the Carnatic and Northern Circars, under the heads aforefaid, for the year 1790-91, are estimated,. by the Governor and Council of Madras, to amount to the fum of fortyfour lacks, fifteen thousand nine hundred and forty-one pagodas.

Refolved, That it appears, that the annual charges to be defrayed by the faid Company at the prefidency of Fort Saint George, and in the Cornatic and Northern Circars, under the refpective heads of Civil, Military, Buildings, and Fortifications, and the Charges of collecting the Revenues and Customs, for the year 1790-91, are estimated, by the Governor and Council at Madras, to amount to the fum of fixty-three lacks, feventy-one thoufand four hundred and thirty-eight pagodas.

Refolved, That it appears, that the annual revenues of the Eaft-India Company at the prefidency of Bombay, and the fettlements fubordinate thereto, under the heads of Land Revenues, Cuftoms, and Farms and Licences, upon an average of three years, from 1787-8 to 1789-90, amounted to the fum of thirteen lacks, eight thousand three hundred and fourteen Bombay rupees.

Refolved, That it appears, that the annual revenues of the East-India Company at the prefidency of Kombay, and the fettlements fubordinate thereto, under the heads aforefaid, which were estimated for the year 1789-90 to amount to eleven lacks, ninety-one thoufand fix hundred and twentyseven Bombay rupees, amounted to fourteen lacks, forty-two thoufand four hundred and five Bombay rupees.

Refolved, That it appears, that the charges defrayed by the Eaft-India Company at the prefidency of Bombay, and the fettlements fubordinate thereto, which were oftimated for the year 1789-90, to amount to forty-nine lacks, two thoufand fix hundred and feventy-fix Bombay rupees, amounted to forty-eight lacks, two thousand Gx hundred and eighty-five Bombay rupees.

Refolved, That it appe rs, that the annual revenues of the Eaft-India Company at the prefidency of Bombay, and the fettlements fubordinate thereto, under the heads of Land Revenues, Cuftoms, and Farms and Licences, for the year 1790 91, are estimated, by the Governor and Council of Bombay, at the fum of twenty-two lacks, ninety-fix thousand three hundred and fixteen Bombay rupees.

Refolved, That it appears, that the annual charges to be defrayed by the Eat-India Company at the prefidency of Bombay, and the fettlements fubordinate thereto, in the year 1790-91, are estimated at fixty-feven lacks, ninety-fix thousand feven hundred and fifty three Bombay rupees.

Refolved,

Mr.

Grey.

Refolved, That it appears, that the annual revenues of the Faft-India Company at the refidency of Fort Marlborough, and its dependencies, arifing from Customs, Farms, and Licences, amounted on an average of three years, from 1750-7 to 1788 9, both inclufive, to thirteen thousand and forty-four dollars.

Relved, That it appears, that the total debts owing by the Eaft-India Company in their different fettlements in the Eaft-Indies, exclufive of the fums for which bills have been granted, payable on the Court of Directors at home, in purfuance of then orders of the 15th day of September 1785, and 3ft day of July 1787, amounted, according to the Jateft accounts of the whole debt received in England, to the fum of fix crore, eighty feven lacks, eighty five thou fand and feventy feven current rupees.

Refolved, That it appears, that the total of the debts owing by the Eaft-India Company in their different fettlements in the Eat-Indies, bearing intereft, amounted, on the 30th day of April 1790, to the fum of five crore, forty lacks, fixty-nine thoufand three hundred and fifty-feven current

rupees.

Refolved, That it appears, that the annual amount of intereft payable on the faid debts in India was forty-four lacks, feventy-one thousand and fixty-fix current rupees.

The Houfe adjourned.

Friday, 27th May.

Mr. Grey prefented a petition from the prifoners confined in the King's Bench, praying for fuch relief as the House, in its wifdom, might think proper to grant. At this late period of the feffion, he faid, he was afraid that he could do nothing more than move that the petition fhould lie upon the table. At the fame time, he stated, that fome relief was very defirable. There were confined in the King's Bench 50 prifoners, many of whom had wives and children; and within a fpace of 400 yards, it had been reprefented that there flept 1500 perfons. One relief, however, might be granted them, namely medical affiftance. At prefent, if a woman was taken in labour, no' medical affiftance could be procured after ten o'clock. Seven or eight perfons occupied one finall apartment. When fick, they were not kept feparate; the fick and the healthy remained together, or feven or eight fick perfons were flowed together in the fame narrow accommodation. If they died, the dead body was fuffered to remain. till fome means were found of removing it, and it was interred at the expence of the relations of the deceased; er, if these were not found to defray the funeral rates, at the expen ce

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expence of the Marfhal of the prifon.

It had been indeed

stated, that, in fome cafes, the body had been fuffered to remain for a length of time, in order to induce the prifoners to enter into a fubfcription for the purpose of removing it. Such were the particulars which had occurred in the courfe of the enquiries of the Committee, which he had been inftructed to lay before the Houfe, and which certainly most loudly demanded a fpeedy remedy.

The petition was ordered to lie upon the table.

Mr.

Mr. Hippefey faid, that having given notice of a motion for the relief of the military fervice of the Eaft-India Company, Hippeficy. in particular cafes, it was his wifh to bring the fubject hefore the House accompanied with the most incontrovertible evidence of the existence of the evil, and the neceffity of reform; he fhall therefore move, "That there be laid be"fore this Houfe extracts of a letter of Colone! Fullarton, "late Commander in Chief of the fouthern army, to Lord Macartney and felect Committee, dated 7th Jan. 1785, "containing fuch parts of the faid letter as relate to the "arrears of the troops, and the mode of payment."

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Ordered.

Sheridan.

