difficulties, but prompted by an impetuous and violent temper, by an undue exertion of his authority, he put the Commander in Chief, and two of the Council, under arreft. The Nabob was ever at hand to foment the diffention, and by his intrigues, the Governor himself was soon after feized by the officer next in command, and kept in close confinement. Representations of thefe events were immediately tranfmitted to Europe, and the Nabob, who had been the principal caufe of these commotions, fent a gentleman to England as his agent, through whofe interpofition, both the Company and the Miniftry might be enabled to decide between the contending parties. When the bufinefs came firft to be difcuffed, a large majority of the proprietors voted for the re-inftating Lord Pigot, and punishing those who had been fo daring as to difpoffefs him. The Court of Directors were more divided in opinion; at length the weight of government was thrown in, and the Governor and Council of Madrafs were ordered home, in order that their conduct might undergo a legal fcrutiny, From this determination of the Eaft-India Company, Governor Johnstone made an appeal to the House of Commons*, by moving five refolutions, which tended to justify the conduct of Lord Pigot, to condemn that of his opponents, and to annul the resolution for his recal: but in this attempt he was unfuccefsful, by a negative being put to each. Lord Pigot did not long furvive the lofs of his liberty, and those of the Company's fervants, who had been the principal actors in this bufinefs, were afterwards fued in the King's name, by the Attorney General, in the court of King's-Bench, and fentenced to pay a fine of 1000l. each. May 22, 1777. On the 30th of May, 1777, the Earl of Chatham moved, in the House of Lords, to addrefs his Majefty, that the moft speedy and effectual measures might be taken for putting a stop to hoftilities in America, and for the removal of accumulated grievances. He particularly infifted upon the neceffity of immediately adopting the propofed measure, from the imminent danger to which, in our prefent fituation, we were expofed, from the House of Bourbon: a treaty between France and America, he faid, was then depending, whereby we should not only lose the vaft and increafing commerce of our Colonies, but that commerce and those advantages would be acquired by our natural enemies. He infifted, as he had done upon all former occasions, that it was impracticable to conquer America, and declared in that ftrong and emphatic language, by which that great man was peculiarly diftinguished, that we were waging war with America, exposed to a masked battery of France, which would, 'ere long, open upon us, and fweep us away. This motion brought the arguments for and against the American war, again under difcuffion. The Earl of Manffield objected to Parliament interpofing refpecting peace or war, to determine upon which, he confidered as the peculiar right of the executive part of the conftitution. He knew, he faid, but of two inftances in which Parliament had interpofed in fuch a manner; the one was by a refolution entered on their Journals in the reign of Queen Anne, never to make peace with France and Spain, whilft a branch of the Bourbon family fhould fit on the throne of the latter kingdom: the other, in the reign of George the Second, that no peace fhould be made with Spain, unlefs the court. of Madrid renounced the right which it claimed of fearching Britifh fhips in the Weft-Indies, neither of which refolutions had been adhered to. This nobleman had ever ftrongly 1 strongly enforced coercive measures against America, and in a former debate had obferved, that we had gone too far to recede, that we had paffed the Rubicon, and we must either conquer or perifh*. The Earl of Sandwich obferved, that the Americans had no better opinion of those in oppofition than of those in power, and that no change which could take place either in men or measures, would work a change either in the temper or conduct of the Colonies. The motion was rejected by a majority of 99 to 28. The fupplies for the service of the year 1777, amounted to 12,895,543/t. for the raising of which, the land-tax was continued * This allufion to the conduct of Julius Cæfar was extremely mal-apropos. That General caused his army to pass the Rubicon, in violation of the eftablifhed laws of his country, and for the purpose of enflaving Rome: it might, therefore, have been asked, for what purpofe have we metaphorically, paffed the Rubicon ? German troops ferving in America, including T 4 Ordnance continued at four fhillings in the pound the ufual duties were continued upon malt, &c. the finking fund to January 5, 1777, after the appropriation of the laft year, yielded a furplus of 295,8327. and the next quarter ending the 5th of April, produced 760,3631. The growing produce of that fund was charged with 1,939,6367. a million and an half in Exchequer bills was continued; five millions 141,602 1,500,000 MISCELLANEOUS Roads and bridges in the Highlands of North Britain Civil Establishments in America in Africa To the Trustees of the British Museum To the Landgrave of Hesse, on account of Hofpitals during the late war in Germany For the relief of Americans fuffering for their attachment to his Majesty's government Maintaining and employing Convicts on the river Thames Sums iffued in pursuance of Addreffes of the Houfe of Commons Forts on the coast of Africa Printing Journals of the Houfe of Commons Enquiries made by order of the House into the State of the Poor Exchequer Bills discharged Laft year's Vote of Credit discharged Arrears and Debts upon the Civil List on Jan. 5, 1777 1,000,000 618,340 : 500,000 555,888 were were raised by annuities, and 500,000l. by a lottery, the whole produce of which was to be diftributed in prizes, and paid in money in March, 1778. 200,000l. which had been brought into the Exchequer by the executors of the late Lord Holland, formerly pay-mafter of the forces, was applied to the current fervice, and fome favings and furplufes in the Exchequer, on various accounts, which amounted to 7,701. completed the ways and means. The fubfcribers to the loan of five millions, were to receive 47. per cent. per annum, and for every 100%. an additional intereft of 10s. for ten years; alfo a lottery ticket at the rate of 10l. For the payment of the intereft on this funded debt, a tax was laid of one guinea on each male fervant, not employed in agriculture, husbandry or trade; additional duties were laid on glafs and on ftamps, and a duty on auctioneers, and on goods fold by auction. At the fame time, a former duty which had been laid on filver plate was repealed. Befides thefe fupplies, a vote of credit was paffed for another million. The Parliament rofe on the 6th of June. 4 The conduct of the Dutch, particularly in the Weft Indies, had caufed a memorial to be prefented by Sir Jofeph Yorke, the British minifter at the Hague, to the States General of the United Provinces, complaining of the conduct of M. Van Graaf, their Governor of the island of St. Euftatia, in having permitted an American pirate to make prize of an English veffel within cannon fhot of that ifland: of having returned the falute of a rebel frigate, and of having promoted an illicit commerce, and connived at the hoftile equipments of Americans. Atteftations of these charges being annexed, the memorial peremptorily infisted on |