Mr. Sheridan remarked, that he heard of factions and parties in that house, and knew they existed. There was scarcely a subject upon which they were not broken and divided into sects. The prerogative of the crown found its advocates among the representatives of the people. The privileges of the people found opponents even in the house of commons itself. Habits, connexions, parties, all led to diversity of opinion. But when inhumanity presented itself to their observations, it found no division among them they attacked it as their common enemy; and, as if the character of this land was involved in their zeal for its ruin, they left it not till it was completely overthrown. It was not given to that house, to behold the objects of their compassion and benevolence in the present extensive consideration, as it was to the officers who relieved, and who so feelingly described the extatic emotions of gratitude in the instant of deliverance. They could not behold the workings of the heart, the quivering lips, the trickling tears, the loud and yet tremulous joys of the millions whom their vote of this night would for ever save from the cruelty of corrupted power. But though they could not directly see the effect, was not the true enjoyment of their benevolence increased by the blessing being conferred unseen? Would not the omnipotence of Britain be demonstrated to the wonder of nations, by stretching its mighty arm across the deep, and saving by its fiat distant millions from destruction? And would the blessings of the people thus saved, dissipate in empty air! No! if I may dare to use the figure,— we shall constitute Heaven itself our proxy, to receive for us the blessings of their pious gratitude, and the prayers of their thanksgiving. It is with confidence, therefore, Sir, that I move you on this charge, "that Warren Hastings be impeached."

FEBRUARY 8.

PROCEEDINGS AGAINST MR. HASTINGS.

The debate of the preceding day was resumed by Mr. Francis, in support of the charge; and by Mr. Burgess, Major Scott, Mr. Nicholls, Mr. Vansittart, and Mr. Alderman Le Mesurier in defence of Mr. Hastings. After having heard the arguments on both sides, Mr. Pitt rose to deliver his statements. He observed, that as he had ever been of opinion that the charge relative to the Princesses of Oude was that which of all others, bore upon the face of it the strongest marks of criminality and cruelty, so had he been particularly careful to guard against the impression of every sort of prejudice, and to keep his mind open for the re

ception of whatever could tend, on the one hand, to establish innocence, or on the other, to bring home conviction of guilt; and in order the better to enable himself to decide with safety, he had, with the utmost minuteness and attention, compared the charge, article by article, with the evidence adduced at the bar in support of each, and with the various minutes and letters that had been brought before the house, or were any where to be found within his reach. He then declared, that although, for reasons he should state, he thought himself bound to vote with the gentleman who brought the charge, yet he wished it to be understood, that he did not accede to the whole of the grounds of the accusation contained in the charge, or the inferences that had been drawn from them. He then stated the two great points in the charge, in which he thought the criminality of Mr. Hastings had been fully proved. The resumption of the Jaghires was a measure, which in his opinion, might, in certain situations, have been justified; but the situation of the East India Company, as guarantee of the treaty, laid them under the strongest obligation, perhaps, to have positively, and at all events resisted, but at least not to have prompted it. The seizure of the treasures being neither supported by any formal proceedings of justice nor by any state necessity, it was, he suid, impossible not to condemn it; and it was greatly aggravated by making the Nabob the instrument; the son the instrument of robbing the mother. The crime of Mr. Hastings, he thought still further aggravated by his stifling the orders of the court of directors, which expressly commanded a revision of the proceedings against those princesses. With respect to many other collateral circumstances urged in aggravation of the charge, he thought them either not criminal or not brought home to Mr. Hastings.

MR. SHERIDAN having said that he entertained too grateful a sense of the liberal indulgence with which the house was pleased to honour him on the preceding day, to think of trespassing at present, for any length of time, upon their patience, added, that several gentlemen had done him much greater honour than he deserved; but he could not but feel and acknowledge it to be a compliment, when the right honourable gentleman was pleased so far to flatter him, as to say, that the arguments he had taken the liberty of troubling the house with, when he made the motion, had in any degree contributed to fix his vote in its support. Of such a compliment he was indeed proud, because conscious as he was that he stood up in a good cause, the advocate for millions, and the advocate for strict justice, to find he was likely to prove successful, could not but afford him the most solid satisfaction. He was the more happy also, as the right honourable gentleman, by his conduct, had proved (what he should always be happy to bear witness to) that however the right honourable gentleman, and those with whom he acted, had differences, and sometimes warm alter

