this occafion fhould manifeft itself, the confequences might be alarming: no future Governor would ever go to India, without looking to influence in that Houfe; and if the day fhould come, when the whole force of patronage in India fhould be employed for the purpose of creating influence in that Houfe, what would become of India? Peculations there would be protected here; and the plunderers would be protected by the fharers in the plunder. He trufted that gentlemen in general would meet the queftion fairly, and not make that a perfonal confideration, which had nothing perfonal in it. The influence of the Crown, they had been used to fay, was too great. He thanked God it had been confiderably diminifhed; but the influence of the Crown, in its moft enormous and alarming ftate, was nothing, compared to the boundless patronage of the Eaft-India government, if the latter was to be used in influence of that Houfe. The country was loft indeed, loft beyond all hope or poffibility of recovery, if the boundlefs patronage of the Eaft was to be employed, to prevent government from making a reform, called for in the loudeft manner, and urged onwards by the most immediate and most preffing neceffity. He spoke not this from a fear of the influence to which he had alluded, he trufted no attempt would be made to exert it in the prefent inftance, becaufe if a Minister was afraid to come down to the House, and propose a measure, grounded on the most ur- ́ gent neceflity, there would at once be an end of all government. At the fame time that he said this, he was aware the measure he had proposed was a strong one. He knew, that the task he had that day fet himself was extremely arduous and difficult, he knew that it had confiderable rifque in it; but when he took upon himself an office of refponfibility, he had made up his mind to the fituation. and the danger of it. He had left all thoughts of ease, indolence, and fafety behind him. He remembered an honourable friend near him (Mr. Burke) had once faid, half in jest, half in earnest, "that idleness was the best gift that God had bestowed upon man." But this was not a time for indolence and regard to fafety in a Minifter. The Situation of the country called for vigorous exertion, for new measures, and for fome rifque; he knew, that a Minifter who had no confideration but his own fafety, might be quiet and fafe; the confequence muft be, the country would be ruined. How much better was it to venture

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what the exigency of affairs required; the Minister it was true might be ruined, but his country would be faved. The one confideration ought to have no weight compared to the other. Nor had indolent men any business in office at fuch a crifis as the prefent. This was not a season for a Secretary of State to be idle. The Minister that loved his cafe, or rather who was not determined to exert himfelf, had no business with green boxes and green bags. His office was for active employ, and if he preferred indulgence to application, he ought to retire to private life, where he might enjoy his leifure without injury to the public [a fmile from oppofition]. Mr. Fox took notice of the fmile, and faid, the fubject of a measure adopted by him laft feffion, had then been fo repeatedly and fo fully difcuffed, that the gentlemen on the other fide must excufe him, if he declined faying any thing more upon the fubject; thus much he would only then fay, that it had been thought a matter worth trying, if a junction with thofe, from whom he had long differed, might not be made with fafety, after the points upon which they had differed most widely were at an end, and whether they might not act together on new points with honour for the good of the country. That experiment had been tried, and he was happy, to fay, that the experience of the fummer had confirmed him in his expectations. The noble Lord and he not having had any one material difference, nor indeed any variety of opinion, farther than that fort of occafional difference which men of honour, determined to act freely, to give their opinion to each other without referve, and from candid argument to deduce conviction, might warantably and fairly be fuppofed to entertain. On the prefent occafion, he lamented moft fincerely the want of the great abilities of the noble Lord to fupport him in the arduous task of the day; and he more particularly lamented, that his lofs fhould be owing to perfonal illness and infirmity. He was, however, happy to be able to affure that House, that he and the noble Lord had confulted together upon the subject; that they perfectly coincided in fentiment and opinion upon it; and he trufted, as the bill would be fome time in paffing, that he should still have the benefit of the noble Lord's powerful fupport. With regard to the fmile the gentleman on the other fide had chofen to affume at his obfervations upon indolence, he could not be fuppofed to allude to the noble Lord's administration,

ministration, because they must know many new projects were carried into practice during that adminiftration, projects, which, in common with thofe gentlemen, he had thought detrimental to the interefts of the country, and which they had together laboured to prevent. Mr. Fox now came to a conclufion; and again begged leave to imprefs the idea on the minds of the Houfe, that he had not intruded himself in this bufinefs officially; that it was not a mean and interested expedient for the purpose of fortifying a party, or to add to the influence of the Crown. As he had faid, it was a ftrong measure, because it was a great refolution; but confidering it as he and his colleagues did, neceffary to the falvation of the Company, and, with the Company, of the State, he had applied to it with the greatest earnestnefs, and had brought it forward without the lofs of a moment. He then moved, that leave be given to bring in a bill, for vefting the affairs of the EaftIndia Company in the hands of certain Commiffioners, for the benefit of the proprietors and the public: His fecond motion would be, that leave be given to bring in a bill for the better government of the territorial poffeffions and dependencies in India.

