Page images
PDF
EPUB

that it was probable it would, sooner or later, and that the court of France was earnest upon the occasion. He had, therefore, been guilty of no absurdity in what he had said respecting the treaty, in his first speech. He declared, that, from what he knew of the matter, while he belonged to the treasury, it was extremely difficult, with any management, to keep the expenses of the civil list within due bounds, but that by the pensions which fell in, and by other material aids, he was persuaded that it was possible to keep his Majesty's expenses within the limit of his income; and he hoped that the proper means for doing so would be adopted.

APRIL 6.

REPORT FROM THE COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY.

MR. SHERIDAN said he would not go into any farther argument upon the subject that day, but would move a string of resolutions upon the state of the revenue on Wednesday next. In the mean time, as an honourable gentleman opposite to him (Mr. Rose) had, on the preceding day, said, in express terms, that the four and a half per cent. fund, drawn from the Leeward Islands, was the private money of his Majesty; and, as he was satisfied the fund was granted for public purposes, he wished the house to be informed how the produce of that fund, and its application stood; and therefore he begged leave to move, "That an humble address be presented to his Majesty, that there be laid before this house, an account of the four and a half per cent. duties paid out of his Majesty's Leeward Islands for the last three years, with the charges thereupon."

This motion being agreed to,

Mr. Sheridan again rose, and moved " for a correct plan of the civil establishment and payments drawn in classes, and arranging by estimate the expense of each class, and of each office in each class, in manner directed by an act of the 21st of his present Majesty."

This was also agreed to, Mr. Sheridan having consented to leave out the word "correct" at the instance of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

HAWKERS AND PEDLARS.

Mr. Pulteney moved for leave to bring in a bill to explain and amend so much of the act respecting the hawkers and pedlars as restrains them from exposing to sale goods in market towns, and as enables justices of the peace of any county to prohibit such hawkers and pedlars from vending their goods within the same, and to farther regulating their trade.”—Mr. Pitt declared he would not at present object to the bill; but he desired to put in his claim on behalf of the shopkeepers, who certainly ought to be considered as deeply interested in it.

MR. SHERIDAN remarked, that it was the first time the house had heard the right honourable gentleman confess, that the shoptax was a burden on the shopkeepers. It had been repeatedly argued by different gentlemen, that the tax was a burden on the shopkeeper; but the right honourable gentleman had always contended, that it was the consumer, and not the shopkeeper, who bore it. If it was, as the right honourable gentleman had now confessed, a burden on the shopkeeper, it ought to be repealed; and if the consumer paid it, the hawkers and pedlars were hardly dealt with to be sacrificed for no purpose whatever. The right honourable gentleman had, by his late modification of the shop-tax, relieved all the country shopkeepers, excepting a few indeed, who dwelt in large towns. His consenting to relieve the hawkers and pedlars, would therefore aggravate the injustice done to the shopkeepers of the metropolis, on whose shoulders the onus of the burden now almost exclusively rested. Leave was given to bring in the bill.

APRIL 10.

REVENUE.

MR. SHERIDAN Moved for an account of the gross and neat receipt of the Exchequer on the quarter ending April 5, 1086, from the officers of customs, excise, and stamps. He meant by the production of that account, to ground on it much future argument in proof of his objections to the state of the revenue, as insisted on by the right honourable gentleman; and though, perhaps the paper might not be ready by Wednesday, it might, nevertheless, be ready by the day on which the right honourable gentleman should open his budget, which would equally answer the purpose.

Mr. Chancellor Pitt informed the honourable gentleman, that he had himself made a motion a few days ago of nearly the same purport as that which had been read, but of a greater extent; and as the honourable gentleman's object was solely to compare the revenue in two different quarters, his was more effectual for that purpose, as, besides the accounts of the customs, excise, and stamps, he had in his motion included incidents, which together comprised the whole of the revenue, and therefore gave a fairer opportunity for an accurate comparison.

Mr. Sheridan answered, that being now told such a paper had been moved for, he would withdraw his motion. He afterwards moved for a variety of papers, all relative to the actual state of the revenue, which were severally agreed to.

APRIL 11.

CLAIMS OF AMERICAN LOYALISTS.

MR. SHERIDAN signified his intention of moving for certain papers relative to the payments to American loyalists and sufferers, and to discharge the order of the preceding day, which he understood was not worded so as to comprehend the whole of his object. Undoubtedly, he at first designed to move certain resolutions relative to the state of the revenue upon the ensuing day, even under the disadvantage of not having the papers which he had moved for the preceding day; but having since understood, that before he came to the house on Monday, the right honourable gentleman had declared it to be his intention to put off (and had actually put off) the report of his national-debt bill till after the holidays, he thought it better to take more time, as the greatest accuracy could not but be desirable in a matter which depended so much upon calculations and figures; and, therefore, he would either put off his intended motions till the first open day after the holidays; or till any day previous to the right honourable gentleman's opening his budget.

Mr. Chancellor Pitt said, his budget had been opened ten days before.

