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mated defcription, pleafing painting, and a captivating effect; but unfortunately, when examined, the whole turned out to be a work of the imagination merely. I have received an anonymous letter, figned Detector, which threatens me with every poffible vengeance, if I dare to animadvert on the conduct of Mr. Haftings, and menaces me with a difcovery of my own crimes, fhould I rafhly venture to cenfure that great man, with whom I am known to have differed fo much in opinion in India. I thought it necessary to state this circumftance to the House, although I defy the author's impotent malice, and laugh at his empty menaces!

Mr. Francis, July 2, 1784.

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I rife in this early stage of the debate, because I conceive myself particularly called upon by what has dropped from the honourable gentleman on the floor (Mr. Francis); and I do affure the House, that in a debate of fuch great national importance, it was not my intention to have mentioned a syllable about myself or Mr. Haftings. I fit in this House, not as the reprefentative of Mr. Haftings, but as an independent Member of Parliament, having some stake in this country, totally independent of the Eaft-India Company, in whofe fervice my acquifitions are very small, though I had the honour to serve them near fixteen years. The honourable gentleman says, he has received an anonymous letter, figned Detector, in which the writer threatens him with vengeance if he opposes Mr. Haftings. The honourable gentleman will give me credit when I declare to him, that I did not write the letter; that no man defpifes anonymous flanders more than I do, and I declare that I never wrote a line in my life, which I would deny, or for which I am not at all times ready to be accountable. But as the writer has affumed the fignature of Detector, I affure the honourable gentleman, the perfon who addreffes him is not the writer of those admirable strictures on the Reports of the Select Committee of the laft Parliament. The gentleman who

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wrote those letters is not in England, nor in Europe, at this moment. Having faid thus much, I will now offer a few remarks upon what has fallen from the honourable gentleman, who has told the Committee they have no fecurity that the fame prodigality which has been practifed, will not be continued, or that the Company's orders will not be difregarded in future as they had been in times paft. Upon this fubject I shall ask the honourable gentleman one plain question:-Is it not a fact, that from the year 1772, to the year 1780, a period of eight years, not a fingle bill was drawn from Bengal, ex-' cept such as were exprefly authorised by the Court of Direetors? Is it not equally a matter of fact, that the bills drawn. in 1781, and the following years, were for the express purpose of furnishing an investment for the Company? Is it not equally a matter of fact, that this was the only poffible mode by which an investment could be furnished; and why? Because in the last five years no less a fum than fix millions and a half fterling, or fix hundred and fifty lacks of rupees, was fent from Bengal to Madras and Bombay, for the support of the war. At this period too, when we were ftruggling for our existence as a nation in India, when there were oppofed to us feventeen fail of the line and fix thoufand of the troops of France; when we were at war with the Mahrattas, and Hyder Ally in poffeffion of three fourths of the Carnatic, when our armies there were paid and fed in a great measure from Bengal, was it extraordinary that Mr. Haftings was not able to appropriate any portion of the revenues of Bengal to the purchase of an investment? The question therefore was fimply this: Was it better to take up money in Bengal for bills upon England, and to apply that money wholly and exclufively to the pur.chase of an investment, or that the investment for three years fhould have been difcontinued? I am really forry to be under the neceffity of mentioning the name of Mr. Hastings fo frequently, but the honourable gentleman reduces me to that neceffity; I mean no difrefpect to the honourable gentleman,

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when I fay, that neither he nor Mr. Haftings are of confequence enough to attract the attention of the Committee for I give the honourable gentleman full credit for the purity of his motives, and I believe he no longer bears an enmity to Mr. Haftings. But what has the Committee to do with their differences. They are now upon a fubject of the greatest national importance, and I really am afhamed to lofe moment in the difcuffion of points that are purely perfonal. The honourable gentleman has gone through a variety of calculations, to prove we are ruined paft redemption, and that at the end of fix years the Company will owe nine millions fterling and upwards. If that is really the case, they are in a moft deplorable ftate: but the honourable gentleman's calculations have ever been unfavourable to the Company and its fervants. Let any gentleman read his minutes when first he arrived in Bengal, or his letter from St. Helena, or from his house in Harley Street, to the Court of Directors. I am fure I do not mean to impute to the honourable gentleman an intention to deceive: but it was the honourable gentleman's custom to state the Company's affairs in the most unfavourable point of view. Mr. Haftings, perhaps, might on the other hand be too fanguine. But without difputing the honourable gentleman's calculations, or entering into the intricacies of the China trade, I will beg leaue to ftate the tranfactions in Bengal as they actually happened in the last fourteen years. [Here a loud laugh.] I beg the Committee will not be alarmed, for I will pafs over those fourteen years in less than five minutes. The Committee will recollect, that in the year 1770, bills were drawn upon the Company from Bengal to the amount of one million one hundred thousand pounds, at the recommendation of an honourable gentleman, not now a Member of this House; I mean General Smith, and that this unexpected draft was made in a season of profound peace. The fact being, that after paying the civil and military charges, ftipends, &c. there was not a fufficient furplus at the end of fix years peace,

