measures of the court, and firm in the fupport of their leader. The party which is thought particularly attached to Lord Chatham, did not feem much nearer to a political arrangement with adminiftration; though they agreed with them in many of the measures, or at least in fome parts of many of the meatures of this feflion. This circumftance added extremely to the weak nefs of oppofition. We have formerly shewn, that feveral of the late Mr. Grenville's friends, foon after his decease, went over to the court; fome of them, however, have ftill continued on their old ground, and have accordingly acted occafionally with the other parties who diffent from administration.

In this state of fecurity, no change had taken place in adminiftration, which could either affeat its internal ftrength, or its outward conduct. The Earl of

1772.

Aug. 14th, Hillsborough, indeed, Aug. 14th, had refigned his office of fecretary of state for the American department, together with his feat at the head of the board of trade, both of which were bestowed on the Earl of Dartmouth, who upon this occafion quitted his old friends in oppofition. This refignation was not, however, the effect of any difference with the court; that nobleman having quit red his places in great good humour, and being immediately after promoted to an English Earl. dom. But as thofe measures, which had caufed the greatest diflike and uneafinefs in the colonies, had originated in Lord Hillsborough's administration, this change was by many confidered as conciliatory with refpect to America. This was the more believed, as both

Lord Dartmouth's private character and public conduct had given a fanction to the opinion; he always had acted with thofe gentlemen who repealed the ftamp act, and had fince oppofed every other mode of taxation in the colonies; his. appointment was therefore confidered as a prelude to a change in American politics. But it seems that the general fyftem of adminiftration has overborne any particular diffent, and that the plan of American government continues without any alteration from the changes in office.

Some other changes which af terwards took place, had as little effect upon the general fyftem of government. The Earl O&t. 9th. of Harcourt fucceeded Lord Townfend in the government of Ireland, and the latter was appointed matter - general of the ordnance; the death of the Earl of

Albemarle afforded an opportu nity for promoting General Conway to the government of the ifland of Jerley; and Sir Jeffrey Amherst, who fucceeded him in the ordnance, was foon afterwards. called to the privy-council. Lord Stormont was appointed ambassa dor extraordinary at the court of Versailles, in the room of the Earl of Harcourt; and, upon the death of the Earl of Litchfield, Lord Edgecumbe having got the band of gentlemen penfioners, Mr. Jenkinfon was appointed a joint vicetreasurer of Ireland in his ftead, and Mr. Charles Fox a Lord of the treasury, in the room of the latter.

The Eaft-India Company had long been amongst the first and most delicate objects of govern meat. From the time that their

affairs

affairs were first intoduced into parliament in the year 1767, the idea of bringing the bufinefs of that company under the immediate infpection or the officers of the crown, had rather been fufpended than abandoned. The difficulties, however, attending this fcheme, and the large fum of money by which the refpite was purchafed from government, rendered adminiftration rather fupine on that fubject for feveral years; until the impoflibility of the annual payment to the ftate, and the annual increafed dividend to the proprietors, rouzed both proprietors and minifters out of their lethargy, caufed the harpeft diffenfions amongst the former, and animated the latter to the profecution of their original scheme of deriving power to themselves, out of the innumerable diforders of the company.

The abuses both abroad and at home were great and ferious. In feveral things the form of the company's government flood in need of correction. Many thought that the conduct of individuals ought to be diligently enquired into, their vast wealth confifcated for the national benefit, and fevere punishment inflicted, as an example to those who should hereafter be entrusted with fuch power, under fuch temptations to abufe it. To all this was added, the clamour railed by the difcontent of all thofe who, at any time, had any discus fions with the company abroad or at home, and which was propagated in various publications, with a degree of activity hardly credible. It is not improbable that in thefe paffionate accounts, the mifconduct of the company's fervants, and of the company itself, was

one

fomewhat magnified. All thefe publications terminated point, viz, that there was no redrefs for the abuses complained of, but in delivering the whole of the company's political and military affairs into the hands of the crown.

