fo fully fenfible of their indignation, as that it might operate in preventing any future lapfe of the

fame nature.

In the short debate upon Sir James Lowther's motion, a gentleman high in office, and who has long been diftinguished as a principal leader in a powerful party, arraigned the conduct of the Speaker with unusual vehemence, and the most pointed acrimony. He afferted, that the national fituation had been grofsly mifreprefented, in a place, and in the prefence of thole, where nothing but truth fhould be heard. That the fentiments declared at the bar of the other houfe to be thofe of the commons, were the direct reverse; that they knew better; that for one, he totally disclaimed them; that he was certain a very great majority of the house equally did fo; and, that before the house rofe, he trusted it would be proved, whether they thought with the chair or with him.

This charge, as foon as the divifion upon the former queftion was over, was taken up by the Speaker, and his fpeech being first read, he appealed to the journals for the vote of thanks that fucceeded it, to fhew that the fentiments which he had then expreffed, were, at that time, the fentiments of the house. The gentleman who had made the charge, now repeated and enforced it with ftill greater vehemence, and with additional circumftances of heat, and acrimony. It, however, now began to appear pretty evident, that many of thofe gentlemen on the fame fide with himself, particularly the minifters, grew apprehenfive that he was

pufhing matters too far; for though they were very well pleafed that the Speaker fhould meet with what they thought a feasonable rebuke, they were not at all difpofed to make any needlefs trial of the temper of the house, by urging the point, in an unprofit able experiment, to a difagreeable and hazardous extrémity. They wished matters to rest in their prefent ftate, and the Speaker to lie under an implication of cenfure, without its being directly paffed, or brought abfolutely to the question.

The oppofition were not, however, difpofed that it fhould be paffed off in that manner. Mr. Fox immediately took the bufi. nefs up with his ufual fpirit and ability. He faid that the gentleman had come to the point at once; the charge was open and direct; the Speaker had either mifreprefented the fenfe of the house, or he had not; the queftion was fairly at iffue, and could be decided only by the house. For his part, he fufpected the Speaker had not delivered the fentiments of the majority, although it was evident from their journals, that he had given the sense of the houfe. He would, however, now, bring the question to a fair decifion, by obtaining the fenfe of the houfe upon it; and if the motion he was going to make met with a negative, he was of opinion, that the Speaker could not any longer fit in that chair with reputation to himself, nor be any further ferviceable in his station, after being thus publicly deferted, bullied, and difgraced. He accordingly moved, That the "Speaker of this houfe, in his "fpeech to his Majefty at the

66

*bar of the house of peers on Wednesday laft, and which was "defired by this houfe, nem. con. "to be printed, did exprefs, with juft and proper energy, the zeal "of this houfe for the fupport of "the honour and dignity of the crown, in circumftances of great "public charge.

The speaker declared, with great refolution and firmnefs, that he could not think of continuing in a fituation in which he could be no longer ferviceable, which muft evidently be the cafe, if the motion fhould be rejected. That he had wifhed and intended to exprefs the fenfe of the houfe, and imagined he had done fo; that he thought himself fully juftified by the time, the occafion, and various concurrent circumftances, which all combined to ftamp what he had offered with peculiar propriety. That he ftill conceived he had difcharged his duty, which was confirmed by the public approbation he had received; and he concluded by declaring, that he would not fit longer in that chair than he was in the free exercife of his duty.

The gentlemen on the other fide wanted much to get rid of the queftion, without bringing it to any decifion. They, in general, did not approve of certain paffages in the fpeech; but they did not from thence intend any cenfure upon the Speaker. He might, without the smalleft blame, have mistaken or miftated the fentiments of the house. Nay, in the hurry and inadvertence of an extempore addrefs, he might, very poffibly, not even have stated his own exactly. They accord

ingly recommended in the most preting terms to the Speaker, and ftrongly urged the mover and fapporters of the quetion, to withdraw the motion; and finding that this propofal would not be complied with, they moved for an adjourn ment.

But the oppofition were upon this occafion firm and unanimous. The houfe was involved in a dilemma, which they were determined it fhould not get clear of without a decifion. Either it must join them in fupporting the chair, or fubmit to its utmost degradation, and become chargeable at the fame time with the glaring inconfiftency of undoing and reprobating on the Friday, thofe acts which they had done or applauded on the Wednesday.

They infifted, that the speech was founded in truth; that it was highly neceffary at this feafon and that it was delivered with the ftricteft propriety. Their applaufe of the Speaker for his fpeech was not greater, than for his firmness, in not accepting of any compromife fhort of immediate reparation, notwithstanding the threats and foothings, which, they faid, had been alternately ufed to induce him to recede, and by fo doing, to facrifice equally his own honour, and the dignity of the houfe. They laughed at the new logic introduced by the oppofers of the motion, who contended that the fpeech was not the fenfe of the house, because, on the very day it was fpoken, the houfe had declared the most warm and hearty approbation of it. This, they faid, might be a minifterial way of drawing conclufions; but it was certainly a

curious

curious one; perhaps they had been taught by long experience, that the fenfe of the houfe, as declared by a majority, was not its genuine fenfe.

