Page 521 - INDIANNAVYV1

HISTORY OF TDE INDIAN NAVY. 489
his labours from a Service which was so much degraded. Now
he would tell the Court what the reason of this degradation
was. The fact was plainly this : The Bombay Marine was not
represented on the other side of the bar; but the other service
—the merchant service—was so rei)resented ; for he believed
that no less than four Directors had been captains of East
Indiamen. Those captains came constantly within the inlluence
of the Court of Directors, but the captains in the Marine
service were quite removed beyond that influence."
The Cliairnian of the Court of Directors, in reply, entered
into a lengthened defence of the conduct of the late Superin-
tendent, Mr. Meriton, and stated that " for a great length of
time, he admitted even for years, the Court had been sedulously
engaged in endeavouring to effect the improvement of the
Bombay Marine, and that many difficulties had occurred in the
progress of their efforts for that purpose; difficulties occasioned
by the peculiarity of the naval service of this country, which
entertained a kind of Jealous}' of any interference on naval
subjects." He did justice to the character and conduct of the
Bombay Marine, but denied that it was neglected, saying that
the Court had " gratuitously" increased the emoluments of the
officers since the year 1798, when the gallant officer and others
had entered the Service. He concluded by moving: — '-It
having been declared from the Chair, that measures are in j>ro-
gress for iinproving the condition of the J^ombay Marine, and
for placing it on a footing more consonant to the merits and
services of that distinguished corps, this Court is disposed to
give confidence to the correctness of the statement thus given
from the Chair, and considers it, therefore, both injudicious and
inexpedient to force a premature discussion of the subji-ct on
this Court, until the details of the ])roposed plan come regularly
before it."
Tiie Deputy Chairman (the Hon. II. Tjindsay, M.P.) seconded
this amendment, and did justice to the "able and effective
manner in which the Marine performed its duty." Sir ('. Forbes
advised Captain Maxfield to withdraw his motion, and, after
paying a high tribute to his honoiu'able and disinterested
—
conduct, continued : " He concurred in all that was said, on
each side of the bar, as to the merits of the Bond)ay Marine. He
believed that a more deserving set of men, as j)idilic servants,
did not exist, and he was only sorry thai rircumstani'es did not
allow them to have done as much as, lie was sure, they could
have done. He greatly regretted that some mark of distijiction
had not been granted to officers who had so greatly signalized
themselves. With respect to Connnodore Hayes, every j)erson
who knew him would admit, that he was one of the most
disinterested men in the world; and he believed that the order
which he issued in reference to the (.'hina junks, was one that