HIGH COURT OF MADRAS. 



09 



we have only to hope that it may he understood not to extend 

 beyond the places actually named, without dependencies, 

 that is to say, Madraspatnam or the Black Town, and 

 Fort St. Greorge or the White Town, and so of every other 

 factory. We are of opinion that whether the Company hold 

 their possessions by one tenure or another, it was never 

 intended by the grants to abolish the usages and customs of 

 the people, or the forms of administering justice. " 



The whole subject was referred by the Directors to the 

 consideration of Counsel, who, after entering very fully into 

 the various points, stated : "I have no doubt that the 

 Charter of Justice does not extend to any territories or places 

 acquired since that Charter was granted ; consequently the 

 Presidency of Madras may be relieved from their apprehen- 

 sions that the Jaghire lands are within their jurisdiction. 

 The extent of this power seems to be very exactly described 

 in the 45th paragraph of their general letter." 62 



A great dispute had also arisen over a claim of the Mayor's 

 Court to be entitled to succeed to the eifects of the former 

 Mayor's Court, including a sum of pagodas 606-9-48, the 

 produce of the maces, palanquin tassels, and other such ensigns 

 of the former Court, which had been saved at the loss of the 

 place ; and all of which were provided for the new Mayor's 

 Court at the Company's expense ; also 2,000 pagodas lent 

 to Mrs. Smith on a mortgage ; also a legacy left by Mr. 

 Jennings to the former Mayor's Court by his Will proved in 

 London in December 1752 ; also the godown-rents which 

 were part of the revenue appropriated for the support of the 

 former Mayor's Court, but had been assigned back to the 

 Company upon their agreeing again to take the maintenance 

 of the Courts upon themselves ; and the Town Hall in which 

 the Court was held, and which was claimed as purchased with 

 money belonging to suitors in the former Mayor's Court. 



* 2 Auoer's Rise and Progress of the British Power in India, vol. i, p. 261. 



