The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1806-04-22 00:00:00

I approve.' of by the Cahn rf rAreBors to the Co vonnr-General and Council; the answer of the . . Board of Cor.troul, ref udng to transmit the same ; and the reply of the Direaors to that answer Mr. HLTDDLESTONE seconded the motion, on nearly the same g`'.,t1116.1% stated by his Lordship( Mr, Secretary FOX obj-fled to the produaion,ot; the papers in question, on the ground that a charge was pending against Lord Wellosley at present, and that. according to every pr'nciple of British Juris prudence, it would be highly unjust to publish such a paper as that moved fur ; though both the Noble Lord who made the motion, and the Hon. Gentle. man who seconded it, disclaimed any intention of using it against Lord Wellesley, yet it could not be given to the Members of that House, without ope rating to Lord \Vellesley's prejudice, by making an unfair and premature impression on their minds, on a subj:Et which they would afterwards have under their consideration by way ot -charge against that Noble Lord. He should, therefore, feel it his duty to move the previous question. Mr. JOHNSTONE said, that the degree of asto t islitnent into which he was thrown by the speech now delivered, rendered him almost unable to give any answer to it ; for how strange must it appear, to ob serve these men, who for so many years had been the constant and avowed advocates of all enquiries, and particularly upon stiojeas relating to India, op posing lately the modii:lion of the opinions ot mi litary men, upon the ground of their being confi• dentist, and now refusing to produce the dispatches of the Court of Diosaors, not, indeed, as being con fidential, but of being 'that they called unotlitial I He must infi , t upon it. that they were always deemed official. and that such papers. on twiner occasions, had been produced as such. .10 prove this, he held in his hand a precedent, which occurred on the 12th of Jane, 1601, whereby an ord r was made for the production of sonic pa• agraphs of the dispatch es of the Court of Dircaiirs to the Board of Commis sioners, which were to be transmitted to the Gover nor-General of Bengal ; and there was also another paragraph exaaly in point, where a similar Gofer was made in the discussion of the Declaratory Bill in MO. The Right Hon. Secretary of State ob jetted to tun down the Marspiis of Wellesley, by authority; but i.e•votil•i ask what c.e same Right Hon. Cert. wi•uid have said, it the same objection had been taken on tle itupsachment of Mr. Hastings? A refusal of papers was sue ly the most miserable defence that the Right Honourabl- Gentleman could make, either for the at ar quis Wellesley, or for his own con dua ; fur, if the a..miniar ition of the Noble Mar. gin. was pure and honenintale, he could hot be run sown by any authority a natever. As for himself, he had always, in an oaen and manly manner, dis approved of the administration of the Noble Mar. gars. not that he thought him influenced by any motives e loch be migh. not avow, but that headed upon very had seivii e. i le. supported the motisi n, becaitie he thougar it improper that Failia i n n t ale - should be deprived of papers, which were already printed, and we e circulating throughout the klagioni. Mr. ADDINGTON said, nothing could as tonish Lim muse than the astonishment expressed by Mr. Johnston:. This paper would h ive the *era which the N• ale %seer of this epterloo him self disclaimed, floc of giving an injuri • . im p:co:ten of the CODU4a rg the Marquis Wiley. which this House woala ha-. os e.eista •to - IFiStrow. It was a detailed and severe . emna- I tion of the whole condma of the Marie , • sVelles- Is y, almost from the moment ot his arrival in India As to the precedent quoted, it was a motion inad vertently made, and inconsiderately adopted, and reaght not therefore to he followed. Air. IL THORNTON said, that the House was now to dacide whether it would consent to shut its eyes, and keep itself in darkness and ignorance with respell to :he affairs of India. If be did not ri • - pose to being them forward b e f ore t h e H ouse , a w s in defe r ence to the opinion of a Ri g h t Honours e b i Gentleman opposite to him ; but the question was now before them, and it