gaged in the attempt to preserve unfullied the honor and the consistency of that house, which had fixed upon Mr. Hastings as an object of their particular and formal accu sation. Acting under their sanction, he afferted a claim to their protection. There were various modes of proceeding which might be adopted in this business the first of these was a direction to the attorney general to prosecute. But not to insist upon the apparent disinclination of the present attorney general (Mr. Arden) to exert his powers in this great and momentous cause, he did not conceive that a trial by jury was well calculated for the purpose of obtaining justice against so elevated an offender. In the court of king's bench the dignity of such a trial would ill assort with causes of meum and tuum, actions of battery and affault, of trefpafss and trover, together with the innume. rable tribe of subordinate misdemeanors. The second mode of prosecution was that by bill of pains and penalties. To this he had infuperable objections, as radically unjust, and as tarnishing in no flight degree the character of that house, the members of which would thus preposteroufly appear in the two-fold capacity of accusers and judges. The only alternative which remained, was the ancient and constitutional mode of proceeding by IMPEACHMENT: as a necessary preparatory to which, he concluded with moving for the papers neceffary to fubftantiate the charge which he had now in immediate contemplation to bring forward against the late governor general Hastings."

Mr. Dundas with his usual versatility affirmed, " that though he had thought it expedient in the year 1782 to recall Mr. Hastings from India, he now rejoiced that the resolutions moved by him had not taken effect, Since that period Mr. Hastings had rendered most essential fervices to the company, and he should have extremely regretted to have been the means of depriving the company of a fervant so distinguished by his zeal and capacity. He had certainly moved a vote of censure on Mr. Haftings; but Mr. Hastings had since received the thanks

1

thanks of the court of directors, in which, had he been a director, he would most willingly have concurred, from a thorough conviction that the thanks were merited."

Some difficulties having been suggested by Mr. Pitt, refpecting the production of the papers called for, Mr. Burke declared in lofty terms this demur to be " an invasion of the prerogative of a public accuser. He had an unquestionable claim to all fuch documents, proofs, and papers, as he faw or esteemed to be neceffary to support the charge which he undertook to advance. The downfall of the greatest empire in the world had originated in the mal-administration of its provinces. When Rome felt within herself the feeds of decline, and the inroads of corruption, a man of the firft rank and of the highest connections in the state was brought to punishment. VERRES, the governor of Sicily, was united in affinity with all that was most splendid and most opulent in the feat of empire, with the Hortenfi and the Metelli. But when CICERO undertook his accufation, the government itself adopted his prosecution. No less than one hundred and fifty days were allowed for the collection of materials, and the justice of the Roman fenate opened to the accufer all the cabinets whence documents were to be obtained." In the refult, the papers with fome few exceptions, were granted.

On the 4th of April, 1786, Mr. Burke solemnly rose to charge Warren Hastings, efq.late governor general of Bengal, with high crimes and misdemeanors in the execution of his office, exhibiting at the same time nine distinct articles of accufation, which in a few weeks were increased to the number of twenty-two.

On the ist of May Mr. Hastings, at his own express defire, and by the indulgence of the house, was heard at the bar of the house, in this early period of the business, in his own defence: and at the farther request of the accused, the minutes of his defence were ordered to lie on

the

the table. But the general opinion, faintly controverted even by the friends of Mr. Hastings, was, that the DEFENCE, thus precipitately and prematurely delivered, was of no service to his cause, and contributed in a very flight and inadequate degree to the vindication of his character. Though his affertions were bold, his arguments were weak, and the language of this defence was beyond all example boastful and arrogant. He had even the weakness and presumption to call in question the AUTHORITY of the house to institute a judicial enquiry into his conduct.

The house, unmoved by what they had heard, proceeded in the examination of evidence: and the first article of impeachment respecting the Rohilla war was brought formally before the house on the ist of June, After a very long debate, the question was decided in favor of Mr. Hastings, ayes for the impeachment being 67,

noes 119.

