Page 527 - INDIANNAVYV1

HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY. 495

that gentleman had served but little over eij::hteen months, and
might have been employed in another ca|)acitv—the post of
Master-Attendant at ^Madras, with equal emoluments and less
work, being just at that time vacant ; the excuse of age could
not be pleaded, as eighteen months make little difference in a
man's capacity for work, but the Court wanted the ]\Iadras post
for another protege. Accordingly, at their meeting of the oth
of December, 1827, the Court granted Captain Buchanan a
pension of =£800 a year, as compensation for the loss of the
emoluments attaching to his office, and the resolution conferring
this retiring allowance, mentions that his retirement and the
appointment of Sir Charles ]\Ialcolm, were made " in conse-
quence of the grant by His Majesty of defined rank to the
officers of the Bombay Marine, and in reference to the intention
to snbject that corps to Naval discipline."
The proposed pension was strongly opposed by Captain
Maxficld, who was seconded in liis opposition by ^Ir. Hume and
others; and it was pertinently asked why Captain Buchanan's
services—he being comparatively a young man, fifty-four or
fifty-five—were not utilised in some other office, as happened
in the case of Mr. Anderson, a former incumbent. Finally,
Colonel the Hon. Leicester Stanhope wound np the debate, by
emphatically declaring that tlie " whole proceeding was a job, and
nothing but a job." Nevertheless, the Court carried their reso-
lution by a majority of thirt^'-eight to twelve : but independent
public opinion was against them, and when the grant came
np for confirmation on the 19th of March, 1828, npon a question
by General Thornton, the Hon. H. Lindsay, the Chairman,
agreed to add to the resolution the words, " so long as Captain
Buchanan shall be out of employment."
Sir Charles Malcolm was sworn in at the India House on the
Gth of February, 182(S. and entered npon his duties at Bombay*
in the following month of June, when the new system came
into operation. The commodore, master-attendant, and two
senior captains, quitted the active list on their pensions of
.£800 a year, others left the Service, and some died, so that by
the close of the year the reduction was complete, and there
were no supernumeraries. By an order of the (jovernor in
Council, dated the " 18th of October, 1S2S," it was directed
* Sir Charles Malcolm sailed from G'-iivcseiul in llie ' Diiclioss of Atliol,'
Captain Daniels, which anchored in Bomhav Imrhour on tlie 1st of Juno, 1H2S,
without touchino; at any pla<-e. Aninn;; the thirty pnsscnjzers were the following
midsliijiincn, called "volunteers," for the Bomhav Marine:— A. II. CJordon,
W. Jardine, C. D. Camphell, G. Quanbrough. Twecdell, iind E. W. S. Daniell.
Also J. Thacker, M. W. Lynch, and Kiehard Walker, who were ppoceedin^; to
join the Pilot Service, but were transferred to the Bombay Marine. Mr. Twcodell
was drowned within a few weeks of joiniufi the Service, having, it was supposed,
fallen overboard in his sleep out of a gun-port where he was last seen sitting to
cool himself. Mr. Thacker also died on board the 'Benares' .shortly after joining
the Service, from the elfects of the climate of the Persian Gulf.