of the industrious and the honeft, by the machinations of the perfons who would then have it in their power to plunder the community, under the fanction of a privilege that had, in fact, no other end in view than its benefit and good. Sir Grey inftanced fome cafes where the impropriety would be great, and the tendency dangerous. Upon the whole, Sir Grey expreffed his opinion, that relief in the prefent cafe was unprecedented, and his conviction, that the privilege of the House ought not to be extended to Mr. Petric's petition. On the bill for allowing the Heads of Colleges to marry, The Farl of the Earl of Surrey faid a few words. He wifhed the prinSurrey. ciple of this bill fhould be more liberal, and that the reftraints intended to be abolished by it fhould be equally extended to the indifcriminate perfons reftrained, as to any particular defcription of them. At the fame time that he would with the fpirits of the original grants of eftates to the Univerfities fhould be attended to, according to the intentions of the granters, and that the power of difpenfation in the Crown, according to the meaning of the University ftatutes, fhould be 1 kewife attended to.

Mr. Secre

hend.

PEA C E.

Mr. Secretary Townshend rofe in his place, and fignified tary Town to the Houfe, that the preliminaries of peace were at laft figned between this country and France, as alfo between this country and Spain; and that though no preliminaries had been figned between this country and the United States of Holland, a ceffation of hoftilities was agreed upon. Thefe preliminaries would be laid before the Houfe with all convenient speed, as foon indeed as the difpatch of office would permit. The right honourable gentleman was unwilling to fpecify any day, as he could not do it with any degree of certainty. But he had no objections to fuppofe it might be Monday next, or thereabouts. He pledged himself, however, that the business fhould not meet with the leaft unneceffary delay.

Mr. David
Harticy

THE CALL OF THE HOUSE.

The Speaker then addreffed himself to Mr. David Hartley, concerning his renewing his motion for a call of the House.

Mr. David Hartley did not feem inclined to accede to the motion of a call of the Houfe for this day. The notifica

tion which a right honourable gentleman, high in office, had juft made, rendered that object, at leaft for the prefent, unneceffary. It was no lefs, he faid, than a declaration that this country had effected a refpite from utter and absolute deftruction. He would not mention an event of fuch a mag nitude, in lefs paffive terms; for in his opinion, no other terms came up to what they were given to understand from the highest authority, had now, happily for mankind, and particularly for this country, taken place. Mens minds would, therefore, very naturally be engroffed with the nature and confequences of this critical, but falutary completion of a negociation to which the defires of fo many had been long and anxiously directed. Had the right honourable gentleman been able to have told the Houfe the precife day when the preliminaries would be laid before them, he fhould have been directed by the course of that business, in fixing the call of the Houfe. He would, fuppofe, however, that a fortnight from the time he spoke would not be improper.

Mr. Rolle did not much approve trifling in this manner, Mr. Rolle. with the rules of the Houfe. He for his own part, made it a fettled point, to pay all due attendance. And confidering the bufinefs likely to engage the attention of Parliament, during what remained of the feffion, he thought it the duty of every member, to be as punctual as poffible. But putting off a call of the Houfe, when thus propofed, from time to time, could have no other tendency, than to leffen the refpect due to the orders of the House.

Lord North role, and readily acknowledged the truth and Lord Norths propriety of the honourable gentleman's obfervations; but faid, that the matter appeared to him in a quite different light. A right honourable gentleman, high in office, had notified to the Houfe an event of the higheft importance, and he conceived that this notification was of itself fufficient to fecure the attendance of every member of the House; for though he might queftion what the honourable gentleman who made the motion had faid, of a deliverance from abfolute ruin and deftruction; yet in any cafe, the event which had been notified to the Houfe, was furely of fuch high confequence, and fo deeply interefted every member of this Houfe, that the moft regular attendance of every member and the moft exact attention to every particular which might come before them, might certainly be expected. He could by no means agree with the honourable gentleman, VOL. IX.

Y

ho

stone.

who made the motion in confidering the fituation of this country as utterly, defperate. The fituation of this coun try was far from being hopeless. Our refources were fuch, as ftill rendered us refpectable, and he had no doubt but a great deal might ftill be done for the honour and intereft of this country by proper exertions. But all circumftances confidered, he believed it would be generally allowed, that a peace, upon decent terms, was to be defired. A glorious peace was not to he expected, after an unfortunate war. A glorious peace was not to be expected, when we had to ftruggle against fuch a powerful combination of enemies; but if upon examining the particulars, it fhould be found, that the peace was fuch as we might expect, our prefent fituation confidered, and the relative fituations of our several antagonists confidered if the terms of peace fhould appear in these circumftances, advantageous to this country, it certainly would be allowed in general, to be a defireable object. But at any rate, it was a great and momentous concern, which could not fail to engage the attention of the House, and enfure the attendance of all the members.

