The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke

have paid to him,—that the event of his having prevailed on the Nabob to intrust him as
aforesaid was, according to his, the said Hastings's, own letter, written to the said Hyder
Beg Khân himself, "an accumulation of distress, debasement, and dissatisfaction to the
Nabob, and of disappointment and disgrace to me. Every measure which he had himself
proposed, and to which he had solicited my assistance, has been so conducted as to give
him cause of displeasure; there are no officers established by which his affairs could be
regularly conducted; mean, incapable, and indigent man have been appointed aumils of the
districts, without authority, and without the means of personal protection; some of them
have been murdered by the zemindars, and those zemindars, instead of punishment, have
been permitted to retain their zemindaries with independent authority; all the other
zemindars suffered to rise up in rebellion, and to insult the authority of the sircar, without
any attempt made to suppress them; and the Company's debt, instead of being discharged
by the assignments, and extraordinary sources of money provided for that purpose, is likely
to exceed even the amount at which it stood at the time in which the arrangement with his
Excellency was concluded. The growth of these evils was early made known to me, and
their effects foreboded in the same order and manner as they have since come to pass. In
such a state of calamity and disgrace, I can no longer remain a passive spectator; nor would
it be becoming to conceal my sentiments, or qualify the expression of them. I now plainly
tell you, that you are answerable for every misfortune and defect of the Nabob Vizier's
government." And after giving orders, and expressing some hopes of better behavior, he
adds, "If I am disappointed, you will impose on me the painful and humiliating necessity of
acknowledging to him that I have been deceived, and of recommending the examination of
your conduct to his justice, both for the redress of his own and the Company's grievances,
and for the injury sustained by both in their mutual connection. Do not reply to me, that
what I have written is from the suggestion of your enemies; nor imagine that I have induced

<<   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   >>

More intriguing information