ledged probity, of a mild and lenient temper, and who had uniformly oppofed in Parliament American taxation in every form. Various other changes and promotions alfo took place during the recefs of Parliament. The Earl of Harcourt fucceeded Lord Townshend as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and Lord Stormont was appointed Ambaffador at the Court of Verfailles in the room of Lord Harcourt. Mr. Charles Jenkinfon being nominated Vice-Treasurer of Ireland, his feat at the Board of Treasury was filled by the Honorable Charles James Fox, fecond fon of Lord Holland, a young man who had already arrefted the attention of the public by the extent of his political knowledge, and the splendor of his parliamentary talents. This appeared the more extraordinary, as it was known that he indulged without reserve in all the fashionable levities and diffipations incident to his age and station. It ought, however, at the fame time to be remarked, that he stopped fhort of thofe vices which effentially debafe and contaminate the moral character, and which are equally incompatible with present efteem or future hope, For though diffipation borders upon the region of moral depravity, and too often terminates in it, there is a real and very important difference between them. A youth of high spirit and elevated rank, endowed with lively fenfibilities, and poffeffing all the advantages which

Y 4

which nature and fortune can beftow, may be confidered, on his firft entrance into life, as placed in a scene of abfolute enchantment. Pleasure prefents herself in a thousand forms, and, in the ardor and effervefcence of paffion, no other object is perceived for which exiftence is defirable. At length the fascination diffolves, and it will be indeed fortunate if he is then able to transfer his regards to those superior pursuits which are calculated to give full scope to the intellectual and rational faculties. In the higher walks of life, when the concomitant temptations are furmounted, and advantages improved, are the highest and most accomplished characters formed: and in justice to Mr. Fox it must be acknowledged, that he has greatly redeemed the errors of his youth by the attainments of his maturer years, and by devoting his unrivalled talents almoft exclufively to the noble and tranfcendent purpose of advancing, by the moft unwearied and unremitting exertions, the peace, welfare, and happiness of mankind.

On the 26th of November, 1772, the feffion was opened by an intercfting fpeech from the throne, in which "the attention of Parliament was particularly called to the prefent ftate of the Eaft India Company, and the difficulties in which they appeared to be involved; and his Majefty recommended making fuch provifions for the common benefit and fecurity of all the various interests concerned,

concerned, as they should find beft adapted to the exigencies of the cafe." Little certainly could it have been imagined, that in the fhort interval which had elapfed fince the acquifition of the Dewannee of the provinces of Bengal, Bahar, and Oriffa, by which the Company appeared to be elevated to the height of profperity, they should be reduced to a ftate of embarraffment and dif

trefs verging upon ruin. A general however

tranfient review of the transactions of the Company, commercial and political, from that memorable period, is neceffary to the explanation of this paradox. No fooner had the Presidency of Calcutta obtained, in the mode already related, the government of those vaft and opulent territories, than a grand project was formed by the Prefident, Lord Clive, and unanimoufly approved by the Board; agreeably to which, the Members of the Council, and other civil and military fervants of the Company, might be enabled to derive vaft emoluments, not only without prejudice to their principals, but with great advantage to the Company's revenue. This was no other than the establishment of a commercial affociation, for the purpofe of carrying on an inland traffic in the important articles of falt, betel nut, and tobacco. These are articles of general confumption in India, and confidered as amongst the abfolute neceffaries of life; and they had under the antient government

been

been fubject to the trifling duty of the fortieth penny. But in order to obtain the fanction of the Company to the commercial fyftem now established, a duty of thirty-five per cent. was imposed on falt, which, with fifteen per cent. on betel nut, and twenty-five per cent. on tobacco, produced an annual additional revenue of 160,000l. to the Company. This however was regarded by the natives as a trivial grievance, in comparison of the mode in which the traffic was conducted: for the fervants of the Company acting at once in the two-fold capacity of merchants and sovereigns, "in order," as they expreffed themselves, " to affift this infant branch of commerce," the Council decreed to the affociation, i. e. to themselves and their copartners, "the free and exclufive purchase and fale, or, in other words, the complete monopoly of the above articles; and their governing rule of trade appears invariably to have been to reduce to the lowest extreme of depreffion the price in the purchase, and to enhance it in the fame extravagant proportion in the fale, When this plan was communicated to the Directors, they expreffed much difpleasure that fuch extortion fhould be practifed under their authority. "We leave," say they to the Council, "the adjustment of the duties on these commodities to your judgment and confideration-but we think the vast fortunes acquired by the inland trade have been obtained by a fcene

of

of the moft oppreffive and tyrannic conduct ever known in any age or country. Were we to allow it, we should confider ourselves as affenting and fubfcribing to all the mischiefs which Bengal has prefented to us for four years past." They approved therefore the oppreffion of the natives fo far as they themselves were benefited by it, and no farther. But thefe feeble and inconfiftent remonftrances were little regarded.

Another device or project of legal plunder was, to declare void at once, to the inexpreffible confternation of the zemindars and polygars, who conftitute the great landed interest of the country, all the leafes held by them under the Government, on very low and beneficial terms, by a kind of feudal tenure. The pretext for this was, that many of these leafes had been collufively obtained; and it was faid, that impartiality required that they should be now relet without diftinction to the highest bidder. By this enormous act of defpotism, many individuals of very elevated fituations in life were entirely ruined, immenfe fortunes were made by the favored few, and the landed revenue of the Company after all was acknowledged to be very little improved. Notwithstanding, indeed, every expedient that could be put in practice for the accumulation of wealth, the aggregate receipts of the Company's treasury alarmingly decreased; the natives, reduced to

poverty