enormous burthen? The Noble Lord himfelf. For the Directors, though dependent on his breath, rather curtailed than extended his plans. He has read to you the ftate of the military expences of the years his Lordship ferved in Bengal, and compared them with thofe of his fucceffors, but neither the effects of his military establishment, or his diftant connections, by ill-judged treaties, could be felt till he left the country; nay, not fully till the arrival of the troop of Colonels, Lieutenant-Colonels, and Majors, which he fent from Europe. His Lordfhip imputes the muitiplied evils that have exifted in Bengal to temporary, partial caufes; I impute them to radical defects in the fyftem he had established, which I will not honour with the name of government, but that of a monstrous heap of partial, arbitrary, political inconfiftencies that were neceflarily doomed to trouble in the fhort period they did, and to produce all the complicated miferies, mifchiefs, and oppreffions which have enfued.

The Noble Lord has told the Houfe of the mighty things he did in his trip to India; but he has carefully avoided condefcending on any one particular, except that of his arbitrary proceedings againft men who had totally eclipfed his glory, in order to make room for his low dependants. Firft, by deftroying all government, and then by establishing a fyf tem of uncontrouled fraud and rapine-does the Noble Lord claim the merit of adding the kingdoms of Bengal, Bahar, and Orifla to the British empire? and will the Houfe give it to him who directed the pens of Captive Princes, or, to those who by unwearied toils and multiplied dangers took the fwords from their hands? For I aver it as a fact, that the furrender of Souja Doula which reduced that part of the world to our obedience, and the arrival of Lord Clive at Calcutta were fo near in point of time, that a Courier could hardly have rode across the country to have given intelligence of the last circumftance before the firft great event had happened.

There is only one other circumstance in the noble Lord's speech, which I can recollect from my notes as remaining unanfwered. In the quantity of terrors he has hung over our heads; ten thoufand French are placed at the Island of Mau. ritius, and from thence remove to Madagafcar, from whence the long exploded topic of univerfal Monarchy, is again deduced. Now I'll tell the Noble Lord my opinion on this fubject in contradiction to his and leave the Houfe to judge between us. If the French fhould acquire our poffeffions in India, they could never hold them without poffeffing a fupeiority at fea. Thefe countries belong naturally to Great

Britain,

Britain, who has a fleet to connect them with the principal dominion-France might convulfe our credit, and injure us materially by, a ftroke in the Eaft Indies, and I am perfuaded that fuch was their intention, and that he had proceeded fo far that the does not now know whether to draw back or go on. Before our fleet went there, our dominions in the Eaft certainly lay expofed in a manner that no wife man can vindicate. Since Administration have fenfibly fent a fquadron into thofe feas, and are now fo wifely fending a reinforcement, I am in no dread of the French, if they do not act before our reinforcement arrives.I think, myself, they have loft their time; at any rate Bengal is not their first object. But if they once come to move to Madagafcar, I am fure they are undone. Any officer who knows how European foldiers moulder away in thofe climates will have little dread from ten thousand men, after the drafts by death and difcafe, in the courfe of three or four years, are duly fatisfied; but in cafe they go to a new fettlement, deftitute of all the accommodations from buildings and civil fociety, and expofed to the corrupted air of rank vegetation, I leave any one to judge, who has had experience, in the fettling of colonies, what will be their fate in a few years.-Upon the whole, I fhall vote against the motion, with a view of eftablishing an enquiry into the affairs of the British empire in Afia.

Monday, April 13, at 4 o'clock, came on in the House of Commons, a motion made by Colonel Burgoyne, for afelect committee to be appointed to enquire into the nature and ftate of the Eaft India Company, and of the affairs in the Eaft Indies. Mr. Burgoyne faid, the reafon of his wifhing to have a felect committee appointed, was, that a committee of the whole Houfe could not go through it fo minutely, especially as it was now almoft the end of the feffion, whereas a felect committee might fit the whole fummer. The Colonel was feconded in his motion by Sir William Meredith, who fhewed the neceffity for fuch an enquiry, as, millions of people were under the greatest diftrefs. He related a story that happened in the Roman Senate, where a great man brought home with him three hundred thoufand pounds, one hundred thousand pounds of which he was fatisfied with for himself, another hundred thousand he gave to bribe the Senate, and the third hundred thousand among the dumb votes. Sir William was anfwered by Mr. Thomas Townshend, who spoke very strongly against the enquiry being made by a felect committee, faying, it was nothing more than putting the affair into the hands of government; and, therefore, that

