POETRY. To the PUBLISHER of the PERTH MAGAZINE. How dreadful to abide. The ftorm with whirlwind fury hurl'd From Ætna's flaming fteep, The Light'nings rage,the torrents roar, the howlings of the deep, The chaos of material things, Ye vengeful furies ceafe; O give a moment's peace. The good of human kind, my wifh, So myftic fate decree'd, On life's unfteady wave. 'Till then I fcorn'd the madd❜ning crowds, That bow at folly's fhrine. His breaft I deem'd the fcale of truth, And love had banish'd fear. Of purer blifs to come. How fweet the melody of fpring! How foft the vernal air! Accurfed walks-accurfed fhades- How waft thou fpotlefs honour fpurn'd? How are the blifsful charms effac'd; The breath of heav'n, the blush of morn, And mufic's dying fall. These are the pledge of inward peace, They live in virtue's beam: But enter not the dark recefs Of fear and guilty fhame. Was this the vifionary gulph, In which I plung'd aghaft? Was this the life coroding fnake That grafp'd my feeble waift? Foul infamy's unhallow'd scream, How ruefully fevere, Think impious man,though fighs are vain The idol of our fex, of her's the pride. To move thy flinty foul, For ever in thy troubl'd breaft Shall my avenger roll. Yet heav'n can hear my mournful cries, And grief's full terrors ftay, Send peace and hope, and through my foul Diffuse the golden day. Though fall'n by thy afflicting hand On earth no more to rife, Yet happier fcenes, in happier climes Shall greet Ophelia's eyes! Caithness, Sept. 15. } 1772. Her carriage eafy, and genteel her air; Her fame unblemish'd, and of honour nice, A friend to virtue, but a foe to vice. The good companion, and the generous friend, Her conduct fuch, as envy muft commend; Skill'd in each art that's proper wife, Fit to appear in any rank of life. for a Not talkative, nor mute, I'd have her be, * Morus, a Græco, MOROS, ftultum Not dull, yet grave: not fhy nor yet fignificat. too free, ADVICE. † And More the very felf-fame man, i. e. more and more a fool. The MINUTES of the Select Comittee appointed by the Houfe of COMMONS to inquire into EAST INDIA affairs. (Continued from page 23. Vol. 2.) Martis, 28 die Aprilis, 1772. Mr Moreton (pursuant to order) prefented feveral books and papers. Lord Clive. Calcutta was taken by Serajah Dowla in June 1756, upon the pretence of a black merchant being protected by the English. Mr Watts was about two or three months employed in the negotiation of the revolution. The correfpondence was carried on entirely between myself and Mr Watts; do not know exactly the amount of the treafure of Serajah Dowla, but believe about three or four millions. The final terms of the agreement between Meer Jaffier and Mr Watts, were not agreed upon till a few days before the march of the army. Mr Lufhington was the perfon who figned Admiral Watson's name to the fictitious treaty by my order. Mr Walsh. Myfelf and Mr Lufhington went together to Calcutta with the treaty. There is a letter from Col. Clive, which was carried by me and Mr Lufhington from the French gardens, where the army then lay, to the committe. Returned with the treaties G 2 figned figned in the evening. Cannot recollect whether I went to Admiral Watfon. Do not now recollect the whole tranfaction. Only recollect that the treaties were fent, and brought back again. My idea has always been, that Mr Watson refused to fign the fictitious treaty, but permitted Mr Lushington to do it for him. The fictitious treaty was called Lol Coggedge, from being wrote on red paper. I remember Omichund was very earneft in his inquiry after that particular paper, after the Nabob was put upon the Mufnut. Lord Clive. All the letters in cipher that paffed between Mr Watts and my felf, are not entered in the countrycorrefpondence, or/any where elfe. I have got fome of the lerters, but do not know whether I have the letter where mention is made of Omichund's demand of five per cent. on the treasures, and thirty lacks. The fictitious treaty, to the best of my remembrance, ftated thirty lacks and five per cent. upon the treasures; it might be fifty lacks for what I know. I believe the letter re lating to the donation to the army and navy, is entered or mentioned in one of my letters. Don't recollect what I paid to the heirs of Adm. Watfon. that he had Serajah Dowla in his house, and he would keep him there till he could feize him. The Nabob's brother immediately fet out with a few attendants, and feized him. He was brought from thence to the city, and immediately put to death by Meerham, Meer Jaffier's fon, as it is faid without the father's knowledge. I knew nothing of it till the next day; when the Nabob made me acquainted with it, and apologized for his conduct, by faying that he had raised a mutiny among his troops. This is all I know of the matter. Don't recollect whe ther Mr Lufhington brought the fictitious treaty back with Mr Watfon's name to it. To the best of my remembrance, Mr Lushington told me, that Admiral Watfon gave him leave to fign his name to the fictitious treaty. Don't recollect whether Mr Watfon's feal was put to the fictitious treaty. 