approbation more fully, as nothing could be more highly ufeful and neceffary. But if these, and these only, were the fair and laudable objects in view, why carry on the bufinefs in the dark? Why refer it to a fecret committee? No body was now to learn, that notwithstanding the name and form of a ballot, the members of it would be virtually appointed by the minifter. The nation had already facrificed too fatally, both in the East and in the Weft, to jobs, to patronage, to partial proceedings, and to interested views. By thefe the empire had been convulfed in all its parts, and reduced to its prefent fallen ftate. It was the glory of our conftitution, that our courts of justice were open to all the world, and all our judicial proceedings publicly carried on. It was this, and not merely our laws, that afforded fo high a reputation to the adminiftration of juftice in this country, and fo decifive a fuperiority over that of others. Befides, the members of a felect but open committee, would receive great aid, in examining fo vaft a mafs of papers, and enquiring into fuch a multitude of facts, from the occafional affiftance of other gentlemen, many of whom would be led to attend from their great knowledge in the affairs of that country. Nor was it by any means to be forgotten, that however fairly the bufinefs was conducted, a fecret committee would be liable to much public doubt and fufpicion. It was always the nature of fecrecy to infpire fufpicion.

They defired the minifter to confider, that the Eaft was now, almost, our last stake; that it was

our principal remaining fource of wealth and power. That the evils and dangers there had multiplied and. rifen to a moft alarming height. That the lives and fortunes of many individuals, and the prefervation of that great fource of wealth and power, were all staked on the propofed enquiry. He was therefore requested, if he did not intend it merely as a mockery of juftice, only to lay the clamour of the prefent moment, that he would, from a regard to public opinion, to the moft effential interests of his country, and to juftice itself, inftitute a committee of felection inftead of fecrecy. What advantages might not then be expected from the labours of a committee, which was aided by all the ability, information, and induftry in that houfe? They befides wifhed that he would extend the objects of enquiry much farther; fo as to take in the whole affairs, and the government of India, as well as thofe matters which related only to the Carnatic.

The minifter declared that the enquiry was meant to be feriously entered into, and that he had not the most diftant intention of its being in any degree partial, He confidered the fubject as extremely weighty and important, and he hoped it would be enquired into fairly, feriously,, and difpaffionately. He only preferred a fecret committee, from the much greater difpatch with which they tranfacted business than any other. The objects of enquiry were likewise of a nature which required fecrecy in the committee. The fame motive of difpatch, which was now fo neceffary, rendered him averfe

to

to multiplying the objects of enquiry; as that must retard its progrefs. He therefore wished to confine it to the Carnatic only, as the immediate fcene of danger, and affording caufe for the prefent apprehenfion and clamour. The affairs of Bengal were undoubtedly of the greatest confideration and importance; but they were not fo immediately urgent.

The gentlemen on the other fide, it was faid, had totally miftaken the object of the enquiry; for it was not a judicial one. It was not intended that the committee fhould decide on the conduct of any man, much lefs proceed to punishment: their bufinefs would be fimply to report facts, without giving any opinion upon them and if thofe facts fhould appear to the houfe as grounds of accufation against any individual, he would then have an opportunity of defending himfelf, and the proceedings against him must be public. What had been faid about proceedings in the dark was therefore unfounded. The proceedings of the committee must all come out in the end, if the house fhould think it necessary to call for their minutes; a circumftance which removed all the objections made to a fuppofed fecrecy.

Thefe reafons did not at all fatisfy the oppofition. The committee, it had been faid, was only to report facts; but these facts were causes; the motion faid that the caufes of the war in the Carnatic were to be enquired into; it would not be found eafy to ftate facts of that kind without giving an opinion along with them. But the very motion itself put the matter entirely out of the queftion; VOL. XXIV.

for the committee were not only defired to enquire into the caufes of the prefent war, but they were fpecially directed to report their obfervations upon it. They concluded, that it appeared evidently. upon the whole face of the matter, that the enquiry, like all others inftituted of late years by minifters, was intended only to deceive the nation; and would be found, in the event, a mere mockery of justice, with the additional evil, of being rendered an engine for anfwering the moft pernicious and unconftitutional minifterial purpofes. Such would ever be the nature and the end of enquiries' conducted with fecrecy. The houfe

were therefore earnestly called upon, to confider the vast importance and magnitude of the fubject; that we were in the very last crisis of our fate, and that the existence of our commerce and poffeffions in the Eaft, muft depend upon the spirit and policy of the measures which were now to be purfued; and that, difdaining all party views and ministerial purposes, they would appoint an open felect committee, as the only means by which substantial juftice could be obtained, and by which the affairs of this country in India could, in any degree, be reftored to their former state.

