140 
whofe political marriage, Mr. Pitt fo- 
lemnly and in open parliament forbid the 
bauns,) having -obtained a majority, he 
veciced from power, with a character un. 
gm ;eached and a heart untainted. 
Tathe courfe of a few weeks after his: 
difmifion, Mr. Pitt once more agitated 
the queffion for a reform in Parliament, 
which he knew would refore him to the 
enjoyment of ail his former popularity, 
and pave the way for his return to power. 
He according!y fubmitted three {pecific 
mstions to the houfe; but although he 
was ably fupported by Mr. Fox; and fe« 
veral other members, yet on a divifion he 
was left inaminority, the ayes being 129, 
and the noes 293. 
Noiwi:hftanding the popularity attach- 
et to the name and talents® of Pitt, 
the “ coalition minifiry,”’ as it was term- 
ed by way of odium, ft.il poffeffed a great 
majority in parliament ; until the idea of 
the celebrated India Bill, by which the: 
entire government of that company was 
to be invefted in commiffioners, was can- 
eeived. This meafure, of which Mr. 
Burke was the father, received a regular 
and fyematical oppofition from the ex- 
chanceijor of the exchequer, who chiefly 
infited upos two objections: the cone 
founded in the in‘ringement, or rather the 
violation, of the charter ; the other on the 
new and unconftituticnal influence it was 
calculated to create. He allowed that the 
government of India wanted reform, but 
it was a conititutional, not a tyrannical 
alteration that broke through every prin- 
ciple of juftice and integrity. By the 
bill before the houfe, an attack was made 
en the moft {ulemn charters ; it alfo poiat- 
ed a fatal blow againfi the integrity and 
the faich of parliament ; and in addition 
to this. it broke through eyery tie by 
which maz was. bound to man. The 
cherter in queflion was not indebted for 
its birth, or its psetenfions to the foolifh 
prepofleffion, orathe mad prodigality, of 
a Piantagecef, a Tudor, or a Siuart: it 
wwas a fair purcha‘e made of the public, 
an equal compact for reciprecal advan- 
tages between the proprietors and the na- 
tion at large. © 
The bill in queftton was carried in the 
houfe of commons, by a large ‘majori- 
ty*: but,in the houfe of peers, it 
was obje&ted to by the Duxe of Rich- 
‘mond, Lord Thurlow, and Earl Temple 
(the pref-nt Marquis of Buckingham) ; 
‘and on the 17th of December, 1783, it 
* The divifion on the fecond reading was, 
ayes 217, noes 103.——Majority 114, 
Moinairs of the Right Hon. William Pir. (Maréh 1, 
a: 
was finally rejected by a majerity of nine- 
teen*. 
‘This very extracrdinary event was fup= 
pofed to have taken place in confequence 
of a conference between Lord Temple and 
a great perfonage, on the 11th of Decem- 
ber, which produced fome motions againit 
fecret influence in the houfe of commons, 
where a large portion of the members fill 
adhered to the coalition miniliry. 
| 
| 
many 
In the mean time, the king determined 
on an entire change of the adminiftration, 
and at twelve o’clock in the night of the 
18th of December, 1723, a meffage was 
delivered to the two fecretaries of ftate, 
intimating tha: his Majefty had no further ° 
occafion for their fervices, and dire@ting 
that the feals of office thould be prefented 
by the under-fecretaries, as a perfonal in- 
terview would be difagreeable. The im- 
portant places of firft lord of the treafury 
and-chancellor of the exchequer were con- 
ferred on Mr. Pitt, who thus became 
premier in the 24th year of his-age ; while 
Lord Tempie was nominated for a fevr 
days fecretary of (tate, and Earl Gower 
became prefident of the council. Soon 
after this, Lord Thurlow accepted the 
office of lord chancellor, the duke of Rut. 
land was made keeper of the privy feal, 
and the Marqu’s of Carmarthen and Lord 
Sidney fecretaries of ftate, while Mr. 
- Dundas became treafurer of the navy. 
Mr. Pitt, who at this peried had great. 
ly encreafed his former populariy by be- 
fiowing the patent finecure of clerk of the 
ptils upon Colonel Barré, in lieu of a. 
penfion of nearly the {ame value, on the 
14th of January 1784 brought forward a 
new bill for the better government of In- 
dia. He propefed the inftitution of a 
board of controul, the members of which 
were to be nominated by the king, to 
which the difsatches of the Company were 
to be fubmitted; he alfo fioulated that 
the appointment of the commander in chief 
fhould be invetted in the crown, and hav. 
ing thus obtained the guardianfhip of the 
polit cal interelts cf the company, he left © 
the commercial ones entirely to the court 
of directors. : 
Mr. Fox embraced this opportunity to 
criticife on the bill prefented by his fuc- 
ceflor, and after a fhort debate it~ was re- 
jected by a majority of eight. - -- 
In this temper of the houfe of com. 
mons, either a coalition or an immediate 
diffolution became neceflary, and a nume _ 
ber of independent members having met 
and atiempted to bring about. the former 
*. Contents 95, not contents 76. | 
without, 
