Star.
London, England, 1806-07-09 00:00:00

LIFE ANNIJI

IA NY Perron% willing to advance Money upon
L, life Annuities in Shares net is. than axl. each, to be re.
i cured on the Parini Hates, (meet its., authority of an Ad! of Par.
i lament lately pared for rebuilding the Body of the Parlib Church
of Chrrtfey, In the Cout.ty of Surrey, ar tequdhal intents:lately
Ivo tranbrit Pro/weals Rating the rum to be advanced, the
.age of
' the party, and the Annuity expetied; to Aleflts. Clark anal Graze-
. brook, of Chertfey, Clcrlta to the "I'ruliees appointed to carry the
hid Aet into eeteution, in order to their being laid btfort a Meet-
ing of the Paid Truiteeas to be held on or before the aSch day of
1 July next,-Chertfey, June t 6, 11:46.

• • TIWYFORD COTTAGR, WINCHESTER.
TO lIF. SOLD SY PRIVATS CONTRACT,
Completely and very Han.lfosuely Forrilthed„
abnve beautiful Cottage, lately fitted up in
J.. groat toile; with *able, Coach Inure' and other detached
Office.; fmall Shrubbery, and good KltchenOdrden. The above
Cottage is acute in the findl part of Hampthlru for field (ports. on
the Ranks of the River Itchen. and command. very bateau' Acres
otthc furrounding Country. It is wall calculated fur the accommo-
datinn of a moderate fami!v, uthl the puretafer may have iffisus.
disc poircffion ; within three miles of Winchefter, nine of South-
hampton, and to of London.
For particulant apply to Mr. Pinkert, S titkor, Net I. thn•rmtrt,
Temple, Leaulwa; or en the Pressi:es which may he sassed an ap
*cation.

