HIGH COURT OF MADRAS. 



101 



demand of the Corporation's giving up the legacy of Mr. 

 Jennings, as well as placing the other moneys into cash as 

 proposed by the Kegistrar's letter, to enable them to do which 

 the sums laid out in the purchase and repairs of the Town 

 House would be advanced to them from the Company's cash 

 on a proper conveyance of the said house to the Company. 64 



The Mayor's Court acceded to this and a formal deed of 

 conveyance was taken from them, but the arrangement was 

 not approved of by the Court of Directors, who reiterated their 

 demand for a declaration or Act that the Town Hall was the 

 property of the Company. With respect to Major Jennings' 

 legacy, they considered that no difficulty could arise upon it. 

 The money had been paid in, and they had no objection to 

 its being laid out in the repairs of the Court-house, or in 

 something useful to the Mayor's Court, but they expected that 

 G-overnment should be consulted in the application of it. 65 



Ultimately the parties agreed to abide by the opinion of 

 Counsel, and a case was accordingly laid by the Court of 

 Directors before Charles Sayer, Esq., their standing Counsel, 

 who advised that by the surrender of the former Charter the 

 Courts of Justice, according to the terms of the next Charter, 

 ceased, together with all the powers given by the former 

 Charter, and a new Original Court of Justice was established as 

 independent of the former as if no such former had ever 

 existed, and that consequently the then Mayor's Court could 

 have no rights antecedent to its own creation derived from the 

 former Mayor's Court or otherwise; and if so it was free from 

 all doubt that the new Mayor's Court had no right to the Town 

 House, the legacy, or the Eegalia of the former Court ; and as 

 the legacy had been paid in, that and the Eegalia must belong 

 to the East India Company, who were most certainly answer- 

 able to the suitors in the former Mayor's Court for their 



64 Minutes of Consultation, 20th December 1763. 



65 Letter to Madras, 15th February 1765. 



