minifters. If matters go wrong in a ftate, those who have the management thereof must be to blame, and ought to be anfwerable for their bad conduct as the law of their country directs. First, let us make it our business to learn whether the body of people at large are diffatisfied: and if fo, fecondly, the cause of their uneafinefs. That they are diffatisfied, abundantly appears from the most folemn teftimonies they have repeatedly made against the prefent rulers, in every mode that the laws would authorize; and fo publickly have they complained and fhewn their difapprobation and refentment of the injuries and infults offered to them, that no perfon in the country can be a ftranger to their abhorrence of the minifters now in power. The cause therefore of their dislike remains only to be confidered. Indeed I have often been furprized at the narrowness of the reafoning of thofe men who afcribed the ferments of the nation, which happened foon after the acceffion of his present Majefty, to Mr. Wilkes, as if it were poffible for one man (and pray, reader, mark whom) to rouze the resentment of a whole nation and its colonies. Ridiculous fuppofition! It is not in the power of ten thousand Wilkes's to make England ungrateful or difobedient, without fufficientcaufe. We must not date the beginning of the nation's diftruft fo far only as three or four years back, for it originated much earlier, within three months after the death of the late good old king. The people were fatisfied and united till their old and faithful governors were difcharged and infulted, under whose able administration their armies were victorious abroad, and their liberties preferved at home; in their ftead, a fet of ignorant fycophants introduced, without ability to dis rect, or inclination to be honeft. It were needless to mention what minifters were difmiffed, or by whom they were fucceeded; I mean only to warn my countrymen against the fophiftry of afcribing the popular difcontent to any defect in the laws, or to the influence of any one man, or of its being a blaze produced on a fudden. The conduct of my countrymen has been grateful, fenfible, and fpirited; and I hope to see the vengeance of this nation burft forth with irrefiftible fury on the heads of those wretches, whofe hellish cabals have loaded us with fo much ignominy, and brought on us such infupportable misfortunes. BRUTUS. The The Bill for the better regulation of the Eaft-India Company's Affairs being brought in by Sir George Colebrooke and Mr. Sullivan; and the Speaker having put the Question wether he fhould leave the Chair, Mr. Cornewall faid, HAVIN TAVING all along difapproved of the present bill, both on account of the matter, and the manner in which it was introduced, and having been lately appointed one of the felect committee for enquiring into the ftate of the East-India Company, I cannot now help entering my protest against your leaving the chair. I have attended that committee more clofely than moft other gentlemen: and from what I can fee the course of their enquiry will furnish this houfe with very material lights. But then it will be impoffible for them this feffion to go through a twentieth part of the task impofed upon them. Will you then, when it is impoffible for you to come at nineteen parts in twenty of the necessary information, proceed to eftablifh a fyftem of permanent laws and regulations at Bengal? Confult your journals; you will never be able to find a fingle example of proceeding thus ex parte. Confider that this act is not intended for a temporary expedient, but for a lafting, if not a perpetual charter. I do not mean to tell tales out of school: but I will venture to promise that the report of the felect committee will contain matter very proper for your confideration on this occafion. Drop then the idea of paffing an act, while a committee of your own house fits deliberating upon the subject, and finds matter growing upon their hands to fuch a degree, that it will be impoffible for them to come to a final conclufion before the end of the next feffion of parliament. This idea it was that induced them to propose to the house the erection of a court confifting of a few perfons for the fpecial purpose of enquiring into the fate of Eaft-India affairs, and of having a report ready for the houfe after the recefs. Since my plan did not take place, I #befeech you to wait the iffue of your own. The present bill has not come into the house in the regular and usual manner. We are not properly informed whether it does or does not come from the proprietors. If it does, why did they not apply by petition, and prove the allegations contained in it at your bar? We should thus have fomething firm