upon this occafion cannot be too much praised, or too generally known. That excellent prelate immediately difpofed of all the fuperfluous ornaments of the churches, and of his own horfes and furniture, the produce of which he applied to the relief of his diftreffed flock; and continued through the whole courfe of the earthquake, chearfully to bear an equal fhare in the inconveniencies and fufferings to which they were expofed, and to fympathize in thofe calamities which he could not remedy. This admirable conduct was the more ftriking, as the great men of the country did not in general exert a fimilar fpi rit. It was a curious obfervation made upon this unhappy occafion, that the male dead buried in the ruins, were almoft conftantly found in an attitude of exertion, as if struggling against the danger; while, on the other hand, the female attitude was, as generally, the hands clasped over the head, as giving themfelves up entirely to defpair; excepting only, when there were children near them, in which circumftance, they were always found, either clafping them in their arms, or in fome other attitude no lefs expreffive of maternal tendernefs; and fully fhewing that the anxious care of their prefervation had in that dreadful moment banished all fear and confideration with refpect to themselves. СНАР III. Retapitulation of the proceedings in parliament relative to the affairs of the Eaft India company. Two Indian committees appointed by the House of Commons in 1781. Objects of the select committee. Objects of the fecret Committee. The King's approbation of their proceedings. Reports of the Secret committee brought to the house April 1782. Account of Mr. Dundas's Speech on that occafion. Lays three fets of refolutions on the table: First jet, relative to the general misconduct of the company's affairs-poftponed. Second jet, relative to the conduct of the prefidency of Madras-voted. Third fet, containing criminal charges against Sir Thomas Rumbold-voted. Bill of pains and penalties. Proceeding therein. Bill loft. Confideration of the first fet of refolutions refumed. Refolution against Mr. Haftings. vated. Conduct of the court of proprietors on that occafion. Proceedings of the felect committee. Refolutions voted. Vote against Sir Elijah Impey King's Speeches at the clofing and opening of the feffions. THE HE feffions of parliament, on which we are now entering, were diftinguished by a feries of political events of the most interest ing and important nature. The magnitude and diverfity of the objects they embraced, the means by which they were brought about, the perfons who acted in them, the great conftitutional questions they involved, the manner in which they finally terminated, form together an aggregate of political matter, unparalleled in the annals of parliament. The first, as well in magnitude as in order of time, was the bill for the better management of the af fairs fairs of the Eaft India company. From the dangers that threatened the very existence of our empire in that part of the globe, and the fatal ftroke our national credit might receive from the diffolution of the company, whofe affairs were, by men of all defcriptions, allowed to be in a most precarious flate, the ncceflity of applying fpeedy and effectual remedies was univerfally acknowledged. Strong and vigorous meafures were on all fides loudly called for; and the oppreffed natives of India had at length a prof. pect of deriving from our fears the relief which a fenfe of justice and humanity had hitherto failed to procure them. During a rapid fucceffion of minifters, every party, almoft every individual of any weight or confequence in the country, had in turn pledged themselves to exert both their own and the whole force and power of government for the attainment of this important end. All palliatives were on the one fide earneftly deprecated, and on the other anxiously difclaimed. As the bill we have juft mentioned was grounded on the reports of the committees which had now fat upwards of three years on the affairs of India, it will be neceffary to refume our hiftory of that part of the proceedings of parliament, which from the preffure of other matters we were obliged to poftpone. This accidental delay will however be attended with fome advantage to our readers. They will by this means have a general view of the whole fubject at once before them. The principles and conduct of the leading public characters in different fituations may be more easily compared, and the parties will come to a more fair and confideration the fate of the ad"miniftration of justice in the pro"vinces of Bengal, Bahar, and "Orixa ;" and was afterwards further inftructed "to confiler how the "British poffeffions in the East In "dies might be held and governed with the greateft fecurity and ad vantage to this country, and by "what means the happiness of the "native inhabitants might be beft "promoted." The bufinefs of this committee was conducted by fome of the moft diftinguished members of that fide of the Houfe which then oppofed the general political meafures of his majesty's government. The