The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1806-03-18 00:00:00

Bible of the impossibility of at once tearing it up font and branches. He could not see any want of Ceiling I ie the notice of reor,tl, given on the first day of the ' Session. the same thing might be thought eeces sary in some circumstances, that would not he so in others. A motion for the immediate repeal of the Parish Bill may be very proper, bad the former Ministers continued, but need not be hurried now. under an Administration which always disapproved o f it. In the last year, he moved for a list of the balances in the hands of public officers, with a view to propose a measure which would prevent that from happening in future ; but he had no occasion to do it now, as his Noble Friend (Lord H. Petty) had given notice that he meant himself to propose a measure to the same effeft. The Right. Hon. Gent. (Mr. Canning) was net correft in stating that the Parish Bill was paralized since the appointment of the new Ministers ; as, in fan, that measure was revel executed throughout the country ; and if it had lately more vigour than before, it was pro. duced by means of the errerpr employed to carry it into effeft. As to the question respeEting pentlties, he did not think it required any answer, for they could not be enforced, as many of the Parishes were unable either to pay them, or to raise the men re quired of them. The Right lion. Gent. had no more right to-answer that, than he had to explain any part of his plan. He, for one, did not know what that plan may be ; but, from the talents em ployed in it, he made no doubt that it would be a very good one. The time taken for bringing it to maturity, did not appear to him to be, by any means, unreasonably long, for the purpose of re. placing a former one, generally allowed to have been radically bad. The volunteers be could not think to be so unreasonable, as to feel discontented at a delay of six weeks, or two months. He was himself a volunteer ; but he had no fears from the principles of the present Ministers, am- were any, Ire believed, entertained by the other volunteers et the country. The Gentlemen on the other side should not take advantage of difficulties, which they them selves create,' ; and the military, financial, and pre cautional ledures of the Noble Lord (Castlereagh) were not applicable to difficulties which were the reseir of his own measures. Mr. Secretary FOX, in reply to the irony of Mr. Corning, respefting the present AdminLtra tion comprising all the talents and charaCter of the country, wished to ask him yr Letitia- any man ever heard one of His Majesty's present Ministers say so? For his own part, he could not be so arrogant as either to say or think so, whenever he looked to the other side of the House, and saw there that Right Hon. Gentleman, who certainly was not a Member of the present Admi nistration. He could extravagant opinion, for he knew very well, that them were in the country, men of very great talents and charaifter, who were not in cluded in the present Ministry. The Right Hon. Gentleman might indeed have heard or read such observations, proceeding from the extravagant par tiality of friends ; but he need not be surprised at Ah. that, after all the extravagant praises given, even in v i that House, to a late Right Hon. Friend of his (Mr. Fitt) of whom it was said, that it was on him, and k him alone,' that all the hopes of the people et this country rested. He could see no ground for the Right Hon. Gentleman's saying, that 99 out of a 1011 of the people of this country would concur with him in thinking Mr. Windham was unfit for the office of a War Minister ; and it was strange, that with that opinion, instead of saying, "turn this an qualified Minister out," the Gentlemen opposite should only endeavour to hurry him on, by a nem . ber of questions, out of time, out of place, and nut of all regular order. If they thought him so slow in his progress, -it should rather be a reason for not asking questions, and demanding explanations from him, betore he was ready to afford them. He sup posed the late Mr.- rat would be a good authority with that Right Honourable Gentleman, and yet he never heard him express such an opinion of his Right Honourable Friend. On the contrary, it was very well known, that that Minister himself not only supported his measures, as a War Minister, for several years, but also on his re tura to office, desired very much, that he, as well as some other persons conneCted with him, should form a part of his second Administra tion, even after he had made all those speeches which the Right Honourable Gentleman seemed to be so much offended at. The Right Hon. Gen , tietnan said, that though he disapproved of his Right Honourable Friend as a War Minister, yet he • had confidence in the aggregate of she present Mi nistry ; but, before he niade that statement, and complained of delay, he should have recolleded, that Mr. Winaam's Writ was ealy moved on thb 7th cf • February, and that only a month or five weeks had since been emplied in forming and digesting an extensive and comprehensive plan. Much discussion had taken place on this sublet", before Mr. l'itt came last