The Hon. Colonel North faid, that as the propofitions Col. North, which had been fubmitted to the House were, in his opinion, every way proper, and happily adapted to the bufinefs, they had his entire approbation, and they had been fo amply and eloquently ftated, that it was in vain for him. to urge their importance. The right honourable gentleman, who had planned, digefted, and brought forward the business, he thought had acquitted himfelf with equal ability and honour. He did not doubt but the House were of one mind on the subject; that its neceflity and importance were univerfally felt and acknowledged; and that the Minifter would be effectualy fupported in what he proposed. He therefore fincerely rejoiced at the expofition of a fyftem fo masterly and seasonable, and rofe to fecond

the motion.

The Right Hon. William Pitt faid, that he could not Right Hon. avoid remarking the fingular manner in which the right W. Pitt., honourable Secretary had deprecated the charge of indolence, a charge which had never been imputed to the right honourable gentleman, though it had ever been confidered as a leading feature in that part of the prefent Adminif tration, of which the honourable gentleman had been VOL. XII.

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once thought to be no great admirer; and at the fame time, the claim that he had made that Parliament would never reçur to a certain connection of principle and patriotifm, which had fo much excited furprise and difcuffion in the last feffion, and that they would grant the coalition a perpetual amnesty. But how ready Parliament might be to accede to the right honourable gentleman's de fires, he would not pretend to determine. Indeed he knew not how far it might be adopted on the prefent occa fon. For his own part, he could not avoid fo far recur ring to the prefent very extraordinary coincidence of fentiment and conduct of men, who were known to have acted and profeffed principles fo diametrically opposite, as to testify his aftonishment. He could not but obferve, that the bufinefs which had been inow laid before them, convinced him that there no longer fubfifted a difagreement of fentiment. For could he have prefumed to have anticipated the conduct of the right honourable Secretary, from the principles he had always opposed in his noble colleague when in oppofite fituations, he should have faid, that he would have been the first to, reprobate, not to propofe, the fyftem he had just divulged. Had this bill been brought forward at a former period, he should have expected to have heard it depreciated with all that warmth of fenti ment and astonishing eloquence for which he had been fo justly admired. Although his noble colleague (Lord North) was indifpofed, he did not conceive it a material interruption to public bufinefs; for the House had now a demonftration that the right honourable Secretary had industry and inclination fufficient to perform, not only his own fhare of administration, but that of the noble Lord's likewise.

With regard to the bill which had been now brought be fore them, he had nothing to fay against its propriety, neceffity, or principle, at this time. He would fufpend his judgment until the bills came before them; when he would examine their provifions with the accuracy and care which they demanded. He was affured of what had been fo eloquently obferved by its right honourable mover, that very great and enormous abufes had been fuffered in the management of our India affairs; and great indeed he thought they must be to admit of a meafure, which he would be bold to declare was an entire abrogation of all the ancient charters and privileges by which the Company had been first eftablished

eftablished, and had fince exifted. All that he wished to mention was, that as fuch a bill was brought before their confideration, they would confider it with that minute attention and serious investigation which fuch a bill demanded, before they fuffered it to pass into a law. He the more particularly urged this, from the manner in which the bill had been introduced. He fhould have expected, that a billof fo extraordinary an exertion of adminiftrative power, could never have been brought forward without being premifed with reasons that would, in fome fort, justify fo alarming a meafure. But he was forry to fay, that in alf which had been urged by the right honourable gentleman to fupport this motion, he heard no arguments that afforded him fatisfaction. It was true the bill was faid to be founded on neceffity; but what was this? Was it not neceffity which had always been the plea of every illegal exertion of power or exercife of oppreffion? Was not neceffity the pretence of every ufurpation? Neceffity was the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It was the argument of tyrants: it was the creed of flaves. He had heard no particular argument in favour of this necffity, except that of deftroying the corrupt influence which had been exerted by the Company and their fervants in both houfes of Parliament. But furely this was an argument against the principle of the bill; for if government poffeffed themselves of this fource of influence and corruption, it would no longer be the influence of a Company, but that of the executive government. He afked, was it not the principle and declared avowal of this bill, that the whole fyftem of India government fhould be placed in feven per fons, and thofe under the immediate appointment of no other than the Minifter himself. He appealed to the fenfe and candour of the Houfe, whether in faying this he was the leaft out of order. Could it be otherwife understood, or interpreted, that these feven, who were to have the fole direction of that part of India affairs which related to the political government, were not to be appointed folely by the Minifter? The Minifter would then virtually be the Governor of India: he would have all the power and patronage for which this bill was principally recommended as tending to eradicate. Under this idea, he again most earnestly recommended, that the bill might remain on the table fo long as to enable every member of that House to form

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