Mr. Pitt objected to the motion, on account of the great inconveniences of inquiry, which he affirmed to be of fuch magnitude that they ought never to be hazarded except when the failures were of a nature to attach incapacity to the character of minifters, or to occafion diftruft of the general system which they had adopted: but the failures which had taken place, he fubmitted to the house, were far from amounting to this-A direct negative was confequently put upon the motion, by a majority of 133 voices.

Early this month Mr. Dundas brought forward his annual-statement of the finances of India. He represented, as ufual, the profperous condition of the Company, the increase of their commerce, their investments and their revenues, and drew a Battering picture of their opulence and their greatnefs. To this he acknowledged that one objection might poffibly be made-Why then, it might be afked, apply to the public for pecuniary relief? Why want to borrow money? But this, he affirmed, the Company did not afk: they only afked leave to increase their own capital-an indulgence to which he thought them fully entitled. In order to this he moved a refolution enabling the Company to continue their bonded debt at two millions, and to iffue new bonds for one million more, which was agreed -to without a division.

Nearly at the fame time Mr. Harrifon brought forward a motion refpecting finecure places and penfions, all of which above two hundred pounds per annum he proposed to tax, during the continuance of the war, in a certain specified and gradual scale of proportion. Mr. Burke treated this propofition with great diidain, and compared the meafure to thofe which had occafioned the ruin of France. As a measure of refource, he said,,it was trifling and inadequate; as a meafure of policy, mistaken. If the poor were only to be relieved in this way, then let them fubmit to the will of God.-Mr. Pitt affirmed that the motion held out falfe principles. Was the country, inftead of a flou

rithing,

rifhing, in a defperate fituation, the house, he thought, would not recur to a measure like the prefent: but from a review of the state of the kingdom, he contended that the nation had great cause of exultation.-The votes in favour of the motion were 50, against it 119.

At the end of the month of April Mr. Secretary Dundas delivered a meffage from the king, announcing a treaty of fubfidy with the king of Pruffia, and a Convention with the States-General. Mr. Pitt, on being urged, ftated the terms to be as follows: That his Pruffian majesty had agreed to furnish 62,000 troops, for which his Britannic majesty had agreed to pay him 50,000l. per month, the 100,000l. per month for forage, 400,000l. to put army. in motion, and 100,000 /. on their return; of the aggregate of which fums the States-General were to pay 400,000/ as their proportion. Over the troops fubfidized at this enormous expenfe, the direction and command were still vefted in the king of Pruffia. The motion of Mr. Pitt for the sum of 2,500,000l. to be raised by way of loan on Exchequer-bills, in addition to the fupplies of the current year, for the purpose of making good this engagement, paffed by a great majority.

On the 12th of May, Mr. Dundas brought down a fecond meffage from the king, importing, that feditious practices had been carried on by certain focieties in London, in correspondence with other focieties; that they had lately been purfued with increafing activity and boldness, and been avowedly directed to the affembling of a pretended national convention of the people, in contempt and defiance. of the authority of parliament, on principles fubverfive of the existing laws and the conftitution, and tending to introduce that system of anarchy prevailing in France; that his majesty had given orders for feizing the books and papers of those focieties, which were to be laid before the houfe; that it was recommended to the house to confider

them,

them, and to purfue fuch measures as were neceffàry in or der to prevent their pernicious tendency.

On the fame day, Thomas Hardy, fhoemaker in Picca dilly, who had acted as fecretary to the London Correfponding Society, and Daniel Adams, fecretary to the Society for Conftitutional Information, too well-known and long-established political affociations, were apprehended, by warrant from the fecretary of state, for treasonable practices; and feveral other members of the two focieties were, in the courfe of a week, arrefted, and committed. to the Tower, on a charge of high-treafon.

