reprefented it as unworthy of the dignity of the house to found any refolutions upon rumors and hearfays. But earl Nugent, father-in-law to the earl Temple, with more ferioufnefs and firmnefs declared, "That the refolutions before them went to the utter annihilation of sovereignty. What! Were not peers by their rank and fituation hereditary counsellors of the crown ?-Would that house dare to derogate from the high dignity which the conftitution had annexed to their ftation? Every peer, and indeed every commoner, under certain reftrictions, had a right to addrefs the fovereign. But the tendency of these refolutions was to make the monarch a kind of prisoner of state; and to fhut him up from every species of information unacceptable to the existing administration. Were any relation of his in a crisis of difficulty and danger to convey truths to his fovereign of high importance to be known, though at the risque of incurring the utmost punishment which the indignation of that houfe could inflict, he fhould confider his conduct not merely as juftifiable but tranfcendently meritorious; and fuch as would tranfmit his name with honor to the latest pofterity." Other members acknowledged fomething of irregularity in thefe proceedings, and wished that a measure so dangerous might have been counteracted in a mode more open and constitutional; but a great good had been obtained, and in this cafe it were not wife to examine into the caufe with too accurate a difcrimination and too fevere a fcrutiny. The refolution moved by Mr. Baker passed nevertheless by a great majority.

J

The quarrel between the crown and the ministers, fupported as they were by a decided majority of the house of commons, having now become public and palpable, an entire change of administration was at all hazards determined upon. At midnight on the 18th of December, a royal meffage was fent to the fecretaries of ftate, demanding the feals of their feveral departments; and early the next

morning

morning letters of difmiffion, figned TEMPLE, were fent to the other members of the cabinet.

In a few days Mr. Pitt was declared firft lord of the treasury and chancellor of the exchequer; the marquis of Carmarthen, and Mr. Thomas Townfhend, created lord Sydney, were nominated fecretaries of ftate; lord Thurlow was reinftated as lord chancellor ; earl Gower, created in the fequel marquis of Stafford, as prefident of the council; the duke of Rutland was conftituted lord privy feal; lord Howe placed at the head of the admiralty, and the duke of Richmond of the ordnance. The earl of Northington was recalled from his government of Ireland, to which lord Temple, who had retained the feals of fecretary only three days, was again deftined to fucceed.

To the furprife, and unquestionably to the great eventual detriment of the public, the earl of Shelburne was not included in the new arrangement of administration. The intelligence of this change was, notwithstanding, received by the nation with transports of joy.

The INDIA BILL, concerning which the public judgment was at the first fufpended, had now, by a multiplicity of able and popular tracts induftriously circulated, been completely developed and explained+; and it was almost univerfally condemned as a measure in the highest degree arbitrary and oppreffive, and with confummate artifice calculated to perpetuate the power of an administration who were the objects of the national deteftation. It is nevertheless a supposition abfolutely inadmiffible, that fuch men as the duke of Portland, lord John Cavendish, and Mr. Fox, had concerted a measure infidiously adapted to ferve their own purpose-knowing or believing the fame to be inimical to the effential interefts of their country. In

fact,

Amongst these the publications of Mr. Pulteney and Mr. Rous were particularly diftinguished, as the productions of men no less impartial than intelligent, truly attached to the principles of liberty, and writing not in the fpirit of party or rhetorical exaggeration, but of calm and difpaffionate enquiry-folely actuated by the love of TRUTH.

fact, no plan for the government of India could be framed which was not liable to very great objection. The bill of Mr. Fox was primarily and profeffedly defigned for the reformation of abufes in India; and as it was neceffary for this purpose to establish a new and extensive source of authority and influence at home, very plaufible, and to perfons interefted, doubtlefs, very convincing reafons might be adduced to prove it more fafe and constitutional to entrust this power to parliamentary commiffioners than to the crown, whofe influence it had been fo lately the grand and favorite object of all true patriots to diminish. Nor was it poffible that the parliamentary rejection of this bill could have been attended with fuch fignal effects, had not the popularity of the minister with whom it originated been already completely and for ever annihilated by means of the fatal and ACCURSED COALITION.

