in letters at full length, but only in figures as in 1770 that he was not bound to understand thofe Arabic hieroglyphics, thofe antichristian characters. The objection of an anti-chriftian mode of writing to Lord Marchmont, whom Prefbyterians and Diffenting Divines have bepraifed fo much, raifed a loud laugh. After the Earl of Selkirk's fpirited declaration that he was to proteft, and the Duke of Buccleugh's admirable fupport of it, up rofe the Earl of Dalhoufie, and faid, "As the noble Lord's protest may perhaps tend to throw an imputation on thofe Lords who have given their votes for the Earl of Stair, I rife up to fay a few words in my own vindication. I come here unplaced, unpenfioned, to give my vote voluntarily and freely. It is true, I received a circular letter, first from Lord North, and then from Lord Sandwich: I difclaim neither of them; but I do declare, that I am not influenced by them upon this occafion. Had the noble Lord who was firft propofed, continued to be fupported by Ministry, as I looked upon that as an improper choice, I fhould certainly have oppofed it, and given my vote against him: but now, when this noble Lord, the Earl of Stair, who was a candidate, a noble Lord every way proper and qualified, fhould I oppofe him merely becaufe he happened ro be agreeable to the Miniftry? Such have been my fentiments on this occafion, and I have thought it neceffary to fay thus much in my own defence." Upon this fpeech the following obfervations were made: - Since his Lordship of Dalhousie was re folved to oppose Lord Dyfart, the firft and improper nominator, why did he not write an answer to the letter of the patriotic Peers, who entered into the generous affociation to oppofe Lord Dyfart, and have actually kept him out? If his Lordship wished to fupport the independency of the Peers of Scotland, fhould he not have made his own private approbation of any particular candidate give way to that great principle; and because the Minifter had nominated, or given a Conge d'Elire in favour of that candidate, was not that a sufficient reafon for fetting him afide? Would his Lordship have ever once thought of giving his vote for Lord Stair, if he had not received a circular letter from Lord Sandwich. The Earl of Selkirk then faid, "I am extremely forry that any noble Lord has mistaken my meaning. When I declared my refolution to protest against the election of the Earl of Stair, I did not mean to accufe any noble Lord of having given his vote through undue influence. I hope there are none fuch. Had I known of any," I fhould have protested against their votes being received: I only meant to fay, that as the Ministry by their circular letters had endeavoured to influence this election, the candidate who has now the majority of voices was thereby incapacitated. We must refift the fatal influence of Minifters, whe-' ther it may have had effect or not. There may be other times, and other Peers, who may not have the fame fentiments of honour which I hope all the noble Peers, who have voted upon this occafion, poffefs. There may be Peers, fo unhappy unhappy as to have no other means of fubfiftence than a penfion. There may be Peers who may look on a circular letter from the Minifter, as a command which they cannot difobey. I fhall give in my proteft in writing, and I am fure it will be fuch as can give no offence to any noble Lord." Which he accordingly did, and is as follows: Edinburgh, Jan. 2, 1771. "I DUNBAR, Earl of Selkirk, do proteft against the Earl of Stair's being returned one of the Sixteen Peers of Scotland, because the Minifters of State have, contrary to the rights of the confitution, ufed undue influence relative to this election, by writing circular letters to the Scotch Peers in fupport of the Earl of Stair: fending these letters from the Secretary of State's office to Edinburgh, thence tranfmitted to all parts of Scotland by expreffes; thereby attempting to intimidate all who have dependence on the favours of Adminiftration, from giving their votes in that unbiaffed manner which is effential to the existence of liberty, and our free conftitution, For although thefe letters may be couched in terms apparently inoffenfive, and evafive of their real and effential meaning, yet there is no man of common fenfe but understands the intention; and therefore, I think it is the duty of those, who wish for the prefervation of the independence of the Scotch Peers, to oppofe all fuch illegal and unconftitutional attempts. And although the Peers, who have voted for the Earl of Stair, may have strictly followed their own inclinations and opinions upon this occafion, against "My Lord, "I trouble you with this, to inform your Lordship that the Earl of D. intends offering himself as a candidate to fucceed the late Duke of A. and I own he has my good I am, &c. wishes, Copy of the fecond