important exertions for the affiftance of Madras, the obtaining of peace, and regaining the friendship of the Nizam. The fortieth condemns the governor general's plan of an alliance with the Dutch, as unwarranted, impolitic, extravagant, and unjust. The next, charges the governor general with defigns tending to procraftinate an accommodation with the Mahrattas, injuriously to the interefts of the company and of the nation. The forty-fecond charges him with fuppreffing material information in his correfpondence with the directors, and fending the fame to his private agent in England. The following refolution states and approves of certain inftructions fent in the lait difpatches from the directors, for promoting the attainment of peace. tion, justice, and good faith of "the Britif nation." Thefe refolutions were feverally agreed to by the Houfe, on the 28th of May; and in addition to the general declaration of the fenfe of par liament, expreffed in the last, Mr. Dundas faid, he fhould move the Houfe to come to a specific refolu- / tion for the recall of Mr. Haftings and Mr. Hornby. That he was urged to take this ftep by an account which had lately arrived from In. dia of an act of the most flagrant violence and oppreffion, and of the groffeft breach of faith, committed by the former against Gheit Sing, the Raja of Benaras. He entered at large into the nature of that tranfaction, and concluded with mov. ing the following refolution: That Warren Haftings, Efq; "Governor General of Bengal, The forty-fourth declares, "that" and William Hornfby, Efq; Pre"for the purpose of conveying en"fident of the council at Bombay, "tire conviction to the minds of "having in fundry inftances acted "the native princes, that to com- "in a manner repugnant to the mence hotilities, without just "honour and policy of this nation, provocation, against them, and to " and thereby brought great cala"mities on India, and enormous purfue fchemes of conquest and "extent of dominion, are measures "expences on the East India comrepugnant to the with, the po"licy, and the honour of this na"tion, it is the duty of the court of "directors, in conformity to the fense "expreffed by this Houfe, forthwith "to recal fuch member or members of "their principal profidencies as op pear to have been chiefly con"cerned in wilfully acting upon a "fytem tending to infpire a "fonable diftruft of the modera rea pany, it is the duty of the directors "of the faid company to purfue all "legal and'effectual means for the removal of the faid governor ge"neral and prefident from their "refpective offices, and to recall "them to Great Britain," "In confequence of this refolution of the House of Commons, the di rectors took the neceffary fteps for carrying it into effect; but, as their • These words were afterwards left out of the refolution, and the following inferted inthead of them: "the parliament of Great Britain should give fome fignat "mark of us displeasure against thofe in any degree intruffed with the charge of the "company's affairs, who stall." [D4] proceedings proceedings are fubject to the control of a general court of proprie. tors, the friends of Mr. Haftings, whofe influence in that body was now found to be irrefiftible, had recourfe to that expedient, and on the 31st of October the orders of the court of directors were refcinded by a large majority. Thus ended the fecond parliamentary attempt to punifh Indian delinquency. This oppofition, however, of the proprietors to the deliberate fenfe of the Houfe of Commons, and to the refolutions of the court of directors, entered upon without previous enquiry, and adopted in a confufed and tumultuous debate, without any information before them, was, at the beginning of the next feffions, strongly reprobated by Mr. Dundas, both as dangerous in its principle, as well as highly infulting to the honour of parliament. He there. fore moved, that all the proceedings relative thereto fhould be laid be fore the Houfe; and on these and the refolutions before voted he founded a bill, which he afterwards brought in, "for the better regulating the 66 government of India.". The principal objects of this bill were, to inveft the governor gene. ral with a difcretionary power to act against the will of the council, whenever he should think it neceflary for the public good fo to do; to allow the fubordinate governors a negative on every propofition, till the determination of the fupreme council fhould be known; to fecure to the zemindars or landholders of Hindoftan, a permanent interest in their refpective tenures; to caufe the debts of the Raja of Tanjore, and of the Nabob of Arcot, to be carefully examined into, and to put an end to the oppreffions of the latter, and the corrupt practices of his creditors, by fecuring to the Raja the full and undisturbed enjoyment of his kingdom; laftly, to recall Governor Haftings, and prevent the court of proprietors from acting in oppofition to the fenfe of parliament, and to nominate a new governor general. For this important office Mr. Dundas recommended the Earl Cornwallis but the members who at that time had the direction of public affairs, not ap proving of fome of the principles of the bill, and declaring their intentions of taking up the business early in the next feffions, it was tacitly withdrawn. Having gone through all the proceedings which were moved by the chairman of the fecret committee, and grounded on their reports, the fteps taken by the felect committee require, in the next place, our attention. Their reports, eleven in number, took a complete review of the conftitution of the Eaft India company, and of the management of their af fairs both at home and abroad, in their political as well as commercial tranfactions. On these reports was principally grounded the great plan afterwards introduced by Mr. Fox, in his bill, for the better regulating the affairs of the Eaft India company, and the charges of impeachment which have fince been inflituted by the Commons against Mr. Haftings. On the 18th of April 1782, their chairman, General Smith, prefented to the House ten refolutions; of which the five firft related to the misconduct of the chairman of the court of directors, in having unne. ecffarily and dangerously delayed to tranfmit to the company's fet tlements tlements in the Eaft, the judicature act, paffed in the laft feffion of parlia. ment, by which the good purpo⚫ fes of the faid act, in providing relief for certain individuals, as well as for the people at large, might be fruftrated. ་་ true In the three following refolutions it was ftated, "that Warren Haft"ings, and Sir Elijah Impey, chief "juftice of the fupreme court of Bengal, had been concerned, the "one in giving, and the other in " receiving, an office tenable at the "pleasure of the fervants of the "company, contrary to the "intent of the act of 13 Geo. III; "and that this unjustifiable tranf"action between them was attended "with circumstances of evil ten"dency and example."