influence of the bill of 1784; which bill, inftead of reftricting, as the prefent did, the patronage and influence of India, gave into the hands of nine commiffioners, appointed by the bill, the whole patronage and influence, unrestrained and unlimited, of upward of 400 offices, from 25 to 20, to 15, to 10, and to 5,000l. per annum each. In reply to the obfervation of his holding the office of fecretary of state, treafury of the navy, and prefident of the board of control, he affured the right hon. gentleman, that he did not hold the office of fecretary by his own wifhes; it had never been an object of his defire; but a temporary arrangement having been made, by which his majefty fignified to him his pleafure that he should hold the feals, he had accepted them, and had continued to act upon the exprefs condition of not receiving any emolument therefrom. Upon thefe terms he had, from a variety of circumstances been led on day after day, not with his own wishes, to hold that arduous office. He declared, that the duties of his offices were much too arduous for one man; and, after a few obfervations upon the wifdom of encouraging the investigation of Indian politics, by holding out fome offices in that line for young men to afpire to, which was in part the object of the claufe, he concluded against the amend

ment.

Mr. Fox faid, he had never before heard his bill blamed for affording patronage to the crown: it was refifted upon directly the oppofite ground. He was ready to meet the right hon. fecretary upon the suggested comparison, and doubted not but an opportunity would be afforded in a subsequent stage. With refpect to his not having received his falary for fecretary, he had never, until that day, heard of the abftinence: but as he did not receive it, it would be fatisfactory for the public to know in what way they were benefited by his not receiving it.

The chancellor of the exchequer faid,

the faving was to the civil lift.

Mr. Sheridan, after ridiculing Mr. Dundas' object, by the claufe, of bring ing up young Indian ftatefmen, recommended to him the erection of a menagerie for the breeding of fecretaries of ftate, and other great officers.

The question being put, the amendment was negatived, and the houfe dividing upon the original queftion, it was car ried, ayes 113, noes 42.

On Wednesday, May 22, Mr. Wilberforce moved, that the house do refolve

itself into a committee, to confider a motion for leave to bring in a bill, so far to abolish the flave trade, as to prevent the fupply of flaves to foreign iflands. The house, after fome debate, which contained nothing new on the fubject, divided on the question, ayes 61, noes 18; and the chairman having afterward moved for leave to bring in the bill, the house again divided, ayes 51, noes 24. The honfe being refumed, Mr. Wilberforce,_the chancellor of the exchequer, and Mr. Fox,. were ordered to bring in the fame.

On Monday, May 27, the houfe went into the confideration of the report of the committee on the Stockbridge election bill; when a debate took place; in the courfe of which, it was argued, in fupport of the bill, that the evidence appearing on the minutes of the committee, went to prove in a fatisfactory manner, that a majority. of the electors at the laft election, had been guilty of corruption; that, in such a cafe, it was proper and juft to make an arrangement for preventing fimilar abufes in future; that the laying open the borough, was the best means of attaining that object, and was not to be confidered as a matter of experiment, because the good effects of it had been afcertained in other cafes, particularly in the cafe of Cricklade; and that the bill did, by no means, go to incapacitate any of the electors of Stockbridge, but only to extend the right of voting to certain other perfons, who were to enjoy it along with them. On thefe grounds, the motion for receiving the report, was fupported by Mr. Elliot, Mr. Buxton, Mr. ferjeant Watson, fir Francis Baffet, and Mr. Hardinge.

On the other hand it was denied, that there appeared, in the minutes of the committee, any evidence which could fatisfy the houfe, that a majority of the electors had been guilty of corruption, or indeed that any of them had been fo; that the right of elective franchife was, in true, legal, and conftitutional language, a valuable and important right, the communication of which to others was in fact an incapacitation, to a certain extent, of thofe by whom it was at prefent enjoyed; that, in this view, the prefent bill was truly a bill of pains and penalties, and was therefore unjuft, both as proceeding without evidence of guilt, and because it would operate as an ex poft facto law, against perfons who had no intimation à priori, that, by acting as they did, they would be fubjected to fuch a punishment as was inflicted by the prefent bill. On thefe grounds,

grounds, the motion was oppofed, and a negative given to the bill, by fir Richard Hill, Mr. Welbore Ellis, Mr. Powys, Mr. Barham, and the attorney and folicitor-generals.

