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rather dark than elucidatory, he should request from His Majesty's Minifters that they would a little explain what the principle of this bill was. The preamble, without mentioning, as in all cafes of neceffity had hitherto been the practice," that it was expedient fo to do," merely faid,

that a doubt may arife, whether, according to the ftrict "letter of the former act, the nominations and appoint"ments made, or to be made by the Court of Directors, of "any of the covenanted fervants of the Company, to fup"ply the vacant office of any Counfellor in any of the Pre"fidencies, are or would be valid or effectual, unless fuch "covenanted servants were actually refident in India at the "time of making the nomination, and that therefore to "obviate this doubt the prefent bill is brought in." The circumftance of making one act to explain another, on a fuppofition that a doubt may, not has arifen, was a new and curious mode; but he fhould not pretend to take up the attention of the Houfe, if, from the bill itself, he could find out where the doubt lay in the former bill, and what really were its intent as to the principle of the prefent one. That the first bill was full of errors, and fraught with abfurdities, was pretty evident, before it paffed into a law; and that Miniftry now in part confeffed it to be fo, the order of the day fully proved. The new claufes, however, which had been introduced, in order to rectify the old blunders, or rather under pretence of having that for their object, went much farther, and tended to eftablish a fyftem, that in his opinion, was multiplied with inconfiftencies, and fraught with injurious reftrictions. There feemed to be fomething levelled at the Commander in Chief (General Sloper) by the firft provifional claufe in the bill, where he was incapacitated from fitting at the Council in any of the Prefidencies. Why this interdiction was introduced, it would be requifite for Minifters to demonftrate, or it might be a fuppofition not ill founded to imagine, that the difappointment which a certain perfon met in General Sloper, and not his friend being appointed, had operated in the introduction of this difgraceful claufe. There certainly did not appear on the face of the bill, in its preamble, or in any of its contents, one reafon to warrant fo flagrant a departure from what had been con fidered as an actual part of the neceffary appendage to the confequence, as well as the power of a Commander in Chief. That the Governor General fhould be invefted with great power, was a truth, which experience had taught us to be falutary to the politics of India; but that he should have new and extraordinary powers given him, required more arguments to demonftrate, than had yet been adduced in any dif cuffion on the topic of India. He was led to make this re

mark,

mark, from that part of the bill which run to this effect: "That fo much of the former act fhould be repealed as ap"pointed, that in cafe of fickness of any of the Counsellors of "Fort William, Fort St. George, and Bombay, or in cafe "of their abfence for fourteen days, the fenior civil fervant` "of the Company on the fpot fhould fucceed." For this repeal introduced a new mode, which was, that fuch civil officer fhould be at least twelve years refident in India. This was an interdiction to the employment of men of merit in cafes of emergency, unless they had entitled them felves to the fituation by twelve years fervitude. It would be neceffary for Minifters to explain the reafons for this alteration in the old laws of the Company. There were other claufes, which alfo came within the fame questionable fhape, in refpect to empowering the Governor General of Fort William, in Bengal, and the feveral Governors or Presidents of Fort St. George, and Bombay, with a difcretionary power to act without the concurrence of their refpective councils. Under all thefe circumstances, he felt it neceffary to folicit an elucidation of this new fyftem from the Minifters of the Crown.

Lord Wellingham contended, that there was not, in the Lord Wfingham, prefent bill. any reflection whatsoever meant on the conduct of General Sloper, and that his appointment was not at all confidered when the claufes alluded to were introduced. There was a general benefit meant in the alteration, and it would refpect every Commander in Chief, as well as the able and experienced officer now commanding the military in that part of the world. The principle of the bill had for its object that which the former bill intended-there was no part of the intention abandoned the meaning was ftill the fame-a reform in the executive government of India, a reform which was moft loudly called for. As to any new powers given to the Governor General, they were fuch as were found expedient to the fyftem eftablished. A divifion of fentiment, of political fentiment, whether from private pique or from public motives, had too often stopped the operations of government in that part of the world, created confufion and multiplied difficulties. To avoid this in future, and to put into the hands of the Governor those powers, without which his executive government must be impeded, were the great outline of one part of the fyftem; and he begged the Houfe to recollect; that it was by the exertion of fuch authority that India was faved by Lord Clive. Many other inftances, where it was requifite that the Governor General fhould have this extenfive authority, must be in the memory of all acquainted with the tranfactions of India, and it was on the most mature deliberation, and from

the

Viscount
Stormont.

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the best established premises that the conclufions were drawn on which the prefent fyftem refpecting India was founded. As to any disappointed views of any perfon with whom he had the honour to act, he knew not what the noble Earl could mean-General Sloper was an officer of high estima ́tion; and as he had not committed any fault to deferve disapprobation, it was not natural to fuppofe that an act of parliament would be paffed, in which a clause was introduced to give him perfonal offence.