was because the House was ignorant of the papers, that they caula not consent to be without them. India had been kept for years ass war ; and was poroweoly in a state of cisttess and dlr. ficulty ; and it the Direfters constantly remonstrated in vain against the measures pursued, surely it was sight that the House should be acquainted with their candlift. The Direams were not, as stated, an unofficial, but an avowed, recognised, and visible Board; and for two successive years, the Gentle• snea who were its each direCtion, inet &unity re monstrated, in the proportion of not only 23 out of 2i, but of :Bout of 30. Were these Directors, or their opinions, :sever to be listened to ? Cr were they not to he allowed the means of defendieg themselves, until the faist perks.' approached, when the distresses of India should fall as a 1 intim upon the industry of every pose Libouring man in this country t It was true, that the paper may lead to crimination here after, but so al is may' almost every speech that was snail* i • that House upon the subjea of Fact India stairs. V 1 ithout the pr••duElean of the paper, it would be impossible to satisfy the public. It was already printed, and as it would be as impossible to prevent r • tieing steed, as to raven( Iti aruptlon — d - Nleuot Vesuvius, why not let it be done in a formal and regular. rather than in an indirea and irregular manner ? As ne the Marquis Wellesley, the only quarrel be had with him was natal pubiic ground. lie thee referred to the coodua of Mr. Pitt, whom he described as a fallen mar. set in the grave ; avid said, th.t. *tibia the prssent Ministers, he was always ready and azious to punish East India dello qizeucies. To 'At a memorable expression, in the present state of things, " England experts that every man will do his duty." tor the debt of India was now- 3 milisons, acid when the Marquis Wel lesky commenced his administration, he found it esalr eleven millions. fiord CAS ME:REACH said, that teem the per. Wed connelion 5 -e had with this subj.:at, be was anxious to bear the opinions of other Gantlimen„ be fore he offered his own sentiments. As to himself, he - could have no objection to the hlmian ; but when the paper found its way into print. he could not help wishing that it had done so, with more expla nation. The dispatch, he said, was raelJentiai ; and be always stated the ova:ion given to the trarrikcs bons of (Jude. to he that. not of the Court of Di rectors. lent of the Board of Commissioners of Cana trout, who erre responsible for it. if. upon invertH ration, it should be found impolitic or unjust. By giving their sanction to it, the Board certainly made 1 themselves parties to the tran.aeriou ; tint no per son could bring any charge against them for baviiiit done so, until the House decided in condeinnatiiNn ..t the system of the Indian Government. He had not the same gloomy views of the situation of India, that others seemed to entertain. There was, no doubt, a great expenditure. arising from the war ; hut, as there was good ground to hope that the war would soon be over, that expenditure of course would be diminished. Mr. PArL made a few observations, and ex pressed his decided intention of bringing forward one of his charges against the Marquis Wellesley, to-morrow. Lord HENRY PETTY agreed in the opinion that this paper should, at some time or other, be produced, but would vote now for the previous question, for the purpose of suspending the motion, until after the criminal accusation should be disposed of ; as the paper alluded to, condemned, very severe ly, the whole administration of the Noble Marquis. Mr. W. SMITH was also willing that the paper should be suspended for the present moment, and for the present moment only. The supercession of the Marquis Wel;esley by Lord Cornwallis, whose mission was to reverse the measures of his prede cessor, implied a censure even from the late Ministers. When the Articles of Impeachment against the N‘ble Marquis should he laid upon the table, he did not think the House cou!d stop there, but pro. crud to a revisido of the whole system of East India Government ; for surely that system must be a bad one, in which a board was to ad for years, in opposition to the opinions Or 23 out of 24 Merit bers of the Court