The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1806-06-19 00:00:00

erialy kneer what Motion it antetld be best to make,
it order to ascertain the reason of this, and would,
therbitite, only move now for a Copy of the Gide,
for issuing the sum et 41,0101. 10s. to John Earl
of Chatham, and Tomlin Bisho*p of Lincoln, the
Eeesators of the Right Hon. William Pitt, for the
payment of Mr. Pitts debts.—Ordered.
CHARGE AGAINsT M‘RQUIS WELLESLEY.
Mr. PAUL moved, e that the Charge against
‘largtils %%ellesley, relative to Oude, be now taken
into consideration."
on the question being put ;
Mi. BANKS said, that in pursuance of the no-
tice he had given, be now rose to oppose the same t
and he believed, it would be nent convenient to
proceed immediately to state his yeasting why he
thought the House should not proceed further, bun
on the contrary, should dismiss the matter altoge-
ther. The several details which .had been submit-
ted to the 1-I—se, were such. as r t lead to a Charge
of 50 m and complicated a nature, that he feared
trourtal %%tech si ould have to, determine upon it,
would alit be equal to do jus:iee to it ; and the
House, should it agree to eruct .on the present mo-
tion, would have to c•-•l'qw a case (Mr. Hastings's)
which had shewn greet diCulty, the infinite
delay, d u'• im te.ly the greatest possible injustice,
%%loch i ii.r totem:64 attend such a proceeding; a
ore it: ten had bionAt a vast degree of odium and
disgrace on that Howe. and on the jutisprudence
ot the country ; acrd he os 35 in hopes that in such
eases. the Hotoe would us tuture leave them to be
tried by the Courts of 1 r . He recognised with
' pride the privilege of Impeachnient vested in that
Honse, as one of the t,ighe,t and most essential that
could possibly belong to it. aad wi h.,ut which,
they would nut perhaps at that moment have pos-
sessed the power of debating at all ; yet notwith-
standing that, there were, in his opinion, many mat-
ters and things which were very unfit to he
entertained by that House, and sent to the
bar of the other for trial and for punish-
ment; and particularly a charge of this na-
ture, which contains such a complication of matter,
as would puzzle the human understanding in any
degree CO deed pe. It appears to take in all the
transanions which have passed within the province
of Oude, during the last forty years, together with,
and including all, its political and commercial rela-
tions with the East India Company. The Govern-
ment of Marquis Wellesley for five years had been
scrutinised with the greatest rigour and severity ;
and the House are given to understand, from what
has passed in the several motions for the ern/talk-a
of the mass of papers called for, and by the ch.rrie
itself, that by his crooked'policy, by his tyranny and
oppret•sittn. he had put the landholders into that
state of in:mime at the vat lOUs injuries and efts of
injustice committed on them, as to drive them into
open rebellion, end the blood that has been shed in
consequence, is laid at his door When he saw this,
and knew further, that oral testimony was waiting
to be delivered, which must he gone into, and a
ninsttedious and lung examination take place, should
the Houle terminv to entertain this charge, it was.
in his opinion, incumbent on them to consider seri-
ously, *bother they were fully competent to the
due and detritus! investigation of this charge. He
assured the House, that he entertained the highest
iespeit and veneration for the honour, the dignity,
and the justice of the House of Lords, as the high-
est Court in the kingdom ; yet he knew, at the same
time, it was a Tribune!, which, if not certain of
bringing punishment on the guilty, was inevitably
so ccsasteuted, and bound in by so many rules and
regelations as to their proceedings, that it was cer-
tain to !stifle vexation and expence, of the greatest
cent and magnitude, on the innocent. The
case of Mr. Warren Hastings had proved, that.
in fall, the expence was absolutely ruinous.—
He would, therefore, wish to avoid that Tribu-
nal. which must inevitably injure the innocent,
and which it might happen could not punish the
guilty. That House, en performing the funCtions
of the Grand Inquest of the country, should carry
with them great•auention, great labour, and the
stritest impartiality ; and he was in doubt, whether
the vettlid they would give, would be really de-
livered on the strength of their own individual
opinion, as there were so many causes for persons
is their siltation ro be biassed by a variety of im-
ptesstons, and perhaps prejud cogs which would
destroy that stria impartiality which was, above all,
necessary in a case like the present. He conceived,
therefore, that when the House assumed funetions
of this very serious nature, it 'ought only to be in
cases of the highest and most imperious necessity ;
and when the work could be done in any other way,
he should wish the House not to assume them
13y two Afts of Parliaments passed in 1784,
and 1786. both Houses had been empowered to
appoint by ballot, in the course of eve: y Session. a
certain number of thir tespeaaive Members, to as as
a Jut y, for the trial of certaii offences committed in
India. This Jury would be composed of a certain
ass giber of Peen, and an equal number rot Com-
moners, with a Judge from each Court of Law, and
always to have three Judges, at least, present.
nese were, in his opinion. likely to form as gond,
as enlightened, and as impartial a Jury and Tri-
bunal, as the mind of man could conceive, or as
any person wishing to have justice most fairly dealt
out to him, could wish for. He had heard it con-
tended, that these Acts had in contemplation other
°lessees than those of a high political nature, such
as extortion, and the like ; but one of them ex-
' pressly provides, that if Governors aft contrary to
its enaltments, they shall be amenable for mis-
emneanotes; but there was something much
stronger. which he thought would take awaj any
doubt on this head ; which was, that the only
offence committed against the Act since its passing,
was a ruitinstituted in the Court of Ling's Bench
by the then Attorney-General, now Lord Eldon,
against Mr. Holland, for varieties misdemeanours corn-
ratite.' in India. in v.:Melt all thsebarges. contained
is niecteen enoets, were of a public conceits, and
none of a private nature. This was in tint, and
it was stated agair .t him, arimeg other things, that
be ought to have marehed an army in sup-
jean of the Campauy's Allies, and to have
prosided bullocks, Sle. for the support of such
Mitt y - -for trot dispatchieg to the Gervernor of
Bombay immediate notice of a rapers with certain
Rajefie--and save-al other matters 4 titulike kind ; '
which all tendeo to thew most clearly end forcibly ,
that. .Varquis tVellesley may be aliciiteally tried