article of the treaty of Paris, he was confirmed in his dominions. The alliance between the English and the Nabob was equally ufeful to both parties; it fecured to him his dominions, and gave to them the balance of power, able to turn the scale either way; they were equally refpected by the Gentoos and Moors. To this happy ftate Lord Pigot, by his wife management, had brought the company's affairs on the coaft, when he returned to Europe, where he was rewarded with thofe honours he fo juftly merited. The Nabob having thus overcome his difficulties, and feeling himself firmly established in his dominions, began to change his ftile; and, having formed a large well-regulated army, and train of artillery, under the direction of European officers, raised an alarm in England, efpecially as he began to manifeft the defign of fetting afide his eldeft fon, who is particularly attached to the English, appointing his fecond fon captain-general and paymaster of all his forces, and allotting him the government of Tan jour; a fituation of the utmost importance in cafe of a war with France, or any divifion of intereft in the Carnatic. To prevent the confequence of thefe proceedings, Lord Pigot, as having raifed the Nabob to what he is, was fent out to check his views, and restore the Rajah of Tanjour. His lordship's orders were ru moured in India long before his arrival; and the Nabob publicly declared, that what he paid for could not with any justice be taken from him. But, to ward against the worst, he fent over agents and money, to purchase a revocation of fuch orders, if any fuch were fent. Hence it is, that the London papers have been filled with complaints against Lord Pigot, and the company's fervants. We are told, that the Nabob has always been our ally, firm in our caufe, and that we have extorted vaft fums of money from him. The fact is, that we have proved a conftant fupport to him, and have, through his artifices and bribes, given fo entirely into his meafures, that we have provoked the Gentoos, leffened our own confequence, and almoft rendered him independent. He has tempted the company's fervants beyond a poffibility of with ftanding, in order to extend his do minion over the natural princes of the country; but he has fo artfully and frugally beftowed his gifts, that he has acquired a princely and increasing revenue, exclufive of the fovereignty of the country, at lefs than two years purchase. Thefe notorious attempts upon the integrity of its fervants, the flagrant injuftice done to the Rajah of Tanjour, the artful and ambitious fpirit of the Nabob, called upon the company at home to oppose to it fome fpeedy and effectual reftraints. They faw the policy as well as juftice of fupporting the Rajah of Tanjour, and of taking fome pains to conciliate the minds of the Gentoos, at the head of whom are the Marattas, a powerful and warlike people. Should a French war take place, it was not thought improbable but that the enemy might addrefs themselves to them, and take up the cause of the Gentoos in general. Therefore it seems clear, that upon this view of the cafe, the orders given to Lord Pigot were just and wife. Some Some weeks after his lordship's arrival at Madrafs, he communicated to the Nabob the orders of the company for the restoration of Tanjour, which he had taken fome time before with the affiftance of the company's forces, having depofed the old Rajah. The Nabob infifted upon what he called his right to Tanjour, by the laws of India, and by treaties with the company. His reprefentations had no effect. His lordship confidered himself as commiffioned to reftore the Rajah, and accordingly he went to Tanjour the beginning of April, 1776. Upon his return to Fort Saint George, the majority of the council difapproved of his proceedings at Tanjour. They reprefented to his lordship, that such a measure would be entirely repugnant to the intereft of the company; that the directors being at a great diftance, could not fo able to judge as the counfel who were on the fpot; that, fince the laft difpatches to England, there had been many revolutions; and, from the then appearance of things, they did not fuppofe it would be for the benefit of the company to restore the King of Tanjour to the throne: but the plain truth was, feven of the council had lent large fums of money on their own account, for which, it is faid, Tanjour was pledged to them as a fecurity; they knew, therefore, that, if Tanjour was reftored to its former king, they fhould lofe that fecurity; and they had reafon to fuppofe, from the known cunning of the Nabob, that the money borrowed would be in the fame predicament. Lord Pigot, finding how matters flood, and that feven to four of the members of the council were against him, had recourfe to fratagem to obtain a majority. At a meeting of the council in the abfence of Sir R. Fletcher, commander in chief of the company's forces, his lordship told Meffrs. Stratton and Brooke, two of his most violent opponents, that, having fomething to propofe with refpect