of Direftors. and oblige them to sign dispatches, which were not their own. How these Gentlemen ceuld submit to t' is, for two sne. cessiee yedrs, and come to Parliament, was more than he could conceive. Dr. LAWRENCE spoke at considerable length etgaiitat tlse Motion. Mr. GIIAN acknowtidged the situation of the Court of Direflors, under the present system, to be embarrassing in the extreme. It WAS easy to spe.tk of an application to Partiantent ; hilt when the House tecolleeted the circumstance of the Di reams holding opinions contrary to those of a No ble Governor-General, of great connection, and consequence, and sure of th:i most powerful sup port at home, they should mike allowance for the chance that such an.application would have against the combination of power and talents the , would be opposed to them. In addition to this, there was a necessity for a good urderstanding between the Board of Controul and the Ditectots, which would necessarily be disturbed by the breach which stir n A step may occasion. The Direflors discharged then own duty to the best of their judgmeht. and left the rest to that House, which was the proper guardian of the East India System. Dr. LAWRENCE explained. Lord TEMPLE did not mean to impn:e any blame to the lion. DireEtor who had just s..t &sent, or his coll. agues ; but it was a remarkable fan, which was highly worthy to be had 1,, :ment;irame, and eenerally understood, that the oispatelt, in. con. tempt of which Lord Wellesley was accus :d et Mts.- ing aftea, never came to the kAowiedree Nobleman. until four or five ears after It had beer. drawn %se , uy the Court of • It n irir premrrea to the notice; of Controul tms: MA..•I was at sea, and never reached Lan i• Wellesley's justification, however, 3.4 nor r • on this circumstance. It had been attr him (Lord Temple), that he wished to s' vestigation ;he could ray. however, for 11.. t. • : d his colleague., that there was cot a ; apier could be, wiit; safety. lola c.n.the tale, i:1 lion of L:rd Nrelieslea's administration, that they were not desirous to have produced ; nu: he was fully uersuaded, that those moved for would not attswet the end now proposed. Mr. Sscretary WINDHA d stand, be entertained an opinina different from that of the Nobie Lord and I is Right Hon. Friend near Situ (Mr. Foss); rid had he u.o, therefore, felt this to be an import ant qaestior, would not have given expression to it. Ile had t ot formed his opinion upon the cordon of Lord Wellesley, personally, but looked to V.'s case as between A. ani B. and he regarded it AS an ex tremely solemn one. As it seemed to be by all ad mitted, that much information, of some sort or ano ther. was derivable from the papers which had been mentioned, the only quertion was, whether they s-ould now be produced ? He confessed, that he felt himself disposed to join in the call for their present prodation, end not merely with a view to a second or subsequent advantage to be exprifted fro therm but as cons, died with the present dis cussinn, which might have finally for its objefL the accusaiku, r.f Marquis Wellesley. And looking to that second otijed, he did not think the House ought to exclude .ny information that could be ob tainea on Indian affairs, because it happened to be engaged in a judicial enquiry, and for fear of a pre judice beicjs imbibed from the papers that might be called for. hit would be an inference deroga.re yto the trial atd IL alretule prevailed am rnitch, - Ts eirigi&iThePc2se in the technical charac ter of a Court of Jostiets. It ought not, however, to be so considered ; the reles of Law Courts were not what ought to govern the House. which, whilst in a Committee of Enquiry. stood rather in the situa tion of Attoraa7-Cieneral or a Grand Jury. He did not think. by :he production of the papers, any injustice wculd be crane; but that it was right and just, the knowledge that was to he collected irons triem, the House should be afforded the means of acquiring. Mr. 611A.bIT said a few word, in explanation. The ALAS PER of the ROLLS reviewed the arguments of the Gentlemen vehe supported the Nlotion for papers. It would he wrong. be thought, that the ezpretation of procuring light upon ether subjects, should be stifered to occasion anv preju dice with respect to the