HIGH COURT OF MADRAS. 



27 



the Honorable Company have appointed their President to 

 supply the place of J ndge Advocate till he shall arrive, yet 

 having no directions for those proceedings, and being unac- 

 quainted with the methods thereof, it is thought and agreed 

 to be of absolute necessity to the peace, justice, security and 

 honor of the Government, that the old Court of J udicature 

 be organised, and that causes be heard and decided there by 

 jurors as formerly, by the authority of the first Charter, till 

 the Judge Advocate shall arrive or we prohibit further pro- 

 ceedings therein." 7 



At Bombay a Court of Admiralty was at once established 

 under the presidency of Dr. John St. John, who was 

 appointed Judge of the Court by a Commission from the 

 King dated the 6th February, and from the Company dated 

 7th April 1684. This gentleman however soon became 

 involved in disputes with the Governor, Sir John Child, who 

 limited his jurisdiction to maritime cases, and appointed Mr. 

 Vaux to be Judge in Civil Actions. 8 



In 1686 the Company obtained another Charter from the 

 Crown, bearing date the 12th day of April in the second 

 year of the reign of J ames II. It differs chiefly from the 

 Charter of 35th Charles II in authorizing the Company to 

 appoint Admirals and other Sea Officers, and to coin any 

 species of money usually coined in India ; and in adding to 

 the cases over which the Court was to have jurisdiction, cases 

 of reprisals of ships or goods for any hurt or damage done 

 to the Company by any person or persons whatsoever. 



This time no delay took place in sending out a Judge to 

 Madras. The fourth paragraph of the Court of Directors* 

 despatch dated 7th January 1687 is as follows : — 



" We send by this ship, the 'Williamson,' Sir John Biggs to 

 be our Judge Advocate, in whose fidelity and zeal for our ser* 



7 Wheeler's Madras, vol. i, p. 137. 



8 Bruce' s Annals, vol. ii, pp. 479, 565, 



