ture what was fo ufual a proceeding, he could not help regard ing it as the tenderet torture that ever was inflicted. It was by this torture, that he had already been enabled to disclofe fuch fcenes of real fuffering, as agitated the breast of every man, who poffeffed a fibre of humanity, or a nerve of fenfibility. It was by the application of this torture that he had difcovered the fuppreffion of fo mate. rial an evidence, and he was determined with the leave of the houfe to purfue his difcovery. Mr. Fox obferved, that, though he was no lawyer, he was fo warm a friend to the laws of England, that he would not believe that they fanctioned a propofition fo irrational, as that the houfe had not a right to demand from a perfon accufed criminally, papers which afforded proofs of his criminality, when thofe papers were not the criminals, private property. Mr. Fox put the cafe of himself when fecretary of state, and afked, if the king had demanded all his papers from him, whether he must not have delivered them?

The motion was at length altered upon the fuggeftion of Mr. Pitt, fo as exprefly to confine it to papers of a public tendency, and, inftead of being directed perfonally to Mr. Haftings, it was addreffed to the court of directors. This order produced two letters from Mr. Haftings and Mr. Middleton; in the former of which it was ftated, that he had many years fince delivered up copies of his official correfpondence with Mr. Middleton, together with fuch parts of his private correfpondence as related to the public bufinefs. Major Scott acquainted the house, that, though Mr. Haftings had refufed thefe papers to the infpection of the

majority of the fupreme council; when they were peremptorily demanded from him, and though from peculiar circumftances they had not been communicated to the court of directors, they had been fürrendered up to the nobleman who was at that tiine the first minister of this country. It afterwards ap peared, that they had been offered to the perufal of lord North, but, thinking that their perufal did not fall immediately within his department, or conceiving, as he faid, from the manner of the offer that it was not wifhed he fhould accept it, he had refufed to receive them. The bufinefs was pursued no farther.

The queftion of the criminality of Mr. Haftings's concern in the Rohilla war, was brought regularly before the house of commons, on the first of June; and, having been debated upon that and the following day, it was at length carried in favour of Mr. Hatings, the number being, ayes, for the impeachment, 67, nocs, 119. On the thirteenth of June, a fecond. charge, refpecting the aid demanded from the raja of Benares, the fine that was impofed upon him, and his expulfion from his dominions, was voted. It was determined that this charge contained matter of impeachment against the late governorgeneral of Bengal, ayes, 119. noes, 79. We referve the particulars of thefe debates for our fucceeding volume, in order that we may prefent to our readers in a comprehenfive view the whole of this interefting subject.

On the eleventh of July the king put an end to the feffion by a fhort fpeech, which was conceived in very general terms. He could not difmifs his parliament without ex-. preffing the particular fatisfaction.

with which he had obferved their diligent attention to the public bufinefs, and the measures they had adopted for improving the refources of the country. He thanked the houfe of commons for the fupplies of the year, and for the provifion they had made for difcharging the incumbrances of the civil list. He expected the most falutary effects from the plan for the reduction of the national debt, and confidered it as an object infeparably connected with the effential interefts of

the public. He added, that the af furances, which he continued to receive from abroad, promifed the continuance of the general tranquillity. The happy effects of peace had already appeared in the extenfion of the national commerce; and no meafure fhould be wanting on his part, which could tend to confirm thefe advantages, and to give additional encouragement to the manufactures and industry of his people.

PRINCIPAL