It is supposed and understood, that the merchandizes admitted by the present treaty shall be respectively of the growth, produce, or manufacture of the dominions of the two sovereigns in Europe.

To oblige the traders to be accurate in the declarations required by the present article, as also to prevent any doubt that might arise on that part of the tenth article of the said treaty, which provides, that if any of the effects are omitted in the declaration delivered by the master of the ship, they shall not be liable to confiscation, unless there be a manifest appearance of fraud; it is understood that, in such case, the said effects shall be confiscated, unless satisfactory proof be given to the officers of the customs that there was not any intention of fraud.

shall not be construed to derogate from the privileges, regulations, and usages already established in the cities or ports of the respective dominions of the two Sovereigns and further, that the 25th Article of the said Treaty shall be construed to relate only to ships suspected of carrying, in time of war, to the enemies of either of the high contracting parties, any prohibited articles, denominated contraband; and the said Article is not to hinder the examinations of the officers of the customs, for the purpose of preventing illicit trade in the respective dominions.

diately after the signature of the present Treaty, of which it should be deemed to constitute a part,' it is agreed that the said ulterior Convention shall be settled within the space of two months, and that, in the mean time, the consuls-general, consuls, and vice-consuls, shall conform to the usages which are now observed, relative to the consulship, in the respective dominions of the two Sovereigns; and that they shall enjoy all the privileges, rights, and immunities belonging to their office, and which are allowed to the consuls-general, consuls, and vice-consuls of the most favoured nation.

Art. 6. Their Majesties having stipulated, by the 43rd Article of the said Treaty, that the nature and extent of the functions of the consuls should be determined, and that a Convention relative Art. 3. In order to prevent the intro-to this point should be concluded immeduction of calicoes, manufactured in the East Indies, or in the other countries, as if they had been manufactured in the respective dominions of the two sovereigns in Europe, it is agreed, that the calicoes manufactured in the said dominions for exportation from one country to the other respectively, shall have at the two ends of each piece a particular mark, woven in the piece, to be settled in concert by the two governments, of which mark the respective governments shall give nine months previous notice to the manufacturers; and the said mark shall be altered from time to time, as the case may require. It is further agreed, that until the said precaution can be put in execution, the said calicoes mutually exported, shall be accompanied by a certificate of the officers of the customs, or of such other officer as shall be appointed for that purpose, declaring that they were fabricated in the country from whence they were exported, and also that they are furnished with the marks already prescribed in the respective countries, to distinguish such calicoes from those which come from other countries. Art. 4. In settling the duties upon cambrics and lawns, it is understood that the breadth should not exceed, for the cambrics, seven-eighths of a yard, English measure (about three quarters of an ell of France) and for the lawns, one yard and a quarter, English measure (one ell of France) and if any shall hereafter be made of a greater breadth than what is above-mentioned, they shall pay a duty of 10 per cent. ad valorem.

Art. 5. It is also agreed, that the stipulations in the 18th Article of the Treaty

Art. 7. It shall be lawful for the subjects of his Britannic Majesty to prosecute their debtors in France, for the recovery of debts contracted in the dominions of his said Majesty, or elsewhere, in Europe, and there to bring actions against them, in conformity to the practice of law in use in the kingdom: provided that there shall be the like usage in favour of French subjects, in the European dominions of his Britannic Majesty.

Art. 8. The Articles of the present Convention shall be ratified and confirmed by his Britannic Majesty, and by his Most Christian Majesty, in one month, or sooner, if it can be done, after the exchange of signatures between the plenipotentiaries.

In witness whereof, we the ministers plenipotentiary have signed the present Convention, and have caused the seals of our arms to be set thereto. Done at Versailles, the 15th of January, 1787. W. EDEN, (L. S.)

GRAVIER DE VERGENNES, (L. S.)

Debate in the Commons on the Articles | itself into a Committee of the whole against Mr. Hastings-Oude Charge.] House, Mr. St. John in the chair, on the Feb. 1. On the order of the day being fourth charge against Mr. Hastings, viz. read, for the House to resolve itself into a the resumption of the Jaghires and the Committee of the whole House, to con- confiscation of the treasures of the prinsider further of the several articles of cesses of Oude, charge against Warren Hastings, esq., the House resolved itself into the said Committee, and Mr. St. Andrew St. John having taken his seat as chairman, Nathaniel Middleton, esq. was called, and underwent an examination of two hours continuance by Mr. Sheridan, touching his knowledge of Mr. Hastings's conduct towards the Begums of Oude; after which Mr. Dundas rose to put a few questions to the witness, in order to obtain an explanation of certain sentences of a letter written by Mr. Middleton, from Benares, to Mr. Hastings, on the 26th of December, 1781; but Mr. Middleton in the course of his answers declaring, that if he had an opportunity of referring to his. correspondence to refresh his memory he should be able to answer with greater certainty, he was ordered to withdraw, and a conversation took place in consequence of a proposition made by Mr. Dundas, for the chairman to report progress, and when the House was resumed, to make an order for Mr. Middleton's attendance to-morrow, by which time he might be better prepared to answer. The proposition was agreed to, and Sir Elijah Impey was ordered to attend at the same

time.

Feb. 2. The House having again resolved itself into the Committee, Mr. Middleton was called in, and underwent a long examination. After the examination had proceeded for some hours, Mr. Pitt expressed his apprehensions that it would be impossible for the evidence to be printed soon enough for the copies to be distributed in time on Monday for the members to have them, so as to enable them to become masters of its tendency, and apply it to the charge, if the charge were that day debated. He, therefore, called on Mr. Sheridan to say whether he would bring forward the charge on Monday under such circumstances, or defer it to a period a little more distant. Mr. Sheridan agreed to postpone his motion to the 7th instant. The committee then proceeded to the examination of Sir Elijah Impey.

