there might remain no doubt as to this point, Major Scott faid, he went into the country the preceding day, to Mr. Haftings, who kept a regular account of every daily occurrence that ftruck him as worth minuting down, and from his book he copied the following words:

London, 2d June, 1786.

"At two P. M. received from Mr. Blair, a packet from "Richard Johnson, containing letters from Nizam Ally "Cawn, and other papers, moftly recovered from the Hin"chinbrooke; one to the King, with a bulfe; contents un"known. Sent a note to Major Scott to apprize Lord Syd"ney, and to defire that he might deliver them to his Lord" ship."

Having thus ftated all the circumstances of an affair which had been grofsly misrepresented, he begged leave to say, that if there was a blameable delay in delivering this packet to Lord Sydney, it refted folely with him-that he delivered it publicly, not as a matter of fecrefy, or to be concealed, for he did conceive it to be of infinite importance to the profperity of this country, as connected with India, that Nizam Ally Cawn, the first Prince in point of family in Hindoftan, and of great power and weight, who had formerly been fo. hoftile to our nation, and fo connected with France, fhould, for the first time, feek a connection with us, and that he should have addreffed a letter to the Sovereign. With regard to the mode of doing it, it was highly refpectful on the part of Nizam Ally Cawn, being the invariable mode in which an inferior addreffes a fuperior-nor could there be a man acquainted with the established cuftoms of Hindoftan, who would have fuppofed he could have commenced a correfpondence in any other manner. With refpect to the contents of the bulfe, the Major declared upon his honour he was utterly ignorant of them, but he was convinced it had never been opened after they left Hyderabad, as it was fealed with the Nizam's feal when he delivered it to Lord Sidney. The Major begged pardon of the House for having detained them. It was a digreffion he had not fought, but from the day the honourable gentleman had mentioned the circumftance, he had feen it turned and twifted into a variety of fhapes, but he declared upon his honour he had stated every circumftance of the tranfaction minutely to the House. -Why Mr. Johnfon did not fend the letter and bulfe home in the Swallow packet, or the other packet, but kept it for the Rodney, he could not tell-that it was detained in Mr. Haftings's hands, from the 2d to the 13th of June, was owing to him (Major Scott) and to him alone.

Mr. Baring briefly explained a part of his pamphlet re- Mr. Baring ferred to in the courfe of the debate.

Mr.

Mr. Dempfter.

Mr. Fox.

Mr. Dempfter obferved, that at length the honourable gentleman (Major Scott) had condefcended to open the Bengal budget. Glittering, indeed, was the picture which it prefented, fet in gold, and Itudded with diamonds. After fo brilliant an exhibition, fomething more fombre might perhaps be received with attention. Mr. Dempfter then complimented Mr. Dundas on the information which he had laid before the Houfe, obferving that it proved the fuccefs of his study to understand the affairs of India. He reafoned against the tea trade, as circumftanced according to the right honourable gentleman's argument. If we were to carry on a lefing trade, nationally confidered, with regard to the balance of exports and imports, at the expence of a large export of bul lion never to return to the country, far better would it be to pafs a bill, to prevent the importation of a single pound of tea more. He compared the ftate of India and Great Britain, in respect to the public debt, and faid India was most happily circumftanced upon a comparative view of the two kingdoms. Her debt was not more than three years purchase of her revenue. The cafe with us was far different. This he ftated to be one proof of the merit of the late Governor General, who, though in fome few particulars he might not have gone thaight forward, and acted precifely as the rigid rules of right directed, and as cold caution would have proceeded, had establithed his character as a good general economist, an able financier, a discreet manager of the revenue, an acute ftatefman, a vigorous Governor General, and a zealous friend to the interefts of his employers.

Mr. Fox remarked that the Houfe, he flattered himself, were with him in his idea of the principle of the Commutation tax. If it should prove that they were not, he must then declare that he had a very strong objection indeed to the prefent bill. What he understood to be the principle of the Commutation tax was this: to confine the import of tea into England to the East-India Company, and to fecure to them that monopoly, but to avoid encouraging a larger confumption of tea in England than had been usual before. He would not trouble the House with any arguments at that time, upon the extreme neceflity, that the Houfe fhould not be pledged to fupport the Eaft-India Company in an extenfion of their tea trade, over and above their monopoly of the import of the whole of the quantity ufually confumed in England, previous to the paffing of the Commutation tax.

Mr. Chan Mr. Chancellor Pitt obferved, that he thoroughly felt the llor Pitt. extreme correctnefs with which the right honourable gentleman had ftated the principle of the Commutation act. It was ftri&tly this, "that all the tea confumed in Great Britain "fhould come through the Eait-India Company, inftead of

