and carried; he meant afterwards to oppofe the whole refolution thus amended; he therefore thought it would be better to let the amendment pass without any farther discusfion, that the debates might be afterwards taken on the amended refolution.

The Hon. C. Marsham faid, that an honourable member had The Hon. defired to be informed how the House could know that the C. Martham, objections, relative to patronage, would be removed in the new bill of the right honourable gentleman on the floor: now as he had paffed between the two right honourable gentlemen, and heard the fentiments of both, it was in his power to give the House fome information on that head but he ftood in a delicate fituation; as Chairman of a refpectable meeting (at the St. Alban's Tavern) he had converfed with both gentlemen on the fubject of the India bill; but though the converfations were not strictly confidential, ftill he did not think himself at liberty to ftate the fubftance of them to the Houfe, without leave from the two right honourable gentlemen alluded to.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer faid, he certainly had not The Chan. the leaft objection to the honourable gentleman's giving to cellor of the Exchequer. the House the fubftance of what paffed between him and the right honourable gentleman on the India bill; but at the fame time he thought it would be better to let the motion before the House pass firft, that gentlemen fhould not, while difcuffing one point, find themfelves entangled in a new debate, the fubject of which (the India bill) was not properly before the House.

Mr. Fox faid, he left the honourable gentleman at full Mr. Fox. liberty, without any reftriction whatever, to relate any thing that paffed between them relative to the India bill.

The queftion was now called for on the amendment, which was put, and carried without a divifion.

fham.

The Hon. Charles Marsham then rofe and faid, that having The Hon. waited on the right honourable gentleman on the floor, by Ch. Mardefire of the meeting, of which he was Chairman, to learn his intention with refpect to the new India bill he was about to bring into Parliament; that right honourable gentleman told him, that provided the right honourable gentleman at the head of the Treafury, would confent that the government of India fhould be in this country, and be permanent at least for a given number of years, he would leave it entirely to that right honourable gentleman to fettle the article of patronage as he pleafed.With this information he

waited

Earl Nugent

waited on the Minifter, who told him that the article of patronage, being thus given up, an opening was fo far made to a negociation.

Earl Nugent again recommended conciliation, by which alone an end could be put to the present distractions. Gentlemen were coy of one another at prefent, and therefore ftood upon their punctilios; but if they would at once agree to meet one another, he would lay his life that they would truft each other, and that they would act with confidence. It was not the first time that he had been inftrumental in bringing about an interview, and effecting a conciliation between two great men, who had much greater cause to be at variance than the two right honourable members. The two great men were Mr. Pelham and Lord Granville. His Lordship had appointed to meet at his house, and their meeting was to be kept a profound fecret. One repaired to his houfe quite muffled up, fo that it was impoffible for any one who faw him to know him. He juft introduced them to one another, and left them to themselves. He took care in the mean time to have a good fupper ready for them, of which they partook; they drank heartily after it; the wine put an end to the reserve on which they had acted; they spoke freely; confidence was eftablished between them; they became fincere friends, and remained fo, and cared not the next day who knew the story of their interview. Thus was this coalition (and, by the bye, this fhewed he was a friend to coalitions) effected in a fingle night over a glafs of good wine. He was not much acquainted with the two right honourable gentlemen now fitting oppofite to each other: but if they would give him leave, he would bring them together at his house; they fhould have an excellent fupper, the best of wines; they might, if they pleafed, get gloriously drunk; and he would be bound, that over their bottle they would lofe that ftiff referve that wedded them now to their punctilios, and confidence would fpring up where diffidence reigned before. The cafe of the Earl of Chatham and the late King, was a ftriking proof, that how much foever men might have differed, they might at laft come together, and place as much confidence in each other, as if they had never difagreed. The cafe was this: the King had in a great meafure profcribed all thofe who paid their refpects at Leicester Houfe, to the late Prince of Wales; Lord Chatham happened to have been employed in the fervice of the Prince; this was of itfelf enough to ruin him at St. James, and ren

der

der him perfonally difagreeable to the King. But this was not all; the King was known to have a great partiality to his Hanoverian dominions: on the other hand, Lord Chatham was known to have the ftrongest prejudices against thofe German territories; and he frequently expreffed himself in the House of Commons, in terms that gave great offence to his Majefty; for he often faid, that Hanover was a millftone about the neck of England, that would weigh her down and fink her. However, the King found it neceffary to fend for him he went into the clofet, and the meeting was very aukward at firft; at length, Lord Chatham said to his Majefty, with the greateft franknefs, "Sire, give me your confidence, and I'll deferve it." The King replied without hefitation, "Deferve my confidence, and you fhall have it." Lord Chatham fet about the great work, which he afterwards fo gloriously achieved, by raifing this country to the highest pinnacle of glory; and he at laft fo won upon the King, that he was able to turn his very partialities in favour of Germany to the benefit of this country; and never was man honoured with a greater fhare of Royal confidence than he was. The right honourable gentleman over againft him might obtain the confidence of the prefent Sovereign, if, by his great abilities he should be able to ferve his country. To gain the Royal confidence was not fo difficult a matter in the prefent reign as in the former; there was no difpute in the Royal Family, which might fplit the courts; no partiality to German dominions: he was confident, therefore, that a fuccessful exertion of abilities would fecure the right honourable gentleman the unfhaken enjoyment of the Royal confidence. The attempts to turn out the prefent Minifter by force was not the way to conciliate; and to do it without alledging any crime to have been committed by him, was contrary to juftice, and to the conftant practice of Parliament. He remembered very well, that an attempt was once made to remove Sir Robert Walpole by an address: the oppofition was ftrong; it was headed by Mr. Pulteney, a man of the greateft eloquence; and fo fure was he of carrying his motion, that a lift was handed about of an arrangement for a new Administration, which I remember very well, faid his Lord-fhip, because I myself was to come in at the end of it: but mark the confequence; a plain country gentleman rofe, who, he believed, had never opened his lips in the House before; it was Mr. Harley, and with a fingle, fhort and fimple fpeech, he undid all that Mr. Pulteney had been doing, in VOL. XIII.

