taken relative to the Zemindars of the northern circars, and particularly the grofs ill treatment of the Raja Vifieram Rauze. Laftly, from this body of criminality he inferred the abfolute ne ceffity of the interpofition of the legiflature, both for the purpose of punishing delinquents, and wrefting power out of the hands of thofe who had abused it. The difagreeable task of propofing certain refolutions to the committee with that defign would fall, he faid, on him: and, painful and odious as the task might be, his duty to the public required he should go through it. But this alone, he added, would not be fufficient. He declared his conviction of the neceffity of fending out to India certain perfons, to be named by his Majefty, or by parliament, armed with the highest authority of the kingdom. Tolome fuch appointment he looked up for the prefervation of India, the reeftablishment of our national character, and the deliverance of a moft unfortunate and extenfive country from the miseries of oppreffion*; and he called on his Majefty's minifters either to fupport him in carrying through the bufinefs, or to bring forward, without delay, any other measures they might judge more effectual for the accomplishment of thofe great and important objects. Mr. Dundas was followed by Mr. Fox and Mr. Burke, who, after congratulating the Houfe on the unanimity with which the great bufinefs they were entering on was likely to be profecuted, declared their hearty concurrence with the learned member, in the mode of proceeding adopted by him, namely, that of making the removal and punishment of delinquents go hand and hand with measures of future regulation; and they pledged themfelves, in whatever fituation they might be found, to fupport fuch plans as thould appear beft calculated for purfuing thofe objects with vigour and effect. On the 22d of April Mr. Duudas brought forward the propofitions which he had previously laid upon the table, and printed for the perufal of the members. The first fet, amounting to 45 in number, related to the general fyftem of the company's government, and the mifconduct of the fopreme council and the prefidency of Bombay. Thefe, he obferved, might require a further examination, and he should therefore poftpone them for the prefent. The fecond fet, confifting of 24, had for their object the conduct of the prefidency of Madras. On thefe, if adopted by the Houfe, it would be neceffary to ground a criminal profecution a gainft the prefident, Sir Thomas Rumbold, a member of the Houfe, and other perfons concerned therein; and as he conceived the committee to be in poffeffion of all the materials requifite for their confideration, he fhould proceed to move them without further delay. The first four refolutions ftated that, in a period of twelve years, from 1767 to 1779 inclufive, the *It fhould appear from the fpeech of Mr. Fox, who in the courfe of the debate expreffed his diflike of the propofition, that Mr. Dundas had mentioned with fome degree of approbation the idea of taking from the company, and placing under the direction of the crown, the entire management of their territorial poffeffions in the East. forplus furplus net revenues of the company, under the prefidency of Madras, had never, except in one year, been equal to the purchase of the investment for Europe, and that in the whole period they had exceeded the charges in no more than 51,9611. These were agreed to without any debate. The fifth refolution ftated, that the balances due by the Zemindars or renters of the company's lands in the northern Circars had very much increased of late; and that the Zemindars were much diftreffed. Sir Thomas Rumbold. objected to the words of late;" but the fact appearing to the committee to be fubftantiated by the evidence in the reports, the refolution paffed without a divifion. ar One of the principal causes of this diftrefs was flated in the two following refolutions, viz. that it had been the practice for the chiefs of the fubordinate stations to receive from the Zemindars certain large fums of money, bitrarily exacted, under the name of Nazir or free gift, and that the fame had never been accounted for to the company." In the debate, the enormous height to which this practice had arrived throughout India, its baneful confequences, the abufes that were countenanced, and the horrible iniquities that were committed, all under the fanction of thefe expiatory Nazirs, were fully Rated by Mr. Dundas, and Mr. Burke. The refolutions were agreed to. The indigent circumftances of the Nabob, and the enormous amount to which he food indebted to feveral of the company's fervants, notwithstanding he had been in 1 It dulged in the repeated plundering of the rich country of Tanjore and of the company's Jaghire lands, could not efcape obfervation. appeared indeed in evidence, that with respect to the latter he had been the highest bidder, and that actuated by principles of pride or motives of policy he become their tenant at a rent greatly beyond their value. This had been one caufe of the increafe of his debt and the confequent perplexity of his affairs and violence of his exactions. In the exercise of these oppreffions