HIGH COURT OF MADRAS. 



95 



orders into execution, and keeping the accounts with the 

 Governor and Council and register of the Mayor's Court. 



For the recovery of small debts a Court of Bequests was 

 directed to be established, and for that purpose the Governor 

 and Council were required to appoint some of the principal 

 inhabitants, not more than twenty-four or fewer than eight, 

 to be Commissioners, to hear and determine in a summary 

 way all actions or suits which should be brought before them, 

 when the debt duty or matter in dispute should not exceed 

 or be more in value than five pagodas. 



The Criminal Jurisdiction of the Courts of Oyer and Ter- 

 miner was stated to be for the trial of offences committed 

 within the said towns, or within any of the factories or places 

 subordinate thereto, omitting the words " or within ten miles 

 of the same " which were contained in the previous Charter. 



And it was declared that if by any accident whatever the 

 Company should lose for a time the possession of any of their 

 principal settlements, whereby the proceedings of the Courts 

 or the election of officers should be suspended, and such settle- 

 ment should afterwards be restored to the Company, the same 

 should not be deemed to be a dissolution of any such Corpo- 

 ration or Court. 



It was not long before the event provided for in the last 

 clause occurred. Calcutta was taken by Surajah Dowlah on 

 the 20th June 1756, and continued in his occupation till the 

 2nd January 1757, when it was retaken by Colonel Clive 

 and Admiral Watson. 



In concerting a plan of operations for regaining Calcutta, 

 and obtaining satisfaction for the Company's losses, it was 

 agreed between the officers of the Company on the one part, 

 and the Vice- Admiral and Commanders on board His Ma- 

 jesty's fleet on the other part, assembled in a Council of War, 

 that one moiety of all plunder and booty should be set apart 

 for the use of the captors, and that the other moiety should bo 



