Commons Sitting of 21 January 1805

MIUUTES.—
The speaker reported to the house, that the house attended his majesty on Thursday last, with their address; to which his majesty was pleased to give the following most gracious answer:—"Gentlemen, I return you my warmest thanks for this loyal and dutiful address. It affords me the greatest satisfaction to receive the declaration of your full concurrence in the sentiments which have dictated my answer to the communication from the French govt. The conviction you express that the safety and permanent interests of this country are closely connected with the security of Europe, and the cordial assurances of your zealous support in enabling me to prosecute the war with vigour till it can be brought to a safe and honourable termination, are calculated to produce the happiest effects in the present situation of affairs."—A new writ was ordered for Droitwich, in the room of sir E. Winnington, bart. deceased.—A petition was presented by sir J. Anderson, from certain coal factors, whose names were thereunto subscribed, praying to be relieved from the penalties imposed by the act for establishing and regulating a coal
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market in the city of London. By this act it was ordered, that the names of the factors should be attached at whole length to their various accounts. Several of the petitioners had inadvertently abbreviated their signatures, and the object of this petition was to indemnify them against these and other literal and unintentional errors. Referred to a committee.—A person from the office of the chief secretary in Ireland presented at the bar several accounts from the accountant-general's office, pursuant to an order of the 9th of July last.—Ordered to be printed.—Lord Marsham moved, pursuant to notice, that the report of the committee on the conduct of the sheriffs at the election for the county of Middlesex in 1802, be taken into consideration to-morrow se'enight—The speaker said, that with a view to the motion of the noble lord, he should move that the resolution which that house had unanimously adopted last session, to investigate the business early in this session, be read, which was accordingly done, and the motion of Lord Marsham agreed to.—On the motion of Mr. Huskisson, the order of the day was read for the house resolving itself into a committee of supply. The house accordingly formed itself into a committee of supply, and that part of his majesty's speech being read, it was resolved, that a supply be granted to his majesty.

WAR IN INDIA.—
Mr. Francis.—Sir; the motion which I mean to submit to the house will not make it necessary for me to trouble you with many reasons in support of it, or for more than a few minutes; and, indeed, it appeared to me so much a matter of course, that I should not have thought it required a previous notice, but for a suggestion which I am always desirous to comply with. In the course of the last session, the house thought fit to order a great variety of papers to be laid before them, to explain the causes of the war which began in 1803, against two of the principal Mahratta chiefs, Scindia and Boosla. By the papers before the house it appears, that those chiefs were subdued and reduced to submission, and that treaties of peace had been signed with them about the close of the same year; and it was natural to conclude that there was an end of the war in India. Nothing could be more improbable than that any of the remaining Mahratta powers should take up the contest, where

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the others had left it; and especially against an enemy flushed with success, and which the greatest powers of the Mahratta empire had not been able to resist. Neverthless it is known, that another war with another chief, called Holcar, immediately, or soon after, succeeded to the pacification with Scindia and Boosla. I consider it as the final act of the same transaction, and that the information before the house would not be complete without the papers relative to these last hostilities, which I propose to move for. I hold it to be of importance to the good govt. and safety of our possessions in India, that a regular communication of all material transactions should, at proper intervals, be made to parliament, and that the record of them should be preserved in this house. I have no doubt that Holcar has been subdued; his force, compared with ours, is so inconsiderable, that one can only wonder at his venturing, at such a time especially, to provoke a quarrel with a power so much superior to him. Nevertheless he has certainly been able to make some resistance, and we know that many lives have been lost already in the course of this petty war. In one of the provinces ceded to us, called Bundalcund, a party of his cavalry surrounded a detachment of ours, consisting of two complete companies of sepoys, some cannon, and fifty European artillerymen, every man of whom were cut to pieces. The loss of the sepoys is to be lamented; that of the artillery-men is invaluable. The main body, from which this little force was detached, immediately retired, and the officer who commanded it was put under arrest. I need not say more to prove that these transactions deserve the attention of the house. I am not aware of any reasonable objection to the motion, but if any should be made, I hope the house will permit me to reply to it. I move you, sir, "That there be laid before this house, copies or extracts of all letters or correspondence received from India, since the last session of parliament, relative to hostilities between the British govt. and a Mahratta chief, called Jesswunt Rao Holcar, and the causes thereof, as far as may be consistent with the public service, and with the good faith due to persons from whom secret intelligence may have been received."—Before I sit down, I wish to mention a subject connected with the Mahratta war, on
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which the house has received no information. I expected to find it explained in the printed papers, but in them there is no mention of it. In the country of Guzzerat, to the north west of Bombay, there is a prince called the Gwicowar: a part of his territory has been ceded to the company, partly to make good the pay of our subsidiary force stationed at Poona, and for no other objects of indemnification. Out of that fund we ought to have received a considerable revenue; but to that prince the govt. of Bombay have lent a sum not much less than 360,000l. The documents relative to this extraordinary transaction, I think, ought to have been laid before the house under the orders already given, which would save time and trouble; if not, it must be the subject of a particular motion.
Lord Castlereaghhad no objection to the production of the papers the hon. gent, had referred to, but was sorry the hon. gent, had introduced other circumstances that were not necessarily connected with the motion. The observations he had thrown out respecting the defeat of that unfortunate detachment went, the house would feel, to involve the character of an officer, whose conduct was now the subject of military inquiry. But, considering this event in a more general view, he did not see that it afforded so much room for complaint as the hon. gent. would, have us believe. Great successes had been obtained in other quarters, which much more than counterbalanced that unfortunate circumstance. The hon. gent, had also gone out of his way in the observations he had made respecting the territories that had been ceded as indemnities, and the sums granted to a prince of the Guzzerat. These, the noble lord thought, would come more properly under discussion when the India budget should be submitted to the house. He had no objection, however, that the house should be in possession of all the information the hon. gent. could wish. Indeed, the qualification the hon. gent, himself had annexed to his motion, removed every objection that could be made to it, as he wishes only to have such papers as may not interfere with the arrangements of govt. or put them in an awkward predicament in regard to the quarter from which they may have received secret information.
Mr. Francis.I beg leave to assure the house that I had no thoughts of reflecting

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on the officer to whose misfortune I have alluded. I do not even know his name, nor is it possible that any thing said of him, at this time and at this distance, can affect his situation or character in India. My sole object in mentioning the fact was to justify the motion, and to exculpate myself from having intruded on the house without a strong case, or without sufficient reason.—The question was then put and agreed to.—Adjourned.