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And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That no perfon who hath been, now is, or fhall hereafter be, in the fervice of the faid United Company in India, fhall be capable of being a Director, or affiftant Director, for the execution of this act within the space of two years from the time of his last return from India.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That the faid Directors hereby appointed fhall, once in every fix months, lay before the Proprietors of the faid United Company, in a general Court to be for that purpofe affembled, an exact ftate of the debts and credits of the faid United Company; the first coft and charges of their inveftments, outward and inward; with the fums of money in India applicable to an investment, according to the laft accounts received therefrom; an account of the fhipping; an account of the produce of the fales; and the state of the warehouses at home and abroad.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That the faid Directors hereby appointed fhall, within twenty days after the commencement of every feffion of Parliament, lay before the Lords Commiffioners of his Majefty's Treafury (who are hereby authorized and required, without lofs of time, to lay the fame before both Houfes of Parliament) an account of the produce of the territorial and other revenues of the faid United Company in India; and alfo eftimates of the civil, military, and naval establishment there; together with a state of the bond and other debts due from the faid United Company in India; and alfo the ftate of the trade, laid by the faid Directors before the faid Proprietors at their then last general court.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That the faid Directors hereby. appointed, or the major part of them, fhall have full power and authority to remove, difplace, fufpend, appoint, confirm, or reftore, all and every perfon or perfons whatfoever, from or to any office, ftation, or capacity whatfoever, civil or military, in the fervice of the faid United Company, or within the limits of the faid United Company's charters, or any of them, or any way concerned in the management of their affairs within this kingdom, or in India, whether any fuch perfon or perfons fhall have been nominated or appointed in and by any act or acts of Parliament, or howfoever otherwife. nominated or appointed; except as is herein provided and established, as to the appointment and removal of fuch Directors themselves, and of the faid affiftant Directors..

And for the more fpeedy and effectual punishment of offences committed in India, by perfons employed in the fervice of the faid Company, be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, That whenever any charge of corruption, peculation, oppreffion, extortion, receipt of presents, ufury, breach of orders, or other grievous offence, fhall be exhibited or made before the Governor-General and Council of Bengal, or the Prefident and Council of any of the Prefidencies or fettlements abroad, of the faid United Company, and tranfmitted from thence to the Court of Directors, hereby difcontinued, or to the faid Directors hereby appointed, against any of the faid Governors, Prefidents, or Members. of the Council, of any of the faid Prefidencies or fettlements of the faid United Company, or others, in any office, ftation, or employment, civil or military, in the faid. United Company's fervice; or which fhall be exhibited or made by any of the native Princes, dependent upon, or under the protection of the faid United Company, against fuch perfon or perfons; the faid Directors, hereby appointed, fhall, within twenty days after the fame fhall be received, enter in an examination of fuch charge; and if, upon, or in confequence of fuch examination, fuch Directors fhall not think proper either to recall or order a profecution against fuch perfon fo charged, each and every fuch Director, making fuch examination as aforefaid into fuch charge, fhall enter in writing, and fubfcribe with his name, in the journals of fuch Directors, his opinion on the validity and importance of fuch charge, with his specific reafons, on the particular cafe, for not recalling the perfon fo charged, or for not ordering a prosecution upon fuch charge.

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And be it further enacted, by the authority aforefaid, That before any perfon or perfons whatsoever, who have been, are, or fhall hereafter be, in the fervice of the faid United Company, in any office, ftation, or employment whatfoever, civil or military, in any of the Prefidencies or fettlements of the faid United Company abroad; and who have been, or are, or fhall be, in Great Britain after fuch fervice abroad; and againft whom any charge fhall appear upon any of the Company's records, or fhall have been made to the faid Court of Directors hereby difcontinued, or General Court of Proprietors, or fhall be made or exhibited to the faid Directors hereby appointed; fhall be per mitted by the faid Directors hereby appoined to return to any part of India, either in the fame, or in any other office, ftation, or employment, in the fervice of the faid United Company; and alfo, before the faid Directors hereby appointed fhall confirm the appointment, or fuffer the departure from Great Britain, for India, of any perfon or perfons who may have been, or fhall be appointed to any office, ftation, or employment whatsoever, in the fervice of the faid United Company, and against whom any fuch charge fhall appear, or fhall have been made, or fhall be made as aforefaid; and alfo before the faid Directors, hereby appointed, fhall themfelves appoint any perfon, having before been in the fervice of the faid United Company, to any office, ftation, or employment whatsoever, in the faid United Company's fervice, and against whom any fuch charge fhall appear, or fhall have been made, or fhall be made as aforefaid; the faid Directors hereby appointed fhall, and they are hereby required to make a full and particular examination and inquiry into the conduct of every fuch perfon, relative to the faid fervice, and the fubject matter of fuch charge; and fhall enter on their journals their reafons for permitting any fuch perfon to return, or confirming the appointment, and permitting the departure, of any fuch perfon, or for themselves appointing any fuch perfon (as the cafe may be) notwithstanding fuch charge,

