lier York had been formally apprized :-but what was the aftonishment of their high mightineffes, when the said ambaffador, calling the faid refolve illufive, flatly refused to tranfmit it to his court! This obliged their high mightineffes to fend it to count Welderen, their minister in London, with orders to lay it before his Britannic majefty, whofe minifters had nevertheless returned it unopened to the ambaffador."

The war, thus rafhly and haughtily commenced, was conducted in the bitter fpirit of animofity and revenge.* But before the military operations of the year are entered upon, it will be proper to terminate the civil and parliamentary history of the prefent feffion.

The famous reform bill of Mr. Burke was revived foon after the recefs: but, on the motion for the fecond reading, it was rejected in toto, by a majority of 233 voices to 190; though ably and powerfully fupported by many of the most eminent members of the house.

Amongst the fpeeches which attracted moft ftrongly the public attention was that delivered with much grace and energy by Mr. William Pitt, fecond fon of the late earl of Chatham, who in very early youth had been elected a member of the present parliament, and who now exhibited himself to an admiring nation as equally the heir of his talents and virtues. "One great object," Mr. Pitt faid, of all the petitions which had been presented, was a recommendation of economy in the public expenditure; and the defign of the prefent bill was, to carry

into

*It is a remarkable fact, positively affirmed by Rendorp, burgomaster of Amfterdam, in a political publication, called Memorien dienende tot Ophel dering, and fill uncontradicted, that fir Jofeph Yorke, when he left the Hague, went to Antwerp, and inftigated the inhabitants of that city to petition the emperor to infift on the free navigation of the Scheldt. And it is notorious, that when this demand was, fome years afterwards, actually made by the emperor, England far from taking any alarm, looked on with calm indifference, or rather with pleafure. But when the fame thing was, more recently, attempted by France; the balance of Europe was difcovered to be in imminent danger of fubverfion: and England and Holland, without allowing any time or opportunity for explanation or retraction, were plunged into a moft ruinous and deftructive war, under the pretext of defending the violated rights of the treaty of Weftphalia.

into effect the wishes of the people, by introducing a fubftantial fyftem of ceconomy. Befides the benefits which would refult from the bill in this refpect, it had another object ftill more important, and that was the reduction of the influence of the crown-an influence which was the more to be dreaded, because more fecret in its attacks, and more concealed in its operations, than the power of prerogative." Mr. Pitt adverted to the extraordinary objections which had been made to the bill; it proposed to bring no more than 200,000l. per ann. into the public coffers, and that fum was infignificant, in comparison of the millions annually expended. "What then is the

conclufion we are left to deduce? The calamities of the prefent crifis are too great to be benefited by œconomy, Our expences are so enormous, that it is useless to give ourselves any concern about them; we have spent, and are spending fo much, that it is foolish to think of faving any thing. Such is the language which the opponents of this bill have virtually employed. It had alfo been faid, that the king's civil lift was an irrefumable parliamentary grant, and it had been even compared to a private freehold. The weakness of fuch arguments was their best refutation. The civil lift revenue was granted to his ma jefty, not for his private use, but for the support of the executive government of the ftate. His majesty, in fact, was the trustee of the public, fubject to parliamentary revifion. The parliament made the grant and undoubt edly had a right to refume it when the preffure of the times rendered fuch resumption neceffary. Upon the whole, he confidered the prefent bill as effential to the being and independence of this country, and he would give it his moft determined support."

Early in March, the minifter, lord North, brought forward the annual statement of the public account. The entire expenditure of the year his lordship calculated at twenty-one millions,-twelve of which it would be ne

ceffary

ceffary to raise by a public loan: as to the terms of which, his lordship had contracted with the fubfcribers, to grant 150l. capital ftock at three per cent. and 251. capital stock at four per cent. for every Iool. in money; thus creating a new capital of eighteen millions three per cent. and three millions four per cent. being nine millions more than the fum actually paid into the exchequer. To defray the intereft of this loan, new taxes would be wanting to the amount of 660,000l. annually, i. e. 60,000l. more than the legal established intereft of five per cent.: exclufive of which, as the fubfcription to the loan bore a premium of ten per cent. the farther fum of 1,200,000l. was loft to the nation. The terms of this extraordinary contract were, even by several of the friends of the minifter, declared to be extravagantly high; and it was by Mr. Fox reprobated in the moft indignant expreffions of feverity, as "the moft corrupt in its origin, the most fhameful in its progrefs, and the most injurious in its confequences, that ever came under the contemplation of that house. In order to carry on a wicked, impolitic, and bloody war, the minister would not fcruple,” faid this formidable fpeaker, "to extort the laft guinea from the pockets of the people. The noble lord ftands convicted of having made, in the character of agent and truftee for the nation, an improvident, fcandalous, and profligate bargain, for which he deserves public execration and exemplary punishment." On a divifion, the motion of the minifter was carried by a majority of 169 to 11 voices.