Indeed there is no form of government fo happily framed, nor ftate of human nature fo perfect, in which the power, opulence, territorial poffeffions, and revenues of that company, would not have excited the avarice and ambition of their rulers, as well as the envy and jealoufy of their equals. Mankind will prefcribe bounds to wealth, as they would to happiness, if nature had not done it for them; and the continence of power will be confidered as more than human, when it can refift the temptations offered by riches, dominion, and patronage.

We have formerly fhewn how the violence and intereffed views of parties among themselves, first laid open the affairs of the company to the public, and drew the attention of the then adminiftration upon them; we have also seen the confequent measures that were purfued, for the obtaining of a participation of their revenues, until the company were under a neceffity of fubmitting to the payment of the amazing fum of four hundred thousand pounds annually to government.

The company

were at that time encumbered with an enormous load of debts, both in Europe and in Afia, nor were they long enough acquainted with their new acquifitions, to obtain a clear knowledge of their net revennes; it would therefore feem that nothing but a falfe eftima

tion

tion of their own ftrength, operating with the immediate dread of power, on the one fide, and an impatient avidity, incompatible with true policy, on the other, could have induced the former to grant, or the latter to require, any participation in their revenues, until those debts were reduced to a moderate fize, and the true condition of the Company known.

The event has too fully juflified this opinion; and we have feen the Company, in the courfe of a very few years, brought to the brink of bankruptcy and ruin, in confequence of various mifmanagements of their fervants, various mistakes of the proprietors of that Company, and various errors of adminiftration, and even of parliament. For though the revenues of Bengal and its dependencies are very great, the stated and certain difbursements, exclufive of contingencies, are alfo very confiderable; of which the tribute to the Mogul, and the ftipends to the nominal nabob, his duan, and other great officers, amount to about one million fterling annually, befides the expences of collection. A great military force, of near 30,000 men, muft alfo be kept up as a matter of neceffity; and the civil eftablishments, from the nature and diftance of the countries, the temper and manners of the people, with other circumstances, muft of course run very high.

To this it may be added, that however great the opulence of Bengal might be, yet as it was not founded upon any inherent treasure in mines, but depended folely upon the labour and industry of the people, upon commerce, manufactures, and agriculture, it VOL. XVI.

cannot be fuppofed that it could long bear the fending of between feven and eight hundred thousand pounds kerling of its capital ftock, annually out of the country, without a poffibility of its return. This was however the cafe at present, the tribute paid to the Mogul, and the fum to the government here, being to that amount. With this enormous waste of its treasure, Bengal was alfo obliged to furnish the Company's investments for China in filver, at the fame time that its ancient and abundant fources for that commodity from Europe were very much diminished by the change of government and property. It appears then upon the whole, that with the best management and the greatest œconomy, the Company was not, with justice to itfelf and its creditors, equal to the payment of that fum to government, to fay nothing of its increafe of dividend.

It must however be acknowledged, that economy was not practifed, and that through the rapacity and mifconduct of the Company's fervants, great diforders prevailed in the conduct of their affairs. It is faid, that expenfive wars had been wantonly entered into, and fhamefully conducted, to gratify the avarice and interested views of individuals. Vaft fums were also charged to have been lavished upon fortifications, which were either unneceffary, or of such an extent, that the number of troops requifite for their defence, would always be fufficient to command the field in that country. Such works are frequently converted into jobs in all countries; but in this inftance, it is probable, they may be confidered merely as fuch. [E]

Num

Numberless other grievous complaints were made, many of which, it is to be feared, were too well founded. Pernicious and oppreffive monopolies where eftablished and much wrong and oppreffion was practifed by individuals, in countries where the name of an European was fufficient to authorize any act of injustice to the natives. It could not even be hoped, that courts and governments, any more than particular perions, were undeferving of cenfure, at fuch a diftance from any controul, and in a fituation, in which an immenfe fortune was a fure juftification of the means by which it was acquired.

