§ Mr. Francis wished to ask the noble lord (Castlereagh) whether any dispatches had been yet received 567 by the court of directors, or the government, relative to the commencement of the war with Holkar, which had commenced on the 16th of April, 1804; and whether the directors or the board of control were in possession of the accounts to the end of March, 1804, so as to enable the noble lord to bring forward the India budget this year?
§ Lord Castlereagh said there had been no direct advices from India relative to the war with Holkar. The packet containing these dispatches had been taken by the French on its passage to Europe, and the only accounts we had was from a translation of the contents of that packet published in the Moniteur. Probably the same packet contained the accounts relative to the budget; but of this he could not be positive, all he he could say was, that there were no direct accounts.