And be it further enacted, by the authority aforefaid, That in case of any difputes, differences, or controverfies whatsoever, which have arifen, and are depending, or which fhall or may hereafter arife, between the Governor-General and Council of Bengal; or between any of the Presidents of any other of the fettlements of the faid United Company, and their respective Councils; or between any of the fubordinate Chiefs and their Councils; or between the Government of one fettlement and the Government of any other fettlement; or between any of the Governors or prefiding powers of any of the fubordinate fettlements; the faid Directors hereby appointed fhall, within twenty days after the receipt of any official account of any fuch difpute, difference, or controverfy, enter upon an examination and inquiry into the fame; and fhall, within thre months thereafter, either come to a definitive decifion thereupon, or enter upon their journals their reasons, figned with their respective names, for not coming to fuch definitive decifion.

And be it further enacted, by the authority aforefaid, That if at any time the Governor-General and Council of Bengal, or the President and Council of any of the principal or fubordinate fettlements, hall require the direction or opinion of the said Directors hereby appointed, on any matter whatsoever for the government of fuch Governor-General and Council, or Prefident and Council, or for the fettlement or accommodation of any matter in difpute, or likely to come into difpute, between or among them, or any of them; the faid Directors fhall return an anfwer, opinion, or direction, to fuch requifition, within three months after receiving the letter or letters containing the fame, or enter upon their journals their reafons, figned with their respective names, for not fending the fame within the time aforefaid.

And be it enacted, by the authority aforefaid, That if at any time complaint shall be made of any breach of treaty, injury, wrong, or grievance, done or committed againft any native Prince in India, by any of the Governments of the faid United Company's fettlements, or any officer or other perfon, civil or military, in the service of the faid

United Company; or if any fuch breach of treaty, injury, wrong, or grievance, fhall (without complaint being made thereof) appear upon any part of the correfpondence relating to the faid United Company's affairs; the faid Directors hereby appointed fhall, as fpeedily as may be, inquire into fuch breach of treaty, injury, wrong, or grievance; and fhall begin their examination into the fame, by reading and confidering any treaties, agreements, or affurances, fubfifting between the faid United Company and fuch native Prince, or any way relative to him, if any fuch there fhall be, or any orders which may have been given by the Court of Directors hereby difcontinued, or General Court of Proprietors, relating to fuch native Prince; and the faid Directors hereby appointed fhall do full and complete juftice to such native Prince for fuch breach of treaty, injury, wrong, or grievance, and on every material article and head of charge (if there be more than one) fpecifically, and not upon the whole of fuch charge in grofs.

And be it further enacted, by the authority aforefaid, That three, and not lefs, of the faid Directors, fhall form a Board for executing this act, or any of the powers thereof, or any other powers vefted in or committed to, or which fhall be vefted in or committed to, fuch Directors, and the major part of the faid Directors prefent shall determine, except where the voices fhall be equally divided, and then the Chairman, or, in his abfence, the Deputy Chairman, fhall have two voices, or the cafting voice.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That all the correspondence of the faid Directors hereby appointed, with all perfons whatsoever in the fervice of the faid United Company, fhall be figned by the Secretary of fuch Directors, by order of the Board.

And whereas by virtue of the charter of the faid Company, and the regulations which have from time to time been made for the better government of the faid Company, it it is required, that certain acts should be done or confented to, and that certain accounts fhould be figned by a particular number of the Directors, hereby difcontinued, be it therefore enacted, by the authority aforefaid, That in all cafes whatsoever, where any act, matter, or thing is directed to be done or confented to, or any accounts or writing to be figned by the Directors hereby difcontinued, or to be done or confented to, or figned by any particular number of fuch Directors, fuch act, matter, or thing fhall, from and after the commencement of this act, be done or confented to, and fuch accounts or writing fhall be figned by three of the Directors hereby appointed.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That the faid Directors hereby. appointed, and affiftant Directors, and each and every of them, during the continuance of this act, fhall be utterly incapable of taking, holding, or exercifing, any office, ftation, or employment what foever, in the fervice of the faid United Company; and fhall alfo be incapable of taking, holding, or exercifing any other place of profit from the Crown, during pleasure..