letter fent to of the Scotch Peers, previous to the late election at Holymany Rood Houfe. Whitehall, Dec. 21, 1770. "My Lord, "I have the honour to inform your Lordship, that many Peers of North Britain have objected to the Earl of D. as a candidate to be one of the Sixteen Peers to reprefent that part of the united king, dom in Parliament; and also hav ing confidered the Earl of S. as a proper perfon to be chofen in the place of the late D. of A. your Lordship will, therefore, I hope, allow . allow me to exprefs my wishes for the Lord S.'s fuccefs. I am, with great truth and regard, my Lord, your Lordship's moft obedient humble fervant, SANDWICH." The following deplorable Account of the late dreadful Famine in India, which was published a confiderable Time ago in the Gentleman's Magazine, we are forry (for the Honour of our Country and the Interefts of Humanity) to observe, has not yet been contradicted. Mr. URBAN, Have just received the following I account of the late famine in India, from a very worthy friend of mine in the Company's fervice at Calcutta; by inferting of which in your useful repofitory, you will oblige an old correfpondent. I am, yours, &c. J. C. As foon as the drynefs of the feafon foretold the approaching dearness of rice, our gentlemen in the Company's fervice, particularly thofe at the Subordinates, whofe ftations gave them the beft oppor tunities, were as early as poffible in buying up all they could lay hold of. When the effects of the fcarcity became more and more fenfible, the natives complained to the Nabob at Muxadavad, that the English had engroffed all the rice, particularly in the Bahar and Purnea provinces. This complaint was laid before the Prefident and Council by the Nabob's minifter, who refides in Calcutta ; but the intereft of the gentlemen concerned was too powerful at the board; fo that the complaint was only laughed at and thrown out. Our gentlemen in many places purchaf ed the rice at 120 and 140 feers for a rupee, which they afterwards fold for 15 feers for a rupee to the Black Merchants; fo that the per fons principally concerned have made great fortunes by it; and one of our writers at the Durbar, who was interested therein, not esteemed to be worth a thoufand rupees last year, has fent down, as it is faid, 60,cool. fterling, to be. remitted home this year. The Black Merchants, who had made their grofs purchases from our gentlemen, brought down great quantities of their rice, and depofited it in the golahs or granaries about Calcutta; where, very unfortunately for the poor inhabitants, great part of it was deftroyed by moft terrible fires, which we had in the months of April and May, before which time the English had fold off all they had on hand. The effects of the scarcity continuing to become daily more alarming, our Governor and Council bethought themfelves, though by much too late, to fend into the interior parts of the country to purchase what rice they could, on the Company's account, fixed the price of fales in Calcutta, at 10 feers for a rupee, and feized all they could upon the rivers. The Black Merchants remonftrated, that the charges of bringing the rice down the country, together with the high interest which they paid the throffs or bankers for raifing the money, and other contingencies, ran fo exceffively high, that they fhould, upon thofe terms, be lofers by their purchases upon which, by an or der of council, feapoys were fas tioned at their golahs, to prevent the delivering any rice without a permit or order; and notwithstanding all the orders for purchafing up the country on the Company's account, fo bare were the Company's granaries here, that the Council were obliged to fend and take from the Merchants golahs, what they wanted for the fupport of the workmen on the fortifications at Calcutta and Budge Budge, who were threatening to defert for want of victuals; and it was deemed a great favour if the Merchants were allowed to carry from their golahs a few maunds to the Bazars, to fell for the fupport of the inhabitants. The Nabob and feveral of the great men of the country at Muxadavad, diftributed rice to the poor gratis, until their ftocks began to fail, when thofe donations were withdrawn, which brought many thousands down to Calcutta, in hopes of finding relief amongst us. By the time the famine had been about a fortnight over the land, we were greatly affected at Calcutta; many thoufands falling daily in the streets and fields, whofe bodies, mangled by dogs, jack alls, and vultures, in that hot season (when at best the air is very infectious) made us dread the confequences of a plague. We had 100 people employed upon the Cutcherry Lift, on the Company's account, with doolys, fledges, and bearers, to carry the dead, and throw them into the river Ganges, I have counted from my bedchamber window in the morning when