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confift of a Governor or Prefident, and

Counsellors only, of whom the Commander in Chief in the faid feveral fettlements for the time being fhall be one, having the like precedence in Council as in the Prefidency of Fort William in Bengal. And be it further enacted, that from and after

the nomina

tion and appointment of the feveral Commanders in Chief in the faid Prefidencies or fettlements of Fort William, Madras, or Bombay, fhall be, and the fame are hereby vefted in his Majefty, his heirs and fucceffors, any law, ufage, or cuftom, to the contrary notwithstanding.

And be it further enacted, That it fhall and may be lawful for his Majefty, his heirs and fucceffors, to nominate and appoint any perfon or perfons to fucceed to the faid office of Commander in Chief in the faid feveral Prefidencies or fettlements; and the perfons fo nominated and appointed fhall refpectively fucceed to the faid offices of Commanders in Chief refpectively, in like manner as if they had been appointed upon or after a vacancy or vacancies.

Provided always, and be it enacted, That the perfons to be appointed to fucceed to the office or place of Commander in Chief in the faid Prefidencies or fettlements, upon any vacancy thereof refpectively as aforefaid, fhall and may, if his Majefty, his heirs or fucceffors, fhall by fuch appointment fo direct, have military command and authority. next and immediately after the Commander in Chief of fuch Presidencies or fettlements respectively.

And be it further enacted, That it fhall and may be lawful to and for the King's Majefty, his heirs and fucceffors, by any writing or inftrument under his or their Sign Manual, counterfigned by the faid Secretary of State, to remove or recall the present future Governor-General of Fort William at Bengal, or any of the Members of the Council of Fort William aforefaid, or any of the Governors or Prefidents, and Members of the Councils, of the Prefidencies or fettlements of Fort St. George and Bombay, or of any other British fettlement in India, for the time being; and to vacate and make void all and every or any appointment or appointments, as well abfolute as provifional, of any perfon or perfons to any of the offices or places as aforefaid; and that all and every the powers and authorities of the refpective perfons fo removed or recalled, or whofe appointment fhall be fo vacated, fhall ceafe and determine, at or from fuch refpective time or times as in the faid writing or writings fhall be expreffed and directed ------Provided always, that a duplicate or copy of every fuch writing, attefted by the faid Secretary of State for the time being, fhall, within days after the fame fhall be figned by his Majefty, his heirs, or fucceffors, be tranfmitted or delivered, by the faid Secretary of State, unto the Chairman or Deputy Chairman for the time being, of the faid United Company, to the intent that the Court of Directors of the faid Company may be apprized thereof.

And be it further enacted, That whenever any vacancy or vacancies of the office of Governor-General or Prefident, or of any Member of the Council (other than the Commander in Chief) fhall happen in any of the Presidencies aforefaid, either by death, refignation, or recall, as aforefaid, then, and in fuch cafe, the Court of Directors of the faid United Company shall proceed to nominate and appoint a fit perfon or perfons to fupply fuch vacancy or vacancies, fubject to the approbation of his Majefty, his heirs, and fucceffors; and within days next after any fuch nomination and approbation fhall be made, the fame fhall be fignified, by the Chairman or Deputy Chairman of the faid Court of Directors, to his Majefty, his heirs, or fucceffors; and in case his Majesty, his heirs, or fucceffors, fhall approve the faid nomination and appointment, then the perfon or perfons fo nominated fhall be conftituted and appointed to the office or place, offices or places, for which he or they fhall have been fo refpectively nominated, and fhall fo continue, from the time of his or their taking the fame upon

him

him or them, until he or they fhall refign the fame, or be removed or recalled therefrom by his Majefty, his heirs, or fucceffors, and fo toties quoties: And in cafe the perfon or perfons fo nominated and appointed by the faid Court of Directors, fhall not be approved by his Majefty, his heirs, or fucceffors, then, within

days after his Majefty, his heirs, or fucceffors, fhall have caufed to be fignified to the Chairman or Deputy Chairman of the Court of Directors, that his Majefty, his heirs, or fucceffors, doth or do not approve of fuch perfon or perfons, the faid Court fall proceed to nominate and appoint fome other perfon or perfons to the faid office or place, offices or places, refpectively, fubject to the approbation or difallowance of his Majefty, his heirs, and fucceffors, in fuch and in the fame manner as is herein-before directed or prescribed, and fo toties quoties, until fome perfon or perfons fhall be nominated and appointed, who' thall be approved by his Majefty, his heirs, or fucceffors.