On the 22d of December, the house of commons being in a committee on the state of the nation, Mr. Erskine moved, "That an addrefs be prefented to the king, ftating, that alarming reports had gone forth of an intended diffolution of parliament, and humbly reprefenting to his majesty the inconveniences and dangers of a prorogation or diffolution in the prefent conjuncture; and entreating the fovereign to hearken to the advice of that house, and not to the fecret advice of particular perfons who might have private interefts of their own feparate from the true interefts of the king and people."

This address, which was of a complexion unknown in this country fince the æra of the revolution, was carried without a divifion. The answer of the king was very difcreet and temperate. His majefty faid, "It had been his conftant object to employ the authority entrusted to him by the conftitution to its true and only end-the good of the people; and he was always happy in concurring with the wishes and opinions of his faithful commons. He trusted they would proceed in the important matters men

tioned

tioned in their addrefs with all convenient speed, affuring them that he should not interrupt their meeting after their adjournment by any exercise of his prerogative either of prorogation or diffolution."

The house now with tolerable fatisfaction adjourned for the ufual Chriftmas recefs to the 10th of January 1784, on which day the committee on the state of the nation was refumed; and feveral refolutions were brought forward by Mr. Fox, and agreed to by the houfe-prohibiting the lords of the treasury from affenting to the acceptance of the company's bills from India-forbidding alfo the issue of any of the public money, after a prorogation or diffolution of parliament, unless the act of appropriation shall have previously paffed; and ordering accounts to be laid before the house of the monies already iffued.

These refolutions were followed by a motion from the earl of Surry-"I. That in the prefent fituation of his majesty's dominions it was peculiarly neceffary that there fhould be an administration that had the confidence of the public. 2. That the late changes in his majesty's councils were accompanied by circumftances new and extraordinary, and fuch as did not conciliate the confidence of that houfe." On this motion the houfe divided, but it was carried in the affirmative by 196 to 142 voices.

On the 16th of January a refolution was moved by lord Charles Spencer, "That the continuance of the prefent ministers in trufts of the highest importance and respectability was contrary to the principles of the conftitution, and injurious to the interests of the king and people." Upon this question the house divided, ayes 205, noes 184; fo that the anti-minifterial majority was by an ominous defection reduced from 54 to 21 voices.

About this time the chancellor of the exchequer introduced into the house a bill for the better government of India, on principles which left the commercial concerns of the company in their own hands; and established a board VOL. II. R

of

of control, confifting of certain commiffioners appointed by the king, poffeffing a negative on the proceedings of the company in all matters of government or politics. On the motion of commitment, this bill was loft by 222 voices against 214fo that the oppofition majority was now diminished to 8.

A still more encouraging circumftance was, that addreffes of thanks and approbation to his majesty for the removal of his late minifters now began to flow in from every part of the kingdom; and became at length fo univerfal, that upon no occafion whatever was the fenfe of the people at large more clearly, ftrongly, and unequivo cally afcertained. In this the city of LONDON had taken the lead, and in their addrefs they fay, "Your faithful citizens lately beheld with infinite concern the progress of a meafure which equally tended to encroach on the rights of your majesty's crown-to annihilate the chartered rights of the Eaft India company and to raise a new power unknown to this free government, and highly inimical to its fafety. As this dangerous meafüre was warmly fupported by your majesty's late minifters, we heartily rejoice in their difmiffion, and humbly thank your majefty for exerting your prerogative in a manner fo falutary and conftitutional." And concluding in a manner very different from the nfual tenor of their addreffes in former times, they fay,

Highly fenfible of your majesty's paternal care and affection for your people, we pray the Almighty that you may long reign in peace over a free, an happy, and united

nation."

The popularity acquired by the monarch in confequence of this difmiffion was indeed fo great as to efface all memory of former difagreements; and though originating in a caufe merely accidental, and on the part of the crown from a fudden and paffionate refentment at a fuppofed invafion of the prerogative, yet has it not fuffered in the fequel any diminution: on the contrary, from an extraor

dinary