pofing of Surajah Dowlah, and bringing about a revolution in favour of Meer Jaffier; the signing a fictitious treaty with Ormichund, a black merchant, and confidant of Surajah Dowlah, together with the terms obtained from the new nabob, to be the origin of all thofe troubles which have operated to the temporary diftrefs, if not the total destruction of the Company. The general then proposed the following refolutions, and faid, that if they met with the approbation of the house, he had another motion to make. I. That all acquifitions made under the influence of a military force, or by treaty with foreign powers, do of right belong to the ftate. II. That to appropriate acquifitions fo made, to the private emolument of perfons entrusted with any civil or military power of the state, is illegal. III. That very great fums of money, and other valuable property, have been acquired in Bengal, from princes and others of the country, by persons entrusted with the military and civil powers of the state, by means of fuch powers, which have been appropriated to the private use of such persons.

The two great law officers maintained different fentiments on this fubject. The folicitor-general used a variety of arguments against the resolutions, whilft the attorney-general supported them. A general diffatisfaction prevailed. So long as the Company were enriched by their fettlements, the austerity of justice was relaxed; but when the plunderers extended their depredations beyond the property of Afiatic princes, and embezzled the revenues of their masters, their crimes appeared in all their enormous magnitude, and called aloud for examplary punishment. The three refolutions were carried almost unanimously.

However,

However, this zeal to punish abuses of power foon after fubfided for, when General Burgoyne, fome few days after, refumed the subject, and spoke of the depofition of Surajah Dowlah, and the various monopolies introduced, and ftated the immenfe fums which the Company's fervants had received under the denomination of presents, or had extorted by taxations; of the impoverished ftate of the Indian princes, at the time when they made these profuse prefents; and moved the house to refolve, that the right hon. Robert, Lord Clive, Baron Plaffey in the kingdom of Ireland, in confequence of the powers vefted in him in India, had illegally acquired the fum of 234,000l. to the dishonour and detriment of the state; many leading members oppofed the motion on a variety of grounds.

A charge fo directly brought, occafioned Lord Clive to enter very fully into his own defence. With much addrefs he pleaded the thanks which he had received from the Directors, when he returned home, after his fplendid victories, as an approbation of his conduct in fabricating the fictitious treaty which deceived Omichund, and which, he faid, he would again have recourse to, was he placed in fimilar circumftances; whereas, in fact, the proprietary knew nothing of that tranfaction at the time when their thanks were voted. His lordship fhewed the critical neceffity which prevailed in certain fituations, where the English power and fortune in Afia, depended folely upon rapid, well-timed, and extraordinary measures.

No withstanding this grand delinquent was clearly proved to have acted fraudulently and rapacioufly, in fome inftances, yet he could be confidered in no other light than as the deliverer of the Eaft-India Company: his bravery, his addrefs, his talents, fo admirably fuited to the occafion;

5

ccafion; his generofity and difinterestednefs in most inftances, together with the undisturbed poffeffion in which he had so long enjoyed his vaft fortune, all pleaded ftrongly in his behalf.

Perhaps other confiderations operated to quafh this inquiry. Much wealth would indeed have been acquired to the ftate by the forfeitures incurred, in confequence of a parliamentary process; but such a rigid fcrutiny, although it would have produced a prefent advantage, would have been attended with many confequences, which the wisdom of the present times is peculiarly folicitous to prevent. The fortunes which are to be acquired in India, by adhering invariably to the line of conduct which ftrict integrity chalks out, are, perhaps, in general, very inadequate to the views of those who migrate to thofe diftant regions; whilft a luft of power, and a paffion for amaffing immenfe wealth to gratify the calls of ambition, are leading features in the character of the age. Riches have long been confidered as a fubftitute for virtue; and it would have been highly unprofitable, to have left the managers of the English Eaft-India Company's concerns in the kingdom of Hindoftan, and the peninsula of India, no other alternative, than to have returned home with the moderate acquifitions, honourably made, in a long course of service; or, if grown wealthy by cppreffioris, to have clandestinely transported themselves and their plunder to a foreign, and most probably, a rival country.

Evidence was heard at the bar of the house to support the charges brought against Lord Clive; his lordfhip's evidence was likewise read, after which he made a fhort fpeech, and concluded with thefe words, "Take my fortune, but fave my honour," whereupon he immediately retired.

General Burgoyne then made the following motion That it appears to this house, that Robert, Lord Clive, Baron Plaffey in the kingdom of Ireland, about the time of depofing Surajah Dowlah, nabob of Bengal, and the eftablishment of Meer Jaffier on the mufnud, did, through the influence of the powers with which he was entrusted, as member of the felect committee, and commander in chief of the British forces, obtain and poffefs himself of 2 lacks and 800,000 rupees, as member of the felect committee; a farther sum of 2 lacks of rupees, as commander in chief; a farther sum of 16 lacks of rupees, or more, under the denomination of private donations; which fums, amounting together to 20 lacks and 800,000 rupees, were of the value, in English money, of 234,000l. and, in fo doing, he abused the powers with which he was entrusted, to the evil example of the fervants of the public. Mr. Hans Stanley moved, that the question be divided, and the latter part of the motion, which conveyed the cenfure, be left out, which, after warm debates, was agreed to: whereby the houfe, by merely establishing the fact, feemed, by implication, plainly to give it fanction. It would have been more for the credit of the nation to have rejected the motion entirely, than thus to have drawn the fting of it.

A motion was then made by Mr. Wedderburne, at five 'clock in the morning, that Lord Clive did, at the fame time, render great and meritorious fervices to this country, which paffed in the affirmative, and finished the enquiry.

Whether the premier on this occafion chofe to appear the friend of public virtue, although he was fully apprized, that the measure which was calculated to ferve it, would not be adopted; or, that without exerting his influence as a minifter, he followed the dictates of his feelings as a man,

certain

certain it is, that he contended for the cenfure against Lord Clive making part of the refolution.

A fortnight was wafted in this fruitless attempt to punish delinquents, after which the minifter's bill to regulate the Eaft-India Company was refumed *. Governor Johnstone faid, that the appointment of a general council and judges by the crown, was, in his opinion, annihilating the Company, and transferring the monopoly to the crown, a meafure equally unjust to the Company, and injurious to the nation. He was clear that the Company could extricate themselves, without accepting the loan from parliament. Although they had creditors, they were not clamorous ones : the treasury, indeed, might be importunate, and against that the Company must be prepared. On the 10th of June, the bill being gone through, and the blanks filled up, it was moved, that this bill do país, which was agreed to 131 to 21, and Lord North was ordered to carry it to the house of Lords. The falaries of the judges were thereby fixed at 8000l. to the chief justice, and 6000l. a year to each of the other three. The appointments of the governorgeneral and council were fixed, the first at 25,000l. and the four others at 10,000l. each annually. A claufe was inferted, whereby every proprietor, poffeffed of 3000l. stock, entitled to two votes; of 6000l. ftock, to three votes; and of 10,000l. ftock, to four votes, at future elections for directors.

was

A few days after, a petition was prefented from the EastIndia Company, declaring, that they were determined to submit to the temporary difficulties which might attend the prefent fituation of their affairs, rather than receive the loan