Mr. Huffey. Sir Thomas Mr. Haffey wished that all the reports might be printed, that gentlemen might have an opportunity of comparing then with the reports on which they were faid to be founded. Sir Thomas Rumbold had a ftrong objection to fuch a meaRumbold. fure; he would not have the charges go abroad into the world unaccompanied by the defence, which must be the cafe if the refolutions were printed: as foon as he should have fubjoined his defence to fuch of them as affected him, he would not make the leaft obje&ion to their being printed: the learned Lord who had read the refolutions, had refrained from moving them, left they fhould get upon record before the defence; he trufted therefore that the Committee would be guided by the fame principle. Mr. Burke. Mr. Burke, on the contrary, wifhed that the refolutions might be printed. The honourable Baronet's fears, left they fhould get into the world too foon, were expreffed too late; for, as the clerk was authorifed to give copies of them, they could not be concealed from the world. But this was not a time for punctilio: the fineft country in India, if not in the world, had been deftroyed, as far, at leaft, as the perverfenefs and obftinacy of man could deftroy the works of the Creator. To difcover the caufes of fuch an event, was the duty of the committee; the prefervation of our poffeffions in India, and, what was more, of our honour and reputation, called for the moft ferious enquiry; and every measure tending to aid an enquiry of fo much importance, ought to be adopted. It fometimes happened, that when the inhabitants of a country were ruined and plundered, their prince was found poffeffed of all their wealth; but was this the cafe in the prefent inftance? Very far from it indeed: the Nabob of Arcot had been often fent over the country to ravage and plunder it, at the defire of the fervants of the India Company; was he then enriched by this plunder? The very reverfe; for when Hyder Ally's army invaded the Carnatic, and the Prefidency of Madras applied to the Nabob for fuccours, they found him without troops, without treasure, without provifions, without credit, and without influence; nay more, he had contracted debts to the enormous amount of 2,400 cool. It was natural therefore, for a man who looked, round, and found the Carnatic ruined, the people plundered, the Nabob in debt, and the Company's fervants wallowing in riches, to think of enquiry; and to call their fervants to account. Rumbold. Sir Thomas Rumbold thought it neceffary to fay, that the Sir Thomas Mr. Burke acknowledged this; and faid farther, one of the Mr. Burke, The Lord The Lord Advocate faid, that as he found it was the gene- Advocate. ral fenfe of the cominittee that the refolutions fhould be printed, he would take care to have it done himself, as the committee, not being, in fact, in poffeffion of refolutions that had not been read, could not make any order for printing them. The Houfe then refolved itself into a committee on the contractors bill; when a particular part of it gave rife to a very tedious converfation, the fame members rifing many times to speak on the fame queftion. The point was thisit was propofed to enact that all perfons fupplying government with timber, corn, money, &c. on contract, fhould be difqualified from fitting in Parliament, except fuch as fhould fubfcribe money to the public loans. The queftion was, whether this exception fhould remain or not. Some thought the loan was a more dangerous engine of influence than contracts, and that the exception ought therefore to ftand. This was, in a great mcafure, allowed by others, but they appeared to be under apprehenfions for the fate of the bill in another Houfe, if it fhould be clogged with any thing that fhould alter the idea that fome people might have entertained of the mater, when they confented to fupport a bill called the contractors bill: the exception might make people fay it was more than a Contractors bill; and more than they would confent to país. The exception, however, was withdrawn, it being generally understood that a feparate bill fhould be brought in for that purpose. Mr. Jolliffe propofed that the exception fhould be left out; and was fupported by Mr. Huffey and Mr. Pulteney; Mr. Powys and Mr. Baker were friends to the measure, but not to the mode: Mr. Fox and Mr. Burke were not enemies to it. The blanks were then filled up; and the Houfe adjourned. April 18. The Contractors bill was reported, and Lord Surrey moved an addition as the bill ftood, all thofe were difqualified from fitting in Parliament, who fhould make contracts, or get them by defcent, or inheritance; Lord Surrey moved ཆ Gen. Smith Mr.Powys. Mr. Dempker. the following words: "or by marriage." This was agreed to without any objection, as were the other amendments made in the committee. The House then refolved itfelf into a committee, Mr. Elwes in the chair. General Smith following the example of the Lord Advocate, read to the committee (but without moving) ten refolutions formed by the Select Committee, on the business of the court of judicature at Bengal ; and that gentlemen might have time to confider them, he gave notice that he would let the refolutions lie on the table, and not move them till Wednesday next. Some of them preffed hard, both on Sir Elijah Impey, and Mr. Sullivan of the India-house. Mr. Powys returned his thanks to the honourable gentleman, for the fair and candid manner in which he had acted, in not preffing his resolutions then, but affording time to the members to confider them maturely, before they should be called upon to give an opinion on the fubject, in which the characters of fome individuals were concerned; and he thought that one of them, who was at hand, (Mr. Sullivan) ought to be heard, before the House should proceed to give any opinion