Mr. Dempster begged leave, as a preliminary to this important debate, to acquaint the House, that sir Elijah Impey, having fully and coolly revolved in his mind the nature and scope of his former evidence, and assisted his researches by the most accurate examination of his papers, had discovered, that the answers which he gave to some of the questions put to him, during the course of a preceding evening, were less explicit and decisive than he desired to make them, and of course, did not include all that ought to have been submitted to parliamentary consideration; he therefore earnestly wished to embrace an opportunity of setting his evidence to rights; and for that purpose, as well as to save the time of the committee, he had written the explanation which he was desirous of giving upon that paper, that it might be read to the committee. Mr. Dempster then read the paper, the general tendency of which was to authenticate the depositions taken by sir Elijah at Lucknow, by declaring that the translator had been sworn, and had deposed that the translation was authentic and correct.

Mr. Francis said, that the explanation did not strike him as being, in all respects, satisfactory; nor, indeed, could he discover how it was possible to put the House into a properly formal possession of the paper which had been just read, unless sir Elijah were called to the bar for the purpose of undergoing another examination.

Mr. Pitt contended, that a vivá você statement was indispensably requisite. The delivery of this would surely consume but little time; and, therefore, why might not the evidence be called immediately? [Sir Elijah was inquired for, but could not be found.]

Mr. Sheridan now rose, and, during the space of five hours and forty minutes, commanded the attention and admiration of the House, by an oration of almost unexampled excellence, uniting the most convincing closeness and accuracy of argument, with the most luminous precision and perspicuity of language; and alternately giving force and energy to truth by solid and substantial reasoning, and Feb. 7. The House having resolved enlightening the most extensive and in[VOL. XXVI.]

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[276 volved subjects with the purest clearness the fourth article in the general charge of of logic, and the brightest splendour of a right hon. member (Mr. Burke). But rhetoric. Every prejudice, every pre- even this was far beneath his notice. The possession was gradually overcome by the rectitude and the strength of his cause force of this extraordinary combination of were not to be prejudiced by such pitiful keen but liberal discrimination; of bril- expedients; nor should he waste a mo. liant yet argumentative wit. It will be a ment in counteracting measures, which, permanent record of Mr. Sheridan's un- though insidious, were proportionately rivalled abilities, that, on this trying occa- frivolous and unavailing. Nor would he sion, which, of all others, had divided not take up the time of the committee with only the House of Commons, but the any general arguments to prove, that the nation at large into a variety of parties, subject of the charge which it fell to his this memorable speech produced almost lot to bring forward, was of great moment universal union. It is utterly impossible and magnitude. The attention which to attempt more than an outline of this Parliament had paid to the affairs of India, unprecedented exertion of talents and for many sessions past, the voluminous judgment. We have endeavoured to pre-productions of their committees on that pare a faithful miniature of an unequalled original.

Mr. Sheridan commenced his speech by observing, that had it been possible to have received, without a violation of the established rules of Parliament, the paper which the hon. member (Mr. Dempster) had just now read, he should willingly have receded from any forms of the House, for the purpose of obtaining new lights and farther illustration on the important subject then before them; not, indeed, that, on the present occasion, he found himself so ill prepared, as merely, for this reason, to be prevented from proceeding to the discharge of his duty; neither, to speak freely, was he inclined to consider any explanatory additions to the evidence of sir Elijah Impey so much framed to elucidate, as to perplex and contradict. Needless to his present purpose was it for him to require sir Elijah, legally to recognize what had been read, in his name, by the hon. gentleman. In fact, neither the informality of any subsisting evidence, nor the adducement of any new explanations from sir Elijah Impey, could make the slightest impression upon the vast and strong body of proof which he should now bring forward against Warren Hastings. Yet, if any motive could have so far operated upon him, as to make him industriously seek for renewed opportunities of questioning sir Elijah, it would result from his fresh and indignant recollection of the low and artful stratagem of delivering to the members, and others, in this last period of parliamentary inquiry, printed hand-bills of defence, the contents of which bespoke a presumptuous and empty boast of completely refuting all which, at any time, had, or even could be advanced against Mr. Hastings, on the subject of

subject, the various proceedings in that House respecting it, their own strong and pointed resolutions, the repeated recommendation of his Majesty, and their reiterated assurances of paying due regard to those recommendations, as well as various acts of the legislature, were all of them undeniable proofs of the moment and magnitude of the consideration, and incontrovertibly established this plain, broad fact, that Parliament directly acknowledged that the British name and character had been dishonoured and rendered detested throughout India, by the malversation and crimes of the principal servant of the East India Company. That fact having been established beyond all question by themselves, and by their own acts, there needed no argument, on his part, to induce the committee to see the importance of the subject about to be discussed upon that day, in a more striking point of view than they themselves had held it up to public observation. There were, he knew, persons without doors who affected to ridicule the idea of prosecuting Mr. Hastings, and who not inconsistently redoubled their exertions, in proportion as the prosecution became more serious, to increase their sarcasms upon the subject, by asserting that Parliament might be more usefully employed; that there were matters of more immediate moment to engage their attention; that a commercial treaty with France had just been concluded, and that it was an object of a vast and comprehensive nature, and of itself sufficient to engross their attention. To all this he would oppose these questions. Was Parliament misspending its time, by inquiring into the oppressions practised on millions of unfortunate persons in India, and endeavouring to bring