Provided always, and be it further enacted, That in cafe, and fo often as the Court of Directors fhall not, within the space of to be computed from the day whereon the notification of the vacancy, or of his Majefty's difapprobation of any perfon by them nominated as aforefaid, fhall have been received by the faid Court of Directors, proceed to fupply the fame, then and in any fuch cafe, and fo often as the fame fhall happen, it fhall be lawful for his Majefty, his heirs and fucceffors, to conftitute and appoint, by writing under his or their Royal Sign Manual, fuch perfon or perfons as his Majefty, his heirs and fucceffors, fhall think proper, to fucceed to and fupply the refpective office or place, offices or places, fo vacant, or from which any perfon or perfons fhall be fo recalled or removed, or whofe appointment or appointments fhall have been vacated and made void as aforefaid; and that every perfon or perfons, fo conftituted and appointed, fhall have and be invefted with the fame powers, privileges, and authorities, as if he or they had been nominated and appointed by the faid Court of Directors, and approved by his Majefty, his heirs and fucceffors.

And be it further enacted, That no refignation to be made of the offices of the Governor General, or Governor or President of any of the fubordinate fettlements, or Commander in Chief, or Member of the refpective Councils of the faid Prefidencies in India, fhall be deemed or conftrued to be legal or valid, or fhall be accepted as fuch, unless the fame be made by an inftrument in writing under the hand and feal of the officer or perfon refigning the fame.

And be it further enacted, That no order or refolution of any General Court of the Proprietors of the faid United Company fhall be available to revoke or refcind, or in any refpect to affect, any act, order, refolution, matter, or proceeding, of the faid Court of Directors, by this act directed or authorized to be made or done by the faid Court, after his Majefty's pleasure fhall have been fignified upon the fame, in the manner herein-before directed, any law or ufage to the contrary notwithstanding.

And be it further enacted, That fo much and fuch parts of an act, made in the twenty-first year of the reign of his prefent Majefty, as directs the Court of Directors of the faid United Company to deliver to the Commiffioners of the Treafury, or to the High Treasurer for the time being, or to one of his Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, copies of any letters or orders relating to the management of the revenues, or the civil and military affairs of the faid Company; and alfo all fuch powers and authorities given to or vefted in Proprietors and Directors of the faid United Company, or in any General or Special Court thereof respectively, in and by any act of Parliament or Charter, as are contrary or repugnant to this act, or any thing therein contained, fhall be, and the fame are hereby difcontinued, for and during the continuance of this act, any thing contained in any fuch act or charter, or any custom or ufage to the contrary notwithstanding.

And

And be it further enacted, That this act fhall take place and have commencement, in Great Britain, immediately after and fhall take place and have commencement, in the feveral Prefidencies aforefaid, and in the territories thereunto belonging, from the and fhall remain and continue in force for the space of

years.

And be it further enacted, That this act fhall be deemed and taken to be a public act.

NEW INDIA BILL.

Mr. Fox rofe, and after ftating to the House, that the neceffity of the times called for fomething fpeedily to be done for the government of India, concluded with moving, "that leave be given to bring in a "bill for the better government of India."

Sir Grey Cooper feconded the motion.

Leave was given, and Mr. Fox was ordered to prepare and bring in the fame.

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January 26.] Mr. Eden moved the following Resolution:

"That it is the opinion of this House, That his Majefty's Answer "contained affurances, upon which the House firmly relied, that his Majefty would not, by prorogation or diffolution of Parliament, interrupt the Houfe in their confiderations of proper measures for retrieving the affairs of the Eaft India Company, and for supporting "the public credit and revenues of the kingdom, objects which his Majefty, in his faid moft gracious Anfwer, had declared to be, in "his opinion, fuch as demand the immediate and unremitting atten❝tion of Parliament.'

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Mr. Marsham feconded this motion.

Mr. Pitt, after declaring the motion improper, and diffenting from it, faid, "Gentlemen might fet their minds at eafe, for he did not give, nor meant to give any advice to his Majefty to diffolve the prefent "Parliament."

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The question was then put, and carried without a divifion.

