going further than confiftently he could properly go, and was enter. ing upon the merits of the difcuf fon itself. This he conceived to be out of order. Many gentlemen expressed a wifh, that the fubject fhould be poftponed: he was of that opinion; he wifhed it might not now be difcuffed.

Mr. RANDLE JACKSON faid, the queftion had refolved itfelf purely into a point of order; he defired, therefore, that Mr. Jones's laft let ter might be read. [The Clerk read the letter. The queftion, Mr. Jackfon continued, ftood thus: So far from our proceeding with the inquiry being contrary to order, we could not put it off without a vio. lation of all order. No man felt more refpect than he did for the honourable proprietor who had brought forward the fubject; but he was perfuaded, that if it could be put to him, whether, after five or fix hundred proprietors had been convened to take the fubject into confideration, he could with it to be poftponed on his account? he would fay, No, by no means. He would put it to the experience of any man converfant with public proceedings, whether he ever heard of fuch an inftance? There was not even the request of the party himself to wartant the adjournment. If we can reafon upon his letters, he does not mean to purfue it; he formally withdraws his firft motion without giving notice of any other. We there fore violate all form if we put it off. Even if Mr. Jones had made a requeft that we should do fo, it would have become a matter of ferious deliberation, under the particular circumftances of this cafe, whether we ought to comply with his requeft? But as the matter now ftands, there is no room for hesitation, without eftablishing a precedent that might hereafter prove highly inconvenient.

The CHAIRMAN faid, he believ ed that any defect in the wording of the letter, originated in Mr. Jones's want of knowledge of the forms of their proceedings. In his laft letter, he does not fay that he abandons the inquiry: he defires fimply to contradict his former notice. It was the anxious wifh of the directors, that the inquiry fhould go on now, or at a future time, to clear up their characters. In an af fembly, greater than this, when no tice had been given by any member of a motion, and he happened to be abfent from caufes not fo material as that which detained Mr. Jones in the country, the bufinefs had been adjourned. He took the liberty just to state this; but at the fame time the proprietors were mafters of their own conduct.

Mr. CHISHOLME expreffed his wish that the bufinefs might go on.

Mr. TWINING faid, that Mr. Jones being in poffeffion of the court, he thought, in deference to him, the queftion ought to be poftponed; though his notice might not be regular and formal, it was clearly his wifh that it should be defer ed. Mr. Jones was properly in poffeffion of the court, and he should on his own account be forry that it was imagined that he wished to en ter upon the difcuffion when the ori. ginal mover was abfent: it would put him into a painful and unpleasant predicament; and he hoped the court would indulge him with fome little confideration, and let the bufinefs ftand over till it could come forward in a regular way. He pledged himfelf to the court, that it should not go off altogether; that if the honourable gentleman with whom it had originated did not bring it forward, he would. He thought it would look a little uncandid to that gentleman, if it were not put off to another day.

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Lord KINNAIRD afked, if there was any friend of Mr. Jones's prefent, who could guess on what day he would be in town? This was a fubject which greatly occupied the public mind, and it was improper that it should lay dormant. If no one had the leaft notion as to Mr. Jones's return, then he hoped the court would appoint fome fpecific day, when the fubject should undergo the difcuffion of the proprietors, and gentlemen fhould have an opportunity of delivering their fentiments upon it.

Major METCALFE (a director) faid, as he had been alluded to by the honourable proprietor who had originated the bufinefs, as the only gentleman on that fide the bar whom he knew, he thought it right to fay, that from his acquaintance with that gentleman, he was perfuaded that he was a man of too fteady a temper to give up an object that he had once undertaken. He appealed to the noble lord, who had been a member of both houfes of parliament, whether, both in the lords and commons, a difcuffion is not unavoidably poftponed when the member who was to have brought it forward is neceffarily abfent? If that were the cafe, would it not be establishing a bad example to go on with this bufinefs in Mr. Jones's abfence? He believed that he fpoke the fentiments of every gentleman behind the bar, as well as his own, when he faid, that there could not be more anxiety in the general court for the difcuffion, than there was in the court of directors. It was of little confequence whether A and B had acted corruptly, but it was of the utmoft confequence that the characters of the executive body of the Company fhould be pure and unfullied. He earnestly hoped, that, when Mr. Jones was in his place, the inquiry would proceed.

Lord KINNAIRD reminded the honourable director, that it never did happen in either house of parlia ment, that a fubject was poftponed by a member, without his defiring fome friend to ftate to the houfe whether he meant to proceed or not.