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Gen. Bur goyne.

one of the longest and moft flowery fpeeches that had ever been delivered in Parliament. "You perfecuted iny uncle, Lord Oxford," faid he; "you perfecuted my father, the Auditor, through whofe hands millions had paffed, and a perfecution was conjured up againft him, because it was found, that his fervant had once taken fix fhillings: for these acts, you must naturally suppose me to be your enemy; but I hate you too much to defcend to imitate your example, and therefore as no crime has been proved against you, I will give my negative to the motion for turning you out, because I will never confent that any man fhould be punished till he has been tried and found guilty." This fpeech had the most aftonishing effect; for greatly as Sir Robert was hated, the country gentlemen to a man voted with Mr. Harley against the motion, and thus blafted the certain profpect of fuccefs that Mr. Pulteney and his friends fancied they faw before them. Such was the force of the appeal of a plain man to the juftice of the Houfe. If the Houfe of Commons could negative a motion for the removal of a man fo generally detefted as Sir Robert Walpole was, merely because no crime was proved against him, what ought to be the fate of a motion for removing the right honourable gentleman on the floor, whofe character was as irreproachable as man could wish; a man who was as generally beloved and refpected, as Sir Robert Walpole was execrated and defpifed? If the motion for removing the odious Minifter was negatived, merely because no crime had been proved against him, furely with more juftice and propriety ought a motion to be negatived, which was made for the removal of a Minifter, against whom a crime not only had not been proved, but against whom a crime had not been fo much as alledged.

General Burgoyne obferved, that on a former day the noble Lord had told the House, that every fpeech which lafted an hour coft 500l. in as much as it put off by an hour the confideration of the ftate of the illicit trade of the kingdom, upon which there was a lofs, which by prudent management might be recovered, of 2,000,000l. a year, or 500l. an hour; now he was refolved not to put the nation to the expence of many pounds, for he would fay only a few words. Much ftrefs had been laid upon addreffes, as if they were proofs of the great popularity of the Minifters: but if gentlemen would confider only for a moment, they would find that there was very little folidity in the observation. In the town, for inftance, which he had the honour to reprefent, the corporation,

poration, from whom only the addreffes fent to Court were, confifted only of twenty-four perfons, who were affembled the day the addrefs was voted for ordinary bufinefs only; and not a word was faid about an addrefs, previous to the moment when it was moved. He understood, that as foon as it was known in the town that such an address had been obtained, and in fo clandeftine a manner, it gave general diffatisfaction among the inhabitants, who were displeased that an address from twenty-four perfons should be conftrued to be an address from the town, where there are many thoufands of inhabitants, not one of whom, the twenty-four of the corporation only excepted, knew a word of the business, or of any intention in any body to vote, or even to propose an addrefs, till they read it in the public papers. He faid, that as to the motion then before the Houfe, he intended to support it, as abfolutely neceffary to the very exiftence of the Conftitution. Conciliation was wifhed for by gentlemen, and by none more than by him; and he wished the noble Lord, who had fo much of the fpirit of conciliation in him, as to have conciliated with every Administration, would infufe a little of that fpirit into thofe around him, who generally used much language better calculated to deftroy than to create conciliation. His right honourable friend on the floor, with whom it was an honour to act, was above the mean, paltry confideration of felf, in the great bufinefs which involved the welfare of his country, and to whose glory and profperity it was his fole ambition to contribute.

Sir Harry Hoghton lamented the dilemma into which the Sir Harry House had brought itfelf, by what he confidered as a rafh Hoghton. and unreasonable attack on the prerogative of the Crown. He commended the firmness of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in not refigning to negociate. He believed the charges against him, of pride and obftinacy, were true; but it was the pride of high character, and obftinacy of conscious

innocence.

Mr. Powney rofe to take notice of what Mr. Eden had Mr. Powfaid of the Berkshire address, in the time of Charles the Se-ney. cond. He faid, the Berkshire addrefs had not been the firft fent to St. James's on the popular fubject of these times, but there was one ready, although the honourable gentleman oppofite to him (Colonel Hartley) had perhaps been too much fatigued in his journey to town to fay a word about what had paffed at Reading lately. Mr. Powney profeffed himfelf a friend to the conftitutional prerogatives of the Crown,

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and