The houfe divided, ayes 33, noes 42, majority against the bill 9.

On Friday, May 31, a bill which had been brought into the houfe of lords, by lord Rawdon, for regulating the law between debtors and creditors, and which had met with confiderable oppofition in the difcuffion of various claufes of it, was finally loft; lord Thurlow having moved, that this bill be read a third time, on this day two months;' when the numbers were, contents io, not contents 5.

A committee having been appointed to take into confideration the state of the impeachment of Warren Haftings, efq. Mr. C. Townshend, on Thurfday, May 30, made the report of the committee to the houfe, by which it appeared, that Mr. Haftings had clofed his defence; and that the lords had appointed the Wednesday following for the reply of the commons; but that, as it would be impoffible for the commons to be prepared by that time, he fhould move, that a meffage be fent to the lords, acquainting them therewith, and requesting a farther day.

Mr. Wigley opposed the motion, urg ing the neceflity and juftice of concluding fpeedily that trial, which had, by its continuance for more than fix years, operated on Mr. Haftings as a fevere punishment.

Mr. Fox role to exculpate the managers from any imputation of delay, and to fhew the impoffibility of the managers replying on Wednesday, on which day it was not likely that even the counfels fpeeches, and the evidence produced on the Benares charge, would be printed; and to thofe fpeeches which would occupy 260 folio pages, and to the evidence, filling three folio volumes, he had to reply.

Mr. Burden was againit the motion, which, on the other hand, was fupported by the folicitor-general, Mr. Burke, and the chancellor of the exchequer; the latter deeming it unreasonable in any one to expect the managers to reply on Wednesday to evidence and fpeeches which were not yet, nor probably on Wednesday next, would be, printed.

The question being put, the houfe divided for the motion, ayes 87; noes 42; majority 45.

The meffage was next propofed, and worded in fubftance as follows: that in confideration of the cafe of Mr. Haftings

having been closed earlier than had been expected, and in confequence of the time neceffary to print the evidence, &c. the commons ftated themfelves to be unprepared to reply on the day appointed, and defired a farther day. This meffage having been agreed to, Mr. C. Townshend was ordered to carry the fame to the lords.

Mr. Burke again rofe, and after expreffing his anxiety for the honour and dignity of that houfe, which was implicated in the character of the managers, and to prove that on their part no delay had arifen, moved, that the managers fhould prepare and lay before the houfe a ftatement of the progrefs of the impeachment, of circumftances which had arifen thereon, with obfervations.

Mr. Long, Mr. Ryder, and Mr. Wigley, were against the motion as unneceffary, and the latter moved the previous queition. The folicitor-general, Mr. Dundas, and the chancellor of the exchequer, wished the motion to be withdrawn ; but the two latter declared themselves deter

mined, if the questions were put, to vote against the previous question, and for the original motion. Mefirs. Sheridan, Fox; and Francis ridiculed the oppofition of thofe to the prefent motion, who had always held out infinuations against the managers for delay; now when facts were propofed to be brought forward, they thrunk back, wishing to perfevere in their old fyftem of infinuation.Mr. Taylor, Mr. Windham, Mr. Jenkinton, and Mr. Stanley, jun. were alio for the motion; the latter gentleman urging ftrongly the right of the managers to exculpate themfelves from the blame which had been in public and private infinuated against them.

After fome farther converfation, Mr. Wigley, perfifting in his motion of the previous queftion, the houfe divided, ayes 69; noes 69.

The speaker gave his cafting vote against the previous question.

The original queftion was next put and negatived, ayes 67; noes 71; majority against the motion 4.

Mr. Burke gave notice, that as the mo tion which he had deemed of effential importance to the honour, dignity, and intereit of the houfe, had been loft by fo finall a majority, he would, on fome fu ture day, bring it again forward in a dif ferent form.

