100 
Towards the close of the preced- 
ing session of parliament, Mr. Paull, 
a gentleman lately returned from 
India, had come forward in the 
house of commons as the accuser of 
marquis Wellesley, and had obtained 
orders for the production of various 
pers to substantiate his charges. 
Barly in the present session he re- 
sumed the subject ; and, though the 
change of ministry, which soon after 
followed, was fatal to his hopes of 
active or strenuous support from 
any of the great parties in parlia- 
ment, he continued to urge his ace 
cusation with unabated constancy 
and perseverance. The firmness and 
intrepidity which he displayed in- 
this business, upon scveral. trying 
occasions, would have entitled him 
to the highest praise, had these qua- 
lities been accompanied with judg- 
ment, temper, or discretion. But, 
fortunately for marquis Wellesley, 
Mr. Paull was eminently deficient in 
these qualifications ; nor was he pos- 
sessed of the parliamentary know- 
ledge, personal consideration and 
ability, or political weight, necessa- 
ty to give to his accusations their due 
effect against au adversary, so for- 
midable by his credit and connexions 
as the object of his attack. The 
vashness and impatience of his tem- 
per gave advantages to his oppo- 
nents in the house of commons, of 
which they disdained not to avail 
themselves, while his unacquaintance 
with the forms and rules of pro- 
cedure in parliament, and his ramb- 
ling digressive oratory involved him 
at once in difficulties, and exposed 
him to ridicule. 
It must at the same time be eon- 
fessed, that Mr. Paull had to contend 
with no small difficulties in procur- 
ing a-patient and impartial hearing 
of his case. Discussions on India 
— 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
had for many years met with a most 
inattentive and reluctant auditory in 
the house of commons, and no one 
who recollected, or had taken part 
in the trial of Mr. Hastings, was 
disposed to embark in the intrica- 
cies and difficulties of another Indian 
impeachment. The partizans of lord 
Welleslcy, and admirers of -his ad- 
ministration of India, were numerous 
and powerful in the house of come 
mons, and eager and even violent 
in his defence. The whole body of 
the ex-ministers and their adherents, 
and two of the three parties united 
in the new administration were 
openly and avowedly his friends, 
and took every opportunity of de- 
claring their opinion, that his con- 
duct was not only undeserving of 
censure, but meriting the warmest 
thanks of his country. The East 
India directors were, indeed, de- 
cidedly hostile to his system of go- 
vernment, to which they imputed 
all the pecuniary difficulties of the 
company’s situation; but, they were 
averse to his impeachment; either, 
because they thought his conduct did 
not afford grounds for such a pro- 
cedure against him; or, because they 
despaired of success in it, and de- 
precated an attempt, which, if it 
failed, might raise him again to 
power. 
Mr. Fox had withdrawn himself, 
in a great measure, from the discus. 
sion of Indian affairs, since the trial 
of Mr. Hastings; and, though his 
situation in the house of commons 
compelled him to attend, during the 
present session, to all questions of 
importance agitated in that assem- 
bly, it was obvious that, on the 
subject of lord Wellesley’s impeach- 
ment, he gave up his time and at. 
tention to this part of his duty with 
reluctance, and saw it, with regret, 
encroach 