he was fupported by the fervants of the company, who, in their turn, made him the victim of their rapine, by ufurioufly fupplying him with money at 24 per cent. and upwards. The eighth refolution therefore ftated, that the company's Jaghire lands, including almoft the whole of the territory contiguous to Fort St. George, Madras, had been uniformly let to the Nabob of Arcot;" and the ninth," that the faid Nabob was loaded with heavy debts both to the company and individuals; that his troops were ill paid, had deferted in great numbers, and frequently breken out into dangerous mutinies on that account." The impolicy and danger of fuffering the Nabob, under the circumftances defcribed in the latter refolution, to rent territories, which had the actual command of Madras, were strongly infifted on, as well as the fufpicious nature of his debts and their influence in the general fyftem purfued by the prefidency with regard to the Nabob, by which the Carnatic had been brought into a ftate of the moft dreadful confufion*. *For a more particular account of the mode of contracting thefe debts, and of the proceedings of the then administration relative thereto, fee debate in the House of Commons, on Mr. Fox's motion, November, 1784. VOL. XXVII, [D] Both Both refolutions paffed. The tenth and eleventh refolutions related to the kingdom of Tanjore, and were alfo agreed to. In them it was ftated, "that the revenues were greatly diminished, and the country itfelf much on the decline; and that this was in a great measure owing to an opinion prevailing in the country, that the Raja's government would not be of long continuance, and that another revolution was. approaching." On this occafion Mr. Dundas defcribed the country of Tanjore to be the garden of India, a fpot where Providence feemed to have lavifhed its peculiar bounties. To this country the N bob of Arcot had fet up the most unjust and abfurd pretenfions, and had been most fcandaloufly liftened to by the fervants of the company; by repeated invafions and revolutions it had been abfolutely ruined, and the Raja, a fovereign of an ancient and most honourable defcent, had been treated with unheard-of hardships. In these fentiments Mr. Dundas was joined by, the general voice of the whole committee, feveral of whom declared that this fuffering prince ought to be taken under the protection of parliament, and fecured in the quiet poffeffion of his dominions against the bafe and infamous arts of the Nabob and his abettors. As an inflance of the defperate lengths to which the Nabob had been encouraged to proceed, it was afferted, that it had appeared in evidence before the committee, that in order to make the members of that houfe a party to the Nabob in his defigns on Tanjore, a scheme had been actually formed of bribing a majority in the reprefentative body of the ation with 700,000k The committee having gone through thefe eleven refolutions, agreed to defer the confideration of the remainder till the Monday following. On the 25th, Mr. Dundas laidupon the table forty-two additional refolutions, refpecting the mifconduct of feveral members of the prefidency of Fort St. George; and on the 29h they were voted, together with those before deferred, in a committee, and the whole being immediately reported, were agreed to by the House. The twelfth and the feven following of the deferred refolutions condemned the omiffion of timely precaution, and the fubfequent di latorinefs, and indecifion of the presidency at the time of the irruption of Hyder Ally into the Carnatic, notwithstanding their early and repeated intelligence of his intentions; of thefe, the fifteenth stated the total inability of the Nabob of Arcot to contribute any thing towards the common defence, either in men, money, or influence; and that he attributed this inability to the weight of his debts and the lofs of Tanjore. On the other hand, the fixteenth ftated that the Raja of Tanjore was not found in a better condition; and that he attributed the inability on his part to the fufferings which his country had endured under the oppreffive, government of the Nabob. In the twentieth and twenty-first. refolutions, the indifpenfable neceffity of establishing fome new and effectual regulations in regard to the revenues, debts, and military establishments of the Nabob, and of the Raja, was the more especially infifted, because it had appeared that the fuccefs of Hyder Ally might in fome fome measure be attributed to the two fubfequent years, a further fum great defects in thofe particulars. The object of the 23d refolution was, fuch an establishment of the nature and amount of the rents of the company's lands, and of the rights of the tributaries and renters; especially by the abolition of all nazirs or gifts, as might tend to the prefent relief and future fecurity of the company's dependents, and particularly the natives of every degree. The 24th ftated, that, in afcertaining the debts of the Nabob of Arcot, and the Raja of Tanjore, with a view to their discharge, all juft diftinctions ought to be made between the claims of the different creditors, and the utmost attention paid to the difcovery and punishment of peculation