SOUTHERN AFRICA. 189 
fical and moral charader of the natives, their feveral connec- 
tions and relations ; and who, at the fame time, poffefs the ad- 
vantage that local information fo eminently affords. 
Thefe gentlemen were then fully perfuaded, that if the native 
powers of India could once totally get rid of Europeans, they never 
would again admit them as inmates, if they could poflibly avoid 
it ; and that if we fairly relinquifhed the Malabar and Coro- 
mandel coafts, it would not be difficult to keep others out of 
them for ever. It might fairly be afked, indeed, if our prcfent 
poffeffions there anfwer to us the advantages expedted from 
them ? Do they produce a furplus revenue, either in money or 
merchandize, over and above their immediate occafions and 
expences, to fay nothing of the extraordinary charges they are 
expofed to from infurredtion or invafion ? Have they not re- 
abforbed, not only all their own refources, but drained Bengal 
of immenfe fupplies to preferve them from perifhing ? Have 
we, or can we exped to find, interior refources there to depend 
on, without having recourfe to Bengal for fupport ? If we have 
not, and the India budget convinces us that we have not, would 
it be unwife to take early meafures for converting our prefent 
hollow truce with the native powers of Southern India into a 
folid alliance with them, and (by the ceffion of what we caa 
never hold at all without jealoufy and envy, and never can hold 
long without contefi:,) for a valuable confideration, which, no 
doubt, might be had, cut away every inch of ground there, 
which the French might hope to ftand upon. In fuch cafe the 
poffeffion of the Cape or Ceylon would then be of lefs moment 
to us, our Indian force would be concentrated and invulnerable 
in 
