gainst him in the House of Commons, and then shrunk
back miserably into their seats at a mere look from this extraordinary
person.

Mr. Pitt's manner of reading Colonel Clive's despatch further
impressed me. He broke the seals, seemed to do no more than give it a
few devouring glances, and then laid it aside as though he were
already master of its contents.

"You are Ensign Ford?" he demanded abruptly, fixing his eye upon me.

"I am, sir."

"Colonel Clive tells me in this letter that you possess his
confidence. Do you think, if I were to tell you my sentiments
verbally, you could transmit them faithfully to your employer?"

"I will do my best, sir," I replied, not a little astonished at this
proposal. But I have considered the matter since, and I can see that
there were many things which Mr. Pitt might not wish to write with his
own hand, though he had no objection to their being repeated by me.

"In this letter," he proceeded, "Colonel Clive makes a very startling
proposal, which is no less than that English troops should be sent out
sufficient to conquer the whole of Bengal, and that thereafter the
administration of all the Indian territories should be taken out of
the hands of the Company and brought immediately under the Crown. Now
what I wish you to tell him from me in reply is this, that I am bound
to consider his proposal not merely as it affects our situation
abroad, but also as it bears upon our government at home. I am the
minister, not of a despotic empire like France or Spain, but of a free
people, and I must not suffer anything which may assist the Crown to
encroach upon our liberties. Those liberties rest upon the necessity
which our kings are under of asking us to tax ourselves for their
support. Give them a foreign empire like that of Spain in the
Americas, and you run a danger of rendering them independent. The
wealth arising from the revenues of Indostan would enable the Crown to
keep up a standing army in time of peace, without the consent of
Parliament. Moreover, the administration of these territories would
give occasion for the creation of great numbers of offices and
pensions, by means of which our people might be fatally corrupted.

"I would have you further point out to Colonel Clive on my behalf,"
continued Mr. Pitt, "that those Indians, whom he proposes to make our
fellow subjects, are accustomed to be the slaves of a despot, and
being such, they may become dangerous instruments to mak