FRANCIS, SIR PHILIP, was the eon of the Rev. Dr. Philip Frauds, and was born in Dublin on the 22nd of October 1740. When hie father canto over to England in 1750, he was placed on the foundation of St. Paul's Sohool, London, where he remained about three years. Here, it Is worth observing, one of his schoolfellowe was lir. Henry S. Woodfall, afterwards the printer of the 'Public Advertiser,' and the publisher of the ' Letters of Junius.' In 1750 he was appointed to a place in the office of his father's patron, Mr. Fox, then secretary of state; and when Vox was encceedea by Pitt In December of this year, young French] bed the good fortune to be recommended to, and retained by, the new secretary. In 1758, through the patronage of lir. Pitt, he was appointed private secretary to General Nigh, when that officer was sent in command of au expe dition against the French coast; and while serving In this capacity he was present at nn action fought between the British and French foroes in the neighbourhood of Cherbourg. In 1760, on the same recommendation, the Earl of Kinnoul, on being appointed ambassador to Portugal, took Francis with him as his secretary. Ile returned to England in 1763 ,when the Right Hon. Wellebere Ellis, afterwards, Lord 3Ieudip, gave him an appointment of some consequence in the War Office, over which he then presided. He retained this place till March 1772, when he resigned in consequence of a quarrel with Lord Barrington, who had by that time succeeded Mr. Ellis. The remainder of that year he spent in travelling through Flanders, Germany, Italy, and France.
In June 1773, soon after his return; he was appointed to the distinguished place of one of the civil members in council for the government of Bengal, with a salary of 10,000/. He is said to have owed this appointment to the influence of Lord Barrington, whose hostility therefore would appear to have been now converted into very substantial friendship, or who must be supposed to have had private reasons for such an exercise of his patronage. He set out for India in the summer of 1774, and remained in that country till December 1780, when he resigned his situation and embarked for England, after having had a quarrel with the governor-general Mr. Hastings, which produced a duel, in which Mr. Francis was shot through the body. Ile had opposed Hastings, and for some time effectually, from his entrance into the council, but the sudden death of two of his colleagues by whom he had beeu generally supported, had latterly left him in a helpless minority in his contest against the policy of the governor-general.
In 1781 Mr. Francis was returned to parliament for Yarmouth in the Isle of Wight, and soon began to take an active part in the business of the House of Commons, where, although be was not a fluent speaker, the pregnancy of his remarks and the aounduesa and extent of his information always commanded attention. He took his side from the first with the Whig opposition, and to that party he adhered while be lived. When it was resolved in 1786 to impeach Mr. Hastings, it was proposed that Mr. Francis should be appointed oue of the managers of the impeachment; but all the eloquence of Burke, Fox, and Windham (aided by his own) could not overcome the feeling of the House against placing in this situation a man with whom the accused had had a personal quarrel. The motion was twice negatived by large majorities. Nevertheless there was much force in what was urged in its support, and the casuistry of the question was not a little curious and perplexing. The benefit of the talents and information of Mr. Francis wee eventually secured to the prosecution by a letter inviting his assistance, which was addressed to him by the unanimous vote of the committee of managers ; and his bnoitiess occupied his chief attention for many years. When the war with France broke ont, Mr. Francis adhered to the party of Fox and Grey, and was one of the first and most active members of the famous association of the Friends of the People. At the new election in 1796 he stood candidate for Tewkeabury, but failed in being returned, and he did not sit in that parliament. In 1802 however he was returned for Appleby, by Lord Thanet, and he continued to sit for that borough while he remained in parliament. The question of the abolition of the slave trade was that in which he took the keenest and most active part in the latter term of his parliamentary career; end it is said that in advocating the abolition, be took a course greatly opposed to his private interests. On the formation of the Grenville administration, Mr. Francis was made a knight of the Bath, 29th of October 1806; and it Is believed that it was at first intended to send him out to India as governor-general. That appoint ment however never took place. He retired from parliament in 1807; and after this, the interest which he contiuued to take in public affairs was chiefly evinced by occasional political pamphlets and contributions to the newspapers.