whatever. Mr. Dempfier was glad, that the honourable gentleman gave time for confidering the refolutions; he would avail bimfelf of that opportunity to compare them with the report on which they were faid to be founded: at prefent, he was not ripe to fpeak on the fubject, or to pass so fevere a cenfure on Sir Elijah Impey, as was conveyed in fome of thofe refolutions. Mr. Burke. Mr. Burke admitted the propriety of the honourable gentleman's feelings and fentiments on the occafion; but though it would be very improper for him in the prefent ftage of the bufinefs, to give a decided opinion on the fubject in question, it was very proper in thofe who had formed the refolutions, to fpeak out, and definitively, because they had maturely examined the matter in the committee; and therefore they might be faid to have spoken from evidence. Sir Harbord When the Houfe was refumed, a meffage was delivered from the Lords, requesting that the Commons would communicate to them the grounds on which they had paffed the Cricklade bill. Sir Harbord Harbord moved, that their Lordships fhould be informed, that the Commons had paffed the bill, in con fequence fequence of examinations, taken upon oath, by a committee to whom it had been referred, to try and determine the merits of a petition from Samuel Petrie, Efq. complaining of an undue return for the borough of Cricklade; that the evidence, taken upon oath, would, in the opinion of the House of Commons, fupport the allegations contained in the bill; and that a copy of the minutes, taken by the above.committee, fhould be delivered to their Lordships. The motion was feconded by Sir George Yonge, and was carried without any debate. The Mafters in Chancery, who had brought the meffage from the Lords, were then called in, and the motion as it had paffed, was put into their hands; and then the Houfe adjourned. April 19. The Houfe after having paffed the Contractors bill, refolved itself into a committee on Mr. Crewe's bill for preventing perfons employed in collecting the public revenues, from voting at elections for members to ferve in Parliament. Sir Harbord Harbord took the chair. Mr. Honeywood rofe to exprefs his moft fincere thanks to Mr. Honeythe honourable member who had brought in the bill: he had wood. made a very minute enquiry in the outports of the county which he had the honour to reprefent (Kent) and in which there was a very confiderable number of perfons employed in collecting the revenues, and he found that the very idea of the prefent bill, gave univerfal fatisfaction among them: and, indeed, he was not furprifed that it fhould, as they were every minute liable to be turned out of their employments, if they should dare to have an opinion of their own in matters of election. He had heard one cafe in particular, which confirmed this affertion: and he did not doubt but there were many more in the fame predicament, and therefore he rejoiced at feeing a bill brought in, which would free them from fuch a difagreeable fituation; and he could not but be furprized to find it was oppofed by perfons, who, after having voted away the liberties and franchifes of America, appeared now fo very tender about the franchises of cuftom-houfe officers; fuch conduct was no doubt a fubject for ridicule. Earl Nugent faid, he was one of thofe perfons who had op- Earl Nupofed the bill; and of courfe he might be one of thofe who sent. were Mr. Crewe. Sir Francis were fubjects for ridicule; ridicule, however, was the teft of truth; and to that teft he would now appeal: for this end, he would propose an expedient: the bill at prefent confounded the innocent and guilty, influenced and uninfluenced in one undiftinguifhed mafs: he would prove to demonftration, that there was a large body of Cuftom-houfe officers completely uninfluenced, and who were bold enough to resist the mandates of minifters: his expedient then would be to draw the line; and then disfranchife only those who had been influenced; the others he would leave in the full enjoyment of their franchise; he therefore would leave out of the prefent bill, all thofe who had voted for the members of the late oppofition gentlemen might laugh; but either his expedient was good, or their bill was abfurd; for if cuftom-house officers had voted for them, it was clear that they were not those tools that they were defcribed to be; who bowed obedient to minifterial influence. He had now made his appeal to ridicule, and gentlemen might fee on which fide it lay. For his own part, he saw it would be ufelefs for him to persevere in his oppofition; and therefore he would give it up, and walk out of the Houfe: he did not believe that there was above one in the Houfe who would go with him; and therefore he muft imitate Dean Swift, who going to read prayers, and finding that he had no other congregation than himself and his clerk, faid, "Dearly beloved John," (here fevera! voices cried Roger, Roger, Roger;") his Lordship hearing a loud burst of laughter through the Houfe, faid, “if you will have it Roger, why Roger let it be;" he would then addrefs the one who thought as he did, and fay" dearly beloved Roger, let thefe poor custom-houfe officers be disfranchifed, fince we cannot prevent it, and let you and I now go dine." Mr. Crewe moved the filling up the blank left for the time when the act was to begin to operate; Sir Francis Baffet oppofed it; and declared that he would give every oppofition in his power to an unjuft, crucl ex poft facto law. A converfation took place, in which Sir George Savile argued for the bill; for the principle of the bill was, in fact, the ground of difpute, though ftrictly speaking, it fhould have been confined to the claufe. Mr. Rofewarne and Mr. George Onflow oppofed it as a dangerous precedent, upon which might be founded hereafter a bill for turning cockades both |