Mr. Pitt on this occafion gave a filent vote against the motion; but the ground on which he voted was tolerably well ascertained by a declaration he had previously made, when the fubject of the Rohilla war was in a more general way difcuffed, " that he confidered that transaction in a horribly alarming point of view; and as being fo repugnant to every fentiment of human nature, that no thing could justify it but the strongest motives of political expediency, and the invincible principles of retributive justice-adding, nevertheless, that it would be highly inconfiftent and abfurd to confider Mr. Hastings now in the light of a culprit, for any measures taken by him previously to the period in which he had been nominated by act of parliament governor general of India, which was the highest certificate of legislative approbation." But furely, in the contemplation of common justice and common sense, this re-appointment could not be regarded as equivalent to an acquittal, unless the house were at that

that period in poffeffion of the evidence on which the merits or demerits of the transaction rested, which it was notorious they were not.

On the 13th of June, the second charge relative to the Rajah of Benares being brought forward, it was refolved by the house, on a division of 119 to 79 voices, " that this CHARGE contained MATTER of IMPEACHMENT against the late GOVERNOR GENERAL OF BENGAL." On this occafion Mr. Pitt spoke in support of the motion; but admitting the legality of the difcretionary power affumed by Mr. Haftings, he confined the criminality of the charge to the enormity of the fine levied upon the Rajah, and its concomitant circumstances of oppreffion and cruelty.

On the 11th of July, 1786, an end was put to these proceedings for the present by a prorogation of the parliament, which was dismissed with afsurances of " the particular fatisfaction with which the king had observed their diligent attention to the public business, and the meafures they had adopted for improving the resources of the country."

Soon after the rifing of parliament, a fingular incident occurred which ingrossed for a moment the attention of the public. As the king was alighting from his poft-chariot at the garden entrance of St. James's palace, August the 2d, a woman decently dreffed presented a paper to his majesty; and while he was in the act of receiving it, she struck with a concealed knife at his breast. The king happily avoided the blow by drawing back; and as she was preparing to make a fecond thrust, one of the yeomen caught her arm, and the weapon was wrenched out of her hand.

On examination before the privy council, it immediately appeared that the woman was infane. Being asked where the had lately refided, she answered frantically, "that she had been all abroad fince that matter of the crown broke out." Being further questioned what matter? she said, " that the crown was hers; and that if the VOL. II. had

Y

had not her right, England would be deluged in blood for a thousand generations." On being interrogated as to the nature of her right, she refused to answer, saying in the genuine style of royalty, " that her rights were a MYSTERY."

It appeared that this poor maniac, whose name was Margaret Nicholfon, had presented a petition ten days before, full of wild and incoherent nonsense. Like most other petitions, it had probably never been read, or the person of the petitioner would have been fecured. The idea of a judicial procefs was of course abandoned, and she was configned to a fit apartment provided for her in Bethlehem hofpital. In a few days the lord mayor, aldermen, sheriffs and common council of the city of London went in proceffion to St. James's to present an address to his majefty on his happy escape from afsaffination. This example was followed by nearly all the corporate bodies throughout the kingdom; and the popularity of the king was sensibly increased by this trivial and almost ludicrous incident. The number and quality of knighthoods conferred on occafion of these addresses, were such as completed the ridicule, so fuccefsfully levelled fince the days of Cervantes, against that once honorable and envied diftinctiont.

In the month of September 1786, the king was pleased to appoint a new committee of council, for the confideration of all matters relating to trade and foreign plantations. Of this board the famous Charles Jenkinson, now for his long and faithful fervices created lord Hawkefbury, and conftituted chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster, was declared prefident. Under the auspices of this new commiffion a TREATY OF COMMERCE was figned between the two courts of England and France (September 26, 1786)

on

+ According to an anecdote fomewhere related of Charles II. the witty and proffigate, that monarch observing a person on whom he was about to confer the honor of knighthood to hang down his head and blufh, as if confcious of the deficiency of his pretenfions, exclaimed with his usual good humour and pleafantry, "Don't be ashamed "Tis I who have moft reafon."