The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke

in Council his total ignorance of the schemes of the said Hastings in the following terms:
"The schemes of the Governor-General and Council with regard to the Rajah of Berar being
yet unknown to us, it is impossible for us to found any measures on them; yet I cannot help
now observing, that, if, as has been conjectured, the gentleman of that Presidency have
entertained thoughts of restoring, in his person, the ancient Rajah government, the attempt
seems likely to be attended with no small difficulty." That, whereas the said Warren
Hastings did repeatedly affirm that it was his intention to support the plan formed by the
Presidency of Bombay in favor of Ragoba, and did repeatedly authorize and encourage
them to pursue it, he did nevertheless, at the same time, in his letters and declarations to the
Peshwa, to the Nizam, and to the Rajah of Berar, falsely and perfidiously affirm, that it
never was nor is designed by the English chiefs to give support to Ragonaut Row,—that he
(Hastings) had no idea of supporting Ragonaut Row,—and that the detachment he had sent
to Bombay was solely to awe the French, without the least design to assist Ragonaut Row.
That, supposing it to have been the sole professed intention of the said Hastings, in sending
an army across India, to protect Bombay against a Trench invasion, even that pretence was
false, and used only to cover the real design of the said Hastings, viz., to engage in projects
of war and conquest with the Rajah of Berar. That on the 11th of October, 1778, he
informed the said Rajah "that the detachment would soon arrive in his territories, and
depend on him [Moodajee Boosla] for its subsequent operations"; that on the 7th of
December, 1778, the said Hastings revoked the powers he had before given[¹9] to the
Presidency of Bombay over the detachment, declaring that the event of Colonel Goddard's
negotiation with the Rajah of Berar was likely to cause a very speedy and essential change
in the design and operations of the detachment; and that on the 4th of March, 1779, the said
Hastings, immediately after receiving advice of the defeat of the Bombay army near

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