fecond was a fecret committee, moved by the minifter himself; and was under the management of perfons either actually members, or known to be in the confidence of adminiftration. It was directed “to enquire into the causes of the war "in the Carnatic, and of the con"dition of the British paffions in thofe parts." Both committees continued to fit with unremitted application till the prorogation of parliament. On clofing the feffions, the king expreffed, in the ftrongeft terms, his approbation of their proceedings, and his fatisfaction in obferving "that that their attention was not more their peculation and fcandalous op"anxiously directed to the benefits preffion of the natives-and laftly, "to be derived from the territorial the criminal relaxation which had "acquifitions, than to the happi- prevailed on the part of the di"nefs and comfort of the inhabi- rectors at home, in the exercise of "tants of thofe remote provinces." their controlling power over their At the fame time he declared his fervants, and their ready conniexpectation, that "at their next vance at the groffeft misconduct, "meeting they would proceed with provided it was attended with any "the fame wifdom and temper to temporary gain to the company.* "provide for the security of thofe "valuable poffeffions, and for reftraining the abufes to which they were peculiarly liable." Accordingly, in the fpeech from the throne at the opening of the next feffions, in November following, the Houfe was directed in nearly the fame words to refume the profecution of their important enquiries. On the ninth of April 1782, Mr. Henry Dundas, the lord advocate of Scotland, and chairman of the fecret commitee, moved that the reports of that committee fhould be referred to a committee of the whole Houfe. On this occafion Mr. Dundas, in a fpeech of near three hours length, entered very fully into the caufes and progrefs of the calamities of the Eaft. Amongst the former he infifted principally on the following the departure of the company's prefidencies from the line of policy prefcribed to them, of avoiding all offenfive military operations with a view to conqueft the corrupt interference of their fervants in the domeftic and national quarrels of the country powers-their frequent breaches of faith, and difregard to treaties He then proceeded to trace the operation of these causes in the feveral tranfactions of the company's prefidencies in the Eaft. As thefe facts were afterwards reduced into the form of refolutions, and agreed to by the Houfe, we fhall have occafion hereafter to specify them more particularly. At prefent, therefore, it may fuffice to enumerate a few of the most flagrant acts of injuftice, violence, and treachery, by which, he afferted, that not only the company's affairs were brought to the very verge of ruin, but indelible difgrace entailed on the British name and government in India. He inftanced the injuftice and cruelty of the Rohilla war; the fale of Kora and Illahabad; the ftopping payment of the ftipulated penfions to the king Shah Allum, and to Nudjif Khan; the renewal of the war with the Mahrattas; the double dealing with Ragoba and the Raja of Berar; the proceedings relative to the Guntoor circars, and the pefcufh, or tribute, payable to the Nizam; the fufferings of the Raja of Tanjore; the arbitrary exaction of nazirs, or free gifts; the fraudulent grants of leafes; the harsh and unjustifiable measures This criminal connivance was attributed, by other members who spoke in the debate, to the overruling influence which, by obvious means, the principal fervants of the company abroad had acquired in the courts at home; infomuch that the relation between them was entirely reverfed, and the latter had become the mere agents and infruments of the former. taken taken relative to the Zemindars of the northern circars, and particufarly the grofs ill treatment of the Raja Vifieram Rauze. Lafly, from this body of criminality he inferred the abfolute neceffity of the interpofition of the legifiature, both for the purpofe of punithing delinquents, and wrefting power out of the hands of thofe who had abufed it. The difagreeable talk of propofing certain refolutions to the committee with that defign would fall, he faid, on him: and, painful and odious as the task might be, his duty to the public required he should go through it. But this alone, he added, would not be fufficient. He declared his conviction of the neceffity of fending out to India certain perfons, to be named by his Majesty, or by parliament, armed with the highest authority of the kingdom. To fome fuch appointment he looked up for the prefervation of India, the reeftablishment of our national character, and the deliverance of a most unfortunate and extenfive country from the miferies of oppreflion; and he called on his Majefty's minifters either to fupport him in carying through the bufinefs, or to bring forward, without delay, any other meafures they might judge more effectual for the accomplishment of those great and important objects. Mr. Dundas was followed by Mr. Fox and Mr. Burke, who, after congratulating the