They had no fomach, o'er a grace to nod;
Nor time enough to offer thanks to God:
That might be done, they wifely knew,
When they had nothing else to do.

His Highness entering somewhat rather late,
Could fcarcely find a knife, a fork, or plate:
But not one fingle maiden dish,
Poor gentleman! of flesh or fish,
Molt woefully the pastry had been paw'd,
And trembling jellies barbarously claw'd.
In short, my gentle readers, to amaze,
His Highnets pick'd the bones of the R.A.s,

O Weltjie, had thy lofty form been there, And Teen thy Prince fo lerv'd with fcrap and flop,

Thou furely would't have brought him better fare-

A warm beef fteak, perchance, or mutton chop.

Thou would' have faid, "De Prence of Wales, by Got,

"Do too much honour to be at der feaft; "Vere he can't heb von beet of meetdats hot, But treated vid de bones, just like a

beast;

"De Prence, he was too great to fit and eat

De bones and leafings of de meat ; “And munfh vat dirty low-lif'd rogues refufe,

"By Got! not fit to vipe de Prence's fhoes!"?

Great Befborough's Earl, too, came off fecond beft;

His murinuring stomach had not half a seat:

And therefore it was natural to mutters To rectify the fault with joyless looks, His Lordfhip bore his belly off to Brookes, Who fill'd the grumbler up with bread and butter.

Sirs! thofe manoeuvres were extremely coarie

This really was the effence of ill-breeding: Not for your fouls could you have treated worfe

Bum-Bailifs, by this dog-like mode of feeding.

Grant, you eclips'd a pack of hounds, with gler

Purfing, in full cry, the fainting gameSurpafs'd them, too, in gobling down the prev:

Still, Great R. A.s, I tell you 'twas a
Bame:

*The line's German Cook.

cell'd,

Tho' great, in your opinion, be your fame, I tell you, Great R. A.s, it was a bami. This, let me own the candour-loving MUSE Moft willingly Sir Joshua can excuse,

Who tries the nation's glory to increase; Whofe genius rare is very feldom nodding, But deep, on painting fubjects, plodding

To rival Italy and Greece.

But pray, Sir William, what have you to fay?

No fuch impediment is in your way:

Genius can't hurt your etiquette attention; And Meffieurs Tyler, Wilton, and Rigaud, ' Have you a genius to impede you?—No!

Nor many a one befides that I could

Tho' to thefe walls I've late ftranger

been, Remembrance, loth to quit the long-lov' fcene,

The fav'rite fpot with doating fondness ey'd, Like ghoits that haunt the places where they dy'd.

"What brought you here to-night?? the ladies cry.

To pleafe a husband, I came here to die. "Die to please a husband " fays each mo dith dame;

"Heav'ns! what a Gothic thought! what fin, what fhame!"

So then, this Gothic thought no plaudit draws,

You deem it e'en a fin to yield applaufe: Admit a fin, fuch gen'rous contribution, I'm POPE, and promife you AN ABSOLU

TION.

DRURY-LANE, JUNE 9.

THE 7he Heiress closed, last night, HE charming and fashionable Comedy the theatrical campaign of Drury-Lane--a campaign full of honour; honourable to the.. performers in point of fame, and to the proprietors in point of profit; but still more honourable to Mr. King, for his judicious and well connected plan of operation throughout the whole feafon. Under fuch management, this theatre is likely to maintain that degree of fuperiority which the public opinion has this year fanctioned in the most decided manner. After the play, Mr. King, in a very polite manner, thanked the public for it's patronage in a speech to the following effect:

Ladies and Gentlemen,

"The very great attention and encouragement with which this theatre has this winter been honoured, demand from the Proprietors and Performers the warmest acknowledgment. To fay that we will merit a future mark of your kindness and partiality, would be the highest presumption; but to fay that we will endeavour, by every exertion in our power, to obtain a continuance of your favours, is a profeffion of duty and respect which we feel incumbent upon us on the occafion. With these af

furances of gratitude, we humbly take leave for this feafon."

HAYMARKET, JUNE 10.