and folid to grafp, not a mere fhadow, which nobody will avow. We are going to redrefs grievances, whofe exiftence has not been afcertained * See a copy of this Bill in our last number, certained in a judicial and parliamentary manner. fingle witness has been examined at your bar. Not a Had this plan been purfued, it would, I believe, have ppeared, that the prefent complaints concerning the mal-adminiftration of justice in Bengal, arife from the charter granted to the Company about twenty years ago. I ar pretty well informed, that before that period there were f** or no complaints, and few or no reafons to complain, bit fuch as will happen in the beft governed countries. The old charter was found to anfwer very well all the purposes of the fettlement. Would it not be worth while, before we enter upon new regulations, to enquire whether the reftoration of the old might not effect every good purpose intended by this new court of justice. For thefe and various other reasons, which will naturally occur to every gentleman, and which for fear of exhaufting the patience of the Houfe I omit, I muft, tho' I fhould be fingle in the motion, oppose your leaving the chair. Mr. Townsend faid, that the honourable gentleman needed not to be afraid of being fingle in supporting so reasonable a propofition; that not only for the reafons already urged he muft fecond him, but likewife for this, that he had never heard any argument for proceeding in the affair without the lights expected from the committee, but one, to wit, that we might upon the general principles of reafon and policy frame a fyftem of laws a priori for any country, and therefore for Bengal, that this doctrine appeared to him as abfurd as if any one fhould infift that, because a taylor had a general idea of making a coat, he would be able to fit his particular perfon without having feen or ever measured him. Richard Whitworth faid that, if this motion succeeded, fifteen millions of people would remain two years without any relief from the intolerable grievances, under which they now laboured; that therefore he was for going into the committee, and for rejecting what was improper, and amending what admitted of amendment; that though they had not taken exact measure of the people of Bengal, and therefore 'could not exactly fit them with coats, yet, as they were abfolutely naked, it was but charity to fend them a few rags to cover their nakedness; that, if the honourable gentleman who introduced the ftory of the taylor, were in their fituation; that is, without any coat at all, he would be glad of a blanket or rug to cover him from the inclemency of the feafons, from the rapacity of the Company's fervants. Upon a divifion, Mr. Cornwall's motion mifcarried, and the House went into the proposed committee. [An Account of the Debate in our next.】 CT for the better regulating the future Marriages of the A royal Family Anecdotes Page Avarice, deftru&ive Confequences of to the Well-being of Brutus' Letter to Lord North Card Playing and Preaching, Letters on, from a Chinese 228 147 63 7. Card Playing, Obfervations on 338 Caernarvon Lord, Anecdote of 152 Commons, Houfe of, Motion in the, for an Addrefs to the At the opening of the Budget Dutch, M. de Haren's Account of their Conduct at Japan man Catholie to the Council, and the Reasons given by 353 214 320 269 65 136 Granada, Proceedings in, on the Admiffion of a French Ro the diffentient Members 165 Granada, Letter to the Freeholders of St. George in to the Society of the Supporters of the Bill of Rights 127 Leeward Ilands, Reflections on the Government and Gover examined nors of the Letters from Lord B London Proceedings of the Livery of Libra's Defence of the King and Miniftry Lords, Proteft of the, against the royal Marriage Bill Luxury, an Effay against Miniftry, obnoxious Part of their Conduct on the royal Mar riage Act explained Ministry, Enquiry into the Merits of the National Debt, Defign and Conduct of the Miniftry in the prefent Mode of paying of the Page 371 and 375 North Lord, Addrefs to on the present Revolution in Den mark 236 Nova Scotia, Remarks on fome Parts of Nowell's Sermon, Reflections occafioned by 290 239 265 Parliaments, Reflections on the Neceflity of fhortening the 140 ill Succefs of the Motion for fhortening the Duration of 201 Fenfilvania, remarkable Occurrence at Political Power, a Difcourfe on the Nature and Foundation of 329 207 154 151 Poor, Plan for a general Provifion of the Provifions, Addrefs to the Society for endeavouring to reduce Soap, &c. Abfurdity of reducing the Taxes on Savoy, Care ofthe Inhabitants of the Thoughts on Princes who have been fond of their Subjects Wilkes Mr. his Addrefs to the Livery of London |