Pitt)  who  spoke  last,  his  observations  were  much  too  barren  of
solid  argument  to  constitute  a  refutation  of  the  reasoning  of  his
right  honourable  friend  (Mr.  Fox),  who  had  unanswerably  con-
tended for  the  production  of  the  papers,  upon  the  proof,  which
he  as  irrefragably  established,  that  thej  contained  the  clearest
and  most  incontrovertible  evidence  of  a  negotiation  for  an  offen-
sive alliance  entered  into  by  Mr.  Hastings  with  the  country
powers.  Nor  had  his  right  honourable  friend  maintained  by
less  unquestionable  allegations,  that  were  these  wonderfully
secret  papers  divulged,  no  danger  whatsoever  could  accrue  to
the  state  from  their  publicity.     For  his  own  part,  he  must  oon>


,Coot^lc


1786.]  RIGHT   HON.    R.    B.    SHERIDAN.  181

feSB,  that  were  be  to  place  an  approving  confidence  in  the  mea-
nires  of  an  adminiBtiation,  and  any  honourahle  member  should
move  a  question  for  papers  affecting  the  executive  government
of  the  country ;  and  his  Majesty^B  mioisters  who  were  to  be  r^
sponnble,  should  stand  up  and  declare  that  the  granting  the
pliers  would  prove  dangNwis  to  the  state,  he  would  desist  from
pressing  such  a  motion.  But  was  this  the  case  now?  Noj  the
right  honourable  gentleman,  as  his  Majesty's  minister,  was  not
reqjontible  for  the  administration  of  the  executive  government
of  India ;  that  government  was  not  the  government  of  his  Ma-
jesty, whose  name  and  authority  had  no  connection  with  it ;  it
was  merely  the  government  of  a  trading  company,  conducted  by
their  servants,  and,  therefore,  all  ideas  of  confidence  in  the  King's
mumtera  were  out  of  the  question.  What  was  the  Board  of
Control  P  Nothing  more  than  another  Board  of  Directors,  of  a
superior  order  indeed,  and  Dominated  by  his  Majesty  in  the  first
instance.  But  it  was  rather  curious  that  the  right  honourable
and  leatnetl  gentleman  should  be  one  of  the  persons  (and,  per-
haps, the  principal,  in  talking  of  India  secrets,  and  refusing
necessary  papers  on  that  ground)  when  he,  himself,  had  formed
his  own  motions  for  papers  in  I78I  and  IIBS,  in  the  broadest
and  most  general  words ;  calling  for  all  the  papers  relating  to
the  revenue ;  all  the  papers  relating  to  the  civil  government,  &c.