qn-stion of Lord Welletley's delinquency. Was it tight, when an investigation was to be instituted, that ail the ill which scull !.. previously collected of the individual whom it af fected, should be emblazoned, in order to induce the cspasion that he was really the bad man Tepee mated it Fur his part, he thought it preferable to forego the attainment of information. rather than do as injury, by the precipitate el-closure of it. He I opposed, therefore, the Skagit for use productioa lof Papers. lit. WINDHAM and Do&or L AIVREXL:E explained Mr. ALEXANDE R thought there could not be an a a of grosser *injustice, than under the circum stances of this case, to call for the general opinion of a particular set of Gentlemen, for the purpose of impugning the COndua of an individual. If there had been a disobedience of iasti unions, why not call for the specific instruilkion disregarded ? A Right Hon. Gentleman had said the flouter stood in the situation of a Grand dory ; but he had never heard of a Grand Jury crilistitutmi for the purpose of criminating. If the House encouraged the habit of public accusation, it would lead to eery bad conse quences : the publiefuroe ought not to be gratified . at the expellee of individual,. Mr. Fl) L I.ER hoped the House would not divide upon the subjea. The opinion of the Court of Diretors had already been given to the public, and i he thought there would be no hat in in producing it 1 to the Memhers of Parliantent. . Mr. WILBERFORCE said, he had not made up his mind one way or ran other, on the cumin& of the MarctisWellekley; but, independently of things personal, he found himself called upon to give his vote in favour of the prododion of the paper: ; and he could not conceive how the House, in justice to itself, or the important concerns of the E ist Indies, could resist the acquirement of information on the 'Wird. The argument which had been used again••t the Motion, that the papers were Arcady substan tially before the Members, by having been pub lished in a pamphlet, had a diredly contrary in- Auence upon his mind. Were the papers to be seen surreptitiously, in a way aft , rding no assurance of their accuracy, or of the authority whence they pro ceeded ? To the pampdet, there was not even the name of a common botokseller. The Hon. Gentle man proceeded to observe upon what he called "the inherent, essential, unalterable difficulties," in the Indian Government, which rendered it necessary, that the political power, and the patronage, should be distinct. Bethought it right, that the hoard of Controul should preponderate ; but seemed to think the Court of Directois rather too limited in their authority lie concluded by stating, that he wished for the production of the papers, upon the geu.ral ground of thv:r affording information. Mr. SHERIDAN thought the objeSt of the House might be obtained, by a mi,ldle coarse, which should amount to sometising less than that of pro ducing ail the pap ; but would go to the extent of :hewing th. Marquis Weilesiy, that be had not ' had the app: obation of the Cour:. of D:redors. To MIS end, of his Right :-inn. Diens! ( Mr. Fox) would consent to withdraw his Motion, he would move ghat it be resolve!, Tnat the altered dispatch by the Board of Controul, substituted for that of the Court of Diredms, bad not use sandion of the Cour t." Strangers we-e about to withdraw ; when Lord ARCHIBALD 11.1 MIL TON rose and made a few observations, to t.ie tiled, that the ex trem: A.lonial) and i. consistency of t'e dispatch of the Cour! of .:ireElors, rendered it impossible to be carts d tutu effed. Mr. 1k expressed hims,lf disinclined to pre.t his opnffin, in opposition to that of his tligliz Honourable 1. riends. He was wilting to cl:ise with them ; but, by the resolution which had area just proposed, it oppearsei to haw the House would tie nu:lS:tog a declaration, for which they had no on,timity. Mr. FOX thought some person could inform the Huse on t at head. Lord CAS fLEREAGH and Mr. PAUL ex. *aired. Mt. JERVIS thought a period might arrive, in w'- , ch the papers ought to be produced, but that this was not it ; the Hon. Gentleman then ani rnadv,rted upon the publication of the dispatch of tne Directors, and expressed an opinion, that the tiouse aught not to receive