6th. The Commissioners shall be at liberty to subscribe any part of the monies, to be placed to their account, towards any public loan that is now open, or may be hereafter opened, in case they should not be able to apply the whole of the funds in their possession to the purchase of Government securities in the market, and it should appear to them to be beneficial to the interests of the fund to subscribe to such loan.

7th.-All the securities that may be purchased shall be transferred by endorsement at the time of purchase, to "The Commissioners appointed by the Governor General in Council for the reduction of the debts of the Company in India." The terms of purchase and the consideration to be given shall be then stated upon each of those securities, and attested by three or more of the Commissioners, as a voucher to the SubTreasurer for the issue of the amount.

8th.-The Commissioners shall take precedence according to their rank in the service of the Company, and, in case a difference of opinion should arise at any meeting that may be held by them, and they should be equally divided, the senior Commissioner present shall be allowed a casting voice. All their proceedings at such meetings shall be entered in proper books to be kept for that purpose, and a copy of such proceedings be transmitted to the Governor General in Council within seven days after the expiration of each month.

9th.-A list of the securities which may have been bought up in each month, shall be transmitted by the Commissioner, within seven days after the expiration of such month, to the Secretary to the Government.

10th. The original securities shall be transmitted by the SubTreasurer, within seven days after the expiration of each month, to the Secretary to the Government, to be cancelled in the presence of the Governor General in Council, after having been compared with the list received from the Commissioners.

11th. This list shall be then attested by the Governor General and other Members of Government, and returned to the Sub-Treasurer as a voucher for the securities therein mentioned having been redeemed, and as a future authority to him to transfer the amount that may be payable on account of such securities for interest and principal as each shall respectively become due, to the credit of the account of the Commissioners. 12th. An account shall be made up to the 30th of April in every year by the Accountant General, of all sums paid into the Treasury, and placed to the account of the Commissioners, and also of all Government securities which shall have been redeemed previous to the day on which

the said account is to be closed, to be laid before the Governor General in Council, immediately after the close of the general books for the year, and to be published in the Gazette, in order that the public may be constantly advised of the progress that has been made towards the redemption of the debt.

13th. The Commissioners to be appointed for carrying the plan into execution shall not be less than five in number, and they shall be sworn to execute the duties to be reposed in them faithfully and impartially to the best of their judgment.

14th. The Acting President of the Board of Revenue and of the Board of Trade, the Secretary to the Government, the Accountant General, and the Sub-Treasurer shall be Ex-officio Commissioners for the management of the fund.

Published by order of the Acting Governor General in Council,

The Right Hon'ble the Governor General will have a Levee at the Government House, on Monday next, the 4th June, at 10 o'clock, in Honor of His Majesty's birth-day.

A weekly Levee will be held every Tuesday at the same hour, the . first to take place on the 12th June.

THE 2ND AUGUST 1798.

Minutes of Council in the Public Department, Fort William, 30th July 1798.

The Governor General has the satisfaction to communicate to the Board a letter from Major General Sir James Craig, K. B., containing the account of the laudable zeal manifested by the Corps under his command, in their early subscription to the voluntary contribution for the aid of the public service.

The Governor General informs the Board that it is his intention to forward the loyal and dutiful address of the British inhabitants of Calcutta to the Honorable the Court of Directors by the Ship Eurydice, with a request that the Chairman will present it to His Majesty whenever His Majesty shall be pleased to receive it.

By the same opportunity the Governor General proposes to forward to the Honorable the Court of Directors the resolutions of the Meeting of the British inhabitants of Calcutta, and the list of the subscribers to the voluntary contribution as well at Calcutta as in other parts of these provinces. He further proposes that the names of all persons who shall hereafter subscribe to the voluntary contribution, be regularly transmitted to the Honorable the Court of Directors by the earliest opportunity.

Published by order of the Right Hon'ble the Governor General

Fort William, Public Department, 1st August 1798.

The Right Hon'ble the Governor General in Council having taken into consideration the most eligible mode of carrying into effect the resolutions for promoting voluntary contributions in Bengal for the public service, presented to the Right Honorable the Governor General on the 24th ultimo, by a Committee of the British inhabitants of Calcutta, the following orders of His Lordship in Council passed for that purpose, are published for general information and for the guidance of the several public Officers therein mentioned:

1st. That the Sub-Treasurer at the Presidency, the Resident at Lucknow, the Collectors of revenue in the several zillahs, and the Military Pay Masters and their deputies at the several stations of the Army, be authorized to open Books for the purpose of receiving the subscriptions of such persons as shall be desirous of entering into voluntary contributions for the support of His Majesty's Government in Europe, and to receive into their respective Treasuries the amount of all contributions that may be tendered to them.