to them, he thought that in decency they fhould withdraw. Upon quitting the council-chamber, he moved for fufpending them, and carried the motion by his own cafting vote: at the fame time ofders were iffued for putting Sir Robert Fletcher under arreft. But the members in oppofition having afterwards met the members under fufpenfion, they privately combined together, and, with the affiftance of the military, determined to remove his lordship from the government. Lord Pigot, apprehenfive of a mutiny, flept in the fort that night; Colonel Steuart invited himself to breakfast with his lord fhip the next morning, then to dinner, and to fup with him at his country house in the evening, which his ford fhip agreed to; this was the point Col Steuart wanted to gain, as he could not, without being liable to be tried for mutiny, arreft him in the garrifon, for which purpose he had an order all that day in his pocket. Col. Steuart went with his lordship in his carriage, which had fcarcely proceeded half a mile from Madrass, before Col. Edington rode up and waved his drawn fword over the horfes heads, calling out, Sepoys! When Capt. Lylaught, with a party, advanced to the door of the chaife with a piftol in his hand, and told Lord Pigot he was his pri foner; foner; upon this, Colonel Steuart opened the door, took his lordhip by the arm, and bid him get out.' He was then conveyed to a carriage, which food by the road fide, in which he was carried to the mount, and delivered into the cuftody of Major Horne, the commanding officer on duty there, with a declaration, that if a rescue was attempted, his lordship's life fhould anfwer it. Col. Steuart rode back to the fort that evening, and proclaimed Mr. Stratton, governor. The next day the new government fent to Meffrs. Ruffel, Dalrymple, and Stone, declaring, that as they were too much attached to Lord Pigot to be trufted, they were fufpended, and a few days after, they fent a fimilar meffage to Mr. Latham, who had only been prefent at one council. Col. Eding ton was fhortly after fent at midnight, to remove Lord Pigot further up the country, but whither, it was kept a profound fecret; on his being introduced, his lordship declared he would not be removed alive, except to his fort, or on board one of his majesty's fhips. -A report was circulated and fupported by affidavit, of an attempt of the Nabob's fecond fon to procure Lord Pigot's affaffination ; and from the character of the Nabob's fon, and the declaration made at the time of his lordship's commitment, this report gains univerfal credit. It appears, however, upon the whole, that his lordship's conduct has not been altogether unexceptionable. In a letter from Gen. Clavering, at Calcutta, to Col. Steuart, at Madrafs, the general expreffes his joy at the colonel's fuccefs in placing the majority of the council in the government; confiders the confequences of Lord Pigot's ufurpation of the government, as leading inevitably to a war in the Carnatic; and afcribes the advantages arifing to the company from the prefervation of fo faithful an ally as the Nabob of Arcot, chiefly to the colonel's fpirit and magnanimity. The general at the fame time affures the council of Madrafs of the firm fupport of the board at Bengal. To the fame effect, likewife, Mr. Haftings writes to Mr. Stratton from Fort St. George. He approves and applauds the meafure of wrefting from the hands of Lord Pigot the powers of government; affures him that the recovery of the conftitution from an ufurpation fo confirmed, and from a fpirit fo determined as his lordfhip's, must be ratified at home; and profefies that his opinion is formed upon the molt folid and impartial grounds; he likewise, in the warmest manner, expreffes his feelings on the determination of a conteft of fo delicate a nature, fo much to the credit and advantage of his friends, without bloodshed; and concludes with owning, that he fhall be easier in his mind when he hears that their late prefident is returned to England, as his prefence must be productive of fome distress, and check the operations of government. Mr. Blair's Letter, relating to the Capture of the Morning Star. T HE capture of the Morning Star, belonging to Dr. Irving and myfelf, and my application for redrefs, having been greatly mifreprefented, both in and out of parliament, I fubmit the following itate of facts to the public, who may then judge for themfelves, how far any of their fervants have been culpable; and whether, in my appeal to parliament, I have been guilty of that indecent hurry of which I am accused. Lord Halifax, when fecretary of ftate, in a letter to the Governor of Jamaica, dated December 9, 1763, fays, "The Mufquito Shore is a British fettlement, and as fuch is to be maintained and encouraged." Lord Dartmouth fent inftructions to the Governor of Jamaica, in Auguft 1775, for establishing a legiflative council on the Mufquito Shore, to be chofen by the inhabitants. Dr. Irving and myself, induced by the above arrangement, failed from Gravefend on the 13th