he would fooner wifh to fee it in the hands of the board of trade, or the Privy Council, than in a felect committee; as the latter, he faid, would be anfwerable for their proceedings, but a felect committee could not. He added, that he

thought they fhould have had this ehquiry brought in by adminiftration, as there was fomething alluded to in the King's fpeech; but that three months were now elapfed fince the feffion began, and no notice had been taken of it, excepting by an Honourable Gentleman independent of adminiftration.----Lord North (poke next, and faid, he was glad to find the affairs of the Eaft Indies taken up by a Gentleman unconnected with adminiftration; that a bill had been brought in by one of the Directors, which he thought was much more proper than if brought in by adminiftration; but that he certainly fhould be for making the enquiry by a select committee, and fhould have been for it the first day of the feffion, as he always thought it the moft proper mode.

Lord Irnham, Col. Luttrell, Mr. Dowdefwell, Mr. Cornwall, and Mr. Burke, objected to the enquiry being made by a felect committee, faying, they might as well have no enquiry at all, for that the felect committees never came in their enquiries to any thing; and therefore that the appointment of one tended only to deceive the people and would be ineffectual, Sir George Colebrook faid, that as one of the Directors, he could not but vote for an enquiry. Col. Barre faid, an enquiry ought to be made, as more cruelties had been practifed in that country than even in Spain, but he condemned adminiftration for not bringing on the enquiry before. The noble Lord told us (faid he) that at the beginning of the feffion he was in confufion, in the middle too we are in confufion, and we fhall end in confufion; but, however, as I have always been for an enquiry, I am glad to accept this rather than none. The Bill however now propofed to be brought in, will give little more relief to that large wound, which I can scarcely find words in the English language to defcribe, than a bit of ladies fticking plaister. Mr. Dempfter fpoke next, and objected greatly to the enquiry of the felect committee, faying, he was fure it would end in nothing; that he remembered a few of thofe committees, but never found they came to any thing; and therefore that a committee of the whole Houfe would be the propereft. After a debate, which lafted till 11 o'clock, the queftion being called for, the motion was carried without a divifion. Mr. Sullivan then presented to the House the following Bill relative to the Eaft-India Company, which was read for the first time, and ordered to be read a fecond time on Monday the fourth of May,

A BILL for the better Regulation of the Affairs of the EAST-INDIA COMPANY, and of their Servants in INDIA, and for the due Adminifiration of Justice in Bengal.

HEREAS his late Majefty King George the Second did, by his letters patent, bearing date at Weltminiter, the eighth day of January, in the twenty-fixth year of his reign, grant unto the United Company of Merchants of England, trading to the Eaft Indies, his Royal Charter, thereby, amongit other things, conftituting and establishing courts of civil, criminal, and ecclefiaftical jurifdicton, at the United Company's refpective fettlements of Madraipatnam, Bombay, on the ifland of Bombay, and Fort William, hath been found ineffectual and inadequate to anfwer the good ends and purpofes now neceffary to be attained:

And whereas the faid United Company have humbly befought his Majefty to grant unto them a more general and comprehensive Charter for the due adminiftration of juftice in Bengal, to which, their humble requeft, his Majefty hath been pleafed to condescend, and hath fignified his moft gracious intention to grant unto the faid United Company fuch new Charter, fo far as the fame relates to the faid fettlement of Fort William in Bengal, and the factories and places fubordinate thereto.