In the houfe of lords, it was again vigorously opposed by lord Rockingham, the duke of Portland, and other peers, who, in a joint protest, recorded their names, to adopt the language of their lordships, "in teftimony of their strongest condemnation of the terms of this loan, and of the MOTIVES which they conceive dictated terms fo very difadvantageous to the crown and nation." All

the

the influence and all the activity of the minifters of the crown were now indeed obviously neceffary to prevent a parliamentary abandonment of the present fyftem. Some weeks afterwards, the fubject was again revived in the house of commons, by a motion of fir George Saville, that a felect committee be appointed, to enquire into the cir cumstances of the late loan, to make an estimate of its terms, and report the fame to the house. "Though the bargain of the minifler had been irrevocably ratified by the houfe, this diftinguished patriot obferved, that it was not yet too late, on discovering the shameless prodigality of the terms on which it was concluded, to pass a vote of cenfure, or even of impeachment, on the man who had facrificed the public in fo grofs and daring a manner." This gave rise to a vehement debate, at the conclufion of which the motion was rejected by a majority of 46 only, in a house confifting of near 400 members. And thus were the loud calls of the nation, for an œconomical reform in the public expenditure, fet at contemptuous defiance by the unprincipled effrontery of the ministers.

Towards the end of the feffion, Mr. Fox moved the house, to refolve itself into a committee, to confider of the American war, for the purpose of devifing some means of accommodation. This motion was fupported in an animated speech by Mr. Pitt, who expreffed his utter abhorrence of a war, which was conceived," he faid, "in injuftice, nurtured in folly, and whofe footsteps were marked with flaughter and devastation. It exhibited the height of moral depravity and human turpitude. The nation was drained of its best blood and its vital refources, for which nothing was received in return but a series of inefficient victories or difgraceful defeats,-victories obtained over men struggling in the holy cause of liberty,or defeats which filled the land with mourning for the lofs of dear and valuable relatives, flain in a detefted and

impious

impious quarrel." The motion was rejected by a majority of 73 voices.

A very confiderable proportion of the prefent feffion was occupied in the confideration of the affairs of India, of which the interval between the civil and military tranfactions of the prefent year affords a proper opportunity to take a general review, from the period in which the memorable bill of regulation framed by the minister, lord North, A. D. 1773, paffed into a law.

1

In the month of April 1772, took place, in confequence of the removal of governor Cartier, the memorable appointment of Warren Haftings, efq. as governor-general of India; a man, whose conduct throughout all the inferior gradations of office flood confeffedly unimpeached*. The members of the fupreme council appointed under the new act were, fir John Clavering, colonel Monfon, and Philip Francis, efq. than whom perfons of more inflexible probity and enlightened beneficence could not have been felected by the wisdom of parliament, for the purpose of ftemming that tide of corruption and rapacity, which inundated the government of India throughout all its departments and ramifications; and which, when opportunties and temptations arife to a certain height, fhall cease to

overleap the mounds of right" when the Ganges fhall ceafe to flow. It is remarkable that these three gentle

men

*When lord Clive embarked for Europe, February, 1760, he left the government in the hands of Mr. Holwell pro tempore; Mr. Vanfittart being then actually appointed, and arriving at Calcutta in the month of July. Mr. Vanfittart remained in Bengal till the beginning of 1764, and was fucceeded by Mr. Spencer, who was quickly fuperfeded by lord Clive. On the fecond refignation of lord Clive, Mr. Veerlft was advanced to the government of Bengal. To him fucceeded Mr. Cartier. Both thefe gentiemen entered into the views, and acted upon the system established by lord Clive. At length the Sullivan party prevailing in the direction, Mr. Haltings was, in oppofition to the influence of his lordship, appointed governor of Bengal: and the more fecret tranfactions, with the concomi tant intrigues and cabals, which diftinguished his adminiftration, can be perfectly understood only by those who have wafted their time in developing the complex and clashing interests, and never-ceafing contentions and animofties, of the Clive and Sullivan factions.