into office, and yet it was four weeks afterwards, before he proposed the Parish • Ball, which was only a small part of a system for the general defence of the c. untry I but when he considered that he offered the same plan as a theory, doping the administration of his predecessor, the delay would be found considerably longer. If he • had then been asked what the principle of his plan was, and did not decline an answcr, he must have said, that it was to do away the ballot ; and if so, the same objeCtion that was made to-night would • apply, that he was paralising the system then going forward. Upon the whole, he could see no good ground or motive for pressing these explana nons.hut he could at least conceive several bad ones. He wnnld put it fairly to the Right Hon. Gentleman, and, though that might bethought rather bold, even leave it to his own candour. whether, if the m..tion for a repeal of the Parish Bill had been made im • mediately by the new Ministers, he himself would not have accused them of an indecent impatience to obtain a hasty nitimph over their predecessors? He slid not see any thing which ought to excite an alarm .• amongst the volunteers, not the occasion there was for attempting to impress them with any ; for it was not inaprobable dust they may be very well pleased with the new plan, after it should be developed. If the Gentl roan thou;;;.t that these was too much de- Lin it was their right and duty, as Members of Pat ti intent, to take the plan into their own hand.. When the system should be brought forward. there w;;n1.1 be a fair < pportarnity of debating it fully, and that would be the proper time for submitting what ever objeetions could be made against it. Mr. CANNING, in reply to the appeal made to his candour, acknowledged, that if the Defence Aft had been repealed before the new system was proposed, he should not only arraign it as an impa- tience to obtain a triumph, but also have contrasted . . it with the condud of his Right lion. Friend de parted, who did not tepeal the at of his predeces sors, until he had a substitute ready to replace ir. For same years, Mr. Windham had been saying, that a proper system of defence might be formed hiy any other than drivellers, by getting rid of the es isting incumhrances ; but now it appeared, that he did not find the task so easy as he was in the habit of representing it to be. Mr. PERCIVAL acknowledged, that the proper time for discussion would be when the plan should he produced ; but he considered it to have been rather irregular in Mr. Fox, to impute bad motives to a Member for any questions he may ask. 'There was however a good reason given for asking about the penalties ; and as to what Mr. %Vhitbread said, that the parishes could not pay them, he sbould only observe, that he believed there was no parish in this country which could not either raise two men, or pay the penalties for rot doing so. Had it been dist.naly stated, that the Alt was to be repealed, it would have had one good effeCt, by not leaving that matter in suspen'e. Mr. FOX explained, that he ascribed no bad mo tives to any one, and had only said that he could see no good one for those inquiries. Dr. LAWRENCE agreed with the Hon. Gen tleman who had just sat down, that this was not the time to enter into a discussion on the subjea. He thought the condo& of the Gentlemen at the other side was so extraordinary, that he could not refrain from adverting to a tew particulars. They had re quired his Right Honourable Friend to make a statement of certain parts of his plan, when he had already declared, that the plan he intended to pur sue, was not entirely arranged. Their objea was to induce him to make declarations, which hereafter might be stated as a curb on his anions. But what man would be so absurd as to make declarations, n 1 en they were so likely to be mistated? when, in the debate of that very night, such false representations had been made of former declarations ? In fan, they could not be depended on ; and he thought his Right Hon. Friend had aced wisely in avoiding them entirely. The Hon. Gentleman then as,erted, that there was no consistency in the conduit of the Gentlemen at the other side of the House; sonic of them had approved cf the Bill for the Defence of the Country, which immediately preceded this ; and had then been the strenuous supporters of this, in oppos:tion to that ; but at all times they had a great propensity to shelter themselves tinder the name of the great man who had brought forward this mea sure ; and when, at the beginning of the session, a notice had been given which affeCted it, a request was made, that the motion should be deferred for a time, until he should be able to sit in his place, and personally support it. Tire Resolusions were then read and agreed to. INDIA PAYERS. Mr. PAUL said, that from the appearance the House then had, he would not go at length into a statement, but would content himself with first moving," that the order of the 27th of-Jai:miry last should be read." The Clerk then read the order, which was for se veral India Papers, particularly respecting Oude. Mr. PAC L then stated, that nine months since he had moved for these Papers, for the