And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That it fhall, and may be lawful for his Majefty to remove any of the faid Directors hereby appointed, or affiftant Directors upon an addrefs of either Houfe of Parliament.

And whereas a doubt may arife, whether the place of Director, when the fame fhall be held by any perfon, to be appointed by his Majefty, in manner herein-before provided, be not within the provifion of an act of the fixth year of the reign of Queen Anne, intitled, "An Act for the fecurity of her Majefty's perfon and government, and of the "fucceffion to the Crown of Great-Britain in the Proteftant line," although the faid place fhall have been created and erected by authority of Parliament: be it therefore enacted, and declared by the authority aforefaid, That fuch office fhall not be deemed and taken to be within the intent and purview of the faid act; nor fhall any perfon accepting and holding the fame, by an appointment from his Majefty, under his royal fign

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manual, be thereby disqualified from being elected, or fitting and voting as a Member
of the House of Commons.

And be it further enacted, by the authority aforefaid, That there fhall be allowed and

paid for and to each of the affiftant Directors, for fo long time as he fhall continue in

the office, a clear yearly falary of five hundred pounds, payable by half yearly pay-

ments; and that the refpective payments of the faid falaries fhall be ftated and allowed

in the account of the disbursements for the management of the affairs of the faid United

Eaft-India Company.

And be it further enacted, by the authority aforefaid, That this Act and all the pro-

vifions herein contained, fhall commence and take effect from and immediately after this
act shall have received his Majefty's royal affent, and fhall continue, and be in full
force for and during the space of four years.

HOUSE OF LORDS.

December 9.] A Petition was prefented to the House by the Eaft
India Company, praying to be heard by Counsel against the said bill,
and on a motion being made it was agreed to. They were accordingly
heard on the 15th, when a debate enfued in confequence of the mo-
tion for adjournment, made by the Duke of Chandos, and opposed
by the Duke of Portland, who faid "the motion meant to protract
time. Much art had been used to impede the progress of the

"fent bill, and no means were left unattempted, however unjufti-

"fiable (alluding to the private conferences a noble Earl, out of

"office, had with a Great Perfonage) to prevent its paffing into a

"law." At one o'clock in the morning the Houfe divided on the

queftion of adjournment, when there appeared,

pre-

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HOUSE OF COMMONS.

December 17.] Mr. Baker faid, that from fome matters which were of public notoriety, he fhould propofe to the confideration of the House fome thing of the higheft and the most important confequence. It was of that nature which required very serious deliberation, as it concerned the deareft interefts of the people. Therefore, prior to this important bufinefs, he should move, "That the Speaker do fend the Serjeant "with the Mace to the avenues and rooms leading to the Houfe, to "collect fuch Members as were there, and require their attendance in their places."

86

Mr. Fox feconded the motion, and that form being gone through, Mr. Baker read the following Refolutions :

Refolved,

That it is now neceffary to declare, that to report any opinion, or pretended opinion of his Majefty, upon any bill, or other pro"ceeding depending in either Houfe of Parliament, with a view to "influence the votes of the Members, is a high crime and misdemeanor, "derogatory to the honour of the Crown, a breach of the fundamen"tal privileges of Parliament, and fubverfive of the Conftitution of "this country."

Refolved,

"That this House will, upon Monday morning next, resolve itself "into a Committee of the whole Houfe, to confider the state of the "nation."

Lord Maitland made a few pointed obfervations in refpect to the rumour of Earl Temple having ufed his Majefty's name to influence the Members of the other Houfe, and of the confequences that followed in refpect to the India bill. His Lordfhip faid, that on the fate of the prefent motion depended the existence of a free Parliament, and all that was dear to Englishmen; and that as he confidered it to be a most proper one, he rofe to fecond it.

Mr. Erskine, in a very able fpeech, argued very pointedly on the rumour, and contended for its being good ground for enquiry, and a reason why Parliament fhould take the alarm, and make provifion against the worst.

Mr. Arden spoke vehemently for the order of the day.

Lord

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