It was to remedy fome of thofe evils, and to prevent others, that the three unfortunate gentlemen, who are too justly supposed to have perished on board the Aurora, were fent out in the year 1769, as fupervifors to India. The fate of thefe gentlemen, was undoubtedly one of the greatest misfortunes that could have befallen the Company. They must have remedied many evils; and if it were admitted that they might have created fome, ftill the benefits would have been great; but in no inftance of fo much confequence, as in removing the pretences for that fatal interference, which, through the mifconduct of its fervants, government has fince affumed in the affairs of the Com

bearance, at least, if not affiftance, was to be demanded. The directors, and a strong body of the proprietors, were in a continual itate of hoftility. The former were charged with acting immediately under the influence of the court, to which it was faid they expofed the affairs, and facrificed the interefts of the Company; and indeed it appeared in fome inftances, that they had either been impofed upon themfelves, by the ambiguous expreffions and conduct of the minifter, or that they joined in the deception of their conftituents.

Though the Company had been drawn into the hands of administration, and their affairs under the cognizance of parliament, fo early as the year 1767, nothing had been done in all this time towards their regulation or fettlement, except the restricting of their dividends, refcinding their acts, and the obtaining from them, without any vifible equivalent, immenfe fums of money, which were far beyond their abilities. No order was taken, conformable to the amazing change in their condition, for the regulation or government of their new acquifitions; nor no new powers of controul lodged in their hands,

to

counterbalance the immense trufts which they were now under a neceflity of repofing in their fervants; nor to reftrain or prevent thofe evils which muft naturally attend the quick tranfition, from the management of a counting. house to the government of an empire.

While the many were furprized at this apparent inattention to matters of the utmost importance to the nation, some of those who were the moft verfed in political man

œuvres,

Euvres, pretended to foresee the confequences that have fince taken place, and argued, that fuch glaring diforders could not have been overlooked; that they were permitted, only to render the Company odious through the faults of its fervants; to fhew its incapability of governing fuch great poffeffions; and to prepare the nation for the changes that were to follow.

However this was, the mal-administration in India, with all its confequences, were fuffered to pafs without notice or observation; and we have already feen, in the tranfactions of the year 1772, that though the affairs of the Company were evidently alluded to at the opening of the feffion, in the fpeech from the throne, they were neverthelefs fuffered to lie over till near its close, when a bill was brought in by the deputy chairman, for enlarging the controuling powers of the Company with respect to their fervants in India. The bill came to nothing in that feffion. But a member, though in the King's fervice, not connected with miniftry, whether with or without their confent, at length awakened their attention to this object. This gave birth to the select committee, which was armed with full powers for all the purposes of enquiry.

The Company were now alarmed; and were not only apprehenfive of a rigorous enquiry, but were too fenfible from late experience, of the inefficacy of charters for their protection, in a contention. It was therefore proposed in the India-Houfe, at the end of that feffion of parliament, to fend out during the recefs, a new commiffion of fupervifion, with full powers

for the regulation of all their affairs abroad. Some time was however neceffarily spent in bringing this fcheme to maturity; it being not lefs difficult to agree upon the perfons who were to be appointed to an office of fuch great importance, than upon the extent of the powers with which they were to be furnifhed. At length, fix gentlemen were nominated for this purpose; and a general officer of high rank and eftimation, who had commanded with great honour in the late war in America, confented to go out at the head of the supervision. The meeting of parliament however put an end to the defign. It was now generally known, that the affairs of the Company would form the principal object of the enfuing feffion; no other caufe could be affigned for its being opened before the holidays; and as administration had no fhare in the appointment of the fupervifors, though the measure itself had been countenanced by them, it was easy to foretel, that parliament would interpofe to prevent its being carried into execution.

The various refults of all the errors that had been committed, and the misconduct that had prevailed both at home and abroad, were now accumulated, and had appeared in their full force during the recefs of parliament. The Company, with an empty treasury at home, had accepted bills from Bengal to an immenfe amount, which were now coming round in courie of payment; they were at the fame time deeply in debt to the Bank for cafh borrowed, to the revenue for custom-houfe duties, and to the treafury, on the annual stipulated payment, as well as on the [E] 2

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