A Coalition of Parties having been expected to be formed, the following authentic Account is given of the Proceedings at the St. Alban's Tavern.

On January the 26th, a meeting was held at the St. Alban's Tavern, for the purpose of recommending an union of parties, when an Addrefs was agreed to and figned by fifty-three Members of the House

of

of Commons, and prefented by a Committee to the Duke of Portland and the Right Honourable William Pitt. The purport of the Addrefs was as follows:

"WE whose names are hereunto figned, Members of the House "of Commons, being fully perfuaded that the united efforts of those "in whofe integrity, abilities, and conftitutional principles we have "reafon to contide, can alone refcue this country from its prefent "diftracted state, do join in moft earneftly intreating them to com"municate with cach other on the arduous fituation of public

affairs, trufting that by a liberal and unreferved intercourfe between "them, every impediment may be removed to a cordial co-opera"tion of great and refpectable characters, acting on the fame public principles, and intitled to the fupport of independent and dif"interefted men.

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"And we depute the Honourable Thomas Grosvenor, the Honour"able Charles Martham, Sir William Lemon, and Thomas Powys, Efq. "to prefent this Reprefentation and Requifition to his Grace the Duke "of Portland, the Right Honourable Lord John Cavendish, the Right "Honourable William Pitt, and the Right Honourable Charles James Fox, in our names.'

To which the following anfwers were returned:

The Duke of Portland returned for anfwer:-" That he fhould "think himself happy in obeying the commands of fo refpectable a meeting; but the greateft difficulty to him, and he imagines "ftill greater to Mr. Pitt, was Mr. Pitt's being in office."

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Mr. Pitt's anfwer was ;-"That he will be ready to pay attention "to the commands of fo refpectable a meeting, and co-operate with "their wishes, to form a ftronger and more extended administration, "if the fame can be done with principle and honour."

On Tuesday the 27th, the gentlemen met at the faid tavern, when there appeared to be feventy members, and the above anfwers being read, they came to the following refolutions :

Refolved,

"That the thanks of this meeting be given to his Grace the Duke "of Portland, and the Right Honourable William Pitt, for the atten❝tion they have refpectively declared themselves ready to pay to the "requifitions prefented to them in our names."

Refolved Secondly,

"That in anxious expectation of a cordial co-operation of great and "refpectable characters acting on the fame public principles, we beg

"leave to exprefs our most earnest wish, that fome explanation may be "had between the Duke of Portland and Mr. Pitt on any difficulty in "that way of confidential intercourfe."

Refolved Thirdly,

"That we do not prefume to point out the mode in which fuch "mutual explanation may be obtained, ftudioufly avoiding any in "terference on our part, which may impede or counteract whatever fteps are taken towards that communication which it is our object "to effect."

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Refolved Fourthly,

"That the Chairman be defired to communicate the Refolutions to "his Grace of Portland and Mr. Pitt."

The Refolutions being communicated to Mr. Pitt, he returned the following answer:

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"Mr. Pitt having received from fo refpectable a meeting an inti"mation of their wifhes, that fome explanation may be had between "the Duke of Portland and himfelf, on any difficulties in the way "of confidential intercourfe, begs to affure Mr. Grosvenor (the Chairman) that there are no difficulties on his part in the way of an immediate intercourfe with the Duke of Portland on the fubject of "an union, confiftent with honour and principle, which he agrees "with the gentlemen of the meeting in thinking of the greatest importance in the prefent ftate of the country. If, on his Grace's "part, there are any objections to fuch intercourfe, Mr. Pitt wishes "to have them ftated, and will immediately give a direct answer "with regard to them."

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The Duke of Portland returned the following anfwer addressed to the Chairman:

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SIR, Devon-Houfe, Thursday, January, 29, 1784. "As you have fo very obligingly communicated to me the affurances 66 you have received from Mr. Pitt, that there are no difficulties on "his part in the way of an immediate intercourfe between him and "me on the subject of an union of parties, and that he is ready to

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give an immediate and direct answer to any objections which I "may have to fuch intercourfe,' my fincere inclination to concur in "the wishes of the very refpectable meeting, of which you fo worthily fill the chair; and my anxious defire to fee fuch an Ad"miniftration formed, upon a folid and fecure bafis, as may restore harmony to this distracted empire, and may be entitled to a con

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