The Sun.
London, England, 1805-04-06 00:00:00

kiture conauft of the Driti,h Government in India;
hint this construaion was •by no means a war.
tantalite one : it could never be intended to assert,
that no circumstances whatever would render it the
policy of this Country, to extend its territory in
The fair ,construCtikin of the Clause was,
that it shoold be the ()bled of this country, by
every justifiable meansi to preserve peace in
Jtudia. How was. this most likely to be pre.
servoti ? Was it by telling the, Native Powers
we art chained, we are forbid to repel your ag_
gressions; you may attack us with impunity ?
Certainly
,not. Such a mode of conduit eotild
be prAlative only of ruin and extirpation. If
the Honourable Gentlernao asserts,.. that the Le.
gislature .orelered that -.the British Government in
India should- torn no alliancesr.affensive or defen.
sive, with the Native Powers, he asserts that which
is untrue, and which, if true, would be absurd,—
The lad is,, ti.at- the ACt of the Legislature ex.
pressly recogniies tne power of the British Go.
vernment at home (under the sanction of Partia.
ment), to declare war against, or form connexions
with, such Native Powers as seemed expedient to
them. The Noble Lord took a comprehensive
view of our establishmeni in India from their ,ori.
gin, and .sheaved how continually we bad to con.
tenth with the, influence of France, 'whose objeEt it
had ever been to supplant us in that quarter.. With
reg to the extension of our )erritory, of which
the Honourable Gentleman complained so loudly,
irhad principally t.ken place in the two Mysore
Wars, the justice of which he believed even he
would not dispute. Setting these Wars aside, the
next visible changes were in the ,Carnatic and
Odle ; but on these subjetts. the House vias not at
resent .competent. to jtidge,, from the deficiency of
the necessary Papers. There remained our ,con.
flexion with the Nizam, which the 'Noble Lord
StrOngoty justified, and expressed his lurprise that
the converting of-. an, enemy into it friend should
be scleCted by, the Honeurable Gentleman as de.
bet viog reproach. But. the main 'objettion of the
Honourable Gentleman -turned- on our cunnexbo
with the Mahrattas. This was a most impottant
question, and most diflicolt to be resolved. No
view of it,caul.l be said to be bit -obvious as

not to admit of some doubts. The Noble Lord
defended, at considerable length, the general.
policy of a cennexion with the Mahrattas, and
the pz.rticular species of connexion which had
berti adopted by our Government. The Malt.
taita Empire was composed Of several powerful,
and many minor States. Antecedent to the Treaty
he had no difficulty -in stating it as his
ppinioo, that cur policy was to keep dear of any
bin!) connexion ; but the moment that the Treaty
was signed, .the situation of. the Mahrattas began
ratitl!y: to change. Instead of the irregular mode
of warfare to w hick they had hitherto been accus.
tinned, they habituated thcrnseves to an 'organized
system at military tactics, obtained the assistance
tit French Officers,. who headed their Troops, and
threatened destruction to our Asiatic Power, had not
the wisdom of the British Government in India sug.
gested the expediency of forming connexions among
them, by which the different Powers should become
distinited and incapable of Offing against us as a
whole. The Hon. Gentleman had much undervalued
the ipfluenee of Fraoce in the Maheatta Empire.—
Perron, although merely an adventurer, had
obtained an ascendancy over Scindeah ; who, how.
ever jealous cif his power, was unable to extricate
hint. elf from it. • The Revenue of the Country in
which he exercised :this domination, amounted•to
1,700,0001. and he had between 30 and +o,ooo
Troops under his cimmand. If France, therefore,
had sent an Army to the GoZZetal, it would have
had considerable assistance from the co-operation of
so powerful an Ally. The Noble Lord entered into
complete justification of Lord WELLESLEY'S con.
dOtt, on whose brilliant talentit and charafter he
passed the highest eulogium. He adverted to the
hostilities with Hqlkar, and asserted, from the:
rapers already before the House, that he had long
an inclination to hostility. Why the-Coun.
try was not in possession of. the whole of the
Papers im this important subje he could not say ;
but when that cause- was known, he was con.
vinced, -it would be found that the Governor
,Ge.
netal had not acted inconsistently with his' public
duty. He concluded With moving the previous
question.
Lord TEMPLE, if he conceived that the Mo.
Linn of his Honourable Friend wore diretted against
the Noble Charafter at the headol oar Government,
in India, would be the first :to- hold up his hand
against r and as it was, he 'could ,by 'no means
agree with his Hon. Friend, that any:re-statement
a she opinion of ;Parliament tan the mode of con.
sluel'ra' be pursued in the East was necessary at chi
resin& The Noble Lord corrohoratad the state.
silents of Lord, CAITLeREAGH, particularly with
'rept& to Lord Wellesley, to whom' he paid the'
highest compliments, and expressed his intention 'of
vorivtgfor the Previous Question.
L WR ANC 23 aimbludell highly the senti.
meats of the lion. Mettt)ertviio- had brought for.
ward the Motion, and vindicated him tram the
potation of having negleCted to bring it forward
before, by maintaining,; that this was Ike first op.
port unity when he could regularly, on authentic
docutnentii submit such an one to the House. Tile
Learned Member stmt Mita, that the Parliamentary
principle-bad been departed (torn in the conquests
rnade in India, the policy of which he 'repiobated; ala
in support of his opinion, quoted the opinion of. Mr
Hastings in 1793, that it the Company were th
add Bengal,: then to their other possssions, th 4
would ,siok-tinder the weight of their acqoisitioni.
The War, with the Malitattas had beempr.,duced by
Cie Treaty of Bassein. lie should vote for
ri 64.
oaitiP,ilM,rtiot, because it was meant. with a view'
of thi re.t!Stablishment of the principle sanctioned
by P:r;iament and the Legislature, and nut with a
VIC t;to _,fl,!Cririainati,,in of any individual.
Ch 7,41?!., ES G1..1N1 ~painki ay it waq ru
hi, 1., hider from the l'quble Lord on the Ii tar,
could not, bolo a sense of duty, avoid declaring, that
tee l'Ar froin-having been :.tlnCti-ncd try the Court of
Dscct.,ls, the Treaty of Bassein hail never ben
dtsclissed l them. tray 'unable to view the

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