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for the purchase of an investment in Bengal. This threw the Company upon this House for relief; and, to ufe the words of an honourable Baronet, relief and reformation went together. - The Regulating Act of 1773 paffed, to which they owed the fervices of the honourable gentleman in India. In April 1772, Mr. Haftings, by the appointment of the Company, became Governor of Bengal; at which period the bond debt was 100 lacks, and unavoidably increased to one hundred and twenty lacks foon after. Upon this fyftem, the Company could not be expected to go on. But what was the alteration produced in four years. Not only was the bond debt completely difcharged-not only was an ample fum appropriated for the purchafe of an investment, but there was actually a balance in the Company's Treasury, in Eengal, of one hundred and feventyfeven lacks of rupees. Will the honourable gentleman fay, this state of prosperity was not the confequence of measures adopted by Mr. Haftings previous to his arrival in October 1774, or to the œconomical retrenchments which took place fubfequent to that period? I will not detain the Committee by an inveftigation of the Mahratta war. It was as much condemned by Mr. Haftings, as by the colleagues of the honourable gentleman, General Clavering and Colonel Monfon, whofe names he ever had mentioned, and ever should mention, with respect. I am happy on this day to have the honour of feeing the noble Lord in the blue ribband (Lord North), The noble Lord will do Mr. Haftings the juftice to fay, the fecond Mahratta war was not to be imputed to him. The noble Lord is fully acquainted with every step taken by Mr. Haftings. He knew the intelligence he receivld, and the credit he justly gave to that intelligence. The fecond Mahratta war was folely to be imputed to the American war, a fact I am ready to prove at any time. The right honourable gentleman (Mr. Fox,) who fits near the noble Lord, faid, and truly faid at that time, that one confequence of the American war would be, our being involved in every quarter of the globe. The honourable gentleman

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tleman had called upon the learned gentleman who fat below him, to affift him in expofing the wild fchemes of Mr. Haftings but will the honourable gentleman be pleased to recollect the ground upon which that learned gentleman proceeded. His argument was, Mr. Haftings had forfeited the confidence of the native Princes in India. They would not treat with him, he could not make a Mahratta peace, and therefore he ought to be recalled. Will the learned gentleman now hold that language? Will the learned gentleman now fay that Mr. Haftings did not enjoy the confidence of the native Princes, or that at a moment of difficulty and danger, he did not conclude the Mahratta peace? What was the difference between the learned gentleman and the Court of Proprietors with respect to Mr. Haftings? Not that Mr. Haftings was a delinquent. I never heard the learned gentleman aver an opinion of his delinquency. The learned gentleman conceived that the removal of Mr. Haftings was neceffary to conciliate the minds of the native Princes in India, and for the re-establishment of peace. The Court of Proprietors were of an opinion directly contrary, and experience has proved, that the Proprietors were right, and the learned gentleman wrong. Whether Mr. Haftings was, or was not the author of the Mahratta war, whether he gave too much credit to the intelligence tranfmitted to him from Europe or not; whether it was the act of a wife man, or a romantic, attempt to march a detachment acrofs India, is by no means the prefent queftion. Let us confider what was their fituation by the lateft advices in the height of the Mahratta war, Hyder Ally Cawn invaded the Carnatic. To preferve that important branch of our dominion in India, Mr. Haftings, at a moment when merchant fhips would not attempt a paffage to Madras, propofed fending 640 Europeans and 15 lacks of rupees to the Carnatic by fea; and Sir Eyre Coote nobly consented to risque his high military reputation at the head of a defeated and difperfed army. Mr. Haftings alfo proposed to send a very con

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