Mr. Fox accordingly moved, as an amendment of the minifter's motion, that the words " of se"crecy" fhould be omitted; in which he was feconded by Mr. Burke. The question being put this amendment, it was rejected upon a divifion, by a majority of 134 to 80. The original motion was then carried.

upon

as it had been foretold by the oppofition. Of fifteen members, who compofed the fecret committee, a majority of at least four to one, were of the minifter's particular friends, and most of them in high office. This occafioned no fmall diffatisfaction and complaint on the other fide; and fuch remarks were made on the nature of the committee, and fuch illboding prognoftications of its conduct, as brought out no fmall warmth of reply from fome of the new members. The fecret committee, befides being endued with the ufual powers of demanding papers and examining witneffes, were authorized to fit in the India Houfe; to adjourn from time to time, and from place to place, as it fuited their convenience; and to meet and pursue their enquiries during the recefs of parliament.

The delegates which had been appointed by feveral of the affociated counties, in order to give fupport and efficacy to the fubject of their former petitions to parliament, met in London to the number of between thirty and forty. They had themselves, as acting for their conftituents, prepared a petition to the Houfe of Commons, in which the fubftance of thofe already prefented being compreffed within a narrower compafs, the matters of grievance complained of, and the redrefs propofed, were brought forward into one clear point of view. But as many perfons, otherwife fully coinciding with their opinions, were exceedingly jealous of the measure of appointing delegates, and fo far from hearing or receiving any thing from them, would not acknowledge the poli

tical existence of any fuch body,. upon that account, and in order to obviate the difficulties which would have been thrown in the way upon the fame ground by their declared oppofers, they fubfcribed the petition merely as individual freeholders, without any affumption or avowal of their delegated powers or character; although they were matters known to every one.

The petition was prefented by Mr. Duncombe, one of the reprefentatives of the county of York, and continued upon the table for fome weeks, until the recovery of that gentleman's colleague, Sir George Saville, who was to proceed with the business. May 8th. Sir George introduced his motion for referring the pe tition (after the first reading) to a committee, with a speech of very confiderable length, in which, with his ufual accuracy and comprehenfion, he ftated the causes, progrefs, and hiftory of petitions without doors, with the reception they met, and the effect which they produced within; particularly reciting the refolutions of the laft parliament on the 6th of April, which afforded fo clear a fanction to the complaints of the people, and by which that houfe was pledged to a speedy redrefs of their grievances.

The motion of commitment meeting with a strong and determined oppofition, and being no lefs vigorously and ably supported, all the arguments pro and con, that had hitherto been used upon the fubject of petitions, grievances and redrefs, with all thofe that could now be thought of, were repeated or brought forward; the

whole

whole being blended with new matter, relative to the powers affumed by the delegates; which, though not properly within the line of debate, as they did not appear in that capacity with refpect to the petition, was, however, continually preffed into notice by thofe who oppofed the motion. The debates were long, and ex. ceedingly interefting; feveral conftitutional points, with refpect to the interference of the people, and the powers of government, were ably and fully difcuffed.

The motion for committing the petition was overruled upon a divifion, by a majority of 212 to 135.

Mr. Burke's motion May 14th. for an enquiry into

the conduct obferved on the late capture of the island of St. Euftatius, particularly with refpect to the feizure and confifcation of private property, as well as to many other outrages ftated to have been committed there, brought out a long and most important debate, fcarcely lefs interefting to mankind in general, than to this nation and empire in particular. The motion went to an addrefs to his majesty, for copies of all proclamations, memorials, orders, and instructions, from, to, or by the commanders by fea and land, and of all official correfpondence from or to any of his majefty's minifters, relative to the difpofition of the property belonging to the States General and to individuals, inhabiting or interested, in the places or territories taken from the faid States General in the West Indies.

As the abfence of the commanders who were fo deeply con cerned in the subject of the en

quiry, was made the principal ground for oppofing the motion by adminiftration, and as the bufinefs was again brought forward, with additional information and evidence by the fame gentleman in the enfuing feffion, to which the account of this interefting difcuffion more properly appertains, it is the lefs neceffary for us to enter into the matter of the prefent debate. It is perhaps needlefs to obferve, that the knowledge of antient and modern history, and of the laws of nations, difplayed by the mover, was not inferior to the philanthropy (as well as true policy) which dictated, or to the ability with which he fupported his motion.

The motion was feconded by Mr. Stanley, and well fupported by Mr. Fox, and other members of the oppofition, who feemed to contend with the mover, in reprefenting the tranfactions at St. Euftatius, as the most impolitic, the moft difgraceful, and the most dangerous, of any that were ever recorded in the hiftory of this country. The American Secretary, and the Lord Advocate of Scotland, were, in point of ar gument, the principal oppofers of the motion.

The question being put, the motion was rejected, upon a divifion, by a majority of 160 to 86.

The committee for examining the petitions from Bengal, having delivered in their report, a bill, for new modelling the fupreme court of judicature in Bengal, for indemnifying the governor and council, for their refiftance to the decrees of the faid court, and for directing in future the operation of that jurifdiction, was brought [*N] z

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