Houfe on the unanimity with which the great bufinefs they were entering on was likely to be profecuted, declared their hearty concurrence with the learned member, in the mode of proceeding adopted by him, namely, that of making the removal and punishment of delinquents go hand and hand with measures of future regulation; and they pledged themfelves, in whatever ituation they might be found, to fupport fuch plans as fhould appear beft calculated for purfuing thofe objects with vigour and effect. On the 22d of April Mr. Dundas brought forward the propofitions which he had previously laid upon the table, and printed for the perufal of the members. The firft fet, amounting to 45 in number, related to the general fyftem of the company's government, and the mifconduct of the fupreme council and the prefidency of Bombay. Thefe, he obferved, might require a further examination, and he should therefore poftpone them for the prefent. The fecond fet, confifting of 24, had for their object the conduct of the prefidency of Madras. On thefe, if adopted by the Houfe, it would be neceffary to ground a criminal profecution againft the prefident, Sir Thomas Rumbold, a member of the Houle, and other perfons concerned therein; and as he conceived the committee to be in poffeffion of all the materials requifite for their confideration, he thould proceed to move them without further delay. The first four refolutions stated that, in a period of twelve years, from 1767 to 1779 inclufive, the *It should appear from the fpeech of Mr. Fox, who in the course of the debate expreffed his diflike of the propofition, that Mr. Dundas had mentioned with fome degree of approbation the idea of taking from the company, and placing under the direction of the crown, the entire management of their territorial poffeflions in the Eaft. forplas furplus net revenues of the company, under the prefidency of Madras, had never, except in one year, been equal to the purchase of the investment for Europe, and that in the whole period they had exceeded the charges in no more than 51,9611. These were agreed to without any debate. The fifth refolution ftated, that the balances due by the Zemindars or renters of the company's lands in the northern Circars had very much increased of late; and that the Zemindars were much diftreffed. Sir Thomas Rumbold objected to the words "of late;" but the fact appearing to the committee to be fubftantiated by the evidence in the reports, the refolution paffed without a divifion. ar. One of the principal caufes of this diftrefs was ftated in the two following refolutions, viz. that it had been the practice for the chiefs of the fubordinate stations to receive from the Zemindars certain large fums of money, bitrarily exacted, under the name of Nazir or free gift, and that the fame had never been accounted for to the company." In the debate, the enormous height to which this practice had arrived throughout India, its baneful confequences, the abufes that were countenanced, and the horrible iniquities that were committed, all under the fanction of thefe expiatory Nazirs, were fully tated by Mr. Dundas, and Mr, Burke. The refolutions were agreed to. The indigent circumftances of the Nabob, and the enormous amount to which he flood indebted to feveral of the company's fervants, notwithstanding he had been in It dulged in the repeated plundering of the rich country of Tanjore and of the company's Jaghire lands, could not efcape obfervation. appeared indeed in evidence, that with refpect to the latter he had been the higheft bidder, and that actuated by principles of pride or motives of policy he become their tenant at a rent greatly beyond their value. This had been one caufe of the increase of his debr and the confequent perplexity of his affairs and violence of his exactions. In the exercise of these oppreffions he was fupported by the fervants of the company, who, in their turn, made him the victim of their rapine, by ufurioufly fupplying him with money at 24 per cent. and upwards, The eighth refolution therefore ftated, "that the company's Jag hire lands, including almoft the whole of the territory contiguous to Fort St. George,, Madras, had been uniformly let to the Nabob of Arcot ;" and the ninth, that the faid Nabob was loaded with heavy debts both to the company and individuals; that his troops were ill paid, had deferted in great numbers, and frequently broken out into dangerous mutinies on that account. The impolicy and danger of fuffering the Nabob, under the circumstances defcribed in the latter refolution, to rent territories, which had the actual com. mand of Madras, were ftrongly infifted on, as well as the fufpicious nature of his debts and their influence in the general fyftem purfued by the prefidency with regard to the Nabob, by which the Carnatic had been brought into a ftate of the most dreadful confufion*. * For a more particular account of the mode of contracting thefe debts, and of the proceedings of the then adminiftration relative thereto, fee debate in the House of Com mons, on Mr. Fox's motion, November, 1784, VOL. XXVII, [D] Both |