Mr. DURANT begged leave to make a remark or two. His honourable friend on his left hand, (Mr. P. Moore,) had produced a newspaper, and had thought it neceffary to declare, that he was not the author of a libel it contained. Mr. Durant faid, that he was not the author. But the honourable gen. tleman had gone further, and had given the fubject of the abufe of patronage a new turn, as proceeding from a party or a faction in that court. He was of no faction or party: no man in that court food upon a firmer footing of independence than himself. He was convinced that this was no faction, no party queftion. Every man behind that bar knows whether he is guilty or not.

On this fide the bar there could be no guilty perfons. He affured the proprietors, that this fubject should not be refolved into a party queftion.

The CHAIRMAN faid, it only refted with the court to fix a day for proceeding with the bufinefs. After the difcurfion which had taken place, it would not be proper to leave it to Mr. Jones himself to fix the day. He hoped it was perfectly understood, that any part he had taken in recommending the poftponement of the business, had been out of refpect to an abfent proprictor. He had no wish to poftpone it on his own account-If he were fo inclined, which (faid Mr. Inglis,) "God knows is not the cafe, you would not allow me." One matter was already adjourned for a future day: as it was expedient not to hold more general courts than

were

were neceffary, might not this be difcuffed at the fame time? He had intimated another fubject, which could not be brought forward with out fourteen days notice. It might perhaps be inconvenient to enter. upon this difcuffion during the holi days. He would mention the 13th or 15th of January; but begged it might be understood, that he had no preference for any particular day, but wifhed the proprietors to fuit their own convenience,

After fome further converfation as to the day, Tuesday the 20th of January was agreed on,

Mr. BOSANQUET expreffed his fatisfaction at the turn the debate had taken: he thought all that Mr. Jones could expect, was, that a future day fhould be fixed. He faid, he had no doubt that the proprie tors had all feen a long letter in the Morning Chronicle about three days fince, figned by a gentleman who often lends his name on these occafions, "An Old Proprietor." The infertion of fuch a letter muft have coft fome money-it was written by fome perfon perfectly informed upon the fubject-it contained the alpha and the omega of the business. He trusted, that when the fubject came before the court, the proprie. tors would meet it divefted of all prejudice that they would not fuffer their minds to be influenced by anonymous publications. He was perfectly prepared to justify all that related to himfelf. The fubject involved the character of thirty gen. tlemen; he hoped, when the queftion came before the proprietors, it would be entered upon very fully: there was a great deal to be faid on both fides of the queftion; but he requefted gentlemen would not receive anonymous publications. He beg ed that they would read the papers attentively; hear what each gentle. man had to fay for himself; and,

THURSDAY, Jan. 15, 1801..

A General Court of Proprietors was held this day, to take into confideration a late vote of the court of directors, granting a pension of 5000l. a year, for a term of twenty years, to the Marquis Wellesley, for his eminent fervices in India.

The CHAIRMAN having stated the purpose of the meeting in a concife and appropriate fpeech,

Mr. HENCHMAN rofe and faid, that he felt no fmall degree of diffi dence in addreffing the court on this very important fubject, recollecting that it had been already so often and fo ably difcuffed, above a twelve. month ago, when the proprietors were fpecially called together to take into confideration the advices received from India, and to return thanks to the Marquis Wellesley, the other governors, and the generals, who commanded in the late campaign against Tippoo Sultaun." The talent and the ability exhibited. in that difcuffion he had had an opportunity of referring to; and he felt a great refpect for the opinions that were delivered, as well as for the manner in which they were conveyed. In both houfes of parliament he alfo found the fervices of

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the noble Marquis, and of thofe who acted under him, taken that honourable notice of which a grateful country always bestows upon its deferving fervants; and the eloquence of Lord Grenville and Mr, Dundas upon that occafion, had really left him not a word to offer to the court in excufe for his own prefump, tion: he said he would truft, how. ever, to the indulgence of the court, which he had often experienced.

Thefe proceedings ferved to convince him, that little more can be neceffary to fatisfy this court of the propriety of that refolution, in which it is the defire of the chairman and the directors that the proprietors fhould join. Indeed, the refolution itfelf is fo full and explicit, that knowing, as the court does, the truth of what it afferts, much more cannot be required to be faid to ob tain the concurrence of this meeting. Mr. Henchman then compli. mented the Chairman on the able manner in which he had ftated the matter to the court, and which he thought would be fufficient to convince many proprietors of the propriety of adopting the refolution: for no one, he believed, would imagine that the Chairman was induced to recommend the meafure, to which fo confiderable an expence to the Company was neceffarily attached, unless he fincerely thought that it was not only incumbent on the proprietors, but conducive to their ultimate advantage, to difcharge this debt of gratitude to the great character in queftion. If, however, all he had already refer ed to in respect to his merits was not enough, he entertained no doubt that many, befides himself, had gone through the volume of papers that had long fince been published for the ufe of the proprietors; a collection valuable in itself for its novelty and curiosity, which difplays

