§ Order of the Day for receiving the Report of the Amendments read.
§ Amendments reported accordingly.
§ THE EARL OF ELLENBOROUGH moved, that the word "alone" should be inserted in the second clause after the words "government of India," so that it should be made evident that the expenses of the government of India were paid out of the revenues of India alone.
§ Amendment agreed to.
§ THE EARL OF DERBYsaid, a proposal had been made in Committee that the Governor General of India ought to have the appointment of his own Council. He had promised to consider the question, and had now to state that, after consultation with those best qualified to judge, he found they 1784 were unanimously of opinion that the Governor General should not have the nomination of his own Council. He would, therefore, leave the Bill as it now stood in this respect, and he only mentioned the matter now in order that the noble Earl (the Earl of Ellenborough) or any other noble Lord might, if they thought proper to do so, re-open it on the third reading.
§ THE EARL OF ELLENBOROUGH moved, to insert words in Clause 52, empowering the Auditor specially to note in his audit from time to time any case, if any such there should be, in which it might appear to him that any money arising out of the revenues of India had been appropriated to other purposes than those of the government of India.
§ Amendment agreed to.
§ Clause 66, which provides that all contracts, covenants, liabilities, and engagements of the Company made and incurred before the commencement of this Act, may be enforced by and against the Secretary of State in Council, in like manner as they might have been by and against the Company if the Act had not passed.
§ THE EARL OF DERBYproposed to include the word "treaties," which the terms "contracts, covenants, liabilities, and engagements" might not be thought to cover. He took that opportunity of stating, that at the commencement of those discussions, questions bad been raised as to whether the saving clauses introduced into the Bill with regard to the East India Company were sufficient. His noble Friend opposite (Lord Monteagle) had since stated, that he had examined those clauses and thought they were calculated to secure all the rights and privileges of the Company. He ought, however, to mention that, within the last few days he had had placed in his hands some clauses which had been prepared on behalf of the East India Company, which he proposed to examine, and if he should find that any further provisions were required for the protection of the Company, he should be happy to move their insertion on the third reading of the Bill. But he apprehended, with his noble Friend (Lord Monteagle), that the saving clauses already embodied in the Bill would be found sufficient for the purpose.
§ Amendment agreed to.
§ Further Amendments made.
§ Bill to be read 3a on Thursday next.
§ House adjourned at a quarter to Nine o'clock, till To-morrow, Four o'clock.