746 
ENGLAND. 
returned with two thoufand fequins, on which they were 
again admitted: “for (faid the governor), poor menl 
they had no hand in the crucifixion.” 
General Burgoyne concluded the report by moving, 
“ i. That all acquifitions made under the influence of a 
military force, or by treaty with foreign princes, do of 
right belong to the (fate. 2. That to appropriate acqui¬ 
fitions fo made to the private emolument of perfons en- 
trufted with any civil or military powers of the Hate, is 
illegal. 3. That very great fums of money, and other 
valuable property, have been acquired in Bengal by per¬ 
fons of this defeription, and appropriated to their private 
ufe.” Thefe refolutions, amidft the general indignation 
excited by the report, parted with great unanimity ; and 
the chairman of the committee moved, “ That lord Clive, 
about the time of the depofition of fu-rajah Dowla, did 
obtain and poffefs himfelf of feveral fums amounting to 
two hundred and thirty-four thoufand pounds, under the 
denomination of private donation, to the difhonour and 
detriment of the ftate.” 
Lord Clive now entered with great ability into his own 
vindication, and fliewed the urgent political neceflity 
which had induced him to embrace the meafures for 
which he was at this diftance of time fo unexpectedly 
and injurioufly arraigned. He affirmed, that the power 
and fortune of the Englifh nation in India had been en¬ 
tirely owing to the boldnefs and prompitude with which 
thofe meafures had been conducted ; that what he had 
acquired for himfelf, was inconfiderable in comparifon 
with what he had acquired for the company, whofe wel¬ 
fare had ever been his great objeft ; that he had been 
placed in great and eminent fiations, furrounded with 
temptations ; the civil and military powers were united 
in him, a circumftance which had never happened to any 
other individual ; that, being circumfcribed by no reftraint 
but that of his own confcience, he might have accumu¬ 
lated a fortune too great for a fubjeft; but that he had 
then determined to rejeft all future opportunities of gain, 
and from the day on which he entered the city of Moor- 
fliedabad in triumph, after the victory of Plaffey, which 
was a fpace of fifteen years, he had not benefited himfelf 
a Angle (hilling, direftly or indireftly, the jaghire only 
excepted. 
Many of the moll refpeftable and impartial members 
of the houfe, could not on reflection but think it a harfli 
and invidious thing, that the vengeance of parliament 
Ihould be directed againfl: a man who had raifed fo high 
the reputation of the Britifh arms in India; who had 
fought the battles of his country with fuch unparalleled 
glory and fuccefs; and who would to the lateft genera¬ 
tions be accounted amonglt the molt illuftrious of her 
heroes. That the fyftem of policy adopted by the com¬ 
pany’s fervants in India was totally indefenfible, mult be 
admitted ; but it did not appear from the nature of the 
regulations, which had received the fanCtion of parlia¬ 
ment, that any radical alteration of that fyrtem was in 
contemplation. A great empire had been founded in the 
eaft, chiefly through the exertions of the noble lord againfl: 
whom this charge of delinquency was brought. Is it fe- 
rioufly meant to relinquifh this empire ? to reftore thofe 
immenfe fums to the native princes and inhabitants, of 
which they have been plundered ? Far from it. The 
queflion is merely, whether the ftate or the company Ihall 
enjoy the advantages arifing from thefe vaft poffeflions ? 
Of this contefl the refult is known. The company, loaded 
with reproach and obloquy, are cenfured, condemned, 
and puniflied, without fo much as being heard in their 
own defence ; but reftitution is made, not to the princes 
of India, but to the people of Great Britain; and almoft 
at the fame inftant that we are palling bills for the pur* 
pofe of transferring the riches of Hindooftan from the 
treafury of the company to the royal exchequer, we are 
called upon to vote impeachments againfl the man by 
whole heroic efforts of valour and plans of policy thofe 
(riches were acquired. Is there any trace of dignity, of 
confiffencv, or virtue, in this conduft ? If we are delibe¬ 
rately determined to keep poffeflion of thofe dominions,, 
which are univerfally allowed to have been unjuftly ac¬ 
quired, we are parties in the injuftice, and thofe who 
were the original aftors of it are entitled from the juftice 
of the nation (for there is a juftice even in injuftice) tO' 
indemnity at leaft, if not to gratitude and applaufe ; and 
all that can with propriety be done, Ihort of reftitution 
and emancipation, is to fecure, by wife and equitable regu¬ 
lations, the future happinefs and welfare of thofe diftant 
nations, who are become by an aftonilhing viciffitude of 
fortune fubjeft to our dominion. 