by any of the company's fervants, and to the prevention of it in future. The committee then proceeded to the confideration of the laft fet of refolutions, containing matters of criminal charge against the prefident of Fort St. George; and on this fet Mr. Dundas declared hi intention of moving the House v proceed by a bill of pains and pnalties. In these refolutions Sir Thonas Rumbold, was charged, firft, with having remitted to Europe, betweer the 8th of February 1778 (the day of his arrival at Madras) and the beginning of Auguft in the fame yet, the fam of 41,000l. and during he of 119.000l. the whole amounting to 160,000l.;* altho' his falary did not exceed 13,3331. per ann.; and the records of the company did not contain any fpecification of goods on hand, debts due, or loans made in India by him before his taking on him the office of governor; which, in cafe he had been poffeffed of such effects, he was bound by his covenant to have entered therein. Secondly, he was charged with having abolished the committee of circuit of the Jaghire lands and northern Circars; a committee appointed by the company's orders for the purpofe of inveftigating on the fpot many effential points refpecting the tribute and rent to be paid by the Zemindars and renters of the company's demefne land, and alfo for the better regulation of the internal government of thofe diftricts, with a particular view to preventing extortion and the oppreffion of the native inhabitants. Thirdly, it was charged, that having diffolved the committee of circuit, he did order the Zemindars to repair to Madras, fituated at the distance of 550 miles from the center of the Circars, there to fettle their annu tribute; and, notwithftanding the remonstrances of the fubordinate councils, and the complaints of the Z mindars, who were both averfe to the journey, and ill able to fupport the expence of it, did repeat his orders and enforce obedience to them: and that, whilst the Zemindars were at the prefidency, he did himself feparately negociate with them the terms of their respective cowles or leafes, the grounds of fuch leafes being in no inftance laid before the council col. lectively. Fourthly, he was charged with having, by compulfive menaces, and grofs ill treatment, humiliating, unjuft, and cruel in themselves, and highly derogatory to the interefts of the company, and to the honour of the British nation, compelled the Raja of Vifianagrum to employ Sitteram-Rauze as duan or manager of his Zemindary, and to confirm his adoption of the fon of the faid Sitteram; and with having further obtained for the faid Sitteram Rauze the Zemindary of Ancapilly, and the restoration of the fort of Vifianagrum, notwithstanding he appears on the records of the fettlement to have been a man of bad reputation, and difaffected to the company's interests; and it alfo appearing, that, pending thefe proceedings, two lacks of rupees, (20,000l.) were tranfmitted to the faid Sitteram, then at Madras; and that he had actually contracted by bond to pay Mr. Redhead, private fecretary to Sir Thomas Rumbold, one lack of rupees on confideration that he should use his influence in obtair ing for him the advantages above recited. Fifthly, it was charged, that, notwithstanding the difcovery of this corruption of his private fecretary, by a judicial appeal to himself and the council, he had taken no notice thereof in his correfpondence with the directors; and that on another occafion he had fuppreffed the information given by Mr. Sadlier, of the peculations of three of the company's fervants at Mafulipatam to a large amount, and had concealed the fame both from the council at Madras and the court of directors. Sixthly, he was charged with having granted to the Nabob of Arcot a leafe of the Jaghire lands for three years, in direct difobedience to the repeated pofitive orders of the company, founded on the most cogent reafons of convenience and public policy: and thereby was guilty of a great breach of truft, and of a high crime and misdemeanor.* By Seventhly, he was charged with having been guilty in two several inftances, of a grofs breach of folemn treaties entered into between the company and the Nizam of the Decan, and of having thereby ftained the national honour, inflamed the refentments of the Nizam, and endangered the fecurity of the company's poffeffions. thefe treaties the ceffion of the five northern Circars had been confirmed to the company on two express conditions: the firft, that one of them, called the Guntoor Circar, fhould remain in the poffeffion of Bazalet Jung during his life, or until it was the Nizam's pleasure that the company fhould take poffeffion of it: the fecond, that the company hould pay to the Nizam an annual ribute of five lacks of rupees. In direct violation of the first of tiefe ftipulations, a treaty was entered into by Sir Thomas Rumbold with Bazalet Jung, for the immediate poffeffion of the Guntoor Circar, To this article may be referred the 1 th refolution, in which it appears, from a codicil annexed to Mr. Redhead's will, that Omeer-ul-omrah, the fecond fon of the Nabob, had an order from his fater to pay him the fum of one lack of rupees. without |