purpose of grounding a criminal charge against the Marquis Wellesley, but though the Papers were ordered by the House, they had never since been produced. On the Ist of Feb-uary, he having moved for these Papers in Januiry, an Hon. Gentleman ( Mr. Wal lace) came down, and moved for Papers, for the pur pose of defending the conduit of that Noble Lord. The latter were instantly produced and printed, while the former, which were to support the charge, were purposely kept back. On these considerations, he thought he was justifiable in moving," that a re turn should be made forthwith." Mr. WALLACE said, he had often before stated to the Honourable Gentleman the reason why these Papers had not been before produced. At the time the changes in Administration were likely to take place, and that, of course, there was to be a great alteration in the Board of Controul, the Gen tlemen who composes! that Board thought it better to leave the Papers. colleted as they were, for the inspeCtion of those who were to succeed them in office, and to allow them to exercise their discretion on them. With respea to the Papers for the de fence, which were produced before the others, he had only to state, that they were colleted, and ready for printing, at the time they were moved for, and were, of course, instantly laid before the House. Mr. Secretary FOX thought, that if the Papers forthe defence were produced, and the others kept back, the matter should be explained. Mr. H. ADDINGTON said, that the Papers with raper to Oacleortere so voluminous, amounting to six or seven folio volumes, that though they were left ready by the former Board of Controul, yet a considerable time was necessarily consumed by the present Board in examining into them, to ascertain whether they could with propriety be laid before the House. After the order of the last Session, for several pa pers, was read, by desire of Mr. Fox, Lord CASTLEREAGH rose, and went into a detail of the various circumstances from which the delay originated. He said, that towards the close of last Session, when these papers were moved for, there was no backwardness, on the part of the Di reCtors, to bring them forward; but they were so voluminous, that it was impossib'e it could be done in the course of that Session. When, at the com mencement of this Session, affairs took a different turn, he was not ashamed to say, that, in conse quence of the charges which were about to take piece in the Administration. he, and those who aced with him, were not so constant in their appli tion to business. but left it to their successors to examine into these papers, and consider of the pro priety of granting them or not. Mr. CREEVY said, the papers would be made cut as soon as they possibly could. Mr. KERR 'crests-it...1 the idea of Gentlemen moving for papers of such magnitude, which wets uscltrs, in as much as few Gentlemen read them; and it was bad policy to nuke the arairs of. India public. The questinn VIM then put, and the return order ed' tn be nude forthwith. _ . Mr. PAUL said, it was not rrecessai y for him to detain the House long, for the purpose of shew 'iing that the Papers Ira had moved for, and which he was to move for, were necessary to substantiate his charges against the Marquis Wellesley. The first charge Le intended to make against him was with respect to his condud in the Carnatic ; tl:e second, with resped to his condud in Nude; and the third, with respell to his peaty with the Rajab of Bhurtpore. The intention of the Noble Lord, Ice supposed, was to d-fend the first on the ground of the turbulent disposition of the Princes of the Carnatic; the second, on the appointment of Mr. Henry Wellesley, in Chide ; and the 'Treaty with the Rajah,of Bhuttpme, which was the third, on the expediency of the :aSe. Rut these defences would have little avail. The Marquis Wellesley had put in force a system of oppression which WAS against every rule and every law; it was nut the policy of this country to aggrandise herself at the expense of the natives. Why was Mr. Hastings brought to the Bar and impeached for high crimes and misdemeanours, but for the purpose of making an example of him, and preventing such conduit fur the future? Why was the Marquis Cornwallis sent over to Ity.ra, but for the purpose of repairing the evils which had originated from the condo& of his prt-decessor ? In fine, he conceived, that if no retrospetive view were to be taken of events, the na tives of India would soon become discontented. He then moved, " That there should be laid before the House, cnpiec of ail Letters and Inclo‘ures relative to the Prince of 54,at." I Earl TEMPLE said, though he did not mean to oppose the produaion of the papers, yet lie would enter his protest against gentlemen ccming forward and moving for voluminous papers, with out stating any specific charge inten!ed to be brought forward. In the present instance, the pa. pens mere moved fcr, merely for the purpose of fishing out a charge against his Noble Friend. He was, however, anxious that the papers should be brought forward, and that the Marquis Welles ley's condua should be investigated ; indeed, he conceived, that it would now be doing no more than justice to