They infifted, that if the motion of adjournment was carried, it would not be safe for the Speaker to continue a moment longer in his prefent fituation; that he would on all future occafions lie at the mercy of his enemies, and be liable to difgrace whenever he fulfilled his duty, if the faithful discharge of it happened to be contrary to the opinion or liking of thofe, who are able to command a temporary majority to overrule acts of unanimity. That the dignity of the house was at an end, if the chair was permitted to be degraded; that the present blow was ultimately aimed at the houfe through the chair; that it was an experiment made purely to try what pitch of humiliation and difgrace they would bear to be let down to; the attempt of a court faction, to render the reprefentatives of the people defpicable, as well as detellable, in the eyes of their conftituents.

his

power,

The gentleman who had made the charge, at length conceded in fome degree. He faid he had not a wifh (if it had been even in which it was not in any degree) to drive the Speaker from the chair. He only maintained, which he ftill would, the right of private opinion, and freedom of fpeech; of cenfuring what he did not approve, with out regard to perfons; he faid he meant no more from the beginning; and if it was now the fenfe of the houfe, he would readily agree in withdrawing the

motion of adjournment. This be ing accordingly done, Mr. Fox's motion was carried without a di vifion, and with the appearance of almost general unanimity. Το render the triumph compleat, another gentleman in oppofition moved, that the thanks of the house fhould be returned to the Speaker for the difputed fpeech, which was likewife agreed to.

A tranfaction of a moft extraordinary nature in the East Indies, and which amounted to no less than a revolution, and the total fubverfion of eftablished government in our principal fettlement on the coaft of Coromandel, together with feveral fubfequent proceedings relative to it in Leadenhall-street, were the means of bringing the affairs of the Eaft India company once more within the cognizance of parliament.

It may appear almost needlefs to make any observation upon the difficulty of coming at the bare and undisguised truth, in the violence of faction, and amidit the rage of contending parties, even when their fphere of action is confined to Our Own country, and that their operations appear almost to be within our perfonal observation. If such be the cafe at home, how must the difficulty increase, when the scene of action is laid in the remoteft parts of the globe, from whence no difinterested evidence can be obtained, where every native of thefe countries is under a neceffity of chafing his fide, and of courfe imbibing, in a greater or leffer degree, the violence, prejudices, and animofity of his party; whilft the only indifferent fpectators, if any, are ftrangers, who cannot understand the fub

jea

ject of debate, and from whom we could derive no information if they had comprehended it entirely. In thefe circumftances, a fhort sketch of those diftant and controverted affairs, fuch as they immediately appear, and fo far only as is requifite to give fome general view of our prefent fituation in thofe countries with refpe&t to the public safety and advantage, and to illuftrate tranfactions at home with which they are neceffarily connected, is all that can be reasonably attempted, leaving it to time, and to future illucidation, to afcertain fact, or to rectify error, and to the parties concerned, to enter into fpecific explanations of their conduct.

It is represented on one fide, and feems to be pretty well established, that Mahommed Aly Cawn, the Nabob of Arcot, has, through the protection and alliance of the Eaft India company, grown to very great power, and it is farther faid, to an uncontrouled influence, nor only over the natives, but by various management over the Bitish fettlements alfo; in the principal of which, for the purpofe, it is faid, of exercising this influence, he has chofen his refidence. He has formed a confiderable army on the European model, and officered motly by Englifh; and has in general conducted himself with fuch prudence and ability, as to to fupport himself in a higher ftile of dignity, than moft of thofe magiftrates, who fet up for a fort of independent powers on the decline of the Mogul empire; and who were aided in their eftablishment by the fortune and arms of the Eaft India company. To his ability is faid

to be joined very extenfive views, and a very afpiring ambition.

Some events feemed calculated to cherish this ambition, if it really exists in the degree that is reprefented. A few years fince, the fpirit of adminiftration feemed frongly difpofed to trace out new fcources of power and wealth, wherever they could be difcovered in the various and remote parts of this widely extended empire. Befides the well known and muchdifputed interference in the con duct and government of the EastIndia company's affairs at home and abroad, it became a part of the fyftem of policy then purfued, that the crown fhould fuperintend the affairs of the company, and on an idea of oppreffion fuffered by the princes of the country, fhould eftablish connections in India, totally diftinct and feparate from that body. In purfuance of this defign, agents, or ministers, were employed with plenipotentiary powers, to negociate treaties directly with fome of the princes of the country, and particularly with the Nabob of Arcot.

Whatever wifdom there might be in this measure, or however great the future benefits to be derived from it may be, it certainly tended much to lower the Eaft-India company in the eyes of the natives, and to relax that force of opinion, which forms the principal inftrument in the government of mankind throughout every part of the globe. Totally ignorant of, and totally incapable of comprehending, the diftin&t diftributions of power which are allotted to the different parts in a mixed government like ours, and that compli

cated