cruel treatment of some of the native powers; to the violation of engagements to others; to the arbitrary exactions of free gifts, under the denomination of nazirs; and to the fraudulent grant of leases, from interested motives. These charges were afterwards formed into resolutions, which were adopted by the House. Having stated such instances of criminality as would, in his apprehension, justify the inferences which he was prepared to draw, he contended that the interposition of the legislature was indispensably necessary, for the purpose of bringing delinquents to punishment, as well as for that of depriving them of the means of committing similar offences in future. Equally necessary was it, in his opinion, that commissioners, vested with high authority, should be sent to India, in order to give effect to any resolutions of the House, or to any provisions of the legislature.

On a subsequent day, Mr. Dundas brought forward the resolutions founded on the report of the committee; one of which went to criminate Sir Thomas Rumbold, a member of the house, who had been President of the Council of Madras. These resolutions, with numerous others, brought forward three days after, were all agreed to by the House; and a bill of pains and penalties was accordingly brought in against Sir Thomas Rumbold, Peter Perring, and John

Whitehill, for high crimes and misdemeanours. The progress of this bill, however, but ill corresponded with the rapidity with which the mass of criminal matter, on which it was founded, had been received and adopted by the House. Sir Thomas Rumbold was, of course, heard in his defence; the session of 1782 passed away; and, in the middle of the ensuing summer, the further consideration of the bill was, upon motion, postponed for three months, which put an end to all the proceedings on the subject.

Among the other resolutions was one which had for its object the immediate recall of Mr. Hastings, the Governor-General, and of Mr. Hornsby, the Governor of Bombay. This resolution concluded with the assertion, that it was the duty of the Directors of the East India Company to pursue all legal and effectual means for the removal of the said Governor-General and President from their respective offices, and to recall them to Great Britain. In this instance, however, the House of Commons acted most inconsiderately, by the adoption of resolutions which they had no power to enforce. The Directors endeavoured, indeed, to gratify the wishes of the House, but they were themselves subject to the Proprietors at large, who rescinded their resolution for the recall of Mr. Hastings; and thus rendered the proceedings of the Commons VOL. I.

so far nugatory. But the reports of the select committee of the House, which entered deeply into the constitution of the East India Company, and of their government, considered both in a political and in a commercial point of view, supplied Mr. Fox with the ground-work of those bills which he afterwards submitted to Parliament, and which were productive of such serious consequences to himself and to his party.

[1783.] On the 11th of November, the Parliament met; and the Speech from the Throne, after announcing the conclusion of definitive treaties of peace, recommended to the serious attention of both Houses, the state of the East. India Company. Mr. Pitt adverted, with great force, on this occasion, to the inconsistency of the ministers and their friends, in voting an address of thanks to their Sovereign, for having concluded definitive treaties of peace, containing the very same provisions as those preliminary articles which they had before voted to be inadequate and dishonourable. While, however, he reproached them on this ground, he expressed his entire approbation of the grand objects of reform which they professed to have in view; and hoped that the means which they had to propose would be found adequate to the end which they ineant to accomplish. Mr. Fox, in

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return, declared, that nothing could afford him greater satisfaction as a minister, or prouder exultation as a man, than the praise and support of Mr. Pitt; and, in answer to some observations of the latter, respecting Indian affairs, Mr. Fox added, that he should bring forward a bill for the better regulation of the government of India, on the eighteenth of that month.

Accordingly, on the eighteenth of November, Mr. Fox moved for leave to bring in two bills, one for vesting the affairs of the East India Company in the hands of certain commissioners, for the benefit of the proprietors; and the other, for the better government of the territorial possessions and dependencies in India. By the first of these bills, it was proposed to vest in seven commissioners, namely, William Earl Fitzwilliam, the right honourable lord George. viscount Lewisham, the honourable George Augustus North, sir Henry Fletcher, and Robert Gregory, esquire, the whole government and management of the territorial possessions, revenues, and commerce, of the company, together with all and singular the powers and authorities before vested in the directors, or in the general court of proprietors of the said company. For the sole purpose of ordering and managing the commerce of the company, nine assistant directors, being proprietors, each, of two thousand

pounds capital India stock, were to be appointed, with a salary of five hundred pounds, to be paid by the company, to act under, and to be subject to, the aforesaid commissioners, who were to be appointed, in the first instance, by parliament, and removeable only by address from either house. All vacancies in the commission were to be filled by his majesty; and, in the offices of assistant directors, by the proprietors of the company. These latter were to be removeable by five of the seven commissioners, who were to enter the cause and grounds of their removal in their journals, and sign them with their respective names. Every half year, the commissioners were to lay, before a general court of proprietors, an exact state of the mercantile concerns of the company; and to lay the same, and other accounts, before the lords of the treasury, previous to the commencement of every session, for the purpose of being submitted to parliament. Power was given to the commissioners, to remove, suspend, appoint, or restore any of the officers in the company's service, either civil or military. Provisions were made for bringing to trial, in a speedy and effectual manner, all persons charged with the commission of offences in India; and for preventing persons so charged from returning to India, before a due examination of the