Viscount Stormont obferved, that he refrained from oppofing the leaft amendment in the former bill which paffed, because it was in itfelf fo abfurd, fo ridiculous, fo ineffica cious, fo unconftitutional, and fo oppreffive, that any alte ration must be an amendment. And yet in these alterations, as was juftly obferved by the noble Earl who fpoke first, there were a variety of errors-errors of a very capital na ture, which the noble Lord who rofe to defend the principle of the bill was not fo happy as, in his mind, to remove. The first bill was indeed a moft pernicious bill, and yet even pernicious as it was, Minifters fo' highly plumed themselves upon its juftice and its purity, that they actually declared that they should plant their existence in office, and their characters as ftatefmen, upon its rectitude, its efficacy, and its faultlefs political wifdom. Yet before that very bill had been many months in India, and almoft as foon as its executive claufes began to operate, Minifters found themfelves under the neceffity of repealing fome of its most effential parts. The noble Lord in office had declared, that this bill did not mean to injure, or curtail the power of General Sloper perfonally; but that it went to all Commanders in Chief, who might be appointed in future, as well as to him. Was this the real fact, and was there not fome sudden caufe-fome fecret motives in the tranfaction, which could not meet the face of open day, and stand the test of truth? The injury done to the General was not indeed openly pointed-it was a blow in ambush-it was an oblique command to him to refign his authority, becaufe after paffing this act, he could no longer hold it with honour to himself, nor with credit to the profeffion. This, no doubt, was a circumftance, which the framers of the bill knew, when they introduced the claufe to deprive him of his feat at the Council Board. As the India bufinefs was now established, there did not appear any perfon who was actually refponfible to the Public for the tranfactions of that empire. There was not any one to apply to from whom a fatisfactory answer could be had, or who deemed himself actually amenable to the laws of his country. There was an evident proof of this upon record-certain papers were moved for, which the

Houfe

Houfe denied as dangerous, in the very moment when the Board of Control faid, they had nothing to do with the matter, as it was commercial, and when the Court of Directors, in confequence of that anfwer, declared, that they were totally out of the queftion, as the matter entirely lay with the Board. Thus fent backwards and forwards, when application was made, it was a pretty evident truth that the prefent fyftem was to take away all refponfibility in respect to India. This was fo totally different from the practices to which this conftitution had been habituated, that there was every reafon to warrant a disapprobation of the minifterial plan in refpect to India. The whole operations of government were bad; for as to fyftem, or any thing like fyftem, it was not to be found in their conduct; a kind of heterogeneous mafs of contradictions and weakness marked all their tranfactions. They had neither ftrength nor ftability. He could not avoid again turning to the fituation of General Sloper, whofe character as an officer was holden in high repute. What did the prefent bill effect in refpect to that officer? It wounded the foldier in his honour, without affording him dignity in his difgrace, or fplendor in retirement. He mentioned thofe terms, becaufe his difmiffal from the Council must be conftrued into difgrace, and the confequent giving up of his military command, muft make him retire. from fervice. As to the claufe which gave to the Commander in Chief fuch extenfive powers, he was confident that the noble Lord, who by his recent appointment was to enjoy them, would not abufe his truft: but it fhould be confidered it might one day happen that fome man, with the ambitious mind of Cromwell, might find himself at the head of the Council and of the army in that part of the world, and there clothed with a fupreme authority, and with unlimited control, he might look to a degree of fupremacy which fhould ever deprive this kingdom of its Afiatic dominions. He did not mean by this, that the hands of the Governor General fhould be tied up fo as to prevent him from exercifing a very great authority, becaufe in the nature of the cafe, from his fituation, and a variety of other very extraordinary circumftances, he fhould be armed with the moft ample and extenfive powers; but he fhould not have thofe powers in the extraordinary manner, and under the ftill more extraordinary reftrictions of the prefent bill. Their Lordfhips would please seriously to attend to the clauses mentioned by a noble Earl (Fitzwilliam) to the ridiculous, and, in a variety of other refpects, the injurious tendency of the whole. To what hardships muft a Governor General be reduced, who having experienced civil officers of the highest VOL. XX. integrity,

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integrity, from whofe affiftance the beft advice and moft complete afliftance in times of great public difficulty and danger was to be expected, yet could not bring them into Council, becaufe they had not been twelve years in India! Did the clime fo ripen the ideas of men by refidence, that there was no man under the ftandard of twelve years expe rience, who was fit to advife in cafes of emergency; or were the Governors always to be confidered fuch intelligent men, that on the moment of their landing, their abilities intuitively partook of fuch exquifite difcernment, as to point out to them, in cafe the accidents of death, abfence, or ficknefs in the refpective councils happened, who were the most proper perfons to fupply the places of abfent members? The new claufe gives that power with that provifion; and the one in the former bill, which appointed the fenior officers to fucceed, is repealed. It is repealed as the bill recites, but not as the noble Lord in office proved, because it had been productive of difficulty and embarraffment. Of what difficulty, or what embarraffinent, fome noble Lord may probably have an idea; but for his part, it was beyond his comprehenfion. He did not by this mean to fay, that the claufe in the former bill was a good one. His intention was to prove, that by what was called an amendment, the executive part of the government in India was rendered more difficult. As to the Commander in Chief, he muft again touch upon that fubject, and recite the claufe to the Houfe. It contained fomething curious in its reafoning, if reasoning it might be cal led. It recited, "That it may be more expedient that any "fuch Commander in Chief fhould not, by virtue of his "office, be a member of any of the refpective councils in "India, unless he was fpecially appointed thereto; and, "therefore, that fo much of the former act as did direct, "that the Commander in Chief for the time being, or the "Commander in Chief in the Prefidency of Fort St. George "and Bombay, had voices in the Council, fhould be repealed." To this there was indeed a provifion added, that nothing fhould extend to preclude the Court of Directors from appointing the Commander in Chief to be Governor General, or from appointing the Governor General to be Commander in Chief; for which laft purpose it was moft probable that the claufe had been introduced. But the most extraordinary clause in the bill was, that which declared that it would greatly tend to the ftrength and fecurity of the British pof feffions in India, and give energy, vigour, and difpatch to the measures and proceedings of the executive government, if the Governor General of Fort William in Bengal, and the Governors General of Fort St. George and Bombay, were vefted with a difcretionary power to act without the

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