Mr. Sheridan rofe and faid, that he would undoubtedly Mr. have been much obliged to the right honourable gentleman for his intimation of the fpeedy prorogation of Parliament, had it in the application he was about to make been neceffary, to enter into all the detail with which it was connected. But fuch detail would not only be unneceffary, but improper. Before he should proceed to ftate what he fhortly had to fay, Mr. Sheridan said, he should firft endeavour to refute fome infinuations that the business had not been taken up by thofe engaged in it with all the ferioufnefs and attention to which it was entitled. Every fufpicion of this kind he thought it neceffary to banish from the mind of the Houfe, when he meant to call their most earnest attention to a business which he deemed of the utmost importance. In 1787, the first application on this fubject had been made to Parliament. It had then been stated that the reform demanded was realy no object to thofe who were chiefly interelted. But how did this appear, when of fixty fix Royal burgh, fifty-eight had petitioned for the reform, and he had been able to prefent to the House a petition figned by ten thousand perfons, almost all of whom were real burgeffes. The first petition, however, fent to him in 1787, had arrived too late, as the period for prefenting private petitions was then past. 1788, the application had been renewed. The right honourable gentleman, who oppofed him on the other fide, (Mr. Dundas) had affented that a bill fhould be brought in, if it was printed, and had forined with him a fort of compro

mife; as an effect of which he expected, from his usual confiftency of character, that he would now fecond the motion. Another honourable gentleman behind him, (Mr. Anftruther) who had likewise opposed him in this business, whose oppofition he could not but regret, and to whofe influence, in every other refpect, he wifhed well, except as an Alderman of Pittenweem, had moved for all the charters and fets of the Royal burghs, in order that they might be taken into confideration during the recess of Parliament, with a view, no doubt, to the enquiry which fhould afterwards follow. Having moved for the materials which could only be use ul, in order to inftitute an enquiry, it could not be expected that he fhould oppofe its progrefs. It had then been stated too, as an argument for oppofing it, that the reform which was demanded, would completely overturn the conftitution of the burghs. In this particular they had obviated the objection, by joining iffue, and in this ftate the bufinefs ftood at the end of the feffion, 1788. In 1789, as all public and private business had been fufpended, from an unfortunate circumstance which, at the time, afforded regret to all good citizens, and which they must now with might never return, not much progrefs could be expected to be made in difcuffing the reform of the Royal burghs. The bill had been again printed, and read a fecond time. He moved for a Committee, when the honourable gentleman had faid, that they took a wrong courfe, and indeed of moving for a Committee, in order to confider of a remedy, they ought first to move for a Committee to examine into the facts by which the neceffity of this remedy was to be proved. To this propofition they had affented. He moved for a variety of papers, which it was agreed (hould be laid upon the table; and here again the matter refted. In the next feffion, Mr. Sheridan faid, nothing had been done. The papers moved for had not fome of them arrived till the middle of May, and not till he had found himself obliged to renew the order. No part of the delay hitherto, he hoped, could be imputa ble to him. The delay this feffion, he would take upon himself. He had, indeed, advifed it not to be brought forward at all. This advice he had given, in compliance with the opinion of his friends, that in the prefent state of the public mind, as differently acted upon by the revolution of a neighbouring country, it would be prudent for a while to fupprefs all ideas of a reform at home. In this opinion however, Mr. Sheridan owned, he co: ld not agree. For if either a fpirit of fervility had got abroad among fome, or wild enthufiaftic notions of liberty were cherished among others, he deemed it equally incumbent upon Parliament, uninfluenced by extrinfic circumstances, to fhow their deter

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mined refolution to redress every grievance that demanded their interference, and attend alone to the calls of juftice. He was likewife unwilling, he faid, to bring forward a bufinefs of fo much importance, without that fupport which he moft respected and esteemed. Looking to his object, he certainly confidered it as no ground of cenfure to accommodate himself to means, whilft he made no facrifice of principles. His objections, however, he had yielded to the wishes of those who were most interested, and he had the fatisfaction to fay, that he was fupported in his attempt by names, which, if he were to mention, would not be deemed likely to countenance any act of rashness. He would first

wish to remove every idea that in the present business there was any novelty attempted.

The honourable gentleman, who might be fuppofed well acquainted with the hiftory of his own country, ancient and modern, would know that the internal Government of the Royal burghs, had always been an object of complaint and redrefs. He would read a commiffion fo far back as the reign of Charles II. which enumerated the fame grievances which were now actually ftated to exift; and among others, the misapplication of the public money, to the purposes of corrupt influence, an evil which was then a fubject of complaint, and of which the honourable gentleman was to confider whether there now remained any traces. No new

grievance was now the fubject of complaint. Power had always been growing into abufe. The fame evils had always exifted. No remedy was granted; nor was it likely, that in the reign which he had mentioned, any provifion fhould be made for fecuring the liberties of the fubject. So had the matter refted till 1784, when encouraged by the declaration of a right honourable gentleman, that he would always fupport parliamentary reform as a man, and as a Minifter, the friends of reform in Scotland had formed a convention, and fent delegates from the 58 burghs, who had different meetings on the fubject. In this ftate the bufinefs had fallen into his hands. Little more, he conceived, was neceffary to be faid. When 5 out of 66 burghs have ftated great and pofitive grievances under which they laboured, and when they had profeffed gratitude to a right. honourable gentleman for the encouragement which he had afforded them to expect redress, he trufted that their gratitude would be confirmed upon folid grounds. If after all the information had been procured, Mr. Sheridan faid, they fhould refufe to look into fuch information by a Committee, they would certainly, by thus fhrinking from the enquiry, grant that evils exifted, which they had neither fortitude to examine, nor virtue to redrefs. If what was ftated as grievVOL. XXIX.

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ance