654 



Britain. 



Mr Pitt's 

 plan of ex- 

 tinguishing 

 the nation- 

 al debt. 

 1199. 



Amend- 

 ments of 

 Mr Fox 

 and Mr 

 Fulteney. 



Impeach- 

 ment of 

 Warren 

 Hastings. 



of navy bills and ordnance debentures ; fresh taxes, of 

 which the amount was calculated at j400,000. 

 These taxes were passed with slight opposition. One 

 only was particularly obnoxious. This was a tax on 

 retail shops. It was shewn by the whole body of 

 retail traders, that, for obvious reasons, it was imprac- 

 ticable to indemnify themselves for this imposition by 

 raisingthepriceofcommoditieson their customers; and 

 thus a speedy ruin was threatened to thousands of 

 the most industrious and useful of the trading com- 

 munity. By way of recompense to the shopkeepers, 

 Mr Pitt proposed to annihilate a class of traders, 

 still poorer and less capable of remonstrance ; by re- 

 voking the licences from all hawkers and pedlars ; 

 whom he styled, a pest to the community, and a 

 nursery for illicit trading. Far from being petts to 

 society, it is known how useful these itinerant traders 

 are, to the remote inhabitants of the country. Like 

 all other traders, these men were liable to detection 

 and punishment in the act of illicit traffic ; but to 

 prohibit them from the fruits of their honest labour, 

 w;',, justly censured as despotic in principle, and cruel 

 in proportion to the poverty of the sufferers. 



In the business of the succeeding session, the mi- 

 nister's plan for extinguishing the national debt, holds 

 a distinguished place, and indeed forms an era in the 

 history of the country. The plan was founded on a 

 report, framed by a select committee, who had sat 

 during a part of last year, and who had examined 

 the annual income and expenditure of the state. By 

 the report of this committee it appeared, that the pub- 

 lic income for the year 1785, had been 15,379,000, 

 and the expenditure ., 11,4.78,000, leaving a surplus 

 of i 901,000. This surplus the minister proposed 

 to increase to one million, and to appropriate for ever 

 after this yearly million most sacredly to the exclu- 

 sive purpose of extinguishing the national debt. 

 Commissioners of the highest respectability were to 

 be chosen for the important service of purchasing in 

 the funds towards the redemption of the public debt. 

 Several savings of expense, and overflowings of re- 

 venue, would fall into this fund, which, in the course 

 of 28 years, would produce four millions a year. The 

 propriety of liquidating the national debt being ac- 

 knowledged on all sides, the motion was carried with- 

 out a division. 



In the progress of the bill, an amendment was sug- 

 gested by Mr Fox, and gratefully received by the mi- 

 nister, viz. that whenever a new loan should here- 

 after be made, the commissioners should be em- 

 powered to accept the loan, or such proportion of it, 

 as should be equal to the cash then in their hands ; 

 the interest and douceur annexed to which, should be 

 applied to the purposes of the sinking fund. Ano- 

 ther clause, enabling the commissioners to continue 

 purchasing stock for the public, when at er above 

 par, unless otherwise directed by parliament, was 

 moved by Mr Pulteney, and carried. 



Next to the establishment of the new sinking fund, 

 the affairs of India occupied during this session the 

 principal attention of parliament. The trial of War- 

 ren Hastings for alledgt d crimes and misdemeanours 

 in his government of India, was brought on by Mr 

 Burke, who had for some time held out his threats 

 of impeachment. On the 4th of April Mr Burke 

 cam. forward fully prepared for the charge, and so- 

 U-Hiniy exhibited against the late governor, nine arti- 



BRITAIN. 



cles of accusation, which in the succeeding week were Brit 

 completed to twenty-two. The chief substance of 

 these charges was, Mr Hasting's receiving illegal pre- G * R< 

 sents making unjust war upon the native princes, 

 and oppressing their defenceless subjects. The first 

 charge related to the Rohilla war, on which subject 

 the governor obtained a decision by a majority of the 

 commons, that there were not grounds of impeach- 

 ment. A more important charge was soon after- 

 wards produced, relating to the expulsion of a native 

 potentate, Cheyt Sing, from the Zemindary of Be- 

 nares, and Mr Hasting's severe and unjust conduct 

 in that province. By the supreme council of India 

 it had been solemnly decreed, that the native prince 

 Cheyt Sing and his heirs for ever, should enjoy the 

 Zemindary of Benares on condition of giving only 

 the usual payment of revenue hitherto paid to the 

 late vizier. For refusing to pay beyond this sum, 

 the native prince was expelled from his territory, and 

 his people were put to the sword. The friends of 

 Mr Hastings saw with dismay, that the minister him- 

 self could not but side with his accusers. Mr Pitt 

 acknowledged, that, admitting the right of the go- 

 vernor to have taxed the Zemindar, his conduct had 

 been unnecessarily severe. On this charge the com- 

 mons decided, that there were grounds of impeach- 

 ment. But beyond this decision nothing of impor- p_, r ] 

 tance towards the trial was accomplished in the prc- pror 

 sent session, which was closed by prorogation on the 

 llth of June. 



The new taxes were few and light, being only ex- 

 tended to fill up the deficiencies of the sinking fund. 

 It was during this year, that the hand of a wretch- Atte 

 cd and obscure lunatic, Margaret Nicholson, had "poi 

 nearly deprived the sovereign of life. On the 2d of k "'g 

 August, as the king was alighting from his carriage 

 at St James's, a woman, who pretended to deliver a 

 paper, struck at his majesty with a knife, but hap- 

 pily without effect, as the instrument was blunt and 

 slender. She was immediately arrested, and exami- 

 ned by the physicians in presence of the privy coun- 

 cil, who, on full proof of her insanity, committed her 

 to Bethlem Hospital. The addresses of the people, 

 on this occasion, evinced the strength and sensibility 

 of their loyalty. 



In the session which commenced with the year 

 1787, the attention of parliament was early directed com' 

 to a treaty of commerce with France, which his ma- with 

 jesty had concluded, and of which he ordered a copy Fl '- m 

 to be submitted to parliament. The terms and prin- 

 ciples of this treaty seem to have been treated by 

 opposition with undeserved severity. In comparing 

 the pecuniary advantages which would accrue to 

 each of the two countries, it appeared, by Mr Pitt's 

 statement, that although the revenue of France 

 would be benefited to the amount of I,. 100,000 a 

 year, the annual gain of our revenue would be a mil- 

 lion. A market was opened for our hardware, cut- 

 lery, cabinet, turnery, cotton, woollen, hosiery, and 

 porcelain manufacture, on paying an easy duty of 

 10 or 12 per cent, ait valnrcm. On our part, we 

 agreed to lower the duties on wines, brandies, and 

 olive oil. A plan for consolidating the duties of 

 custom was brought forward by the minister on the 

 26th of February. By this plan, he proposed to 

 abolish all the duties as they had existed hitherto, in 

 a complex and confused shape, and to substitute in 