cations, on various political occasions; yet, when a great national question that called for the aggregate support of parlia ment fell under consideration, their political and party differences sunk into petty jars, and the right honourable gentleman, laying aside all party considerations, was ready, in an open and manly way, to come forward, and prove himself a minister, who felt for the honour and character of that house, and for the honour and character of the country. With regard to the objection the right honourable gentleman had taken, at his having, as the right honourable gentleman thought, expressed himself rather too, warmly respecting the individual principally concerned in their present proceedings, he was extremely sorry if that had been the case. He neither felt nor professed to feel any malignity against Mr. Hastings. Those who knew him most intimately, he believed, indeed, he might say, without vanity, knew that he had no malignity in his composition, and that he was not capable of feeling such an unworthy passion against any man. An honourable gentleman (Major Scott) who had spoken early in the debate, amidst a variety of extraneous matter, had thought proper to allude to a conversation once more, which had previously occurred in that house, at which he was a little surprised, as the committee would, without doubt, recollect that the honourable gentleman had been under the necessity of acknowledging that he had been mistaken in some of his most essential particulars. If the reason of the honourable gentleman's allusion of that day had been owing to a part of his speech the preceding day, when he had talked of Mr. Hastings's dependents, he assured the honourable gentleman, upon his honour, he did not mean him. When he stood up in his place, the public accuser of Mr. Hastings, he should be ashamed, indeed, if he could be thought capable of alluding to any gentleman who had a right to a seat in that house, and call himself the friend of Mr. Hastings. The honourable gentleman had that day said he was under obligations to Mr. Hastings; that being the case, his motives for attachment to Mr. Hastings were truly honourable. Gratitude was a virtue, amiable even in error. There was something in the frame of the mind of man which accorded with grateful feelings; and where the heart owed an obligation, the judgment could not be acute. Far be it from him then to find fault with any honourable gentleman who acted

Mr. Sheridan now

upon so noble, so praiseworthy a principle. added, that, after the vote of that day, Mr. Hastings and the house would be at issue. The business must then be removed to the proper tribunal; and he begged in the interim that gentlemen would recollect (for they seemed a little to forget) that their votes upon the distinct charges did not go to make Mr. Hastings a criminal, and they were not acting as judges, but as prosecutors. The judgment-seat was placed elsewhere; and if Mr. Hastings should be acquitted, unworthy, indeed, should he hold that man who either within or beyond the walls of parliament considered Mr. Hastings otherwise than innocent.

The question being at length called for, and the house dividing, there appeared for the motion 175; against it 68.

FEBRUARY 12.

TREATY WITH

PETITION FROM THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, FOR FURTHER
TIME TO CONSIDER THE TENDENCY OF THE
FRANCE.

Before the house resolved itself into a committee upon the treaty of commerce and navigation with France, a petition was presented by Mr. Alderman Newnham from certain manufacturers assembled in their chamber of commerce, praying, that the house would not that day come to any decisive resolution upon the commercial treaty with France; as the petitioners had not had leisure to understand the treaty, and consequently, were not yet aware to what degree their interests, and the interests of other manufacturers were likely to be affected by it.—The petition was opposed by Mr. Pitt.

MR. SHERIDAN observed, that a material difference must arise, could it, on the present occasion, be taken for granted that the manufacturers would have time for inquiry-and that this night's discussion was not to be concluded with resolutions coinmitting the house in any degree to the acceptation of the treaty; and for his own part he objected to the error which had gone abroad, that the house was to be involved by this night's vote. He contended, on the contrary, that the house would not be committed to the acceptation of the treaty until they had passed the last vote on the last bill, which was necessary to the carrying into execution the treaty. He begged at the same time to call the attention of the house to one material point, in which he believed this important subject had not yet been considered.

The Irish propositions had been mentioned. If this

treaty should pass, would it not become absolutely necessary that those propositions, reprobated and rejected as they were, must be revived, or at least that a system of intercourse of some kind must be established between this and the sister kingdom; for it was totally impossible that the present system should continue if the treaty with France took place? He wished therefore to learn explicitly from the right honourable gentleman, whether, in case the treaty of France was carried into effect, it was his intention to revive the Irish propositions? There was one other matter which he must mention. The right honourable gentleman contended that the treaty had been between four and five months before the public. He denied this fact. It had been but fourteen days-for until the convention appeared, the treaty could not be said to be before them; in so far as that convention so materially affected several of the most leading features of the treaty, and that the whole could only be construed by a comparison of them both.

To the manufacturers it was unbecomingly insinuated, that some parts of the treaty to which they objected, should be amended in the convention. This lulled them into silence; and now that the convention was come, not any correction of the errors complained of could be found in it. The house was doubtless in the recollection of a garbled meeting of manufacturers, artfully convened on the 9th of December, and consisting only of three persons, whose partial resolutions had been industriously circulated throughout the kingdom. This meeting had but five letters sent to them, and three of the five disapproved of the treaty.

No immediate answer being given, the speaker put the question for leaving the chair, which was carried.

FEBRUARY 15.

COMMERCIAL TREATY WITH FRANCE.

Previous to the motion being made for the speaker leaving the chair, Captain Minchin reminded the house, that some papers were requisite for the information of members on the subject of the commercial treaty. Those he wished to have before he was called upon to give his vote; for, without the information which they contained, he was incompetent to decide upon the question.—For this reason, he hoped the house would not think of resolving itself into a committee until they had these papers laid before them.—Mr. Pitt observed, if the papers were wanting, they would be moved for as well in the committee as at the present moment.