The Hon. Levelon Gower.

"Sir,

"Admiralty Office, 7th Jan. 1762.

"I have communicated to my Lords Commiffioners of "the Admiralty your letter of the 5th inftant, defiring to "to be employed.

"I am, Sir,

"Your very humble fervant,

"Capt. Brodie, Town."

J. CLEVELAND.

"Your memorialist prays this honourable Board will take "his cafe into their ferious confideration, and humbly trufts that your Lordships will fee the juftice and propriety of restoring him to that rank from which he thinks himself "moft cruelly degraded. Your memorialift, whofe life has "been uniformly devoted to the fervice of his country, refts "his pretenfions on the juftice of his claim."

Needlefs was it for him to expatiate on the extreme cruelty, injuftice, and impolicy of fuch treatment: and therehe fhould be fatisfied for the prefent with moving,

"That copies of His Majefty's orders in Council, of the "3d of June 1747, and the 8th of March 1771, refpecting "the eftablishment of Rear Admirals' half pay to fenior Cap"tains who loft their rank by the promotion of junior Cap"tains; and alfo, the copy of His Majefty's order in Coun"cil relative to the half-pay of the navy, dated 22d April 44 1773, which were severally prefented to the Houfe upon "the 27th day of March, and the 3d day of April laft, might be read.

And, "That an humble addrefs be prefented to His Majefty, that he will be graciously pleafed to direct, that such "Captains in the navy, who, notwithstanding their fenio"rity, have been fet afide by any former promotion of flag "officers, as well as thofe who fhall at any time hereafter " he fet afide by future promotions, and who are not en"titled to a penfion equal to the half-pay of a Rear Admiral, fhall be eftcemed as fuperannuated Captains, and placed "for the reft of their lives on the ordinary eftimate of the "navy, with a penfion equal to their half-pay as fenior "Captains; and that the Captains now holding, or who may "in future hold, any civil employment, fhall not, during "the continuance of fuch civil employment, be counted "amongst the number of thofe entitled to receive eight fhillings or ten thillings a day on the half-pay lift." Mr. Minchin feconded the motion.

The honourable Levefon Gower faid, that the gentleman. alluded to in the honourable member's fpeech had no reason

to complain of neglect, for that he now enjoyed a pension of

2001. a year.

Captain Macbride admitted this, but obferved, that the Capt. Maspenfion had been granted him on account of the lofs of his bride. arm, and had no reference whatever to his general fervices;

but 300l. was the ufual pension given to a Captain of the navy who had lost a limb.

Mr. Chancellor Pitt remarked, that it was eafy for gentle Mr. Chanmen on the other fide to recommend generofity one day and cellor Pitt. œconomy the next; but he muft purfue a fteadier conduct, and was under the neceflity often of facrificing his private feelings to what he conceived to be for the public good. No man more willingly acknowledged the merits of thole gentlemen whose interests were concerned in this motion than he did; but he did not conceive, that a fingle inftance was fufficient to justify a general regulation: he therefore concluded with moving the order of the day.

The Houfe divided.

For the address

For the order of the day

Majority

55

39

16

The Houfe went into a Committee on the charges of high crimes and misdemeanors against Warren Haftings, Efq.

When Captain Jaques had been examined to authenticate fome letters which he had written to Mr. Middleton and Mr. Johnfon in the year 1782, Mr. Burke proposed to read certain papers from the Committee Reports; and began by ftating one, which was a letter from the Nabob to Mr. Haftings, written in July 1779,

Upon which Major Scott rofe and expreffed his aftonishment Major Scott at fuch a strange and unfair mode of proceeding: that House and the Public faw, he faid, very plainly, the miferable shifts to which the right honourable gentleman was reduced. He had fummoned a great number of witneffes, three of that number were now attending, and though only a little paft fix o'clock, the right honourable gentleman had finished for the night When, in God's name was the bufinefs to be cleared if fuch was the mode of proceeding?

Mr. Taylor declared, that he did not understand the lan- Mr.Taylor. guage used by the honourable gentleman who spoke last, it was highly improper: the right honourable gentleman had proceeded with all practicable expedition, and had a right to go on with reading papers.

Major Scott faid, he was not to be diverted from his fubject Major Scott by any warmth of expreffion from that honourable gentleman, nor from the right honourable gentleman over against him. He repeated, that that Houfe and the Public faw through

Cc 2

through the pitiful fhifts which the right honourable gentleman practifed: he was in order to fay the Public; for it was a word the right honourable gentleman often used to the Public he too wifhed moft earnestly to appeal, fince the right honourable gentleman had talked of the Public. What was the fact now? He, Major Scott, had not fummoned a fingle witnefs; nor had any other member of the House fummoned one, except the right honourable gentleman, who had brought up about twenty-three gentlemen from different parts of England and this town, but upon finding their evidence to be totally different from what he expected, he had told feveral he fhould not want them: but would that fatisfy the Houfe? The object of the Houfe was to difcover truth; to punifh Mr. Haftings if he was guilty, and to acquit him if innocent. Why then not examine the evidences without lofs of time? Three were then in attendance; but the right honourable gentleman talked of the order of his proceedings! Even that excufe fhould not ferve him for what were his proceedings this day? He fet out with examining Captain Jaques, to prove letters which nobody difputed the authenticity of. Thefe are dated in March 1782. Then he goes to read papers dated July 1779, and thefe he calls regular proceedings: fuch proceedings, he affirmed, were pitiful, and the whole world would fee through them; and now, Major Scott faid, he wished to ftate how the right honourable gentleman had acted. He had examined an evidence, Captain Williams, a gentleman whom he had himself fummoned, but finding his evidence not what he wanted it, he had done with him. The Major faid, he would read, as part of his fpeech, what paffed between the right honourable gentleman and Captain Williams; and then he read the following

paper:

-

The following account of a converfation between Mr. "Burke and Major Williams, who commanded a battalion "of fepoys in Gayruckpuls, and was in the neighbour"hood of Fyzabad during the infurrection at Benares, is "taken from Captain Williams himself. It paffed on "Friday evening the 5th inftant.

