FORE:It was at this crisis, when Hastings was just recovering his authority in the Council, that the news arrived in India, and spread amongst the native chiefs, that in Yenghi Dunia, or the New World, the Company Sahib��for the East Indians could never separate the ideas of the East India Company and England itself��there had been a great revolution, and the English driven out. This, as might be expected, wonderfully elated the native chiefs, and especially those in the south. There the French of Pondicherry and Chandernagore boasted of the destruction of the British power, and that it was by their own hands. Hastings, who was as able and far-seeing as he was unprincipled in carrying out his plans for the maintenance of the British dominion in India, immediately set himself to counteract the mischievous effects of these diligently-disseminated rumours, and of the cabals which the French excited. These were most to be feared amongst the vast and martial family of the Mahrattas. The Mahrattas had risen on the ruins of the great Mogul empire. They now extended their tribes over a vast space of India from Mysore to the Ganges. The Peishwa, as head of these nations, held his residence at Poonah. Besides his, there were the great houses of Holkar and Scindia; the Guicowar, who ruled in Guzerat; the Bonslah, or Rajah of Berar, a descendant of Sivaji. The Mahrattas were, for the most part, a rude, warlike race, rapacious and ambitious, and living in the most primitive style. To destroy the confidence of these fierce warriors in the French, Hastings gave immediate orders, on receiving the news of the proclamation of war in Europe, for the seizure of the French settlements. This was on the 7th of July, 1778; on the 10th he had taken Chandernagore, and ordered Sir Hector[329] Munro to invest Pondicherry. That was soon accomplished, and the only remaining possession of France, the small one of Mah��, on the coast of Malabar, was seized the next spring.

FORE:ELBA.Have a turnip than his father.

FORE:The first steamboat that was worked for hire in Britain was the Comet, a small vessel with an engine of three horse-power. Two years later the Elizabeth, of eight horse-power, and the Clyde, of fourteen horse-power, were placed upon the river Clyde. Thus Scotland has had the honour of leading the way in this great line of improvement. In 1820 there were but three steam-vessels built and registered in England, four in Scotland, and one in Ireland. In 1826 there were fifty in England, and twenty-two in Scotland, with 9,000 tons burden. The building of steamers proceeded regularly, with an increasing amount of tonnage, till the number rose in 1849 to 1,296 steam-vessels, the aggregate burden of which was 177,310 tons. They were distributed as follows:��In the ports of England, 865 vessels, 103,154 tons; Scotland, 166 vessels, 29,206 tons; Ireland, 111 vessels, 26,369 tons; the Channel Islands, 7 vessels, 955 tons; the colonies, 147 vessels, 17,626 tons. A Committee of the House of Commons was appointed in June, 1837, to inquire into the best means of establishing communication by steam with India by way of the Red Sea. During the year arrangements were made for the establishment of a regular monthly steam communication between Great Britain and India by way of the Red Sea upon the following basis:��"The Government undertakes the transmission of the monthly mails between Great Britain and Alexandria at the sole charge of the public; and the East India Company undertakes the transmission of these[422] mails between Alexandria and Bombay, upon condition that one-half of the expense incurred in the purchase and navigation of steam-vessels, and of any other expense incurred in the service, is defrayed by the Government, which is to receive the whole money connected with postage of letters between London and Bombay." This arrangement was carried out, and a further economy of time was obtained by the overland route to Marseilles, instead of transmitting the mails by steam-packets from Falmouth through the Strait of Gibraltar. In this way the journey was shortened to the extent of more than 1,000 miles, the direct distance by Marseilles and Malta being 5,238 miles, and by way of Falmouth, 6,310 miles. This system of conveyance was maintained till 1841, when the Government entered into a contract with the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which undertook to employ powerful steam-vessels for the carrying of letters and passengers between England and Egypt, and between Suez, Ceylon, Madras, and Calcutta, towards the expenses of which the East India Company undertook to contribute ��20,000 per annum for five years. After some time there was a further extension of the plan, by which the Government engaged to contribute ��50,000 per annum towards the expense of the line of steam-packets between Bombay and Suez, ��115,000 per annum for the service between Calcutta and Suez, and ��45,000 for the service between Ceylon and Hong Kong, making a total of ��210,000 per annum, of which one-third was to be repaid by the East India Company. By these arrangements was obtained a regular and safe steam communication twice a month to India, and once a month to China. We may judge of the extent of the intercourse thus carried on by the fact that in 1836 Great Britain received from Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, and Ceylon about 180,000 letters, and sent to those places in the same year nearly 112,000 letters.