any thing that was ia coosistest wits the law et evidence. Mr. St IILtiIDAN espresse,i his acquiescence i the suggestion of his Big::: lion. Ft tend (Mr. Windham) Mr. ROBERT THOIN roN observed, that it could m,t be said the Coutt of Direllors did nJt ap prove of the dispatch ; for, as far as it went, it was congenial with their sentiments, and they only com plained that it did not go nearly far en-ug h. In reply to an observation, w hi c h h a d been adopted in the course of the debate, that the Dire Curs were held in such a state by the Beard of Controul, that they must subscribe to any thing, his must in justice I say, they were net reduced to that condition, and had, as all other men had, the power of resigning, rather than submit to an indigrity The question bring then loudly called for, the gallery was cleared, and the House divided en the original question (as moved by Mr. los)—Ayes, 12I—Not s, 27—Majority, 94. When strangers were admitted into the Gallery, the Sp-aker was putting the question upon orders respelling the production of other Indian Papers, which had been moved for while the Gallery was cleared, and agreed to. ausrtaisans Or ?MX I.AVIGAIIOI4 LAWS. &Ir. ROSk.. pursuant to totice, rose to c..il the attention of the House to some papers he wis:ted to move for. respecting the Suspensicn of the Naviga tion Laws. He prefaced his motion with some re ferences to the American war, when it was found a great converrence to supply the West India Islands with rovisions from the American colonies. and the sulij-ct was investigated by the Privy Council, who advised that the American colonies should not be indulged with too great a freedom in that way, and that no trade should he allowed but in British ships, and by British seamen, from whence the West India Proprietors were properly supplied with posi tions. In 17 1 .'3, however, great inconveniences arose, front the indulgencies granted to the American tra ders, by relaxing thenavigation laws I in consequence of sw:;ich, our shipping, is hich amnia:acid to 937 Wes. eels, and 6,500 men, befie, were reduced to 197 shirs. and 1,390 men, and the trade pew up with Arnetic to almost the total exclusion of the Brnisb. He considered the taking the responsibility out of the hands of the Governors of the West In dia Islands, and placing it in these of His Majesty's Miuistets (which he understood was the intention). was a very dangerous measure, and should not be resorted to, but trolls the strongest and most urgent .t. amity. He then adverurd to the exportation of rum, sugar, and other West India rioduce, which lw considered must be inner dini'inis!wel by su c h measure ; ;ma ~, • ,,e;nded, by e a rnest' y Cln reat i ng the House to give t h e slibjea th e most ca h u 401 atee. tive consido Atkin, befog e Any me as or s of this terair e was ad. , pted. Lord IihNRY PET fY said, he h a d no h eti . a, Lion is declaring, that it was the iat era ion of I (is M - irSty'S MI:US:CIS in change the r r sp insilsllity of th e Governors of the Wrst India lsl.m b , wi:'.lesp e a to the stispen:bo ..1 the navigicion laws, to :lienistivits, and he was well convinced, tho woild e id er i t a mcst beneficial eh urge ; nothing he thought more dangenui than to have it in the d s. cretiom of a Groves nor, whether he to ill or will hot relax the laws on Oar suljea, and by leAvihg it to that risk, and in t! at uncenain state r "rag ),11 y exposing the ship.a.iwners and the ieanda . thiosA to 13 danger. 11w great object Was to supply those islands with provisions and suSsistenee. Tbe Right Hon. Gent. had referred to a fanner Cover antra who had relaxed those la ees : his fisrdship highly's!). proved of it, as front the various romances of fans it , and desolations, it was found •hig'ily necessary. These laws, he. concluded, required a revOian, measure was strongly in the contemplaiii.n t ; Majesty's-Ministers; but in ti:e mein time it their wish the proposed samure should he adop ed. Lard CASTLEREAGH differed stiouply it an the Noble lord in taking away the disarion of the Governors, whom alone he considered as the pencllS competent to judge of the necessity of the case; and unless the Noble Lord was prepared to sake out that there was an absolute necessity tor the. sus?en. sioa of these laws