of Nov. 1775, with a defign of fettling on the Mufquito Shore, not entertaining the most distant fufpicion, that our property would not be equally protected there as in any other part of the British dominions. On the 30th of April laft, the Morning Star was lying at anchor, under British colours, in the road of Black-river, the principal fettlement on the Mufquito Shore, and in fight of the King's houfe, and was there forcibly feized by two armed floops under Dutch colours; at the fame time one of their boats chafed the Nancy, a fmall floop belonging to Black-river: John Coffil, mafter of the Nancy, and Richard Burrel, who was a paffenger in her, both depofed, that the boat was at one time fo near as to hook the Nancy's quar ter-rail, and that the crew were Spaniards; every man who has every feen a Spaniard, muft know that they could not be mistaken. The inhabitants of Black-river, confcious that the Morning Star had never been employed in any illicit trade, were greatly alarmed; they confidered the capture as a direct attack on the colony, and applied to the Superintendant to affemble the legislative council; that council, which (I am told) Lord affured the House of Commons never exifted, met, ad vifed the Superintendant to fend an exprefs to Jamaica, with an ́ account of this daring and unpre cedented outrage, and laid a tax on the colony for defraying the expence. The depofitions of John Coffil, Rich. Burrel, and fome other perfons, who faw the tranfaction, were fent to the Governor of Jamaica (the colony being at prefent an appendage to that government); but both the governor and admiral, for reafons best known to themfelves, were of opinion that the Morning Star was taken by North-American privateers; and no ftep was taken to reclaim the veffel and feamen, until Dr. Irving arrived in Jamaica on the 19th of September, and fortunately met with Frederic Sund, one of the feamen taken in the Morning Star, and who had escaped from Carthagena. This man made oath to all the particulars of the capture befcre Thomas Fench, cuftos and chief justice of the court of common-pleas of Kingston in Jamaica. The governor, unable to refift fuck fuch pofitive proof, applied to Admiral Gayton, who after a delay of another month, fent a frigate to Carthagena, but pofitively refufed to permit Dr. Irving to go in the frigate to affift the Captain in his application for redrefs. The Spanish governor, contrary, in all probability, to the wishes of Sir Bafil Keith and Admiral Gayton, acknowledged the capture, but faid he had no power or authority to order reftitution. Having taken the earliest op portunity of returning to England, got to London September 24, and next day prefented a memorial to Lord George Germaine, with an attefted eftimate of the actual lofs immediately fuftained, amounting to 26591. 12 s. 10 d. fterl. befides the total ruin of our project; his lordship acquainted me with the opinion of Sir Bafil Keith, that the Morning Star was taken by North American privateers. I fhewed him the affidavits of John Coffil, and Richard Burrel; but his lordship chofe to give more credit to the vague fufpicion of the Governor of Jamaica, than to my pofitive affurances, as a fpectator of the tranfaction, fupported by the clearest evidence the nature of the cafe would admit, or which there was at that time any probability of ever obtaining. His lordthip feemed extremely defirous of not making any immediate application to the court of Spain; and in deference to the critical fituation of this I received Frederick Sund's affi- davit on the 17th of Dec. and wrote immediately to Lord George Germaine, inclofing a copy of it. I faw his lordship on the 19th, when he feemed fill defirous of making. further delays; but being preffed by me for redrefs, referred me to Lord Weymouth, to whofe department he told me it belonged to make application to the court of Spain. I faw Lord Weymouth, by appointment, foon after, who told me that the first knowledge he had of the affair was by a copy of Dr. Irving's petition to the Governor of Jamaica, and of Frederick Sund's affidavit, tranfmitted to him from the admiralty; that he had immediately sent them to Lord Grantham; that the papers which I had put into his hands should be fent that evening; and that as foon as any answer arrived from the court of Spain, it thould be communicated to me: this laft part of his lordship's promife has never been performed; but I willingly impute the neglect to hurry of bufinefs. The propriety of Lord Weymouth's conduct in the affair of Falkland's ifland makes it reasonable to fuppofe, that if the reprefentations to the court of Spain, on the prefent occafion, have not been made with becoming fpirit, it is not his lordship's fault. I am affured that Lord told the Houfe of Commons, that the Spanish minifter denied any knowledge of the affair in the month of January. The Morning Star was taken on the 30th of April, and carried directly to Porto-Bello and Carthagena. Can any man be-. lieve that a Spanish governor da[R] red |