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dependencies. However tentative and incomplete they may now appear as a
means of dealing with a problem of such vast importance and such
far-reaching consequences, they certainly were measures the adoption of
which must have proved a gain to the country governing and to the country
governed.

[Sidenote: 1783--Fox and the affairs of India]

The measures, which, it is probable, were originally planned out by
Burke, but to which it is certain that Fox devoted all the strength of
his intellect and all the enthusiasm of his nature, were of a daring and
comprehensive character. The first proposed to make a clean sweep of the
existing state of things in India by the appointment of a Board composed
of seven commissioners to whom absolute authority over the East India
Company's property, and over the appointment or removal of holders of
offices in India, was to be intrusted for a term of four years. This
term of four years was not to be affected by any changes of
administration that might occur in England during the time. The commerce
of the Company was to be managed by a council of directors, who were
themselves entirely under the control of the seven commissioners. The
commissioners and the directors were required to lay their accounts
before the proprietors every six months, and before both Houses at the
beginning of every session. The commissioners were in the first instance
to be appointed by Parliament, that is to say, by the Ministry headed by
Fox and North; at the end of the four years they were to be appointed by
the Crown. The Court of Proprietors was to fill up the vacancies in the
council of directors. The second and less important measure dealt with
the powers of the Governor-General and Council and the conduct to be
observed towards the princes and natives of India.

The first measure was the measure of paramount importance, the measure
from which Fox and his friends hoped so much, the measure which aroused
in a very peculiar degree the anger of the King and of the King's
followers. They saw in a moment the enormous influence that the passing
of the measure would place in the hands of Fox. The names of the
commissioners were left blank {232} in the bill, but when their time came
to be filled up in committee they were all filled with the names of
followers of Fox. It was argued that were the bill to become law a set
of persons extremely obnoxious to the King would have in their hands for
a soli