the nabob of Oude, gave rise to a very long debate; which was continued by adjournments to the 15th of March. On the side of the prosecution, there appeared Mr. Charles Grant, Mr. Lushington, Sir Thomas Turton, Lord Milton, Mr. Sheridan, and Mr. William Smith.-On that against it, and in defence of the marquis of Wellesley, Mr. Whitshed Keen, sir John Anstruther, colonel Allan, Mr. Wallace, Mr. Henry Wellesley, lord Castlereagh, and sir James Hall. Colonel Allan (member for Berwick), in a maiden speech, of considerable length, defended the marquis of Wellesley with ability and with spirit. The other members also spoke warmly in his praise; but that which made the greatest impression, and probably decided the vote, was, the speech of sir John Anstruther, who to the weight of his own character and abilities, added the advantage, on the present question, of having resided for many years in a high and important situation in Bengal. Sir John entered fully into the subject, and in a speech clear and convincing, shewed, that the conduct of lord Wellesley was in perfect conformity to the wishes, intentions, and tenour of that kind of conduct approved by his employers; and, that the security of Bengal imperiously required, and demanded it. The question being put on the first resolution, the house divided. For the previous motion 31-For the previous question 182. Sir John Anstruther then moved, "That it appeared to that house, that the marquis of Wellesley, in bis arrangements in the province of Oude, was actuated by an ardent zeal for the service of his country, and an ardent desire to promote the safety, interests, and prosperity of the British empire in India." On this motion the house divided. For the motion 189-Against it 29. Notwithstanding this decision of the house of commons, the same question was again brought forward, in another shape, on the 31st of March, by lord Archibald Hamilton, who moved a series of resolutions; the purport of the last of which, was, "That it appeared to the house, that the British government was bound in honour to reconsider and revise the treaty of 1801, with the nabob of Oude, with a view to an arrangement more favourable to the nabob.”A short debate ensued. Mr. Robert Thornton was not fond of renewing debates on the same question; but he thought there was better ground for renewing the debate on the present question than any other he had ever known. The treaty now under discussion, he declared, did not deserve that name; for to a treaty, the assent of two parties was necessary. The treaty was said to have originated in friendship; but if it began in friendship, it had ended in injustice and cruelty. The noble marquis seemed to have carried to India, a sample of French fraternization. The treaty was really a sort of Gallican hug, in which the marquis had squeezed the nabob to death. The conduct of lord Wellesley was also arraigned by Mr. Martin and Mr. Howarth. Mr. R. Dundas observed, that it would be difficult to rescind the trealy. nister for this country. When sir Thomas came into parliament, he found the Carnatic question still floating, and did every thing in his power to induce some other meniber to bring it forward, preferring to be the seconder rather than the mover. No choice, however, was left him. The right honourable gentleman (Mr. Sheridan) to whom he had particularly looked, had found himself, after the change of ministry, in circumstances that prevented his urging the question, as it might have greatly embarrassed those with whom he acted. He had no doubt, however, that that honourable gentleman was convinced, that he had just grounds for what he had done in the busi treaty. The noble lord had not A question of a similar nature was brought before the house of commons, May 17.-Sir Thomas Turton rose, to move his promised resolutions, respecting the deposition of the nabob of the Carnatic. He had every disposition to think well of the politics of the marquis of Wellesley, who had been educated in the same school with Mr. Pitt, and had for some time followed his steps; but at the same time, he had no hesitation to declare, that if he was guilty of the acts detailed in the papers before them, he was a most improper mi The honourable baronet gave a brief historical view of the progress of the company's interference with the Carnatic, from the beginning of the war that ended in 1754, when they supported one candidate for the Musnud, in opposition to another supported by the French, down to the treaty of 1796, with Omdat Ul Oinral, by which the payment of a certain kist was secured to the company. That treaty continued till the death of Omdut Ul Omrah in 1801, when those disgraceful transactions commenced which the honourable gentleman opposite (Mr. Sheridan) had not coloured more strongly than they deserved. Sir Thomas having also painted them in glowing colours, concluded with moving a series of resolutions, containing a recital of facts, relative to the assumption of the Carnatic, reprobating the deposition of the nabob, and declaring, that the British parliament will never countenance an act of of injustice and oppressions in India; and stating the propriety of appointing a committee, to inquire into the best means of indemnifying the family of Mahomed Aly, and of ensuring the safety of our Indian possessions. A very long debate ensued, which was continued by adjournment to the 1st of June. The defence of lord Wellesley, made with great ability and eloquence by col. Allan, Mr. Lushington, and Mr. Wallace, consisted chiefly of three points: that the nabob was not an independent prince, but our vassal; that the government of the Carnatic was badly managed; and that a treasonable correspondence had been carried on by Wallajah and Omdut Ul Omrah, with our enemies. All the resolutions moved by Sir Thomas Turton were negatived by vast majorities. The house having divided on the 4th resolution, directly criminating the conduct of the marquis of Wellesley, the numbers for the resolution were, Ayes 15-Noes 124. Sir Thomas Turton, on his return into the house, after this dis cussion, observed, that the numbers on his side were so few, that he should not now proceed to move his other two resolutions, but would be content to postpone them, if Mr. Wallace would consent to postpone his resolution of approbation. Mr. Wallace said, that after the complete defeat which the cause of the honourable baronet had sustained, he might well forbear moving any resolution of approbation: for what approbation could be stronger, than that testified by the majorities with which the resolutions had been rejected? He saw no reason for entering into any farther discussions on a future day; but would now read the resolution, with which he intended to close the business. "Resolved, that it is the opinion of this house, that the marquis lord Wellesley and lord Clive, in their conduct relative to the Carnatic, were influenced solely by an anxious zeal and solicitude to promote the permanent security, welfare, and prosperity, of the British possessions in India." Which resolution was, of course, agreed to. СНАР. CHAP. V. The Budget. The Irish Budget.