achieved the conqueft of Myfore. He ftated thefe periods, that he might, with fome regularity, bring to the recollection of the court what has been the uniform conduct of the Company in respect to the generals and governors who have acted the most confpicuous part in all those wars and conquefts. They all received the public thanks of this court; and, befides that, General Lawrence, whofe difintereft. ednefs was equal to his military talents, as long as he lived, received a penfion from the Company of 20001. per annum; and there (pointing to the figure) ftands his ftatue, placed by the hand of gratitude to commemorate a life of fame. Next fol. lows my Lord Clive, who, as he obtained for the Company a revenue and territory far exceeding all other previous acquifitions, was alfo penfioned, and to a much larger amount. -Mr. Henchman contended, that what was commonly called Lord Clive's jaghire, was, as far as relates to the last ten years of it, a penfion from this Company. He be. lieved it is in the memory of many now prefent, that when Lord Clive was appointed a fecond time to the government of Bengal, he had previously adjufted with the court of directors all the differences that had exifted refpecting his jaghire; which differences had gone to fuch length, that the parties had reforted to the courts of law: thefe points were then amicably fettled, and his Lordship gave up all claim to a perpetuity in that jaghire, on condition that the Company should pay him the amount, which was up. wards of 30,000l. per annum, for a period of ten years; but what did the proprietors of that day do, as foon as they heard of his having acquired for them the Dewanny of Bengal? They returned him their thanks, and immediately voted him a penfion for ten years of upwards of 30,000l. per annum, which was done by a prolongation of the jaghire, for that additional period, to him and to his heirs-exprefsly declared to be a reward for that moft important fervice. Gentlemen will take notice that this refolution was come to while Lord Clive was still in India. The next governor, whofe long and meritorious fervices, in a time of public exigencies, called upon the gratitude of the Company, was Mr. Haftings. He la. mented that his portrait was not to be feen in that room, and regretted that his intimate friends were not as attentive to his fame as to his fortune. His image, however, was engraved on our minds! and Mr. Haftings values it the moft. Mr. Haftings was, under very peculiar circumftances, guarded and protected by this Company; and now enjoys, as a return for his great fervices, 4000l. per annum penfion. Next comes the Marquis Corn. wallis; a place has been affigned to him in this court-room: his mot eminent fervices were fresh in the memory of them all; and he had not only the thanks of the court voted to him, but a penfion of 5000l. per annum for twenty years, without a diffenting voice. Laft came the Marquis Wellesley: he would not undertake to draw a comparifon between his fervices and thofe of any of his predeceffors; they are all before the public, and they have been very properly ap preciated: he truled, therefore, that the fame fpirit of gratitude which has been fo confpicuous before, will operate again to-day in favour of the profent Governor-general. Befides the deftruction of a very powerful and dangerous ene my, it may be proper to remark, that the Company has, by the fail of Seringapatam, obtained an accef. Lon fion of revenue expected to amount to 12 lacks of pagodas per annum ; that they receive by treaty 7 lacks more from the Rajah of Myfore, and a fubfidy of 6 lacks from the Nizam; in all making 25-Jacks of pagodas, or near one million fterl. ing per annum! and, as it has been already obferved, the line of our frontier is fo much fhortened, that the extent of our military eftablish. ments may be foon expected to be reduced. Mr. Henchman faid he would conclude with this fingle additional remark, that he thought remunerations to thofe who ferve the Company with fuch zeal and with fuch uncommon fuccefs, were laudable instances of found policy in the court of proprietors; and inftead of expreffing the leaft regret at the additioral expence they bring upon the Company, he would cheer. fully hold up his hand upon every fucceeding occafion, where fuch merits can be brought forward, and fuch irrefiftible claims upon the Company be established. He, there fore, with peculiar pleafure fubmit. ted to that court a motion, confirming the refolution of the court of directors in favour of the most noble the Marquis of Wellesley. Mr. Henchman then moved the court as follows: "Refolved, that this court entirely coincide with the fentiments of the court of directors, as expreffed in their refolutions now under confideration, bearing date the 10th ultimo, and agree to the propofition therein contained, as a proper teftimony of the high fenfe they entertain of the extraordinary merits and most eminent fervices rendered by the most noble the Marquis of Wellesley to this Company." Mr. TWINING feconded Mr. Henchman's motion, and faid, that after the clear and able manner in which the fubject now under confideration had been introduced to the knowledge of the proprietors, it was unneceffary for him to tref. pafs long upon their indulgence. It was not lightly and inconfi, derately that he feconded a motion of fuch pecuniary importance. He always thought, and was still of opinion, that it is highly neceffary for this Company, great as it is, and, perhaps, the more neceffary on account of its greatnefs, to pay a ftrict attention to expenditure: