ition, they
were by Lord North's bill of 1781, relieved from the obligation-of
maintaining any troops that might be sent to India. In this opinion
several eminent lawyers, whom they had consulted, appeared to coincide.
On the other hand, Pitt, supported by the crown lawyers, asserted that
the act of 1784 transferred to the board of control all powers formerly
vested in the court of directors, relative to military and political
concerns, as well as the collection and application of the revenues. It
was contended on the part of government, indeed, that those parts of the
act of 1781 which were inconsistent with those of the act of 1784, were,
by the latter, virtually, if not actually repealed. Inconsequence of
these disputes, on the 25th of February Pitt moved for leave to bring in
a bill for removing the doubts in question, and for declaring that the
intention of the legislature, in the act of 1784, was agreeable to the
construction put upon it by the board of control. In support of his
motion Pitt said, that "in his mind nothing could be more clear than
that there was no one step that could have been taken previous to
passing the act of 1784, by the court of directors, touching the
military and political concerns of India, and also the collection,
management, and application of thes revenues of the territorial
possessions, that the commissioners of the board of control had not now
a right to take, by virtue of the powers and authority vested in them by
the act of 1784." Dundas went even further than Pitt in support of the
motion, for he declared, that the board of control might, if it chose,
devote the whole revenue of India to the purpose of its defence, without
leaving the company a single rupee. Leave was given to bring in the
bill, without a division, but in all its stages, when introduced, it met
with a formidable opposition. Among the objections raised against it,
it was stated, that if passed, an army might be established in India
without the knowledge or con" sent of parliament. In order to obviate
this, Pitt proposed to add a clause, limiting the number of troops
for the payment of which the board of control were empowered to issue
orders. It was further urged as an objection, that the board might
apply the revenues of India for the creation of undue influence, to the
prejudice of the company's interests, by the increase of salaries
or perquisites, to prevent which Pitt proposed two other clauses,
prohibiting gr