that Noble Lord. With regard to Su•at, he would state how that place was partica larly circumstanced. Previous to 1;53, the Nabob ship of Surat had been, for many years, in the pos session of one family. In 1;59, a treaty was made with the then Nabob, by which the castle and fleet of S.Jlat were put into the possession of the Eng lish ; and in 800, the Marquis Wellesley tinned into a treaty with the Nabob, by which the latter was allowed greater privileges, and a greater ex tent of territory, than he had had for a considerable time before, tmeethes with a yearly stir end of a lac of rupees. The cordna :Jarvis Vs'elles'ey with respell to Surat WAS irreproachable. Ilh; Lordship then read, as part of his speech, the approbation of the Direaors on that occasion. The Noble Lord concluded by saying, that if the Honourable Mover felt a sincere regard for the Marquis W ellesley, he would bring forward the motion ; but if he felt • regard fur himself, he would put the papers in his pocket. Mr. H. ADDINGTON observed, that when it was said by him or his Noble Friend, that they did not oppose the produlion of the papers, it was not to be understood that they meant more than such papers as were proper to be laid betore the House. Ile then adverted to the transactions concerning Surat, and concluded by informing the House, that when these papers were produced, there were others which should be hronght forward, and which were sti.l more voluminous • Lord FOLKESTONE was not prepared to admit, that the Marquis Wellesley bestowed so many favours on the Nabob of Surat. Sir T. METCALFE did not conceive the Hon. Mover hid made himself miner of the subjea, and he thought it but proper, that he should set him right. He then went into the history of the coun try, for a considerable time, stating the various changes which had taken place, and the various wars which had been carried on, from the consider ation of which, he thought it impossible that the cond•t& of the Marquis Wellesley could be thought oppressive. With respeCt to the papers, he could not agree that the produCtion of them could have no bad tendency. There was a past of Which lay open to the attack of the enemy ; and be conceived, that papers which exposed the whole strength of the country, in every ear', were not 6t to be produced. lie hoped the Gentlemen in office, and thine whose particular province it WAS, would pay every attention in reading them over, lest any should appear in print, which would tend, in any manner, to expose our weaker places to the attack of the enemy. He thee pronounced an enlogium on the coodua of the Marquis Wellesley ; and stated. that if his plans had been pursued, that country would now be in a much better state. Tire Hon. Baronet then said, that however respraahle the Hon. Gentleman might be, who brought for ward this Nlotion, the House should pause, before it allowed, on slight grounds, a charge of high crimes and misdemeanours to be brought against A Governor-General of India. He knew it was not popular to speak in that House of the expense of printing papers; but he would surprise Gentlemen some day, with a Motion to inquire into, and ascer taia the expeoce of printing useless India papers ; a system which, if not put a stop to. would have the most baneful dries. Mr. H. ADDINGTON explained. Dr. LAWRENCE said, he felt disposed to give every credit to Marquis Wellesley for the energy with which he had coaduand his Indian Adminis tration ; but he could not help feeling, also, and the impression was augmented by the grounds upon which the produaion of papers was opposed, that there was something which required investigation. Mr. Secretary FOX *aid, he thought it right to reply to an insinuation which bad been conveyed in the speech of an Honourable Direanr, that certain Members of the present Administration had, since their accession to office, evinced a change of sentiment with rerpeet to the conduct of Marquis Wellesley in India. If he were requ;red to give a decided preference to the system of that Noble man's administration, or the system of Marquis Cornwallis, he sbvuld certainly say, that the latter was, in his opinion, most expedient. He had never. hmctcer, entertained an opinion detrimental to the credit of Marquis Wellesley ; nor did he, on the ether hand, mean to resist any inquiry into the mesh.' sures of his Lordship, which it :Might be thought necessary to institute. As the charges had hems introduced by private members of the Home, be did not think Ministers called 000 n to deliver their opinions in this stave ; and where, as is this case, an intestigotion affeding the honour and charader of an individual was the topic, tu tnan would ap prove. that the influence of Ministers should be esed to bits decision. If it were meant to be .aid, that he had, out of office, given a ny eneil t wagemexte l to a charge ' *Lich, in office, be intended to oppose, lee assureilthe House, there was no found:l-ion fur such a conclusien; and that, if the charge were Nersisted in, he should come to the di oussion, With out the smeilest prepossession on the subjed: Mr. HUDDLES lONE. after what tiedlallea from an Hon. Baronet in the come.: Of this debate, thought it proper