Musings of a High school Art student

Whereas, in the preceding part of the speech
His majesty stated, that on receiving the notification from France of her intention to assist the usurpers of the lawful government, he gave immediate orders for augmenting his forces both bv sea and land. Why was not the military force to be reduced, as well as the naval r The speech gave no intubation of it, neither had the declaration or counterdecla ration tconyeyed any such intention: and this naturally led him to another part of the speech, connected with the same topic, and jhat, was, the recommendation, to the particular attention of tbpt fyuse to contifcr of the proper mom for maintaining his majesty’s distant possessions m an adequate posture of defence. He had the honour, Mr. Pox said, to have been in administration when the peace establishment was settled; if, therefore, an inadequate establishment had been then proposed, the criminality, or rather the blame of the measure, if blame were due, was imputable to him and to those with whom he acted; but not more to him or them than to the present ministry, since the same establishment had been adhered to by the succeeding administration, and continued by that House. Probably, however, his majesty’s ministers had come to the knowledge of circumstances which had convinced them, that the establishment after the peace Was insufficient, and if so, they would doubtless lay before the House their reasons for being of that opinion, and then it would be for the House to decide upon their validity and force.Mr. Fox, after making these cursory remarks, returned to his original position, and in glowing terms expressed his satisfaction at the system of measures lately adopted.

This task was undertaken by Sir Gilbert Elliot
In a very able and eloquent speech, maintained two general principles; that India must be redressed or lost, and that the only means left of reforming Indian abuse, was the punishment, in some great and signal instances, of Indian delinquency: he stated the nature, the occasion, and the purposes of the commission with which Sir Elijah Impey was sent out to India, as involving circumstances wmch were strong aggravations of his guilt, and increased the necessity of its punishment; that in the two grand objects which were Committed to his charge, the protection of the company from the frauds of its servants, and of the natives from the oppression of Europeans, he had, by corruptly changing sides, addea his new powers to the very force they were intended to control, and taken an active part in the oppressions which it was his duty to have avenged. Sir Gilbert Elliot presented to the House six distinct articles of accusation. The subject of the first was the trial and execution of Nundcomar; the second, the defendant’s conduct in a certain Patna cause; the third, irititled extension of jurisdiction, comprehended various instances, in which the jurisdiction of the court was alledged to have been exercised ill ly and oppressively, beyond the intention of the act and charted; the fourth charge, in titled the Cossijurah cause, though also an allegation of illegal assumption, was distinguished by • circumstance BO important, as to become properly the subject of sepange article; the fifth dutrg was for his acceptance of the office of judge of the Sudder Dewannee; Adaulut, which was contrary to law, and not only repugnant to the spirit of the act and charter, but fundamentally subversive of all its material purposes; the sixth and last charge related to his conduct in the province of Oude and Benares, where the chief justice was said to have become the agent and tool of Mr. Hastings in the alleged oppression and plunder of the Begums.

By his bill, the conduct of India was to be entrusted
Persons immediately under the control of parliament, to whom they were declared to be responsible; and this, if it added to the power of any part of the legislature gave it where the use of it was least to be dreaded. He should not detain the House any farther on the merits of his own bill; for, indeed, it had been well explained already, and its princi pies could never appear to better advantage than when compared with the declaratory bill which the minister wished to be accepted by that House.Mr. Fox then entered into the merits of the present declaratory system, as he termed it, for bill it could not be. It assumed more power and patronage than, he hoped, any bill in that House would ever create; it assumed the whole, sole, and exclusive right to apply the revenues of the EastIndia company; it gave this entirely to the crown, for it gave the sovereign the right of calling on a private company of merchants to defray the expences of his military force; it was calculated to ease the halfpay list at the expence of the East India company, instead of the general expence of the whole kingdom; it gave power, patronage, and all its concomitant advantages, to the board of control, without annexing to k that which was the first and best of all checks against despotismresponsibility. It had been said that tnere was no patronage by the present bill. What, no patronage by the absolute and uncontrolled disposal of eleven million a year ! Would ministers add insolence to their absurdity ? Would they dismiss decency of assertion, and expect the House to forget the general and obvious maxims of common sense, that power and patronage were inseparable; that patronage and influence were inseparable: and that influence and corruption were, in a degree much to be lamented, also inseparable ? Away with sucn gross, such stupid, such palpable absurdity !

Welcome to Successblognet.com Blogs. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!