the war? unless, indeed, we are going to war, not for the purpofe of forcing France to relinquish Savoy, and her other conquefts, or of preventing the increase of her power, but for the purpose of interfering in the internal affairs of France, and of fubftituting, in room of the prefent, a new government, in which we might place greater reliance. This purpofe of the war had been approved by fome perfons;-but had been uniformly and explicitly difavowed by the Minifter, and was fo, in the cleareft and most express terms, at the time he brought down his Majefty's Meflage refpecting the war. The language now held, and the declamation they had heard that day, called for a diftinct explanation upon this molt important point. The Right Hon. Gentleman had afked, why fhould war diminith the revenue? But are not flourishing commerce and manufactures the greatest fupports of the revenue?Does the Right Hon. Gentleman mean to fay, that the manufactures of this country will not be injured by war?-Has he had any information of late from Manchester, Paifley, Norwich, &c. which has induced him to form this opinion? If fo, Mr. Fox declared that his information had been directly the reverse; but this would not certainly operate in any degree upon his mind, did he conceive the honour and dearest interelts of this country to be implicated in the war to the extent which had been reprefented.-As the fubject of war would not probably be again debated, he thought it right to fay that he remained of opinion that it might have been avoided; and when the Right Hon. Gentleman talked of the profperous ftate of this country last year, he could not but ftill more condemn the putting that enviable profperity to risk without negotiation. The Right Hon. Gentleman, by his declamation, had drawn from him thus much; and he could not conclude without saying a few words on the fubject of our Eaft India Affairs. The 500,000l. to be derived from the Eaft India Company, in confequence of the continuation of their charter, fhould not, he infifted, be connected with the prefent ftatement of our finances; it was not only partial but improper. It had been laid down as a poftulatum by Mr. Pitt, that if we were not to accede to the terms that we fhould lofe the 500,000l. But this was a falfe argument, and the country fhould not for this temporary convenience give up the profpect of what may refult from not conceding to the Company. The queftion was of the greateft commercial moment; it involved a variety of objects of fuch magnitude and importance, that, in competition with them even this 5cp,cool, ought to be confidered as nothing, and the Houfe in its difcuffion ought not to be manacled by any previous bargain or agreement of Minifters. To him the whole business bore inuch the appearance of Minilters having taken upon them to pledge that Houfe and the public to a renewal of the Company's 3 Company's charter, in a manner difgraceful to the country; and 483 fince the publication of the fpeech of another Right Hon. Gentleman, (Mr. Dundas) the opinion univerfally entertained was, that a renewal of the Company's Charter was abfolutely determined on. If this was understood to be the cafe, would not the people fay, that the laying papers on the table for the perufal and instruction of Members, was a mere mockery, as the Right Hon. Gentleman and his friends pre-determined on every queftion, to which the Parliament would of course agree. He did not fay that he had made up his mind as to the propriety or impropriety of renewing that charter; but it was a matter which ought certainly to be decided upon with the greateft deliberation, and Gentlemen ought to have their judgments and opinions totally unfettered and unbiaffed. The Chancellor of the Exchequer denied that Minifters had pledged either that Houfe or the country to a renewal of the Eaft India Company's charter. It was neceffary to have a previous concert with the Company, in order to afcertain what advantages they would agree to communicate to the public, in cafe a renewal of their charter fhould be confidered a proper measure. He had no hesitation in laying, that, when all the circumftances were fully before the Houle, he was confident that a renewal of the Company's charter would appear to be much for the intereft of this country. It had been faid, that fince the publication of the speech of His Right Hon. Friend, every body believed that the charter would be renewed; and he was glad to hear that fuch was the cafe ; because it could only arife from a public conviction, that a renewal of the charter upon the terms and with the regulations on which the Eaft India Company had agreed to accept it, would be much for the intereft of this country in every point of view.-It had alfo been faid, that it was unfair to bring forward this 500,000l. at prefent. But he begged Gentlemen to confider the fituation in which he was placed. He muft, upon the principle contented for, have either withheld this 500,000l. from the public, or have delayed his budget, till the final difcuffion of that bufinefs. He had never meant to fay that the 500,000l. was to counterbalance all objections that might arife to a renewal of the charter; unlefs, by any other propofed regulations, an equal fum was immediately to be derived to the public; but it would certainly be a circumftance in the fcale, and he begged leaved to fay, that in whatever way the trade in India was to be regulated, the public muft unquestionably have a right to a participation in the furplus which had been acquired by the blood and treafure of this country in conjunction with the Company. But even on the fuppofition, though improbable in the highest degree, that this fum fhould not be derived to the public, in whatever way the trade to India may be eventually regulated, it would only be neceflary that it fhould No. II. VOL. 6. 3 P then then be withdrawn, and the amount provided for in fome other way.-Gentlemen had objected to that part of his fpeech which touched upon the war, as being unneceflary and irrelevant; it was ftrange, he faid, that they thould make choice of that very part to take the pains of anfwering:-the extraordinary demand of fupplies made it neceflary for him to itate the war as his ground of application; he had not, however, like the Right Hon. Gentleman, impeached the folemn decifion of that House, by difcuffing the juftice and apology of the war, and calling them in queftion, but had confined himfelf merely to ftating the exiftence of it. Gentlemen, he faid, had, night after night, labour to fhew that the ends of the war might have been attained by negotiation; but they feemed to forget, that pending an interval in which negotiation was looked for, France had been beforehand, and declared war against us, and left it not to the option of Great Britain to determine on peace or war. He therefore conceived he had faid no more than was neceffary as well as just and proper, and intimately connected with the fubject which he had brought forward. The Chancellor of the Exchequer then moved the following Refolutions: Ift. That 200,000l. fhould be voted to the Bank, to be placed to the credit of the National Debt. 2dly. That 575,000l. fhould be granted towards discharging the Navy Debt. The Refolutions having paffed the Committee, were ordered to be reported to-morrow. The Houfe, in a Committee of Ways and Means, voted 3,209,000l. out of the produce of the Confolidated Fund to the 5th of April 1794, and deferred the confideration of the remainder of the Budget. Adjourned. END OF VOL. VI. A. BSENTEES, or defaulters, brought to account for their Adam, Mr. his remarks on Mr. Fox's propofed refolutions Addington, Mr. (the Speaker) his obfervations on the means Addrefs propofed, in anfwer to his Majefty's fpeech on opening Aliens bill, debates on, 94, 135, 147, 171. Anftruther, Mr. his remarks on his Majefty's meffage to the Army eftimates, debates on, 115. Affignats, bill to prohibit the circulation of, 146. B. Beauchamp, Lord, his remarks on the aliens bill, 176. On army, 395. Bills paffed, and figned-The bill for eftablishing regulations re- Buxton, Mr. his obfervations on Mr. Wilberforce's motion re- lative to the flave trade, 421. Carlifle, C. Carlifle, Earl of, his motion for votes of thanks to the Marquis His remarks on the motion for the third reading of the aliens Cawthorne, Mr. his remarks on Mr. Wilberforce's motion re- Chancellor, the Lord, his remarks on the meffage fent by his Chauvelin, M. the French ambaffador, ordered to leave the Clarence, Duke of, his remarks on the propofed address to his Coke, Mr. D. Parker, his remarks on the petition prefented by D. Dartmouth election, report of the committee appointed to try Debates on the propofed addrefs to his Majefty, in answer to his |