§ Mr. James Paull rose and spoke as follows:—When I imposed upon myself the task of bringing under the consideration of parliament the case of the nabob of Oude, and urging grave matter of charge against the marquis Wellesley the governor-general of India, I was fully and deeply impressed with the arduousness of the undertaking and with the difficulties and obstacles I had to encounter. I was aware of the indifference, not to call it by any other name, that pervades this house and the nation in general, as to the affairs of India, whether as regarding the honour and good faith of the British character, or as connected with the pecuniary affairs of the country; what such apathy and indifference have led to, I shall not at present stop to enquire, but in the administration of the marquis Wellesley, we have seen India deluged with blood, its princes dethroned, its ancient families ruined, and the spoils of our nearest allies added to the resources of the company, without exciting a sentiment of disapprobation on the part of the British legislature.—I was aware that in the course of the proceedings I should have to submit to parliament, I had to arraign, to stand forth as the accuser of a nobleman high in his country's service, and whose conquests in his oriental career, have given a brillancy to his administration, in the eyes of his countrymen; a nobleman, of extensive influence, and possessing powerful connexions in both houses of parliament, and I could not for a moment forget, that the individual who had to surmount these difficulties was a new man and a very young member of this house.—So circumstanced, and amidst such difficulties, I had, however, some very considerable consolation; I knew that the motives that impelled me to Stand 563 forward on this occasion were pure and unquestionable, and the matters I had to urge, plain and simple, founded on truth and justice, and standing in no need of eloquence to force themselves on the consideration of parliament.—I had merely to say, that a prince, the highest in rank and dignity of all the powers of Hindostan, the most faithful of all the allies of the company, and paying the enormous tribute of 900,000l. annually, had, in defiance of justice, and in the face of the most solemn treaty, been dispossessed of a country containing upwards of three millions of attached subjects, and producing a revenue of nearly two millions of pounds sterling yearly; with the alternative of resisting injustice and oppression by force of arms, and experiencing the fate of all those that have attempted to oppose the encroachments of the company's governors abroad.—I had only to assert that the case of this unhappy prince, degraded and disgraced in the eyes of all the World, exceeded in hardship, in every point of view, and in all its bearings, that of rajah Chyt Sing, the prince of Benaris, for whose expulsion from his dominions Mr. Hastings was impeached by the commons of Great-Britain, with this marked and essential distinction, that Chyt Sing resisted demands that he thought oppressive, whereas the nabob vizier, the prince of Oude, submitted to every demand however illegal, however oppressive, however unjust. — As to the other matter of charge, the expression of it was equally clear from difficulty; I had only to say, that the marquis Wellesley had violated the laws of his country, having in defiance of an act of parliament appointed his own brother to a station of dignity, trust, and emolument that he was incompetent to hold, and if this house has been well employed in punishing breaches of acts of parliament committed at home, I put it to every man to consider of the consequences of overlooking offences against the law committed at the distance of 13,000 miles from the mother-country, where the object is attained, as in this case, for which the offence is committed, before representation can be made, far less redress obtained.—When I intimated my notice for this day, it was my intention to have entered pretty much at large into the transactions in Oude, and into the cause and effects of this violation of law, but that is rendered unnecessary from a variety of circumstances.—When I consider the very advanced period of the session, and the quan- 564 tity of public business that must yet unavoidably occupy the time and attention of parliament, I am satisfied of the utter impracticability of making much progress, far less of bringing this business to any issue, during the present session, and I am therefore only desirous for the production of various documents to ground the charges I shall hereafter urge against the marquis Wellesley.—Another motive that weighs deeply with me for not precipitating this business is, the almost certainty that the noble lord will shortly be in England; for I am most eager, and anxious, that he should be present to hear, see, and comment upon, every part of my proceedings; no man, admires more than I do, some parts of that noble lord's character, but I have to lament in common with every man who has turned his thoughts to India, and in common with all the nations of Hindostan, that lord Wellesley's spirit of aggrandizement, his love of power, and insatiable ambition have led him into errors and mistakes, that have shook to its base our very existence in India, and to consequent acts of great injustice and oppression.—I move that there be laid, before this house:—1. "Copy of a minute of sir John Shore, (now lord Teignmouth) late governor-general, detailing the measures adopted in Oude, which led to the deposition of vizier Ally, and placing on the throne the nabob Sadaal Ally, together with the treaty concluded on that occasion.