got up, forty dead bodies lying within twenty yards of the wall, befides many hundreds lying in the agonies of death for want, bending double, with their ftomachs quite clofe contracted to their back bones. I have fent my fervant to defire thofe who had ftrength to remove farther off; whilft the poor creatures, looking up with arms extended, have cried out, Baba! Baba! my Father! my Father! This affliction comes from the hands of your countrymen, and I am come here to die, if it pleases God, in your prefence. I cannot move; do what you will with me. In the month of June, our condition was fill worfe, only three feers of rice to be had in the Bazar for a rupee, and that very bad; which, when bought, muft be carried home fecretly, to avoid being plundered by the famished multitude on the road. One could not pass along the ftreets without feeing multitudes in their laft agonies, crying out as you paffed, My God! my God! have mercy upon me, I am ftarving; whilft on other fides, numbers of dead were feen with dogs, jackalls, hogs, vultures, and other beafts and birds of prey feeding on their carcaffes. It was remarked by the natives, that greater numbers of thefe animals came down at this time, than was ever known; which upon this melancholy occafion was of great fervice; as the vultures and other birds take the eyes and inteftines, whilft the other animals gnaw the feet and hands; fo that very little of the body remained for the Cutcherry people to carry to the river, notwithstanding they had very hard work of it. I have obferved two of them with a dooly carrying twenty heads, and the remains of the carcaffes that had been left by the beasts of prey, to the river at a time. At this time we could not touch fish, the rivez was was fo full of carcafes; and of thofe who did eat it, many died fuddenly. Pork, ducks, and geefe, alfo lived moftly on carnage; fo that our only meat was mutton when we could get it, which was very dear, and from the drynefs of the feafon fo poor that a quarter would not weigh a pound and a half. Of this I ufed to make a little broth, and after I had dined, perhaps there were 100 poor at the door waiting for the remains, which I have often fent among them cut up into little pieces; fo that as many as could might partake of it; and after one had fucked the bones quite dry, and thrown them away, I have feen another take them up, fand and all upon them, and do the fame, and fo by a third, and fo on. In the month of Auguft we had a very alarming phænomenon appeared, of a large black cloud at a diftance in the air, which fometimes obfcured the fun, and feemed to extend a great way all over and about Calcutta. The hotter the day proved the lower this cloud feemed to defcend, and for three days it caufed great fpeculation. The Bramins pretended that this phenomenon, which is a cloud of infects, fhould make its appearance three times; and if ever they defcended to the earth, the country would be deftroyed by fome untimely misfortune. They fay, that about 150 years ago they had fuch another bad time, when the ground was burnt up for want of rain; this is the fecond time of this phænomenon's appearing, and that they came much lower than is recorded of the former. On the third day, the weather being very hot and cloudy, with much rain, we could perceive them with the naked eye, hearing a continual buzzing. "About one o'clock they were fo low as 30 feet from the ground, when we faw them diftin&tly to be a great number of large infefts, about the fize of a horfe-ftinger, with a long red body, long wings, and a large head and eyes, keeping clofe together like a twarm of bees, feemingly flying quite on a a line. I did not hear of any that were caught, as the country people were much frightened at the prog noftications of the Bramins. Whilst it rained, they continued in one pofition for near a quarter of an hour; then they role five or fix feet at once, and in a little time, defcended as much, until a strong north west wind came and blowed for two days fucceffively, when they gradually afcended and defcended in the fame manner, but more precipitately, until next morning, when the air was quite clear. It was very remarkable, that for fome days before the appearance of this phenomenon, the toads, frogs, and infects, which in numbers innumerable always make a continued noife here the whole night, during the rains, difappeared, and were neither feen nor heard except in the river. Whilft the famine continued, news came down privately to Calcutta that the Nabob was dead, and had died in his garden of the fmall pox. Many people would not give credit to the report, as the Governor and Council pretended they did not know it for three weeks afterwards, when Mahomed Reza Cawn came down from Muxadavad, and brought with him the young brother of the deceased Nabob, the only male heir remain |