in time of war as we:l as in t i me of peace, the conviction on his mid se. a that if the Admiralty could supply a sufficient convoy, t h e West India islands would be b suer supplied wiffi provisions from the mother country than Item the American colonies. Mr. FULLER said, it seemed to him, that eons ! persons, whin once !boy got in:o et or, determined to keep to it. lie very well knew, tliat upwatch if I 5,D:tO persons w.:re starved to death in some of ice ' West-India islands by not relaxing these laws ; and from the information he received from a most in telligent Gentleman (Mr. Shandy) upon this su::- jeet, ilea was satisfied, that unless an intercourse was kept up with the AmeMcan colonies, the islan.f. could not be maintained. The stupid policy !I some people in not staving the ankers of brandy im ported into the islands, had increased that trade, and greatly diminished the exportation of rum; and while the latter languished, the Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Rose), with the assistance of hi; late Right Hon. Fiend, Mr. Pitt, had encouragnd the smuggling of foreign brandy into this caiintry, to an extraordinary event, by which the reticul was lessened near 150,0001. while the quantitizs of rums which were staved in the West Indies, ter want of shipping to bring them over, were incre:i ble. For these reasons, he highly approved of die measure. After some explanation by Mr Rose. and some further general observations from Sir William Young, Mr. Barham, and Lord Temple, in favour of the measure, and Mr. Jelfzry against it, the question aas put and and agreed tc--if That there be laid before this House, an account of the number of British Ships, Tonnage, and Men employe/ taeen the Vest India Islands and the American film January 1749. to January ASO 1 , . Also, the number of Foreign Ships maploYed f:r the same purpose, from 1797, ter 1904. Also, an Account of the quantity of Provisions and Lumber imported in every three years, during the same pe riod, from the Colonies to the Islands. distingrilii irg such as sere imported in British vessels, (rim true in foreign. Also, an Account of tce gcar tity of Rum, Sugar, and other West India prodine, exported from the Islands to the Colonies. the same period.' The second reading of the Iron Duty Bill, which stood for to-morrow, was postponed, on motion of ' Mr. VANS! ITA RT, until Monday next. Oa the motion of the ATTORNEY-GFNE RAL, that the House should go into a Cumnuttee on the Slave Importation Bill, Nlr. ROSE said, he ho;--d the House would consider. that the trade which tlic were about to abolish, supplied us with a large quardi.y cr bullion ; and that this would not be a pclitit measure to adopt at the breaking out of a war. the justness and necessity of which lie did nor mean to dispute. Ile then offered some otter arguments against the Bill ; but the Attorney-Gt. netai having stated, that it was understood that !he merits of thell:11 should be discussed on the report. the Bill was allowed to go through a Committee, is which some amendments mere made. The report was then brought up, and ordered to be t.tlen consideration on Friday next. The Rill, as amend ed, was ordered to be printed. The Irish Rank Note. and the Irish Home Dry Bills, went through Committees, and the rep' r were ordered to be received to-rnorrnse. The report of the lea Duty Hill was brought up. the Amendments agreed to, and the Bill ordetel to be read a third time to-morroa•. - The 3,000,900 ft:chequer Bah Till, wit real a third time, and pAs.e.l. I he third readinz of the Witnesses' Declaratory Bill was deterred tiii to-mortsw y and tie other den being postponed, at Twelve o'Clue, the Hots)- adjourned. THE BRITISH PRESS 11)N L4)N . TUESDAY. Arlin. 22. A Nlessage from His Martsyy was last ever.'' delivered in both Houses of Par!lamest. stat; that His MAJCSTY had withdrawn His from Berlin, and adopted rr_easares of against Prussian Commerce. in consequence or unjust seizure of !hoover. anJ the etc:ll% .." • British ships from his ports, by the King of r • ', The ofScial correspondence relative to i ;an.. was. at the same time, laid upon the table.:' thr papers have a!ready appeared in Tara f,s,;: Prass as transl..rions from the For:4g ) na:s ; but as lb :I are not accus.:e, ti,c•r