'I believe that Mr Watfon's name and feal was put to both the treaties, before they were dispatched to Mr Watts. Am not certain whether Mr Lufhington figned it in my prefence at Calcutta, or the French gardens. Roy Dulub did not receive five per cent. on all the money paid, but on fome of it, particularly not on that which was paid to the army and navy. He was one of the Nabob's generals. I wrote to the Select Committee in England, ftating donations to the navy and army, but not the donations to the Committee. I wrote a private letter to Mr Payne, (then chairman, in which I mentioned the donation to the Committee. I mentioned in my general letter, that the Nabob's bounty had made my fortune eafy. Know of no ftipulation by Mr Watts for fifty lacks, or any other fum, befides the donation to the army and navy, and Select Com mittee; if there was any fuch, it was without my confent or knowledge: I have been informed, that Serajah Dowla fled, and took fhelter in a Faikeir's houfe, whofe nofe and ears he had cut off upon a former occafion. There was a brother of Meer Jaffier's at Rajamaul, a fmall diftance from the place where he took refuge. This Faikeir fent immediate notice to his brother 2. What might be the particular value in money or jewels received by your Lordship, and fuch other gentlemen as you may recollect? A. I received about fixteen lacks of rupees clear, after deducting commiffions and all other articles; I received no jewels, but all in money. I believe Mr Watts might receive altogether a bout eight lacks, Mr Walsh about five lacks; there are three or four more, but can't recollect the fums: I think Mr Scrafton had two lacks, but am not certain. Thefe donations were given exclufive of the fums ftipulated for the gentlemen of the Committee, Council, Army, and Navy. The share received, as Commander in: Chief, a mounted mounted to about two lacks. Major Kilpatrick, I believe, had about three or four lacks, exclufive of the fum ftipulated for the Army and Committee. Mr Lushington had fomething very trifling, about fifty thousand rupees; Captain Grafy of Aldercron's regiment had one lack. As to the thirteenth article of the treaty with Meer Jaffier, never recol, lected, till I was last in India, that there was a thirteenth article; twelve only appearing in the Directors book; I faw no more at the India-houfe, or in Mr Scrafton's book. I then understood that particular article had been fuppreffed by Mr. Vanfittart, in order, as I apprehend, that Mr Vanfittart might justify his proceedings in the fecond revolution, as the Company stood bound by that article in alliance with Meer Jaffier. I acknowledge writing to the Directors on December 15. 1762, that there was no fuch article to the best of my knowledge. 2. Whether these prefents were paid at the time?A. No-by inftalments. 2. At what time did it become neceffary for Mr Vanfittart to fupprefs the thirteenth article?A. Upon the affair of the Dutch-the court of Directors inquired whether there was a thirteenth article, and Mr Vanfittart fuppreffed it, as I fuppofe. Mr Walsh interrogated, The thirteenth article is the only one binding upon the English, and the only thing that could have been (properly) figned by them. I imagine the copy of it was neglected to be taken in the treaty fent home. The treaty without it is inferted in the SelectCommittee proceedings, as a translation from the Perfian. The twelve ar ticles are all in Perfian, and only the thirteenth in English. The English figned Perfian articles as far as twelve, which were prefixed to the English articles. With refpect to the thirteenth ar ticle, fome little time after a publication of Mr Vanfittart's, in which he had treated the thirteenth article as never having fubfifted, I had a conver, fation with that gentleman, at which time I fhewed him the words of that thirteenth article, and he confeffed his knowledge that that article did subsist. I by no means charge Mr Vanfittart with having fuppreffed that article, for I do believe that no copy of it did remain among the Company's papers at Calcutta. I looked over Lord Clive's papers: there I faw a copy of the treaty, with the thirteenth article in Mr Lufhington's writing. I acquainted Mr Rous and the deputy Chairman with the thirteenth article. Adjourned till to-morrow. (To be continued) |