On putting the queflion, the laft claufe of the refolution 
was rejected, although the minifter declared in favour of 
the words of cenfure, and divided in the minority. An 
amendment was then moved, “ That lord Clive did at 
the fame time render great and meritorious fervices to this- 
country ;” which was carried by a confiderable majority, 
and an end put to the enquiry. A deep impreftion was ne- 
verthelefs made upon the mind of lord Clive by this pub¬ 
lic accufation, and by the odium and obloquy which from 
this time attached itfelf to his charafter. His faculties,, 
no longer roufed to aftion by the neceflity of great and 
vigorous exertion, languifhed in retirement and folitude,. 
and gradually preyed upon themfelves till exiftence be¬ 
came infupportable. Originally educated in ft rich prin¬ 
ciples of religion, it is probable that his early affociations 
now recurred with redoubled force; and though acquitted’ 
by the higheft human jurifdiftion, he could not acquit 
himfelf, or hope for acquittal at that far more awful tri¬ 
bunal at which he dreaded to appear. After a few years 
paffed in a ftate of wretchednefs and defpondency, lie at 
length put a voluntary period to his life; by this melan¬ 
choly cataftrophe demonftrating to mankind the vanity of 
human purfuits and wifhes, and the infinite fuperiority of 
confcious virtue to all the gifts of fame and fortune. 
When at a very early period of lord North’s admini- 
ftration the duties on paper, glafs, and colours, were 
repealed, it has been already remarked, that the duly on 
tea was purpolely left as a mark of legislative fupremacy. 
The Eaft-India company finding their flock of tea to ac¬ 
cumulate in their warehoufes, in confequence of the lofs 
of the American market, were very urgent with the mu 
nifter to repeal the American import duty of three-pence 
per pound, offering in lieu of it to pay double the funi 
on exportation. A fairer opportunity could not occur to- 
terminate the difpute. Accordingly, in the feffion of 1773, 
the aft paffed for allowing the exportation of teas duty 
free ; and the company, eager to make a grand effort to 
relieve themfelves from their difficulties, were buoyed up 
with the flattering expectation, by becoming their own 
faftors, of regaining poffeflion of the American market : 
for, when the teas were actually tranfported acrofs the 
Atlantic, and lodged in warehoufes, the mere circum¬ 
ftance of their having previouflv paid the import duty 
would not, it was imagined, impede the company’s tales. 
In this idea, however, they were moll fatally deceived. 
The Americans confidered this new attempt as an artifice, 
calculated to inveigle them into the payment of this tax, 
in order to eftablifh the precedent ; and they were deter¬ 
mined that no fuch experiment Ihould take effeft. Six 
hundred chefts were by the company, in purfuance of the 
aft, configned to their agent at Bofton, the like quantity 
to New York and Philadelphia, and in proportion to the 
other principal ports of the continent. Pennfylvania dif- 
tinguifhed herfelf by fetting the firft example of oppofi- 
tion. A general meeting was convened at Philadelphia, 
in which a feries of vigorous refolutions were paffed, 
“declaring this new plan of importation to be a violent 
attack 1 upon the liberties of America, and pronouncing 
it to be the duty of every American to oppofe this 
attempt; and that whoever Ihould direftly or indireftly 
countenance it was an enemy to his country.” A com¬ 
mittee was then appointed to wait upon the confignees 
of the company, and to requeft their refignation, which 
1 was 