-Mr. Perceval's New Plan of Exchanging Stock in the Public Funds for Annuities for Life.-Conditions on which a Sum of Money was advanced to Government, by the Bank of England. THE HE proceedings in parhiament, of which we have given some account in the preceeding chapters, were retrospective. We come now to give a sunimary narrative of the most important among those that were of a prospective na ture; the most generally interesting to the present, and, it may be presumed, to succeeding generations. House of Commons, April 11. The chancellor of the exchequer rose, pursuant to notice, to bring forward the BUDGET. Having gone through the various items of supply, which had been voted in the present session, under the various heads of navy, army, barracks, commissary general's department, extraordinaries, ordnance, miscellaneous services, and Swedish subsidy, he stated, that the whole of the suns voted amounted in the aggregate to 48,653,1701. from which was to be deducted the proportion to be furnished by Ireland, viz 5,713,601 1. which would leave a sum to be defrayed by Great Britain of 42,933,6011. These sums be stated upon a rough estimate, which, however it might vary from perfect accuracy, would yet be found to correspond pretty exactly with the actual state of the ac counts. Having gone through the supplies, it next became necessary for him to state to the committee the various ways and means, which had hitherto been provided for covering these supplies. The house had already voted upon malt and pensions three millions. The sum usually voted was 2,750,000 I.; but it was thought more expedient to take the amount of the tax at the round sum of three millions, which it produced; the effect of which would only be to reduce the surplus of the consolidated fund by the sum of 250,000l. the difference between the vote of three millions and the usual amount at which the malt and pension tax was estimated.— The advances from the bank amounted to 3,500,0001. The unappropriated surplus of the consolidated fund, was on the 5th of April 726,8701. Upon the rough estimate he was warranted in taking the war taxes at twenty millions. The committee would be aware, that the duties to be levied under the orders of council were applicable to the war taxes, and therefore he felt the more confidence in taking their amount at twenty millions. The lottery he should state at the sum of 350,0001. It would be in the recollection of the committee, * 4 budget of papers relative to the public income and expenditure. that that the sum of four millions of exchequer bills had been funded in the course of the present session; and that in submitting that measure to the house, he had stated that it was intended to issue four millions of exchequer bills in place of those funded, as part of the ways and means for the year. By adding to these different items the sum of eight millions, which was the whole of what he apprehended would be wanted for the service of the present year, the aggregate amount would be 39,576,8701. To this aggregate was to be added the surplus of the consolidated fund, which he proposed to take at the amount voted last year, viz. 3,750,000. which would carry the ways and means to 43,076,000l. yielding a surplus of ways and means above the supplies of 137,000l. The surplus of the consolidated fund, the committee would recollect, had been taken last year at 3,750,0001. but had produced a further sum of 726,8701. making all together 4,476,8701, But the increased vote upon malt and pensions would diminish the produce of the consolidated fund, to the amount of 250,0001, and however sanguine his views might be of the state of the trade of the country, he could not but admit that, from the measures of the enemy, and the consequences of the course in which that trade was now to be carried on, some reduction might take place, though not to any material extent. He was of opinion that the surplus ought to be taken at the same amount as last year, though he was confident that would be found below what it would produce. Having stated the supplies, and the ways and means by which they were to be covered, it was, in the next place, his duty to state by what means he purposed to provide for the interest, charges, and sink ing fund, of the exchequer bill funded, and of the propose loan, which amounted to a sum o 750,0001. There existed at present a sum of 380,000l. applicable to that purpose, being the amoun of the short annuities which had fallen in. There was likewise a saving upon the management of the public debt, of 65,0001. By the new arrangement with respect to the assessed taxes, a sum of 125,000 1 would be produced; and the ar rangement which he meant to propose, for an improved mode of collecting the duties on stamps, would be calculated to yield 200,000/ The whole of these sums would amount to 770,0061. being a small excess above the sum actually required. He came next to state the view upon which he grounded the arrangement he had to propose with respect to the stamp duties. The committee were aware that, in the course of the last year, a principle had been recognized by parliament, founded upon the suspension of all taxation for three years, and for resorting to the war taxes to cover the necessary charges of loans. The policy of this principle had met with the concurrence of all sides of the house, though some of the provisions of the measure founded upon it had been canvassed. Having stated this, he was bound to explain to the house why he had thought it necessary to depart from the principle in the present instance, by proposing to lay on additional taxes to the amount of above 300,000l.; and it certainly was not because he bad |