2ndly.—That the several public Officers above mentioned be directed to transmit to the Accountant General a weekly register of the sums that shall have been subscribed in their respective books, and also a weekly register of all sums that may have been received on account of such subscriptions, and to enter in their respective cash accounts the whole of the monies that they may have so received under the general head of "Fort William Presidency" with the subordinate head of " Voluntary contributions."

3rdly. That the Accountant General be directed to make up an account, at the end of each month, of all contributions that may have been paid into the several Treasuries under this Presidency, in the course of that month, and to prepare bills for the amount to be drawn by the Governor General in Council on the Honorable the Court of Directors of the East India Company, at the exchange of two shillings and six pence per sicca rupee, payable twelve months after date.

4thly. That bills to be drawn upon the Honorable the Court of Directors, as well as the bills that may be drawn by individuals upon their correspondents in England in payment of their contributions, be made payable as follows:-" To the Secretaries for the time being, to the "Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, or their order on "account of the (or my) voluntary contributions (or contribution) en"tered into in Bengal to be applied to the public service, in such manner "as the wisdom of Parliament may direct, whether Great Britain shall. "continue in state of war, or whether peace shall have been re-estab"lished."

5thly. That the Accountant General be further directed to take charge of all such bills as may be tendered to him by individuals in payment of their contributions, and to forward such bills and also the bills to be drawn upon the Honorable Court of Directors, together with a regular register thereof, by the public packets, addressed to the Secretaries for the time being, to the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury.

Published by order of the Right Hon'ble the Governor General in Council,

(Sd.)

G. H. BARLOW,

Secretary to the Government.

THE 6TH SEPTEMBER 1798.

General Orders by the Commander-in-Chief, 31st August 1798.

A body of sepoys being required to proceed by sea to the Northern Circars, it is the wish of Government to collect Volunteers from the whole Native Army, in order that every Corps may have the opportunity of manifesting its zeal and attachment to the service, which, the Commander-in-Chief is confident, will not be less conspicuous on that than on several former occasions, wherein the Native troops on the Bengal establishment acquired a just and lasting renown for courage and fidelity.

A bounty of one month's pay and full batta will be given to each man who shall be employed as a Volunteer prior to his embarkation, and every possible attention will be paid to the comfort and convenience of the Volunteers whilst on board of ship, and the greatest care taken in laying in their water and provisions, under the inspection of some of themselves who may be selected for the purpose.

After the service shall be over, they will be permitted to return to the Battalions from which they were received.

The season of the year in which they will embark will be favorable for an expeditious passage, and the duration of the voyage will not probably be more than eight or ten days.

The whole of the foregoing is to be clearly explained to the several Native Regiments and Battalions.

The Commander-in-Chief is sensible that the spirit and alacrity of the sepoys are capable of being much promoted and conciliated by the European Officers, and bespeaks their zealous exertions in forwarding the views of Government by using every argument calculated to inspire confidence and promote emulation; and he assures them that they cannot better fulfil their duty to their country, or render a more acceptable service to Government than by a cordial assistance on the present

occasion.

The Major Generals commanding Stations will exert their influence in such manner as shall appear to them most likely to ensure success.

The Volunteers will be formed into Companies, and the Companies into Battalions, with the usual proportion of Commissioned and NonCommissioned Officers, and, for the sake of greater encouragement, Jemadars will be promoted to the rank of Subadars, Havildars to the rank of Jemadars, Naiks to the rank of Havildars, and Sepoys to the rank of Naiks.

Commanding Officers of stations will form the Companies and select for promotion the men who have been the most diligent and the most disposed to the service.

An European Officer will be appointed to each Company, and the choice is left to the Commanding Officers of stations.

A drummer and a fifer to be attached to each Company.

The Volunteers collected at Futtyghur, Cawnpore, Allahabad, Chunar, Dinapore, Kishengunge, Gyah, Burragong, Dacca, and Chittagong are to be sent immediately to Barrackpore by water, on boats to be provided for the purpose.