And whereas it is highly neceffary and expedient that fundry reguJations fhould be made for the better management of the faid United Company's affairs, and alfo of their fervants, and other his Majesty's fubjects refident in India, and for the better adminiftration of justice in the faid Company's fettlement of Fort William in Bengal, and the factories and places now or hereafter to be fubordinate thereto; and that fuch regulations fhould be enforced by the authority of Parlia

inent;

May it therefore please your MAJESTY,

That it may be enacted, and be it enacted, by the King's moft Excellent Majefty, by and with the advice and confent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this prefent Parliament affembled, and by the authority of the fame, That in and by the faid new charter to be granted by his Majefty as aforefaid, it fhall and may be lawful for his Majelty to establish a fupreme court of judicature at Fort William aforefaid in Bengal, and to grant and declare, that the fame fhall confiit of a Chief Juftice, and three other Judges, to be nominated by the Court of Directors of the said United Company, with the approbation of the Lord High Chancellor of GreatBritain, and the Lords Chief Juftices of his Majefty's Courts of King's Bench and Common Pleas; which faid Judges fhall be named in the faid charter, and fhall hold their refpective offices under the fame terms and conditions as the Judges of England do now hold and enjoy their refpective office or offices, but in cafe the faid chief juftice, or any or either of the faid other judges, fhall be minded and defirous to refign his or their respective office or offices, and of fuch his or their defire and intention hall give year's notice to the faid United Company's prefident and council of the faid fettlement of Fort William aforefaid; or if it fhall happen that, by reafon of fickness or other incapacity, the faid chief juftice, or any or either of the faid other judges, fhall be rendered incapable of attending to and performing the duty of his or their office or offices, that then, and in any

or

or either of the faid cafes, it shall and may be lawful to and for the faid United Company's prefident and council at Fort William aforefaid, to grant a licence to fuch chief juftice, or other judge or judges, to refign his or their refpective office or offices, and to return to England And in any or either of the faid cafes before mentioned, or in cafe of actual difmiffion, as herein after mentioned and provided, it hall and may be lawful for the faid prefident and council of Fort William aforefaid, forthwith to nominate and appoint fome fit and proper perfon to fucceed to and fill up any fuch vacancy as may happen in the faid fupreme court of judicature, until the fame fhall be filled up or fupplied in the manner herein before. directed.

And be it further enacted, by the authority aforefaid, That the faid fupreme court of judicature, by the faid new charter to be established, shall have, and the fame court is hereby declared to have full power and authority to exercife and perform all civil, criminal, and ecclefiaftical jurifdiction by the faid new charter to be granted and committed to the faid court; and also shall be at all times a court of record, in the nature of a court of oyer and terminer and gaol delivery, and fhall be a court of oyer and terminer and gaol delivery in and for the faid town of Calcutta and factory of Fort William in Bengal aforefaid, and other the factories and places fubordinate, or hereafter to be fubordinate thereto.

And be it further enacted, by the authority aforefaid, That it shall and may be lawful for his Majefty, in and by the faid new charter, to grant and eftablish, that in cafe any perfon or perfons whatfoever fhall think himself, herself, or themselves aggrieved by any fentence, judgment, order, or determination of the faid fupreme court of judicature, to be established as aforefaid, he, she, or they fhall and may appeal from fuch fentence, judgment, order, or determination, within days after the fame fhall be entered of record, to his Majefty, his heirs or fucceffors; but no fuch appeal fhall be allowed of or brought, unless the debt or matter in litigation between the parties hall exceed in value fterling,

nor unless fecurity be given in the fum of fterling, to answer the cofts of fuch appeal.

And be it further enacted, by the authority aforefaid, That the faid new charter, fo to be granted by his Majefty as aforefaid, and the jurisdiction, powers, and authorities to be thereby eftablifhed, fhall and may extend to all the faid United Company's fettlements, factories, fubordinates, and poffeffions, now or at any time hereafter to be acquired, in the kingdoms or provinces of Bengal, Bahar, and Oriffa, and to all British fubjects and Chriftians who fhall refide in the faid provinces, or either of them, under the protection of the faid United Company; and the fame charter fhall be competent and effectual, and the fupreme court of judicature, therein and thereby to be eftablished, fhall have full power and authority to hear and determine all complaints of the natives of India against any of his Majefty's fubjects, for any crimes or oppreflions whatfoever, and to profecute any fuits or actions, real or perfonal, against any of his Majefty's fubjects in India; and alfo for any debt, or for any complaint of any native of India against any other native of India, who Thall, at the time when fuch debt or caufe of action or complaint fhall Pol. Reg. Vol. X. have

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