden, Right Hon. N. Vansittart, Sir John Newport, &c.-Letters of Sir Alured Clarke from St. Helena and from London.

As a mark of royal favour, his Majesty the King conferred upon the most noble the Governor-General, the rank of Captain-General, and Commander-in-chief of all the forces, in the East Indies,-vesting in his hands powers for the first time confided to the Indian Government. The following is a copy of the commission, which, it will be observed, gave to the Marquess Wellesley, as full authority over all military operations, as he had hitherto enjoyed over civil affairs in the East; it was received at Fort William on the 26th of February, 1801 :

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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;

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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 6th day of October, one thousand seven hundred and ninety-seven, have appointed our right trusty and entirely beloved cousin and counsellor, Richard Wellesley, Marquess 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 Company, Governor-General of the said 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 Parliament 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, having appointed the said Richard Marquess Wellesley, Governor-General and Commander-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 commanders-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 detachments of our land

from time to time caused 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, inasmuch 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 Marquess Wellesley to act as Captain-General and Commander-in-Chief of all forces in the East Indies, and 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 Company 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 Marquess Wellesley, have made, constituted, and appointed, and do by these presents make, constitute, and appoint the said Richard 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 exclusive 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 Marquess Wellesley is not authorised and empowered to order, do, and perform, by 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 Marquess 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 Marquess 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 Marquess Wellesley as their Captain-General and Commander-inChief; but nevertheless we do strictly enjoin and command the said Richard Marquess Wellesley, in the exercise of the powers and authorities given to him by these presents, to observe and obey all such instructions, orders, and directions from time to time, as the said Richard Marquess Wellesley shall receive from the First Commissioner 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 Marquess Wellesley shall cease to be Governor-General of the Presidency of the British territories in Bengal,