Mr. Colman's Theatre opened last night, for the first time this feafon, with the Maid of the Mill; and the characters in general were very well supported. Mrs. Bannister's Patty was an interesting performance, and: the airs were executed with tafte and feeling. Giles was represented by a Mr. Matthews, from Bath, who poffeffes a voice tolerably well adapted for rustic characters, but without any fweetness of tone, or much compaís. This actor is by no means destitute of humour, and when a little meliorated by experience, may ftand muster respectably. An Occafional Prologue was delivered by Mr. Benfley, written by Mr. Colman, which: poffeffed many humourous points in allufion to his late infirmity. This production exhibited no decline of intellectual ability in that gentleman, But, on the contrary, was equal to his best efforts of this kind. houfe was not very full, but the audience were very orderly, which, at this hot period, is fomething better.The Theatre has not undergone any alteration fince laft feafon.

HOUSE OF LORDS.
MAY 26.

HIS day his Majefty went in his ufual ftate to the House of Peers. As foon

The

as the King was feated on the throne, a meffage was fent to the. Commons, commanding their attendance. In obedience to the royal mandate, the Members of the Lower

His Majesty then gave the royal affent to eleven public and private Bills.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

MAY 31. LOTTERY. The Houfe having refolved itself into 'a Committee, Mr. Gilbert in the Chair,

The Chancellor of the Exchequer mentioned to the Committee certain advantages which might be derived from a national lottery. Those who proposed to become purchafers, had offered at the rate of 131. 15s. 6d. for each ticket, which, by calcu lating the number of tickets proposed to be iffued at 50,000, would produce about 688,750l. out of which the public would be benefited in the fum of 168,000l. He then took notice of the mode by which the different instalments would be paid, and the periods agreed upon for that purpofe. The prizes would be paid at the Bank of England without any deduction whatever, as foon after the 1st of June, 1787, as poftible. He concluded by moving a Refolution to that effect.

Mr. Huffey objected to a Lottery, as it was a pernicious measure. The country loft more by the encouragement of gambling, idleness, and diffipation, than any advantages which could accrue from the adoption of fuch an expedient.

The motion was then agreed to.

Mr., Alderman Newnham oppofed it, as impolitic and oppreflive.

Mr. Alderman Hammet joined in this hope: he faid it was reported the, Right Hon. Gentleman was an enemy to the trade of the country (this raifed a loud laugh on both fides of the House).

Mr. Pitt faid fmilingly, that if he was an enemy to the trade of the country, he had' the mortification to find that ever fince he had been at the head of the Exchequer, that trade had been improving, and was ftill likely to grow and improve: he could feel no objection to grant the request of the Hon. Member, taking it in his own terms; and therefore he might fafely say, “that if the experiment fhould fail, he would not continue to ruin the trade of England by oppreffion." In anfwer to the request of the other worthy Magiftrate, which was very differently expreffed, he would fay, that if the fuccefs of the experiment should fall fhort of what he expected from it, he would then endeavour to devife fome fubfidiary regulations that would render the plan more effectual.

Mr. Alderman Sawbridge obferved, that this was a poor confolation.

Mr. Fox and Mr. Sheridan expreffed * their difapprobation of the refolution the Right Hon. Gentleman feemed to have taken.

The House then divided on the question for the pafling of the Bill, which was carried by a majority of THIRTY-EIGHT.

Ayes Noes

The bill was accordingly paffed, and or dered up to the Lords.

JUNE 13.

IMPEACHMENT OF MR. HASTINGS. The Houfe having refolved itself into a Committee for the further confideration of the charges of impeachment against Warren Haftings, Efq.

Mr. Fox rofe to move a refolution of the Houfe, criminating him relative to his conduct with the Rajah of Benares, Cheit Syng. He stated the enmity that had subfifted between him and the Rajah, during the period, in which General Clavering and Colonel Monfon had been connected with the Government of India, and attempted to fhew that his fubfequent conduct had been an act rather of revenge, than just requifition. He contended that the Cheit Syng was a Prince of India; that he was fubjected only to the payment of a tributary fum of 200,000l. that this tribute had been discharged; that, notwithstanding, additional fums had been required, and forces demanded; that he had remonftrated against thefe requifitions; that, notwith ftanding Mr. Haftings had undertaken an expedition into his country for the purpose