"Captain Williams-I have attended here feveral days, "and fhall be glad to know, Mr. Burke, if you will want "me?

"Mr. Burke-Pray, Sir, what is your name?

Capt. W.--Williams.

"Mr. B.-I fhall not want you for fome days; pray how "long have you been in India?

"Capt. W.-Near feventeen years.

"Mr. B.-You have been in the upper provinces?

Capt. W.-Yes.

Mr1

"Mr. B.-You have been at Lucknow and Fyzabad? "Capt. W.-I have been at both these places.

"Mr. B.-Then you know every thing refpecting the "begums?

"Capt. W.-I know a great deal about them.

"Mr. B.-You are the very perfon I want.

66

Capt. W-My opinion refpecting the begums in part "ftands upon record; but is not a tenth part of what I could fay against them, for they gave me an infinity of trouble during the infurrection of Benares, which I cannot readily forget.

66

"Mr. B.-They would have done very right if they had cut all your throats.

"Capt. W-I am exceedingly obliged to you for your "good withes: I believe I have not merited fuch a punishment. Many men in Europe merit to be made an example of more than I did.

Mr. B.-Do you think you will be able to establish any "of my charges? You have read them no doubt your evi"dence I perceive will not tend to establish them.

"Capt. W.-I think my evidence will not.

"Mr. B.-You will of courfe be Mr. Haftings's evidence: Mr. Haftings will of courfe call you.

"Capt. W.--Mr. Haftings has not called me, nor do I wish "to appear before the House."

After having finished reading the above paper, Major Scott called upon the Committee, and appealed to their juftice and candor to determine between him and the right honourable gentleman. He wanted no delay; he had called no witneffes; but as truth ought to be, and he was confident was, the ultimate aim of that Houfe to difcover, why not proceed to examine thofe very witneffes which that right honourable gentleman had himfelf fummoned? Would it be fatisfactory to the House, to refuse, for one moment, to call gentlemen of character, of honour, and integrity, and who, from their refpective fituations in India, were fully competent to speak to the various points of the charges, becaufe that right honourable gentleman found from converfing with them, that he had been grofsly misled, or that he had deceived himself? Mr. Fox declared, that he could not very well fee for Mr. Fox. what purpose the honourable gentleman had read the minutes of the converfation which had paffed between Captain Williams and his right honourable friend, unlefs to expofe a hafty fpeech which had fallen from him; but that he himself, who fpoke very calmly, could not help affenting to the juftice of the remark. As to the other remark of the honourable gentleman, that the Committee were in fearch of truth, he perfectly agreed with him; but it could hardly be expected,

that

Mr. Burke.

Mr. Chancellor Pitt.

Mr. Rose.

that his right honourable friend should be the man to examine evidences whofe teftimony went to invalidate his own charges. As to Mr. Middleton, there were many points to be confidered refpecting him- he was Mr. Haftings's refident, and Mr. Haftings himself had avowed that Mr. Middleton drew up a part of his defence. With refpect to delay, his right honourable friend was clear of that charge; but he could affure the Committee he had very few more evidences to examine, and that next week he would have finished, as undoubtedly it was a very desirable object for all parties to come to a decifion.

Mr. Burke defended himself by saying the three evidences he wanted to call were at Bath. That if the Committee chose it Major Balfour might be called, but he would not call him,

Mr. Chancellor Pitt complimented Mr. Fox upon the cool and temperate manner in which he had expreffed his wifh that the throats of all his countrymen in India were cut. He thought Mr. Middleton a very proper witness to be called; Mr. Haftings had not stated that Mr. Middleton had written his defence, or any part of it; but if the right honourable gentleman had charged Mr. Haftings with acts of which he was totally ignorant, it was very natural to apply to the perfon who was privy to them; and this was what Mr. Haftings had faid according to his idea of his declaration.

The Major was now called to the bar and examined *,

Friday, 12th May.

The order of the day having been read for going into a Committee on the ecclefiaftical-court bill, the Speaker left the chair, and Mr. Rolle took his feat at the table.

Mr. Baftard then propofed feveral neceffary amendments to fill up the different blanks of the bill; and at length the bill was gone through, and the report was ordered to be made on the enfuing Monday.

The Houfe having refolved itself into a Committee of Supply,

Mr. Rofe moved a variety of refolutions, and among others, 25,ocol. for the buildings at Somerset House; 13,000l. for the forts and garrifons in Africa; 1,600l. to defray the expences incurred by profecuting coiners at the fuit of the

*On the subject of examination we fhall chiefly decline entering; as this, and indeed every matter which amply throws light upon the Haftings caufe, may be referred to in the publications fold by Mr, Debrett.