to state, that the Churt of Direc tors of the East India Compaoy had no ohjeelion to the ptoduaion of any papers that rmght h e thought necessary to an inquil y into the late ore,- ceedings in India, and that they did not apprehend any ill cons oquencee from the publication of the papers moved for. He was iudoced to say &L. lest it should be supposed, that what had been so strongly expressed by the Hon. Baronet, respeding Marquis Wellesley, were the sentlmerts of the Doi redlors, with resped to the Administration of theta Nobleman. !Tir T. METCALFE said, he had not been de livering his opinion in the House as a Director of the East India Company, bite exercising his judg ment as a private Member of Parliament. Mr. R. THORNTON s.id, that front the manner in which the Hon. Baronet had express-d himself, he might well he construed to be deliveting a more extended opinion than his owe. tie }Lc!, however, stood alone in the Court of Directors, as the pone gyrist of Marquis Wellesley. whose conduct the Di rectors disapproved, and coneideri d extremely de trimental to the intere'?t of the Company. Thee circumstance of the Court having been obi ged tw send out another Noble Nl:de - tuts, to remedy the injurious measures of his predecessor, was s suffi cient circumstance to rove. the necessity of an inquiry. There were severll papers cone neded with tie late Indian Adran.istratione which ought to be before the House, and which the East India Company would be very hepoy to see investigated. After the suspicions which were abroad, the House was bound to look the thing is the Lace, and the country requited it. Mr. PAUL hoped the House would allow lsint to say a 'f ew words more. Even admitting that the accusation against Marquis Wellesley, as far as related to his impolitic oppression of ;he native Princes. were not substooti 'tech there weeye: a most solemn and substantial charge to ptefer agahert him : it was that of most unnecesssaily squaw. during rot fess a sum ti in 1,500,011:II. a year, and of perveo.ing the public money from the uses to which it was required to be applied by the Ad. The Hon. Member stated, that is was hiskttentiqa strenuously to per: in the high and .serious charges he bad announced (particulerly with respek to the illegal applioatiois of the public ionnoo) in defiarfce of the sneers if Gentlemen, an 3 notwoh standing the enemies he had and might make, and the friends he might lose. The Hon. WI LLESLEY POLE wished to ask the Hon. Gentleman, whether he intended- to charge Marquis Wellesley with having' applied the public money to his own use ? Mr. PAUL said, he meant to say, he had applied, the money to the incteese of his own splendour, and to things not at all necereery. Mr. POLE repeated the question. and said, that as it would be the first tine in the Noble Ma:qtrishs life that the breath of calumny had assailed him, in so serious away, it would not be wondered at. that be (Mr. Pole), evinced some solicitude to be apprised of the precise nature of the charge. s ide di.sired to know whether Marquis Wellesley was charged with peculation, and the appropriation of the pub lic pulse to his private purposes? or whether it were for an excess of expenditure upon the palace of Cal cutta ; upon his body-guard, and other things con neded with the Government, that the ailegation was preferred ? _ Mr. PAUL again answered, that he meant to charge him with having expended a large sum of money upon his own convenience and splendour. Mr. POLE was renewing his question. when the SPEAKER, addressing Mr. Paul, said, that du Honourable Member expe9ed an explicit answer with repel ,to the particular bearing of the ch.., got it was intercied to advance ; and the House did not seem to think that given, at present, warsufficienily precise. Mr. PATIL—" The charge is .fer wasteful and profuse expenditnrent the public revenue committed to his charge, for his own consvenieace and splendor." The SPEAKER then put the question On the several motions, for the production of papers, u made by the Hon. Mover in the early stage of the debate, when Mr. H. ADDING lON proposed, as an amcad. :went, that the words, " so far as these various Jo• cuments may be disclosed, without prejudice to the public service," may be added to the aei i ginal motion. Mr. PAUL thought the objfe of this Amend ment. by withholding what the Hon. Gentltruan might cisuse to consider State Secrets, would be a great impediment to obtaining necessary informa tion. Mr. WILBERFORCE said, be felt jealous of the system of secrecy which was creeping into prac tice, as there was no knowing to what extent the withholding of Papers might be carried. Mr. HILKY MANN(' CON replied, that what it was wished to withhold, merely related to certain Papers respeaing the Indian coast. not relevant to the point intended to be elucidated The amendment was then carried. The ffotre resolved itself into a COMMII:•P Ways aed Means, when 4500,0001. was ordered t be raised by loan of Excherrer Rills for the service of the current year.—Reputt ordel ed to be received to-mot rose. The Committee of Supply was clef - erre." tt; to Wednesday ; and tLe other Orders of the L . being of, the liovse atourzei. T U "T~