of

of enforcing his demands, and "that without giving him time for recollection, he had made him prifoner in his own capital, an act of the highest dishonour to an Afiatic Monarch, and almoft the fame as if an European King had been feized by a tipftaff, the morning after his arrival there. He painted thofe acts of oppreflion in the trongest terms, and confidered them as reflecting the highest injuftice on the Englith nation. He afferted, that other nations were attentive to our conduct, and would form fablequent measures relative to India, by our decifion. A British Parlia ment might be found fo base as not to condemn these measures; but he hoped that it would be known among thefe unfortunate people, who had been the objects of rapacity, and the victims of injuftice, that there were ftill Englishmen capable of feeling in their caufe, and of afferting their privileges. He then faid, that wishing to remove all fubfequent cavil refpecting the word impeachment, he would move that Mr. Hastings had been guilty of crimes and mifdemeanors relative to his conduct with Cheit Syng, deferving to be tried by impeachment.

The motion having been feconded,

Mr. Nichols declared, that on this occafion he acted merely from the impulfe of his own mind, and was no advocate for Mr. Haftings, or his caufe. The only question to be confidered was, whether Cheit Syng was really a Prince or a Zemindar. If the former, Mr. Haftings was undoubtedly to blame. If the latter, he could not be deemed culpable.

Mr. Francis obferved, that Cheit Syng was a tributary Prince; and denied that he ought to be confidered in the fame view in which the Hon. Gentleman had reprefented him. Although he had the miffortune of being a tributary Prince, yet his perfon fhould not have been infulted and his dignity dishonoured, in order to fatiate the rapacity of Mr. Haftings or his adherents. As a tributary Prince, he had always fulfilled his agreement with the East-India Company in it's greatest extent.. He never failed regularly to pay the stipulated fum of two hundred thousand pounds; confequently no pretenfion whatever could be admitted for acts of extortion and unparallelled cruelties.

Mr. Pitt feeing the eyes of the Committee fixed upon him, and perceiving that the Members waited in an anxious expectation for his opinion on this important fubjest, rofe next, and made one of the most able fpeeches that has been heard for many years within the walls of St. Stephen's Chapel. He faid, he differed not only from the Hon. mover of the question, but alfo from the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Nichots) who had fo Atrongly oppofed it: he No. 13. VOL II.

therefore could not agree with the one, that Mr. Hattings was as criminal as he had reprefented him; nor with the latter Member, that he was as innocent as he would have the Committee to think. Much, he obferved, had been faid about the character in which Cheit Syng ought to be confidered, whether as Sovereign Prince, or merely as Zemindar. For his own part, he had no difficulty to fay, that he condered him fimply as a Zemindar; and his reafons were thefe: It had been debated in the Council at Calcutta, whether Cheit Syng fhould be made an abfolute Prince or not; and Mr. Haftings was, on that occafion, of opinion that he should; but his opinion was over-ruled by a majority of the Council, who determined that he thould be made tributary; and therefore an annual tribute of 200,000). was impofed upon him. It was clear, therefore, that he was a vaffal of the Company; and confequently, his Lords Paramount had a right to call upon him, as well as upon any other great or petty Zemindar, in the emergency of the State. But it should never be faid, on the other hand, that he (Mr. Pitt) would lend his countenance to fo high an exercife of authority, as was that of imprifoning in his own palace a great Prince, with a view of extorting from him, by oppreffive and tyrannical means, fo immenfe a fum as 40 lacks of rupees, over and above what that Prince was bound to pay in tribute to the Company. It was clear, however, that Cheit Syng, ftanding to the mere letter of his right, had refused to advance any thing more than the fum ftipulated to the Company, not confidering that in great exigencies they had a right to call upon him for an additional fupply in fupport of the common cause; or rather he seemed to admit the right, but pretended that he had not the means of complying with the requifition of the Governor General; though it afterwards appeared that was falfe, ag there had been found in his treasury, during his arreft, a fum exceeding one million and a balf sterling: however, though the Prince had shuffled on that occafion, the imprifonment of his perfon was an unjustifiable and tyrannical measure. He then entered at large into a differtation on the nature of bufinefs in India, with which he appeared to be as well acquainted as if he had made it his whole ftudy; and he endeavoured to prove, that fo complex and intricate was the nature of thofe tenures, fo little was it known whether a Zemindar had a right to the foil, or was merely the inftrument for collecting the jumma, or revenue, that it was not very furprising that a Governor Ge. neral fhould miitake the true line of dif tinction between thofe who were vaffals, and who were not. For his part, the opiS s