The papers in question being referred to a fecret committee of twenty-one members, chofen by ballot, the first report of the committee was brought up by Mr. Pitt on the 16th of May. It contained an account of the proceedings of the focieties, from the year 1791, chiefly from the public newspapers. In a very long and studied harangue, Mr. Pitt endeavoured to imprefs upon the house the belief of the existence of a moft dreadful and dangerous confpiracy. He should call, he faid, the attention of the house to a fociety which, though composed of the meanest and most despicable of the people, acting upon the worst Jacobinical principles, had within it the means of the most unbounded extenfion and rapid increase. It had already rifen to thirty divifions in London, fome containing fix hundred perfons, and was connected by a systematical chain of correfpondence with other focicties, fcattered through all the manufacturing towns. That fociety had arrived at such enormous boldness as to declare itself authorised to scan the proceedings of parliament, and prescribe limits for its actions, beyond which, if it prefumed to advance, an end was to be put to its exiftence. Such language from people fo contemptible might feem the effect of infanity, and deferving only of compaffion; but it had been the refult of deep defign, moulded into shape, and fit for mischievous effects when opportunity should ocAbout fix weeks ago the correfponding Society had,

cur.

in

in due form, laid before the Conftitutional Society a deliberate and deep-concerted plan for affembling a convention for all England, intending evidently to exercise legislative and ju dicial capacities, to overturn the established fyftem of government, and wreft from the parliament the power lodged in their hands; and in their circular letter they had emphatically stated that no time was to be loft. Arms had been actually procured and diftributed by thefe focieties; and, in reference to the nature and magnitude of the objects they had in view, it would appear that a confpiracy so formidable had never yet exifted. Mr. Pitt concluded by moving for leave to bring in a bill empowering his majesty to secure and detain all perfons fufpected of defigns against his crown and government.

Mr. Fox, in reply, declared, that he had listened in vain to the report now read for a discovery of facts more important than those which had been previously detailed in every newspaper. Thefe focieties, however intemperate in fome of their expreffions and proceedings, uniformly professed their object to be the redress of grievances, by means of a reform in a parliment. A convention of the fame nature with that now proposed was actually held at Westminster in the year 1780, of which Mr. Pitt might poffibly have been, and of which he himself certainly was, a member. This convention held a public correspondence with focieties in Yorkshire and other places; they prefented the result of their labours to the house, which refused indeed to acknowledge them as delegates, but allowed their right to petition as individuals, and received their petition. By a convention the Irish Catholics had obtained their late privileges. How could the house after thefe examples, upon what pretence, or with what equity, declare a convention affembling with this object merely in view to be illegal? Such a convention as that stated by the minifter would indeed be highly criminal; but the idea was utterly incredible and

VOL. III.

H

ridiculous.

ridiculous. Were an hundred of these persons infane enough to iffue orders, and affume the powers of govern ment, where would they find another hundred disposed to obey them? Let the house confider the extent of authority given to the crown by the fufpenfion of the HabeasCorpus Act. Every man who difcourfed freely upon the fubject of the war, which he from his heart regarded as deteftable, would be in the hands and at the mercy of the minifters. Former fufpenfion of this act in the cafe of actual or threatened invasion, at a time when the people were divided in opinion as to the right of the house of Hanover, formed no precedent for the present measure. Who are now the objects of this exercise of defpotifm?-a number of individuals, without money, without means, poffeffing neither military or civil authority. The facrifice required was mighty, the danger was altogether imaginary; or if any danger, any criminality, exifted, the old established laws known to the conftitution were fully adequate to the occafion. Mr. Fox repeated" that the pretexts for this violent and dangerous measure were the moft flimfy and bare-faced, and the measure itself the most daring and impudent, he had ever witnessed."

The motion. for leave to bring in the bill was carried by a great majority, but in eyery ftage it met with a most refolute and vigorous oppofition. Mr. Jekyl obferved, "that fome perfons were indeed in cuftody upon a charge of hightreafon, but was it to be supposed, if guilty, that they would. escape if the present bill were not paffed into a law? Why excite a needlefs and univerfal alarm for the fake of punishing a few ?"

Mr. Sheridan declared his belief not only that no trea fonable practices exifted, but that minifters knew this to be the fact, although it might be neceffary for their views to create fome new caufe of panic and confternation. Of all ather confpiracies, he faid, fecrefy was a leading feature;.

and