FORE:In this wild but confident manner did this now pride-blinded man talk. And all the time he had no intention whatever of re-establishing the Poles; he meant only to use them. Once more, however, he sent General Lauriston and the Count Narbonne to the Emperor Alexander at Wilna. The pretext was to invite him to Dresden, "where," he said, "all might be arranged;" the real object was to spy out the forces and preparations of the[41] Czar. Alexander refused to see Lauriston, and gave to Narbonne a very curt and warlike answer. The French emissaries found the Russians neither depressed nor elated, but quietly cheerful and determined.

FORE:This Act, as disgraceful as any which ever dishonoured the statute-book in the reigns of the Tudors or Stuarts, was introduced into the Commons, on the 12th of May, by Sir William Wyndham, and was resolutely opposed by the Whigs, amongst whom Sir Peter King, Sir Joseph Jekyll, Mr. Hampden, Robert Walpole, and General Stanhope distinguished themselves. They did not convince the majority, which amounted to no less than two hundred and thirty-seven to one hundred and twenty-six. In the Lords, Bolingbroke himself moved the second reading, and it was ably opposed by the Lords Cowper, Wharton, Halifax, Townshend, Nottingham, and others. The greatest curiosity was displayed regarding the part which Oxford would take, as it was known that in the Council he had endeavoured to soften the rigorous clauses; but in the House he followed his usual shuffling habit, declaring that he had not yet considered the question; and, having induced the Opposition to let the second reading pass without a division, he absented himself from the final voting, and thus disgusted both parties and hastened his own fall.

FORE: Unsettled Condition of Europe��Machinations of Russia and Austria against Turkey��Disasters of the Austrians��Capture of Oczakoff��Further Designs of Catherine��Intervention of Pitt��Gustavus of Sweden invades Russia��His Temporary Check��He remodels the Diet and pursues the War��Joseph renews the War��Disaffection in Hungary��Revolution in the Austrian Netherlands��Abolition of the Joyeuse Entr��e��The Emperor declared to have forfeited the Crown��The Austrian Troops retired to Luxembourg��Death of Joseph��Outbreak of the French Revolution��Efforts of Turgot and his Successors to introduce Reforms��Lom��nie de Brienne��Recall of Necker��Assembly of the States General��The Third Estate becomes the National Assembly��The Meeting in the Tennis Court��Contemplated Coup d'��tat��Project of a City Guard��Dismissal of Necker��Insurrection in Paris��The City Guard��Capture of the Bastille��The Noblesse renounce their Privileges��Bankruptcy and Famine��"O Richard, O Mon Roi!"��The Women and the National Guard march on Versailles��The King brought to Paris��Effect of the Revolution in England��Different Views of Burke and Fox��Rejection of Flood's Reform Bill��The Nootka Sound Affair��Satisfaction obtained from Spain��Motions of Reform in the Irish Parliament��Convention of Reichenbach��Continuance of the War between Sweden and Russia��Renewal of the War with Tippoo Sahib��Debates in Parliament��Discussions on the Eastern Question��The Canada Bill��It is made the occasion of speeches on the French Revolution��Breach between Fox and Burke��Abuse of Burke by the Whigs��Wilberforce's Notice for Immediate Emancipation��Colonisation of Sierra Leone��Bill for the Relief of Roman Catholics��Fox's Libel Bill��Burke's "Reflections on the French Revolution"��Replies of Mackintosh and Paine��Dr. Price��Dr. Priestley��The Anniversary of the taking of the Bastille��The Birmingham Riots��Destruction of Priestley's Library��Suppression of the Riots��Mildness of the Sentences.