—2. Copy of the minute of sir John Shore (now lord Teignmouth) dated the 5th of March, 1798; and his letter to the secret committee, or court of directors, explaining his reasons for concluding the above treaty, and his final arrangements in Oude.—3. Copy of a general letter to Bengal, dated the 15th of May, 1798, in the political department, as far as regards sir John Shore's conduct in the arrangements for Oude.—4. Copy of the correspondence between the governor-general marquis Wellesley, and John Lumsden, esq. and col. William Scott, the British residents in Oude, as far as relates to the new arrangements proposed for that kingdom by lord Wellesley, until the conclusion of the treaty of Lucnow in 1801.—5. Copy of the instructions and correspondence between the governor-general and the Hon. Henry Wellesley, sent to Oude on a special deputation in 1801, as far as they regard the nabob Sadaal Ally, and the treaty concluded with that prince, Mr. Wellesley having been present on the occasion.—6. Copy of all communications to the secret 565 committee or Court of directors by the governor-general, respecting, the nabob Sadaal Ally, previous to or after the conclusion of the treaty of Lucnow in 1801, so far as the same may relate to the said treaty, and the management revenues of the nabob's provinces.—7. Copy of the treaty between the nabob Sadaal Ally and the company in 1801.—8. Copy of the settlement of the countries called the Ceded Provinces, for three years, made under the direction of the Hon. Henry Wellesley, whilst lieutenant-governor of those provinces.—9. Copy of the general letter from Bengal, in the revenue department, in 1803–4, reporting on the collections of the Ceded Provinces.—10. Copy of the minute of the governor-general, appointing the Hon. Henry Wellesley lieutenant-governor of the provinces obtained from the vizier, and marquis Wellesley's letter to the secret committee, or the court of directors, on that occasion.—11. Copy of a letter from the court of directors, or the secret committee, to the Bengal government, annulling such appointment:—so far as these various documents may be disclosed without prejudice to the public service."
§ Lord Castlereagh said, as he did not mean to object to the production of the papers moved, for by the hon, gent., he should not now enter into the subject. His only wish was, that the house would keep their minds perfectly open relative to the circumstances adverted to by the hon. gent. until the time should arrive when the subject might be fully and fairly discussed. There was one part of the subject, however, on which he wished to say a few words, in order that no unfavourable impression might go abroad, in consequence of what had been stated by the hon, gent. He alluded to the appointment of Mr. Henry Wellesley on a special mission in the province of Oude. Mr. Henry Wellesley was placed by the marquis, his brother, at the head of a commission in the province of Oude, for the purpose of placing the revenues and establishments of that country on a proper footing, in which service he actively and successfully employed himself, but for which he received no emolument, except what he derived from the office which he before held, and winch he continued at that period to hold, that of private secretary to the governor-general. So far, indeed, from deriving any additional advantages from his employment in Oude, his health was seriously injured by his 566 exertions whilst employed upon that service.
§ Sir W. Burroughs did not think it fair that the hon. gentleman's opening should be attended with such expressions against the noble marquis: with respect to the legality of the appointment, it had been his lot to hold an official legal situation in Bengal for ten years, from which he was well acquainted with the subject, and he did not think the appointment of Mr. Henry Wellesley would be found to be illegal
§ Mr. Windham said, he would not admit that his hon, friend had been at all unfair or intemperate in the mode of bringing this business forward. He had acted judiciously and in his opinion most properly, and could not have said less, to ground a case for the production of papers—papers that were not asked as a matter of favour, but as a matter of right, and which his hon. friend thought necessary for the cause, of substantial justice.
§ Mr. Wellesley Pole assured the house, that the friends of the noble lord had no wish but for the fallest investigation of his conduct. He denied positively that Mr. Henry Wellesley derived any emolument from his mission to Oude. The expences of the mission were paid upon vouchers in which there was no consideration for him. He hoped the time would come when the conduct of the noble lord whose conduct the hon. gent. meant to make the subject of charge would be open to full, fair, and free discussion. On that occasion persons not connected with the noble lord would have full liberty of offering their opinions, whatever they may be, and he trusted he would be at liberty to claim the indulgence the house allowed to every body in matters concerning persons so near and dear to them.
§ Mr. Paull in answer to what fell from the noble lord, from the near relation of lord Wellesley and from the hon. and learned bart. opposite, said, that the situation Mr. Henry Wellesley was appointed to, was one of great trust, honour, and emolument, as would appear when the papers were laid upon the table; a situation in fact that made him second only to marquis Wellesley, who was second to no other man in pomp and magnificence on this earth.—The different motions were respectively agreed to,