•
LOAM MELVILLI'S MOTION.
The Order of the Day having been read, for the
Lords to be fummnned to attend this day, the LORD
CHANCELLOR called upon Lord Melville.
Lord MELVILLE role, and (poke to the follow.
in effect :--" My Lords, I regret much, that the
Hoare is not in poffeilion of thole official documents
which would enable us clearly to fee our way in the,
dila:Rion of the important fubjea, to which I think
it my duty now to call your Lordfhips' attention.—
For want of thefe we are obliged to grope in the
I dark, and take the prevailing rumours as the grounds
of our arguments. Ifitall tirll, however, he obliged
to give fome kind of hiflorical account of the trap-
fa tion on which the dila:Mon of this night will prin. I
• cipally torn.
" When Lord Cornwallis had undertaken the Go
verr.ment of India, and when in his zeal for the pub•
lic fervice, he left the Banks of the Ganges, and
made a diflant journey for the purpofe of giving ef-
feet to the negociations for peace, Sir George Ballow,
confidering the delicate Rate of his Lordthip's health,
and the danger he expofed himfelf to in his country's
fervice, thought it proper to quit the feat of Govern.
ment, in order to afliit his Lordflrip in the negocia.
dons, and, in cafe of that event taking place which
has fince happened, to receive his dying inttrations,
end to carry them into effea without delay. Sir
George Barlow had then for his infirationi not only
the fyllem which Lord Cornwallis atually purfued,
but the orders of the Court of Dtredlors, and the in.
Orations given to General Lake nn the totts of Sep-
tember. The general principle of the negotiation
with the Native Powers, as alto the fyllem • of re-
trenching unneceffary expenditure, was begun by the
Marquis Cornwallis, acrd was afterwards purfued by
his fucceffor, Sir George Barlow. Such was the film
ation of India,
,as it was known in this country upon
the 29th of Jaotrary tall, when h:s Majefty's Minilters
with great wifdom and propriety, confidering that it
was not proper to leave India without the full be
nefit of thole Powers of Government which has been
always confided to Governors, General, recom-
mended to the Court of Direaors to give thole
Powers to Sir George Barlow, in order that he might
not be fettered either in condufting the negociations,
or in carrying on the Government in India. With
this recomnsendation, the Court of Dirators readily
and cheerfully complied. Nu appointment was ever
las complained of, and no difpatch has fince been
received from India that did not convey the moll
fanguine expatations of Piece's from the meafures
purfued by the fucceffor of Marqui, Cornwallis. The
appointment in conlequence of the recommendation
of his Majefty's Miniilers was made on the aßth of
February, and upon the Bth of March the Court of
Direftors received an intimation of the with of his
Majefty's Miniflers that a fucceffor lhould be appoint-
ed to Sir George Barlow. The Court of Direaors
were very unwilling to comply. They forefaw, or
they thought they forelaw, great difficulties and great
oblations to complying with this intimation. Nothing
effeaual was done from the Bth of March till the tzth
of May, when a communication was made to the
Coma of Direams, fuggefling the recal of Sir GeO.
Barlow, and recommending the appointment of a Nn
ble Lord (Lord Lauderdale) high in the confidence of
his Majefty's Minitlers. This recommendation did not
accord with the ideas of the Court of Dirators, and
fume move delay was occafirined by the correfpnn-
dance and communications that took plate on this
ruble& At length, at the latter end of the month
of May, his Majefly was advifed to recal Sir George
Barlow, by an intirument under his own fign manual.
Since that time it has not appeared that any Gayer-
nor General has been appointed, or any Amp taken to
fill up the vacancy in the Government of India. In
the vitae of the tall dity or two, there has been a
tumour that a Noble Lord (Lord Minto) has been
appointed ; but this rumour is the only thing which
the Hortfe is now polfeffed of, inllead of that infor-
mation to which it is entitled upon f) important a
fubje& The intended fecal of Sir George Barlow
has been, huwever, notified to India in all the con.
refpondence, both public and private, that has taken
place with that country fince the beginning of March;
and it mutt occaf.on great uncertainty with re-
(pea to the fyllem of Government to be adopted for
India, as well as great furprife in chore who are belt
acqnainted with • he lattices, the talents, and the
zeal of the Hon. Baronet. It will be now necefUrry
Ito confider the All of Parliament itfelf, under which
his Majefty was empowered to recal the Governor.
General appointed by the Company. It is by the
Aft which palled in the year 1754 that his hlajelty
obtained that prerogative, and it will not be foreign
from the fubjea to call the attention of your Lord.
(hips to the circumfiances nader which that Aet was
paired. It will be recolleaed that it was at that re-
! mar kable period when the whole conntty was a n•
I culled with different opinions nn the fuhjea the
bell modes of governing India. The different fy Items
might be laid to be contained in two Bilk the one
was commonly known by the name of Mr. FOX'S Bill,
and the other by that of Mr. Pitt's ICI. In the latter,
however, to which Parliatnent rive its fanaion, the
power of recalling a Govern ir General, or other of-
ficer. was given to his Majelty by an eaprell elude in
the Bill. If the Houle will, however, recolidt the ,