On Friday, May 31, Mr. Wharton rofe, to make a motion refpecting the prefent ftate of the conftitution; he prefaced

t with a fhort fpeech, in which he pledged himfelf to prove, fhould his motion be agreed to, that all the falutary provisions which were afferted and enacted at the time of the revolution, for the fecurity and the pure adminiftration of the conftitution of thefe kingdoms, had been, fince that period, almost entirely done away. He then concluded by moving. That a committee be appointed to enquire whether any, and which of the provifions made by parliament in the reign of William and Mary, and in the reign of William, for fecuring the responsible exercife of the executive authority; for fecuring a fair, free, and frequent representation of the commons in parliament, and for fecuring a fair and impartial administration of juftice in the courts of law: whether any, and which of these provifions have by any means been invalidated or taken away; and to confider whether any, and which of thefe loft or invalidated provifions may be fit to be re-enacted, in order to restore the people of this country to the fituation in which they were placed by the glorious revolution of 1688.-Colonel Macleod feconded the motion, and the queftion being immediately put, the houfe divided, for the motion 71; against it 11; majority 60.

The house then, in a committee, came to a resolution, on the motion of the chancellor of the exchequer, that the penfion of the late lord Rodney, be continued, in perpetuity, to his defcendants inheriting the barony.

On Wednesday, June 3, in the houfe of lords, when the confideration of the Eaft India bill took place, it was objected to, as increafing the patronage of the crown, by lords Guildford, Lauderdale, and Fitzwilliam, and defended by lords Grenville, and Hawkesbury.

The archbishop of Canterbury faid, he would have been better pleafed with the bill, if it had contained fome provifion for communicating the comforts of the Chriftian religion to the people of India.

The bishop of St. David's did not approve of the idea of fending miffionaries to India, or any foreign country, for the purpose of converting the natives. The religious establishment of every nation he confidered as connected with its government, and no apoftles, except thofe commiffioned by heaven, ought to interfere with the confcientious opinions of any defeription of men. He thought, however, that more attention ought to have been paid to our own fubjects in that country,

by affording them the means of instruction in the religion they profeffed.

Lord Grenville ftated, that the Eaft India company expended annually upward of 12,000l. in their ecclefiaitical establishment, and that they had already a power to increase it, by a former act of parliament.

The bishop of London did not mean to make any specific motion, but he trufted the company would think it right to adopt the ideas of the rev. prelate who spoke laft, and that they would appoint chaplains to their fhips.

The bill then went through, without any amendment, and the next day paffed.

On Friday, June 7, the earls of Selkirk and Stair were declared duly elected to represent the Scotch peerage, fo that there wanted but one to complete the number 16; and for this vacant feat (hefide the supposed one occafioned by lord Stormont's becoming a British peer) it appeared that eight lords had equal votes of course, a new election must take place, previously to the next meeting of parlia

ment.

The preceding day, in the houfe of commons, Mr. Grey rofe, to propofe a meffage to the lords, in confequence of their answer to their laft meffage, in which they had appointed Monday next to hear the reply. He contended, that to prefs the managers to a reply, fo unexpectedly as they were called on, would be attended with confiderable difadvantage to the profecution, and afford no fair advantage to the defendant. He was ready to prove, that whatever delay had arifen in the progrefs of the trial, none was attri butable either to the managers, or to the houfe. Nor was the motion he now had to propofe, any fair ground to attribute to the managers a wish of delay; for the fact was, that the evidence which they had been at first ordered to reply to yesterday, and were appointed to reply to on Monday next, was not yet printed. After ftating it to be inconfiftent with juftice to call, on them for a reply fo fituated, and the inposibility of his being fufficiently prepared by Monday next, to open the reply on the firt charge, he concluded by moving, that a meffage be fent to the lords, acquainting them, that the commons, having taken into confideration the circuma ftances of the trial of Mr. Haftings, and the prolonged period of the prefent feilion, are not only convinced, that it would not be poffible to come to judgment, in the prefent feffion, upon the charges, the whole

H

of

of which their lordships have on a former occafion confidered as one, but that it would be, if not impoffible, extremely difficult to reply to the first charge; to reprefent alfo to their lordships, that it would be injurious to the caufe of public juftice to break the reply to the charges; and that, therefore, the commons defire their lordships to order the trial to go over to the next feffion, when the commons would be ready to proceed day by day till final judgment fhould be given, if their lordships thought fit.