-Thefe refolutions being agreed to by the Houfe, an addrefs was ordered to be prefented to the King, to recall Sir Elijah Impey to anfwer for his conduct in the transaction aforesaid. On the two laft refolutions a bill was brought in, for the purpose of afcertaining more diftinctly the CHAP. IV. Meeting of parliament towards the clofe of the year 1782. King's fpeech. Ad, dreffes voted unanimoufly. Two India Bills brought in by Mr. Fox. Sublance of the bill for wefting the affairs of the company in commissioners Subftance of the bill for the better government of the territorial poffeffions. Debates on the bills. Objections and replies-ft. of charters-plea of neceffity-magnitude of abufes-fate of finances-company's government in Indi :- -independent powoers-allies and dependents-territorial poffefions-abuses curable—court of proprietors-court of dire&ars-miniflers of the crown. d. Objection. dangerous powers and influence created by the bills. Answer to this objection. First India bill carried to the House of Lords. Rumours of the king's & flike of the bill. Majority against the minifters in the House of Lords. Motions in the Houfe of Commons, relative to the reports of the king's d.fapprobanon of the bills; and to the diffolution of parliament. Bill rejected by the Lords. Mifters removed. O N the 11th November 1783, the two houfes of parliament being affembled, were informed, in the fpeech from the throne, that de. finitive treaties of peace had been concluded with the courts of France and Spain, and with the United States of America; and that preliminary articles had been ratified with the States, Ceneral, of the United Provinces. The caufe of their being called together after fo fhort a recefs was then explained. They were told that the fituation of the East India Company would require the utmoft exertion of their abilities, and that the fruit was expected of thofe important inquiries which had been fo long and fo diligently purfued. Their attention was next called to the dangerous frauds which prevailed, and the alarming outrages that had been committed, relative to the collection of the public revenues; and fuch further powers were required from the legislature as might enable the executive government to prevent the confequences of this daring fpirit. The gentlemen of the House of Commons were informed, that the reductions that had been made in the naval and military eftablishments were brought as low as pru. dence would adnit; and that it was not doubted but the fortitude which had hitherto fupported the nation pn. der many difficulties, would make her bear with cheerfulnefs the burthens which the prefent exigencies would require, and which were neceffary for the full fupport of the national credit. The fpeech concluded with recommending temper and moderation in all their deliberations, and with hoping, that as in many refpectsour fituation was new, their counfels would provide what that fituation called for, and that their wildom would give permanency to whatever had been found bencficial by the experience of ages. Addreffes in the ufual form were moved by the earl of Scarborough and Lord vifcount Hampden, in the Houfe of Lords; and by the earl of Upper Oory, and Sir Francis Baffet, in the lower House; and weld were unanimoufly agreed to. But this unanimity in the votes of parliament did not prevent fome hostile reproaches from being thrown our against the principles on which the adminiftration had been formed, and fome blame on their conduct, fince their acquifition of office. In the House of Lords, the e rl Temple charged them with having forced their way into the fervice of the crown, and thereby fhaken the conftitution of this country; he asked why the treaties with the Dutch and the Americans had not been concluded? why no notice had been taken in the fpeech of the a arining fituation of the public funds? why no mention had been made of Ireland? why no plan had been yet brought for. ward for regulating the affairs of the India Company 2 In the Houfe of Commons Mr. William Pitt, and Mr. Thomas Pitt, animadverted with great tri. umph on the inconfiftency of the ministerial fide of the houfe, in voting an addrefs of thanks to the King, for having concluded defi. mitive treaties of peace, the very tranfcript of thofe preliminary articles which they had before voted to be inadequate and difhonourable. They likewife called loudly on the minister to bring forward without delay fome plan for fecuring and improving the advantages that might be derived trom.our poffeTons in the Eaft; a plan, not of temporary pal. liation of timorous expedients, but vigorous and effectual, fuited to the magnitude, the importance, and the alarming exigency of the cafe. In anfwer to this requifition, Mr. Fox acquainted the house, that he propofed on the Tuefday following to bring forward a motion relative to that object. On that day Mr. Fox moved the houfe for leave to bring in a bill, "for vefting the affairs of the East "India company in the hands of "certain commiffioners, for the "benefit of the proprietors, and the public: And alfo, a bill" for "the better government of the ter"ritorial poffeffions and dependencies " in India." By the former of thefe bills it was proposed to enact," that the whole government and management of the territorial poffeffions, revenues, and commerce of the company, together with all and fingular the powers and authorities before vefted in the directors, or in the general court of proprietors of the faid company, thould be vefted in feven directors, named in the act, for and during the fpace of four years. "That for the fole purpofe of ordering and managing the commerce of the faid Company, nine affiftant directors, being proprietors, each of them of 2,cool. capital flock, fhould be appointed, to aft under and fubject to the orders of the directors aforefaid. "That all vacancies in the office of the faid directors should be filled by his majefty; and that the vacancies in the office of the faid affittant directors fhould be filled by a majority of the proprietors of the company, at an election by open poll. "That the affiftant directors fhould be removeable by five directors, the ciufe and reafons for fuch removal being entered on their journ. Is, and figned with their respective names; and that the directors, and afliftant directors, should be removeable by his majefty, upon an addrefs of either houfe of parliament. 3 "The |