on one fide candour, wifdom, energy, moderation, and humane feelings; and on the other deceit, folly, im. becility, rafhnefs, and the most de teftable cruelty. The contraft is triking and fingular; but it is the conduct of an Afiatic prince, compared with British policy. Of all that collection of papers, be begged particularly to be allowed to call to the recollection of the court, two of the letters of the Governor-gene ral, addreffed to the fecret committee of the court of directors. The firft, dated November 1798, ftates to the Company, in a clear and fatisfactory manner, the fituation of the Nizam; the ftate of our alliance with him; the large army, commanded by French officers, which furrounded his capital, and controlled his government; the neceffity of removing fo dangerous a rival; the means fet on foot to effect that purpofe; the negotiation that enfued; the happy termination of it; and the difarming 14,000 troops, and making prifoners upwards of 120 French officers who commanded them;--all this was effected with. out bloodshed. With confent of the Nizam, a British force was fubftituted in its place; a fubfidy agreed to be paid to the English more than equal to the expence of the military to be furnifhed. This, faid Mr. Henchman, is the first article that is noticed in the refolution now be fore us; and in point of confequence it hardly gives place to any in the courfe of the fervices which the proprietors are this day affembled to reward. Every gentleman muft readily difcern, that, had fuch an army as this, commanded by French officers, remained in full force at Hyderabad, we could have received no co-operation from the Nizam, but, on the contrary, might have been prevented from making any attack upon Tippoo, This, there

fore,

fore, which was the firft preparatory ftep taken by his Lordship, has been juftly eftimated; and the negotiation has been most defervedly praifed for the manner in which it was con. ducted; it is therefore very properly diftinguished in this part of the refolution the court of directors

have come to. The other letter that he begged the proprietors to recall to their memories, is dated the 20th of March 1799, and ftates, in a very fuperior style,, the poli. tical fituation of the British fettlements, his Lordship's proceedings from time to time, his correfpon. dence with Tippoo, his intelligence, his opinions of that intelli. gence, his determinations, and his difficulties of various defcriptions, This letter is very defervedly the admiration of every man that reads it: there is fo much difcernment, fe much prudence, fo much good judgment, and fo much firmnefs,combined, that it is not to be wondered that what was planned with fuch a fhare of wifdom would terminate with fo much honour and fuccefs. The capture of Seringapatam, the death of Tippoo, and the partition of Myfore, we all acknowledge to have been the refult of his Lord. fhip's forefight and decifion; and we are all fenfible of the happy confequences that have enfued: inftead of continual danger and alarm, our poffeffions throughout India are placed in a ftate of fecurity; a large increafe of revenue is obtained; and the extent of our frontier is much contracted, which must lead, when the other circumstances of this war admit of it, to a confiderable dimination of our prefent military expences. All this, we must take the liberty of repeating, we know to have been projected, fuperintended, and brought to fuch a happy conclufion, by the comprehenfive mind and faculties of the noble Marquis,

For this, in particular, and for his wifdom, energy, and decifion, in the difcharge of the arduous duty of Governor-general, this court voted him their thanks on the 13th November 1799. It was then judiciously faid by a very warm advo cate in behalf of his Lordship, and what he fays is always conveyed in language of great energy and effect, "that he hoped, at a proper time, fome teftimony of our respect, efteem, and gratitude, would be offered to his Lordship, of more weight than words, and more fubftantial than our thanks." That time is now arrived; and the court of directors have fubmitted to this court what they think would be a fuitable acknowledgment to the noble Marquis for thefe most important fer. vices; fervices that have recorded the fame of the Governor-general in British anuals, and which have been blazoned already through every part of Afia as well as Europe. He was fenfible that there have been many very critical æras in the political exiftence of this Company; but the valour and genius of our generals, and the good conduct of our governors, have always difpelled the cloud; and the Company has, on every occafion, appeared again with additional fplendour, both in territory and commerce. He then proceeded to ftate the different critical periods to which he had alluded. He faid, the first was when General Lawrence commanded in the Carnatic; the fecond, when Lord Clive went to Bengal; the third, at the time Madras was befieged; the fourth, the war with Hyder, and the confederacy he raifed against the English in Mr. Haftings's government; the fifth, when Lord Cornwallis was governor-general, and brought Tippoo to fabjection; and the laft, fince the Marquis Wellefley had fat at the helm, and + G 4

achieved