VII. 1786. liberty, not only to impose a fine upon him, but CHAP. to march into his country, in order to enforce it; and the rajah, not being acquainted from any overt-act, that the fine intended to be levied was exorbitant (the only unjust part of the transaction,) his taking up arms, in order to escape from an arrest, to which he had subjected himself by his own fault, and exciting an insurrection among his men to massacre the British forces, and afterwards withdrawing himself and going into open rebellion, which could not be excused by any consideration of that with which he was not acquainted, the exorbitancy of the fine-all these circumstances considered, Mr. Hastings's deposition of the rajah was just and indispensably necessary, and naturally followed from what had preceded it. As to Mr. Hastings's encouraging the troops to commit ravage and devastation, that could not have been the consequence of the letter, to which it was imputed; for, that letter was only calculated for the private perusal of the council; and it was a well-known fact, and sufficiently authenticated by evidence, that he had taken every precaution for issuing the necessary orders to prevent any avoidable licen tiousness of the soldiery; and that the cruelties committed, were only by a party of disobedient and mutinous followers of the camp. CHAP. 1786. To the subsequent part of the charge, the second and third revolution of Benares, he should say but a few words, as they had not The only remaining subject was, the restoration of Cheyt Sing to his possessions; upon which he should forbear to deliver any opinion, as it could not then properly come under consideration. Not one of the persons who were adverse to Mr. Hastings attempted to answer any of those parts of Mr. Pitt's speech, in which he vindicated the conduct of that gentleman, or VII. 1786. to controvert any of the general principles CHAP. he had advanced respecting Indian politics, or their application to the present question: but Mr. Dempster, Mr. W. Grenville, lord Mulgrave, and the attorney general, the last three of whom were intimately connected with Mr. Pitt, all declared, that they could not agree with him in thinking, that the charge contained sufficient matter to be included in any articles of impeachment. On the other hand, Mr. Powys expressed his satisfaction at having heard so honorable and manly an argument from the chancellor of the exchequer a more able and convincing one, he said, had scarcely ever been delivered within those walls. He could not, however, but lament, that the right honorable gentleman was left alone, that he was deserted by his friends; and that two of the ministers for India* had argued against the resolution, and embraced sentiments so repugnant to those professed by the right honorable gentleman. Mr. Powys said, that the two ministers for India had virtually avowed, that political expediency sanctified injustice-a maxim to which he could not accede. Lord Mulgrave declared, that Mr. Pitt would not be fit to be minister of the country *Lord Mulgrave and Mr. W. Grenville were members of the board of control. СНАР. 1786. for a single day, if upon a question of that nature, when the house was sitting as judges, he was to expect his friends to sacrifice their opinions. Mr. Pitt regretted, that there should be any difference of opinion between himself and his friends; but it was an honorable difference, not a difference about a principle, but about the application of a principle: he thought fifty lacks a most exorbitant fine, and his honorable and noble friends did not. The majority of the house concurred with Mr. Pitt; the motion being carried by 119 to 79. It being found impossible to go through all the charges in the present session, the farther consideration of them was deferred to the next meeting of parliament. The prorogation took place on the 11th of July, when the king, in his speech from the throne, thanked the two houses for their diligent attention to the public business; and particularly, for the measures they had adopted for improving the resources of the country, and reducing the national debt: he informed them of the prospect of the continuance of general tranquillity; and assured them, that nothing should be wanting on his part, to confirm the advantages already derived from peace; and to encourage the manufactures of the kingdom and the industry of his people. CHAPTER THE EIGHTH : 1786. Commercial Treaty with France-Convention with Spain- THE only two VIII. 1786. HE only two events of a public nature, CHAP. which took place during the recess of parliament, of sufficient importance to be mentioned, were, a commercial treaty with France, and a convention with Spain. By the eighteenth article of the definitive treaty of peace between Great Britain and France in 1783, it was agreed, that immediately after the exchange of the ratifications, commissioners should be appointed for the purpose of settling new arrangements of commerce, which should be concluded within two years from the first of January 1784. The long animosity and rivalry, which had subsisted between the two nations, and the little trade they had carried on with each other since the revolution, even in the intervals of |