for, otherwife, neither conqueft, addition to our territory, nor increase of our revenus or of our commerce, will afford us any folid or perma. nent advantage. He faid he was very far from withing, upon this occalion, to keep fuch confiderations from the notice of the proprietors: on the contrary, that vote, in which he hoped they would this day unanimously concur, could be by no means fo creditable to themfelves, or fo tifying to the noble Marquis, as he wifhed it to be, if it could poffibly he attributed to thoughtleffnefs, or a difpofition to lavish expenditure. They thould give with fuch confi. deration, and from fuch a motive, as "to a noble mind" will make "the gift more rich.” And they fhould remember, obferved Mr. Twining, that as, in the common management of the Company's concerns, it was right to pay a proper attention to expendi ture, fo is it right to reward thofe perfons who ferve them faithfully, and to exercife liberality towards thofe who render to the Company important fervices: and where fhould they find fervices which had a ftronger claim upon their libera. lity than thofe which have been rendered to them by the Marquis Wellesley? He was aware that it was utterly out of his power to enumerate thofe fervices, but hoped the pro prietors prietors would allow him just to notice a few circumftances which he thought peculiar to the conduct and fervices of the noble Marquis. It ufually happens, in all plans of importance, fuch as are to comprehend extenfive operations, that in the first place fome imperfections are to be discovered in them prior to their being put into execution; that, fecondly, they fail in fome refpects in the execution; and that, laftly, after a lapfe of time, when we can confider the fubject more attentively, greater imperfections are difcovered, Thefe three cumftances may be confidered as ufually characteristic of human plans. But the plan formed by the Marquis Wellesley, against a formidable foe, appeared from the firft to be founded in wifdom; and whilft the noble Marquis kept conftantly in view, as his principal object, that foc who aimed at their deftruction, he attended to every circumftance which could either impede or pro. mote his grand defign. And here the wifdom of the noble Mar. quis's conduct refpecting the Nizam deferves to be particularly noticed. The propriety of fixing the commencement of that reward which they propofe to bestow, from the period at which the treaty with the Nizam was formed, will then be apparent, The execution of the plan was, in the fecond place, worthy of its defign. Every thing which the moft fanguine friend of the Company could wish for was accomplish ed; and that foe, that tyrant, whom no power could restrain, and no kindness could conciliate, is no more. Mr. Twining faid he called him tyrant, becaufe, in his opinion, that appellation is beftowed with great propriety upon any prince who, whether he obtained his power by right or ufurpation, em, ployed it in acts of aggreffion to. And, laftly, if they examine the plan at this distance of time from its formation and execution, when they were no longer dazzled by recent victory, but behold the object in a more fober light, fo far from being able to difcover any imper. fections which had escaped our former notice, we find additional caufe for our admiration and ap plaufe. Thus, in whatever point of view they confider the conduct and fervices of the noble Marquis, they must be convinced they have a ftrong claim to their liberality; and by confirming unanimously the refolution of the court of directors, they fhould not only do that which would gratify their feelings, but al fo that which their reason would approve. He would not trefpafs any longer upon the indulgence of the propri etors; he would not detain them any longer from a moft pleafing exercife of their privileges, but mot cordially feconded the motion of his honourable friend. Sir JOHN DAY faid, that reafons would occur to many then prefent why he could not be filent on the subject then before the court; and if they fhould not, they would be found in the very flattering reference by an honourable proprietor near him (Mr. Henchman), who had opened the debate, to a former fug. geftion of his in that place upon the fame fubject; he added, that he would would be brief in what he fhould fay, for he was far from being well, nor fhould any thing but the urgency of the cafe, and a fenfe of duty, have drawn him that day from his home he lamented that the whole of the ground that he meant to have taken had been pre-occupied, and that the fubject had been nearly exhanted by the fuperior abilities of thofe who had preceded him. It only remained for him, then, to take, upon the fpur of the moment, fuch other ground as he could, and to make the most of it. The honourable baronet then expatiated at fome length on the riches and profperity of Great Britain, on the free and independent character of Englishmen, and on their peculiar happiness in the enjoyment of the real, the fubftantial, and the sational rights of man, in oppofition to the purious, the fpeculative, and the vifionary fyftems which had unfortunately prevailed in fome of the neighbouring nations. He then took a view of the belligerent powers in Europe, and pronounced an high eulogium on the noble and difinterested part which Britain had taken in the conteft. The honourable baronet hoped the court would excufe this warm effufion, or, as fomo perhaps might think, this idle rhapfody yer, faid he, when the afflicting occurrences of the hour prefs upon the heart, it requires fomewhat more of