HISTORY OF EUROPE, 
trary to it; and forgetful, it should 
seem, of the argument so recently 
held by his lawyers atthe bar of 
Westminster hall, he maintained 
generally, that in construing acts 
of pavliament, the words of the law, 
however clear and explicit, were to 
be disregarded and set aside, when 
inconsistent with what was known 
to have been the intention of the 
‘parties who proposed the law, a8 
collected from: the proceedings of 
parliament and other collateral evi- 
dence. He concluded by reproach- 
ing bitterly the ministers for the 
indecent avidity with which they 
grasped at the patronage of India. 
Po this attack. lord Grenville re. 
plied, that ‘* for hisown part, he 
- always wished. that those who were 
accused should be tried by the law 
itself, and not. by any fanciful in- 
terpretations and constructions, 
that could be put upon it by other 
people. The noble lord must ad- 
mit, that.the law gave a power of 
recaly and he could. hardly deny 
that where there was a right there 
was also a duty. The noble lord 
must also recolject, that from the 
passing of the act in 1784, tothe 
year 1801, there had not beena 
single governor general appointed 
either to Bengal or Madras, that 
had not been recommended by him- 
Self to the directors; and from 
180i to the present time the same 
System of recommendation had been 
continued. If the house would 
eall to their recollection all that had 
passed during those 22 years, they 
might be surprised, that the charge 
ef grasping at Indian patronage 
come from that noble lord.”* 
The motion of lord Melville, which 
was for copies of the correspon. 
* Cobbett’s Debates, Vol, VII. p. pe 
iad 
Vou. XLVIL. 
7 
‘ 
(957 
dence between the board of cont 
troul and the court of directors, 
relative to the recal of sir G. Bar- 
low, was: then negatived; and lord 
Lauderdale having declined + to 
urge farther his pretensions to the 
office of governor general, the die 
rectors gave way to the next res 
commendation of government, and 
appointed lord Minto~to that high 
situation. Thus ended, through the 
moderation of lord Lauderdale and 
the forbearance of ministers, a cons 
test, which, we trust, will eventu- 
ally lead to a clear settlement of 
the question, whether the real and 
effective nomination to the chief 
government of India is to reside in 
the crown ef England, or in the 
directors of the East-India company. 
The rapid decline of Mr. Fox’s 
health, which was: now too appa« 
rent to be longer disguised, had 
great effect, it is said, in determining 
lord Lauderdale to withdraw lis 
pretensions to the government of 
India, He probably foresaw a most 
pertinacious opposition to his ap. 
pointment on the part of the direc. 
tors, and it was natural that he 
should be unwilling, in the then 
critical and dangerous state of his 
friend, to harass and disturb his mind 
with a contest for any personal 
interest of his own. It was, indeed, 
but too true, as he justly anticipa- 
ted, that the life of that great and 
excellent statesman was drawing 
fast toa close. Mr. Fox had re. 
ceived from nature an uncommon 
vigour of constitution, and notwiths 
standing the irregularities of his 
youth, he had enjoyed uninterrupted 
health till about two years before 
his death, when the seeds of the dis. 
order, to which he fell afterwards a 
+ About June, 20th. 
victim, 
