opinions of many would go along with me.-In every accident which may happen through life, in pain, in forrow, in depreffion, and distress-I will call to mind this accufation; and be comforted.

Gentlemen, I fubmit the whole to your judgment. Mr. Mayor, I thank you for the trouble you have taken on this occafion. In your state of health, it is particularly obliging. If this company fhould think it adviseable for me to withdraw, I fhall respectfully retire; if you think otherwise, I shall go directly to the Council-house and to the Change, and without a moment's delay, begin my canvass.

AT

Bristol, Sept. 6, 1780.

Ta great and refpectable meeting of the friends of EDMUND BURKE, Efq. held at the Guildhall this day;

The Right Worshipful the Mayor in the Chair;

Refolved, That Mr. Burke, as a representative for this city, has done all poffible honour to himself as a fenator and a man, and that we do heartily and honeftly approve of his conduct, as the refult of an enlightened loyalty to his fovereign; a warm and zealous love to his country, through its widely-extended empire; a jealous and watchful care of the liberties of his fellow-fubjects; an enlarged and liberal understanding of our commercial intereft; a humane attention to the circumftances of even the lowest ranks of the community; and a truly wife, politic, and tolerant fpirit, in supporting

Tt2

fupporting the national church, with a reasonable indulgence to all who diffent from it; and we wish to exprefs the moft marked abhorrence of the base arts which have been employed, without regard to truth and reason, to misreprefent his eminent fervices to his country.

Refolved, That this resolution be copied out, and figned by the chairman, and be by him presented to Mr. Burke, as the fullest expreffion of the respectful and grateful fense we entertain of his merits and services, public and private, to the citizens of Bristol, as a man and a representative.

Refolved, That the thanks of this meeting be given to the right worshipful the Mayor, who fo ably and worthily prefided in this meeting.

Refolved, That it is the earnest request of this meeting to Mr. Burke, that he should again offer himself a candidate to reprefent this city in parliament; affuring him of that full and ftrenuous fupport which is due to the merits of fo excellent a representative.

This business being over, Mr. Burke went to the Exchange, and offered himself as a candidate in the usual manner. He was accompanied to the Council-house, and from thence to the Exchange, by a large body of moft respectable gentlemen, amongst whom were the following members of the corporation, viz. Mr. Mayor, Mr. Alderman Smith, Mr. Alderman Deane, Mr. Alderman Gordon, William Weare, Samuel Munckley, John Merlott, John Crofts, Levy Ames, John Fisher Weare, Benjamin Loscombe, Philip Protheroe, Samuel Span, Jofeph Smith, Richard Bright, and John Noble, Efquires.

MR.

MR. BURKE'S

SPEE

PE E CH,

On the rft of DECEMBER, 1783,

UPON

THE QUESTION FOR THE SPEAKER's

LEAVING THE CHAIR,

IN ORDER FOR THE HOUSE TO RESOLVE ITSELF

INTO A COMMITTEE

ON

MR. FOX's EAST-INDIA BILL.

SPEECH,

&c.

I

MR. SPEAKER,

THANK you for pointing to me. I really wished much

to engage your attention in an early ftage of the debate. I have been long very deeply, though perhaps ineffectually, engaged in the preliminary enquiries, which have continued without intermiffion for fome years. Though I have felt, with fome degree of sensibility, the natural and inevitable impreffions of the several matters of fact, as they have been fucceffively disclosed, I have not at any time attempted to trouble you on the merits of the subject; and very little on any of the points which incidentally arose in the course of our proceedings. But I fhould be forry to be found totally filent upon this day. Our enquiries are now come to their final iffue:It is now to be determined whether the three years of laborious parliamentary research, whether the twenty years of patient Indian fuffering, are to produce a fubftantial reform in our eastern administration; or whether our knowledge of the grievances has abated our zeal for the correction of them, and our very enquiry into the evil was only a pretext to elude the remedy which is demanded from us by humanity, by justice, and by every principle of true policy. Depend upon it, this business cannot be indifferent to our fame. It will turn out a matter of great difgrace or great glory to the whole British nation. We are on a confpicuous ftage, and the world marks our de

meanour.