felf-government than he poffeffed to prevent his running out of bounds. He now adverted to the great character who was the immediate fubject of the prefent difcuffion. He obferved, that if the Governor-general's late correfpondence had not announced achievements, it was becaufe, by the extinction of the most formidable enemy to the British empire in Hindustan, nothing more remained for a warfare to effect. It would be obferved, that at this time he ftudioufly avoided apply. ing the epithet of tyrant to the late monarch of Myfore, although he poffeffed matter abundantly fufficient to establish, beyond controverfy, his title to that character, and to exhi, bit him in all its most ferocious and terrific features. He would, however, refrain from the application of that epithet, becaufe, on a for mer occafion, it appeared fo extremely unpalatable to an honourable proprietor (Mr. Moore), whom he had long known, and as long refpected. Varying his language, therefore, though not abating the juftice or force of his fentiments, he would only repeat, that if the late advices from India have not announced fresh triumphs, it is because the deftruction of Tippoo left little to be achieved. Under thefe impresions, then, he did not hesitate to fay, notwith ftanding the brilliant and eloquent account the honourable proprietor (Mr. Moore) had formerly given of the illuftrious origin of Hyder Ally, and of the virtues and talents, the mixed lenity and vigour, the good policy and juftice of Tippon, he did not hesitate to declare, that, for the tranquillity and happiness of India, it was a fortunate circum_ fance that his life and government were extinguished together. The Governor-general, continued the honourable baronet, having thus provided for his country's honour and his own, his time and attention have been fince employed in fettling the conquered provinces, in extin guifhing the laft embers of difaffection in Myfore and its dependen. cies; and binding to you, ftill more firmly, your ancient friends and allies, and affuaging the rifing jealoufies and conciliating the friendfhip of the Mahratta government; in compofing the differences which had had arifen between that government and fome neighbouring ftates, in which the British power might eventually be involved; and lastly, moft importantly and meritoriously, in difpatching enbaffies, charged with friendly overtures, to thofe powers fituated beyond the northern frontier of India. By thefe important cares, and, fuperadded to thefe, by the repair of our finances, which had fuftained a temporary depreffion from the war, by the improvement of the revenue for that purpofe, by the formation of arrangements and regulations rendered neceffary by the extenfion of the Company's do. minion, and by the new political pofition in which it is confequently placed-in a word, by the fuperintendance and control of an empire, now fwelled to a magnitude far beyond the limits which former wifdom had preferibed. He feared that he had dilated too much upon a fubject already exhaufted, perhaps, laft year, when the proprietors affembled to delibe. rate upon a vote of thanks to the Governor-general, for his great fervices and unparalleled exertions. It would be remembered, that his voice was raised at that time for a more fplendid remuneration, for a more fubftantial teftimony of respect and gratitude, than mere words and empty praife. It may be fuppofed what were his emotions now, on finding that his humble fuggeftion had not been neglected. That this reward has been be. flowed late, will not impair its value; the more deliberately it has been given, the more foothing it must be to the noble heart it thus gratifies. One thing it has, in common with other remunerations ; it is given (as in justice it ought to be) retrofpectively, and bears equal date with the fervice it diftinguihes; but there is another, a proud distinction, peculiar to itfelf it precedes the retirement of the noble lord from office; it anticipates his return to his native land; it is push, ed off to him by the ardent and im patient gratitude of his country: it will find him on his ftation, in the excrcife of his high function; and will announce to all the nations of India, the deep and indelible senso his country entertain of the fervices he has rendered her, and her firm reliance upon him for a continuance of them. 'The honourable baronet conclud. ed by obferving, that, utterly unknown to the noble lord, and now likely for ever to remain fo, and impelled by no other motive than a deep and grateful fenfe of the fervices which, at a moft eventful crifis, the noble lord had rendered his country, he, for one, would cheer. fully affent to the motion now before the court. Mr. JONES, M. P. faid, that the profound refpect he entertained for the propofition from behind the bar, and his great admiration of the talents and conduct of the noble mar quis whofe meritorious fervices the court was now called on to reward, and with the complexion of unanimity which feemed to manifeft itfelf, and, above all, the eloquent fpeech of the honourable baronet who had juft fat down, made him feel confiderable reluctance and diffi dence in not exactly concurring with the refolution which the hon. proprietor (Mr. Henchman) had propofed. There was no man, he would venture to fay, more dif pofed, or who felt more heartfelt fatisfaction in rewarding merit, wherever it should be found, than himself; but that merit must be dif cuffed. One of the principał objects he had in view in becoming a mem ber of that honourable court, (he was prompted to mention it from its having |