Com. John Commodore Johnstone obferved, that among all the different notices given by the feveral members, concerning the various bufinefs, which they meant to bring forward, he too would beg leave to mention a particular, which in his opinion, was of the very laft importance to the dignity, and welfare of this country. He understood a learned Lord in his eye, [the Lord Advocate for Scotland,] had some very material objects, concerning the Eaft Indies to bring on. He wifhed there might be no unneceffary delays; great alterations were expected from the abilities and enterprize of the right honourable perfon, chiefly concerned in managing the matter. No lefs than new governors, or new perfons, it was apprehended, were to be fent out with new powers, for fuperceding their predeceffors. Thus the whole fyftem of India affairs was to undergo a new modulation or arrangement. He trufted it would not be delayed, as in other cafes had fometimes happened, to the great detriment of the Company's affairs, till the feafon of the paffage was gone. None but thofe acquainted with the localities of the Company's territories were aware of the difadvantage of deferring the difpatches of the Directors till Midfummer. It was by fuch a delay that Lord Clive had loft his paffage. It was by fuch a delay that Lord Pigot loft his paffage. Notwithtanding the folemn manner in which characters had been mentioned in that Houte the night before, he trusted there

was no defign forming against those of the Eaft India Company, and that the procraftination of thefe matters was not intended only to procure time for fuch forgeries as might be deemed neceffary for their deftruction. He would therefore prefume, the learned Lord, in whose capacity and industry, he had the fulleft confidence, would either fay when he could be ripe for fubmitting his plan to the confideration of Parliament, or give the House the reafon of its delay.

The Lord Advocate did not feem altogether pleased with the manner of the Commodore's making fuch a requifition. He was not, in any degree, principally concerned; he acted only as the fervant of thofe gentlemen who compofed the Select Committee. They were pleafed to put the direction of the bufinefs in his hand; and while he acted by their authority, and to their fatisfaction, he fhould never be afhamed to avow the execution of their orders. He was, therefore, not prepared to make any apology whatever for delaying this bufinefs, and for the beft reafon in the world, he was confcious of no delay. And when the magnitude, as well as the infinite importance of the object was duly exa-. mined, he perfuaded himself the Houfe would give him the fulleft credit for making all the expedition he could.

The Lord

Advocate.

His Lordship did not pretend to fay what the honourable. gentleman meant by forgeries, or overturning charters. He did not doubt, but very material alterations would be propofed concerning the management of our Indian territories. It was certainly intended, that a new fet of fervants fhould be fent out with new powers, that the revenue of the Company should be new modelled, and a number of other regulations fhould take place, and especially that even the con-. trolling power of the Proprietors over the Court of Di rectors fhould be annihilated.---These were the objects of the committee, and would require time to mature and digeft.--But it was evident to an honourable gentleman before him, [Mr. Burke] that he never had any intention to poftpone the bufinefs, efpecially as the military juridical, and other branches of the India affairs were, by his exprefs defire, and as far as it was in his power, feparated from the reft. He hoped however to be able to make his motion about the time proposed for a call of that House.

Mr. Burke was very anxious for the attention of the House Mr. Burke. a few minutes at leaft, to the Eaft India bufinefs. The honourable gentleman, he faid, behind him [Commodore Johnstone had, in calling on the learned Lord for expedi ting the bufinefs in question, altogether mistaken the matter.

Y 2

The

Cemmodore
Johafione,

The orders of the House refted with the committee, and that learned Lord acted in it only by their directions. The honourable gentleman cautioned him against delay, but he would venture to caution him againft temerity. The complicated mafs of materials before the Committee, it was ne ceffary to affort and digeft before any juft conclufion could be formed with respect to thofe measures moft proper and expedient to be adopted. An honourable gentleman on his right hand (General Smith) deferved the highest praise for his affiduity in wading through fuch a chaos with indefatigable perfeverance; and it was a task equal to the greateft abilities. Certainly all the members of that Committee were not alike induftrious; but the learned Lord and his honourable friend were fincerely vigilant and zealous in accomplishing the objects of the Committee. He did not condemn the anxiety of gentlemen for wifhing the completion of a fyftem, in which they might be very much interefted; but the learned Lord, he trufted, would not, from a too great eagerness to oblige a few, precipitate a business of the most important consequences to the whole community.

Commodore Johnftone attempted to reply, but the Speaker interfered, and ftated the neceffity of keeping up fome appearance of order, in fuch defultory converfations, and hoped the honourable gentleman had fomething to fay, that would juftify his rifing again after a fair and explicit answer had been given to his demand.

Commodore Johnstone then faid, he did not in the leaft wifh to interfere with the orders of the Houfe. He knew there must be order, and he wifhed not to difturb it. He had more regard to himfelf, and to the dignity of a Member of Parliament, than to obtrude himself, or ought he had to say, on the attention of the Houfe, when they appeared unwilling to hear him. He was glad things were in fuch forwardness, but was forry to hear, that chains were forging for the proprietory; it was a moft comfortable indication of the learned Lord's not meddling with the charters of the Company, that he intended to deftroy the fupremacy of the Proprietors, over thofe of their own appointing.

General Smith faid a few words.

January 27.

Mr. Secretary Townshend brought down the Preliminary Articles with France, the Preliminary Articles with Spain, and the Provifional Articles with America,

They