eircumfiances of thole times, and confider the mode in
which thole two Bills were univerfally underflood at
that period, it will appear that it was the general opt.
nion at that time, that the real difference between the
bills was a ftrug,gle for the patronage of India,whcther
it Should be in the hands or the Crown, or of the Com-
pany. The oppofers of the Bill of 1783 (Mr. Fox's
Bill) contended, that giving the patronage of Ind;a
to Miniflers would overturn the independence of the
Lords and Commons, and be fubvertive of the
leges and prerogatives of the Crown The Bill of
1784 (Mr. Pitt's Bill) difclairned this patronage, and
went upon the fuppofition that the patronage of India
might he more fairly and beneficially exercifed by
the Eon India Company themfelves. I do not now
mean to argue which of thole opinions WM right ne
wrong. f merely mean to (late, that the opinion of
the Legislature in the year 5784, when they agreed
to Mr. Pitt's Bill, was decidedly for leaving the
Company the patronage of India. The elaufe there-
fore in that Ad, which firll gave his Majefly the
power of recalling a Governor General, can never
fairly be conttrued as direCtly militating againft the
whole fpirit of the Aft. The mon decided fenfe of
the country was then in favour of the spirit of that
Aft, and with this generally prevailing fentiment the
Legifloture concurred ; it therefore never could have
been the intention of the Legislature, that a Nil,
puffed in this fpirit, Should contain a claufe, which
Was to he at complete variance with the whole oh.
jee of the Bill, and Should enable his Majefly's Mi.
oilier+, by exercising at pleafute this power of recal,
to gain the entire patronage of India. The mean-
ing, of the claufe is obvious. It only was intended
to givl the Crown the power of negativing any
improper appointment, which partiality might ever
induce the Court of Dip eftors to make. The Court
of Direfinrs were alto checked in that repeet by the
Court of Proprietors, and there was a moll remark-
able innance then recent, of the Court of Proprietors
having retitled to acquiefee in the meal of Mr. Holl-
ings, when the Court of DireCtors had propofed it. It
therefore was neceffary that in cafes of that nature
the Government lhould have the power of recal; and
to remedy a &lea of this very defcription was the
only objen of that claufe in the Bill. I there-
fore think myfelf wow warranted to appeal to the
recollation of every Noble Lord who remembers the
circumftances under which the Aft of 1784 was pal.
fed, whether I have not Rated fairly the intentions of
the Legillature at the time of its ? 1 know that
as to the merits of the two different Bills, there mull
be a great variety of opinions, and every perfon
mull he filbje.ft to Come particular bias. The Noble
Lord (Minto) may, probably, be more attached to
the principles of the Bill of 1783, or Mr. Fox's
Bill, as it is nfually called. On the other hand, I
may appeal to another Noble Lord, whofe opinion
I may bring forward as a balance in point of autho.
riry, and whore bias I mutt fuppofe to be in favour
of the Bill of 1784, from the part he took upon that
occasion, (Lord Melville here alluded to Lord Gren-
ville). He muff know the fpirit in which that Bill
was paned, and whether it would not be contrary to
the fpirit and meaning of that Bill that any claule of
it ()mold be cordirtied as giving the patronage of
India to his Mtjefly'sMinifters, whenever they should
be pleafed to Witt upor, this power of recalling, at
their *afore, thofe who had been appointed by the
Company. It would be contrary to the fpirit and
to the obvious meaning of the law, if the power
of recal Mould be etkrcifed merely fat the purpole
of enforcing the appointment the peefon whom
his Mejelles l•linitters stinted to be the G-vernor
General of India. The Power that the Crown
poffcffed would be grof.ly abufed, if it were ap.
plied to any other purpofe than what was intend-
ed by the law, to the negativing of an appoint-
ment made in favour of an improper perfon.—
If this be the only fair, rational, and true confine.
tien of the Aft under which India has been governed
for the 101 l twenty-two years, then it is incumbent on
his Majeny's Mininers to thew fume cause, why they
adviled his Majesty to recal the perfon whom they
had originally recommended to be appointed as Go-
vernor General. For the whole period of twenty-
' two years, since this aft Was paned, there was no in-
Stance of his Majesty's Minillers having exercifed this
power, and they Should be aware, that the molt per.
nic:ous confequences might result from an indifcreet
exercife of it. The situation of India now was de.
licare in the extreme. The negotiations which were
pending with the Native Power., and the retrench-
, merits which were to be carried on, required a Go-
vernment armed with the offal powers and confi•
dente. If then, at filch a titre, tilt power of tecal
was exercifed altogerlor without teafon, and ap-
parently with no other view than patronage. it was
enough to irritate the Court of piTedors. If, then,
the Court of Direftors were irritated by loch nodal
(and it was known, that whim and ill humour had
often great influence nn the determination of public
bodie,); if they fupoofed,thot ibis power of recal was
excrriied capricioufly and wantonly, they ecntld find
from the words of the law fulficient means of refining
any appointment that Inci Majesty's Minitfers miglo
with to make. I have already gated to your Lordthips
the fstuation in which India was placed at the death of
the Marquis Cm nwelli%, and at :he time that Sir Geo.
Barlow succeeded to the Government ; and with, that
the first aft of his Majesty's fvlinifiets upon that oc.
cation was to recommend to the Court of Diredlors
the extending the power of Sir George Below. On
this recommendation there was great joy in Look:,
holl-nreet • for never was there an ind;vi.triai in the
fervice of the Comp:int: whole enriltoet ircc,,, I
more marked approbation than that o! B'.
Barlow, nor did the records of the Corap.nr thew a
greater number of tears:tonics of Rojo osaoon • t the
clouded of any individual that vier wan [heir ter.
rice. The former Adrn;niftrati‘in hod concurred
with the Company in their opinion of lais merits; for
when Marquis Wellefler was abort ercp,ti undo
India in 1803. Sir George Barlow was the perfon
whom they had named as his luccelfor. When, how.