Mr. Wigley oppofed the motion, as prejudicial to the justice and character of the house, and which, if paffed, would carry with it such a marked with for delay, as would render impeachments deteftable.-Mr. E. Law, Mr. Cawthorne, Mr. Ryder, colonel M'Leod, and fir John Trevelyan, also spoke against the motion.

Mr. Francis and Mr. Sheridan spoke in favour of the motion; and the latter obferved that the managers were called upon to answer evidence they had not yet before them. He could not fee any fair advantage the friends of the defendant could expect, by precipitating the managers to a reply in the prefent feffion, as it was wholly impoffible for judgment to be obtained until the next.

Mr. fecretary Dundas rofe alfo in fupport of the motion. If, he faid, he thought the motion could operate unjustly to the defendant, or to promote a delay of final judgment, he should be as ready as any man to give it his negative: but he was completely fatisfied that the motion would tend ultimately to hasten the conclufion. Sending the managers unprepared to reply, would be a complete lofs of the days in which they might be fo occupied; and fhould the managers be forced to open their reply, they would not be able, in the courfe of the prefent feffion, to clofe that reply even on the first article. Much had been faid of delay, and of the trial having continued fix years; but to whom was fuch delay to be attributed? Not in any degree to that houfe, or to the managers, against whom such infinuations were neither juft nor generous from those gentlemen, who had negatived a propofition made by the managers on a former day, of ftating the whole facts of the trial, to exculpate themselves from every fhadow of a foundation for fuch charge. If, however, there were any delay in the trial, it lay with the lords. He here noticed the few days appointed to proceed, and the

3

few hours occupied in thofe days on the proceedings, and dwelt fhortly upon the deviation from the mode of proceeding in the impeachment of Sacheverel, when their lordships did not think it necessary to proceed only when all the judges could be prefent. He faw no good reafon why their lordships could not have proceeded in the trial of Mr. Haftings, during the time the judges were on their circuits; for their lordships certainly had in their own body, members fufficient to decide on all points of evidence that could come before them; they had great law lords in the lord chancellor, the late lord chancellor, the chief juftice, lord Bathurst, and another great light, who, though not a law lord, was frequently teaching the judges law and the bishops religion (Lord Stanhope was now under the gallery, and the allufion created confiderable laughter.) Had their lordfhips proceeded without waiting for the continued prefence of the judges, he was confident the trial might have been concluded in one, or in two feffions at the moft: as they had not, he was, of course, to fuppofe that they had acted wifely; but as a member of the house of commons, and bound to maintain its honour and dignity, he would not fo far compliment the lords, as to attribute the delay occafioned by them to the commons. It was unjust and injurious to that house to allow it to be fpread through the country at large, that the delay was their blame.

The question being put, the numbers against the meffage were 66; for it 61.

Mr. Burke immediately gave notice that he fhould to-morrow, in confequence of the extraordinary proceeding of that day, fubmit a motion to the houfe, which he deemed abfolutely neceffary for its honour, dignity, and character.

The next day, Mr. Grey rofe, and stated to the house, that the conduct of the impeachment had been at all times a difficult task: it was now, however, in consequence of the vote of yesterday, rendered far more difficult than it ever had been before. Had he yesterday acted upon his feelings on that vote, he should have moved to have had his name withdrawn from the lift of managers, for he felt them placed, by that vote, in a most disagreeable predicament. They were called on to couduct the impeachment ordered by that houfe, when they had declared themfelves unprepared for the early day ap pointed, and in which declaration they had expected to meet the fupport of the house, who were their employers. If the

house