e>4 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1805. 



that the thirst of conquest still re- 

 main ocl nil bounded, and the positive 

 law of parliament, for the limitation 

 of our territories, was violated by a 

 ■war with the Mdhratta powers. The 

 pretext for the war struck him as 

 absurd and indefensible in the high. 

 est degree. It was not to be sup- 

 posed that the Mahrattas were the 

 aggressors, for that would be the al- 

 wajs snspieioiis aggression of the 

 weak against tlie strong, lie then 

 proceeded to state, that in all these 

 wars we had the representations of 

 one of tlie belligerent powers, lor 

 princes of India had no ambassa- 

 dors in ,this country to look a Her 

 their interests. Every thing, there- 

 fore, came to us through a partial 

 medium, and to shew liow litile 

 such accounts 'were to be depended 

 upon, he contrasted, from the pa- 

 pers on the table, the discordant 

 descriptions given of the ?.Iahratta 

 chiefs, by the diiTwent persons cm- 

 ployed to negociafe Mith them, in 

 terms at which they must nafiirally 

 revolt. The peishwa was represent- 

 ed as a most odious monster, be- 

 cause he would not conclude a trea- 

 ty, against ^hich he must have a 

 nattiral aversion, and had no right 

 to make, as he was not the sove- 

 reign, but rather the prime minister 

 of the Mahratta states, as primus 

 Infer purcs. To Scindiah the pro- 

 posals were, that he should subsi- 

 dize in his dominions a large iirifish 

 ■force, iu perpetuity, and cede the 

 sovereignty of a great part of his 

 territories for their si. pport ; be- 

 sides procuring several other ces- 

 sions, and a variety trf other de- 

 grading and insultiu'^ conditions — 

 and all this, it was said, for his own 

 security! After expatiating on the 

 diii'erent circumstances connected 

 •nilh tlm «ubjeet, be concluded by 



moving — " That this house adher« 

 " to the principle established by its 

 " unanimous resolution of the 28th 

 " of May, 1782, and recognized 

 " and adopted by the legislature, 

 " in two several acts of parliament, 

 " of the 24th and 33d years of his 

 " majesty, namely, That to pursue 

 " schemes of conquest and exten- 

 " sion of dominion in India, are 

 " measures repugnant to the wish, 

 " the honour, and the policy of 

 " this nation." 



Lord Castlereagh observed that 

 the honourable gentleman confined 

 himself to some abslraeted state- 

 ments, which might bear a different 

 meaning when separated from the 

 context. The first intercourse Mith 

 India was certainly of a commercial 

 nature, and it might have been the 

 best policy <o continue it so, if the 

 j)olicy of France, which was always 

 to goad England in that quarter, 

 had not turned our commercial into 

 territorial interests, and in order to 

 secure the one, wc were obliged to 

 obtain the other. It would be too 

 much to say that, vndcr iiGcirctnii- 

 sfaiicc^, should our em])ire be ex- 

 tended, and if there were any par- 

 ticular cases, in which we did so o))- 

 pressively or unjustly, a rcferenco 

 or enquiring into them would suit 

 the honourable gentleman's pur- 

 pose better than the general enume- 

 ration he entered into. Even tho 

 finger of calumny had never pointed 

 at the wars with the Mysore coun- 

 try-, au'i the late restoration of 

 Hindoo Rajah and his family was 

 a strong proof of t!ic nnoderation, 

 lenity, and liberality of govornmcnt, 

 which ought to dispel much of the 

 prejudices against our East India 

 councils. Coming to the point par- 

 ticularly in question, he observed, 

 that bud tke Maluatia states con- 

 fined 