Mr. Sheridan's motion was then put as follows, and agreed

to:

"For an account of the whole claims given by the loyalists to the commissioners appointed to examine the said claims; and an account of the sum at which the said claims are liquidated; and, also, an account of the amount of the claims not yet heard and liquidated."

[merged small][ocr errors]

APRIL 26.

PROCEEDINGS AGAINST MR. HASTINGS.

On the 4th of April, Mr. Burke, in his place, had charged Mr. Hastings with sundry high crimes and misdemeanors, and delivered at the table the nine first articles of his charges,* and the rest in the course of the following week, amounting, in all, to twenty-two in number. On the 26th Mr. Hastings requested, by

* The following are the particulars of the charges :—

1. With gross injustice, cruelty, and treachery against the faith of nations, in hiring British soldiers for the purpose of extirpating the innocent and helpless people who inhabited the Rohillas.

2. With using the authority delegated to him through the East India Company, for treating the king, Shaw Allum, emperor of Hindostan, or otherwise the Great Mogul, with the greatest cruelty, in bereaving him of considerable territory, and withholding forcibly that tribute of twenty-six lacks of rupees, which the company engaged to pay as an annual tribute or compensation for their holding in his name the Duannee of the rich and valuable provinces of Bengal, and Bahar, and Orissa.

3. With various instances of extortion, and other deeds of mal-administration, against the Rajah of Benares. This article consisted of three different parts, in each of which Mr. Hastings was charged with a series of the most wanton oppressions and cruelties. He gave in papers concerning the rights of the rajah, his expulsion, and the sundry revolutions which have been effected by the British influence, under the control of the late governor-general in that Zemendary.

4. The numerous and insupportable hardships to which the royal family of Oude had been reduced, in consequence of their connection with the supreme council.

5. With having, by no less than six revolutions, brought the fertile and beautiful provinces of Farruckabad to a state of the most deplorable ruin. 6. With impoverishing and depopulating the whole country of Oude, and rendering that country, which was once a garden, an uninhabited desert.

7. With a wanton, an unjust, and pernicious exercise of his powers, and the great situation of trust which he occupied in India, in overturning the ancient establishments of the country, and extending an undue influence, by conniving at extravagant contracts, and appointing inordinate salaries.

8. With receiving money against the orders of the company, the act of parliament, and his own sacred engagements; and applying that money to purposes totally improper and unauthorised.

9. With having resigned by proxy, for the obvious purpose of retaining his situation, and denying the deed in person, in direct opposition to all those powers under which he acted.

10. Accuses him of treachery to Muzuffer Jung, who had been placed under his guardianship.

petition to the house, to be permitted to be heard in his defence to the several articles; and that he might be allowed a copy of the same. Mr. Burke declared his wish that every reasonable degree of indulgence should be shown Mr. Hastings; he should, therefore, readily consent to his being heard in his defence, though he did not think it quite agreeable to the regularity of their proceeding, that he should be heard in the present stage of it. With respect to a copy of the charges he believed there was no precedent of such an indulgence being granted. It was well known that it was his original intention to have gone through the whole of the evidence before he delivered in his articles, and to let the charge grow out of the evidence; but the house, in its wisdom, had thought proper to vote a different mode of proceeding, and to direct that the charges should be first made, and that he should then proceed to substantiate them by evidence. Hence he had been under the necessity of new arranging his plan, and of making his charges as comprehensive as possible, taking in and stating every thing with which private information could furnish him. In their present form they were to be considered merely as a general collection of accusatory facts, intermixed with a variety of collateral matter, both of fact and reasoning, necessary for their elucidation; and the committee to which they were to be referred would necessarily find occasion to alter them materially. For this reason, also, he thought it would be highly improper to give a copy of them in the present stage of the business to Mr. Hastings. These reasons, however, being overruled by the majority, and a copy ordered to be granted to Mr. Hastings, Mr. Burke moved, that the honse should resolve itself into a committee to examine the witnesses that had been ordered to attend. This was also objected to by the other side of the house, on the ground, that as they had agreed to hear the defence of Mr. Hastings, they ought to wait till that had been gone through, since he might possibly be able to offer such matter in exculpation of himself as would induce the house to stop all further proceedings. The house divided on Mr. Burke's proposition, ayes 80; noes 140; majority against it 60.

MR. SHERIDAN remarked, that the house committed a sort of a blunder in their proceedings, in deciding that Mr. Hastings should be heard immediately; and the right honourable gentleman had said, the charges must not stand in the present form. Was it then wise or proper to hear Mr. Hastings on what the other side of the house termed vague, confused, irrelevant, and unintelligible charges? Or would it not have been better, more regular, and more sensible, first to have reduced the charges to the form in which they were to stand, and then have heard Mr. Hastings on them.

11. Charges him with enormous extravagance and bribery in various contracts, with a view to enrich his dependants and favourites.

These are the principal of the twenty-two charges, on most of which Mr. Hastings was voted by the house deserving of impeachment; the others are dependant on the foregoing.

« PreviousContinue »