"the

"the hands of fmugglers, who neither promoted the naviga"tion, nor contributed to the revenue of the kingdom." But though it was by no means a part of that principle, that Parliament were bound to increafe the confumption, yet neither was it a part of the principle, that means were to be used to prevent the increase of it. He fhould, as the right honourable gentleman had done, avoid entering into any argument whatfoever, on the subject or principle of the meafure, but fhould only state in answer to the fuggeftions of the right honourable gentleman, what appeared to him the grounds on which the Houfe ought, on any future occafion, to proceed in forming a judgement on the propriety of encouraging or reftraining an increafed confumption of teas. It should first be confidered how far the confumption of that commodity interfered to prevent the ufe of any produce or manufacture of our own country; and then, whether the exportation of filver bullion which would become neceffary to supply the increafed confumption, that bullion being purchafed by our manufactures, and as an additional quantity of it became neceffary for the China market, giving an opportunity for an additional vent for thofe manufactures, compenfate to the country for the lofs it might fuftain by the want of confumption for thofe manufactures that might be injured by the ufe of tea. That, would be the fairest ground on which to argue fuch a question; and though perhaps it might also appear in a variety of other points of view, yet he confidered. that as by many degrees the principal. From the hint which he had dropped on the fabject of the exportation of filver, it would naturally be fuppofed that he did not fubfcribe to the doctrine of an honourable gentleman oppofite to him; and he confeffed that he wondered how any gentleman, who to fuch a general knowledge of commercial fubjects added fo much found fenfe and judgement, could entertain the fentiments on that fubject which he had fo recently expreffed. It appeared from what the right honourable gentleman had faid, that he had not yet dropped his defign of fhewing his hoftile intention to the plan of Commutation, which it had been his good fortune to introduce, and which had been found fo amply to repay his pains and attention by the happiest effects on the commerce, the revenue, and the navigation of the empire: but ftill it appeared that he was not yet prepared to come forward with that direct and avowed oppofition which he had fo long threatened, but which he believed the right honourable gentleman's prudence would prevent him from manifefting as long as he found that Houfe and the Public to be fully confcious of the fingular benefits which they derived from it-and for his own part, though on his bringing it forward, it might be fuppofed to be attended with fome degree of uncertainty,

Mr. Fox.

Mr. Dempfter.

Mr. Wilbraham.

certainty, yet his experience of it had every day more fully convinced him of its merits. The right honourable gentleman had now very prudently narrowed his ground, and inftead of attacking the general principle of the Commutation bill, had confined himself to a collateral obfervation; but let the oppofition come against whatever part of it, or in whatever shape it might, he was at all times ready to meet it, perfuaded that he could fupport the measure upon general principles and specific experience.

tax.

Mr. Fox contended, that he had neither narrowed his argument to avoid a reply, nor abandoned his opinion against the Were it neceffary to argue it then, he was ready to have gone fully into it, and to have difcuffed all that prodigiou merit which the right honourable gentleman was fo ready to beftow on it, but which by the by he had never heard any other gentleman except the right honourable gentleman and his immediate friends, honour it with.

Mr. Dempfter faid, that his argument had been miftated by the right honourable gentleman (Mr. Pitt) oppofite to him. He had not contended that the exportation of all bullion was impolitic, but the exportation of bullion which was not to return again to the country. He reminded the House of the change upon the face of the trade of Europe, which the great import of bullion from America had at its firft taking place many years fince operated. What then were we to expect from the very reverse of that circumstance's occuring; for when we exported bullion to China, we must not expect it to return, as was the cafe with countries holding a mutual intercourse and commerce for their mutual manufac tures and commodities.

The question was put on Mr. Sheridan's clause, and negatived without a divifion.

The Houfe adjourned.

Tuesday, 27th June.

The order of the day being read for taking into confideration His Majefty's meffage for enabling him to confer a penfion of one thou fand pounds per annum on Lady Maria Carleton, Guy Carleton, and Thomas Carleton, the wife and fons of Sir Guy Carleton; and

Mr. Chancellor Pitt having moved" that the Speaker fhould leave the chair,"

Mr. Wilbraham remarked, that, in his opinion, Minifters were cenfurable, not for having ftated to the House the reafons which occafioned fo long a delay between the time when the penfion in queftion was promifed, and that in which it was propofed to carry that promife into execution. There

was

was another circumftance attending the tranfaction, of which he could not but take notice. There was no man in the kingdom who entertained a higher opinion of the character of Sir Guy Carleton than he did; but he was furprised to find that the King's meffage had omitted to state the particular fervices by which Sir Guy Carleton had diftinguished himself, fo as to deferve the mark of royal favour proposed to be conferred upon him. This omiffion was the more remarkable, because, in the meffages by which His Majefty had applied to that House for peniions for Lord Rodney and Lord Hood, the fervices of thofe officers were particularly specified.

Mr. Chancellor Pitt wondered that any gentleman in that Mr. ChanHouse should demand a particular rental of the fervices of Sir cellor Pitt. Guy Carleton. He had apprehended, that no person who remembered the American war could have forgotten them. It was not, at all events, the proper time to discuss any of the merits of the fubject, the question then before the House being nothing more than for the taking into confideration His Majefty's meffage.

Sir George Howard faid, that, in the first place, when all Sir Geo. our other colonies had revolted, Sir Guy Carleton, by his Howard. gallantry, his activity, and industry, faved the city of Quebec, and, by that means, the whole province of Canada. The reason why the delay had taken place, was one which did the highest honour to the feelings of Sir Guy Carleton. When the important fervices which he had performed in America were known to His Majefty, he determined to reward him for them, by conferring on him a penfion equal and in the fame manner as that now propofed. The neceffary papers were accordingly fent for Sir Guy Carleton to fign, previous to his being entitled to the penfion, in a ship ready to fail for Canada. This fhip did fail, and had a most profperous voyage, as far as the Gulph of St. Lawrence, when it was attacked by a violent ftorm, and forced to return to Europe without landing in America; confequently the papers not having been figned, the penfion could not then be granted. Shortly after General Burgoyne was sent out to a command in the northern provinces, to which Sir Guy Carleton imagined he was himself entitled; and, feeling himself ill treated, by being overlooked in the appointment, he applied for leave to refign, and accordingly returned to Europe. The completion of His Majefty's intention relating to the penfion was then offered to him; but he declined it, for the prefent, on an idea of delicacy, becaufe, as he alledged, there being at that time an intention of examining him as a witnefs on the affairs of the colonies at the bar of that House, he was apprehenfive that fome perfons might entertain a fufpicion that fo recent an attainment of a penfion VOL. XX. would

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