agent, Gobind Ram, was at Calcutta, and had constant access to all Mr. Hastings's people. Mr. Hastings himself tells you what instructions these vakeels always have to search into and discover all his transactions. This Gobind Ram, alarmed with strong apprehensions, and struck with horror at the very idea of such an event, apprized his master of his belief, that Mr. Hastings meant to send Colonel Hannay again into the country. Judge now, my lords, what Colonel Hannay must have been, from the declaration which I will now read to you, extorted from that miserable slave, the nabob, who thus addresses Mr. Hastings:

If

'My country and house belong to you; there is no difference. I hope that you desire in your heart the good of my concerns. Colonel Hannay is inclined to request your permission to be employed in the affairs of this quarter. by any means any matter of this country dependant on me should be entrusted to the Colonel, I swear by the holy Prophet, that I will not remain here, but will go from hence to you. From your kindness let no concern dependant on me be entrusted to the Colonel; and oblige me by a speedy answer, which may set my mind at ease." We know very well that the prisoner at your bar denied his having any intention to send him up. up. We cannot prove them, but we maintain that there were grounds for the strongest suspicions that he entertained such intentions; he cannot deny the reality of this terror, which existed in the minds of the nabob and his people, under the apprehension that he was to be sent up, which plainly showed that they, at least, considered there was ground enough for charging him with that intention. What reason was there to think that he should not be sent a third time, who had been sent twice before? Certainly none, because every circumstance of Mr. Hastings's proceedings was systematical, and perfectly well known at Oude.

But suppose it to have been a false report ;-it shows all that the managers wish to show, the extreme terror which these creatures and tools of Mr. Hastings struck into the

people of that country. His denial of any intention of again sending Colonel Hannay does not disprove either the justness of their suspicions, or the existence of the terror which his very name excited.

My lords, I shall now call your attention to a part of the evidence which we have produced, to prove the terrible effects. of Colonel Hannay's operations. Captain Edwards, an untainted man, who tells you that he had passed through that country, again and again describes it as bearing all the marks of savage desolation. Mr. Holt says, it has fallen from its former state; that whole towns and villages were no longer peopled, and that the country carried evident marks of famine. One would have thought that Colonel Hannay's cruelty and depredations would have satiated Mr. Hastings. No. He finds another military collector, a Major Osborne, who, having suffered in his preferment by the sentence of a court martial, whether justly or unjustly I neither know nor care, was appointed to the command of a thousand men, in the provinces of Oude; but really, to the administration of the revenues of the country. He administered them much in the same manner as Colonel Hannay had done. He, however, transmitted to the government at Calcutta, a partial representation of the state of the provinces, the substance of which was, that the natives were exposed to every kind of peculation, and that the country was in a horrible state of confusion and disorder. This is upon the company's records; and although not produced in evidence, your lordships may find it, for it has been printed over and over again. This man went up to the vizier; in consequence of whose complaint, and the renewed cries of the people, Mr. Hastings was soon obliged to recall him.

But, my lords, let us go from Major Osborne to the rest of these military purveyors of revenue. Your lordships shall hear the vizier's own account of what he suffered from British officers, and into what a state Mr. Hastings brought that country, by the agency of officers who, under the pre

tence of defending it, were invested with powers which enabled them to commit most horrible abuses in the administration of the revenue, the collection of customs, and the monopoly of the markets.

Copy of a Letter from the Nabob Vizier to the Governorgeneral.

"All the officers stationed with the brigade at Cawnpore, Futtyghur, Darunghur and Furrackabad, and other places, write purwannas, and give positive orders to the aumils of these places, respecting the grain, &c. ; from which conduct the country will become depopulated. I am hopeful from your friendship, that you will write to all these gentlemen not to issue orders, &c. to the aumils, and not to send troops into the mahals of the sircar; and for whatever quantity of grain, &c. they may want, they will inform me and the resident, and we will write it to the aumils, who shall cause it to be sent them every month, and I will deduct the price of them from the tuncahs; this will be agreeable both to me and to the ryots."

A copy of a subsequent Letter from the Vizier to Rajah Gobind Ram.

"I some time ago wrote you the particulars of the conduct of the officers, and now write them again. The officers and gentlemen who are at Cawnpore, and Futtyghur, and Darunghur, and other places, by different means act very tyrannically and oppressively towards the aumils and ryots, and inhabitants; and to whomsoever that requires a dustuck, they give it, with their own seal affixed, and send for the aumils and punish them. If they say any thing, the gentlemen make use of but two words; one-that is for the brigade, and the second-that is to administer justice. The particulars of it is this, that the bipparies will bring their

grain from all quarters, and sell for their livelihood. There is at present no war to occasion a necessity for sending for it. If none comes, whatever quantity will be necessary every month, I will mention to the aumils, that they may bring it for sale; but there is no deficiency of grain. The gentlemen have established gunges for their own advantage, called Colonel Gunge at Darunghur, Futtyghur, &c. The collection of the customs from all quarters they have stopped, and collected them at their own gunges; each gunge is rented out at 30,000-40,000 rupees, and their collections paid to the gentlemen. They have established gunges where there never were any, and where they were, those they have abolished; 30,000 or 40,000 rupees is the sum they are rented at; the collections, to the amount of a lack of rupees, are stopped. Major Briscoe, who is at Darunghur, has established a gunge, which rented out for 45,000 rupees; and has stopped the ghauts round about the bipparies, and merchants coming from Cashmere, from Shaw Jehanabeid, and bringing shawls and other goods and spices, &c. from all quarters, he orders to his gunge, and collects the duty from the aumils, gives them a chit and a guard, who conducts them about five hundred coss: the former duties are not collected. From the conduct at Cawnpore, Futtyghur, Furrackabad, &c.; the duties from the lilla of Gora and Thlawa are destroyed, and occasion a loss of three lacks of rupees to the duties; and the losses that are sustained in Furrackabad may be ascertained by the nabob Mozuffir Jung, to whom every day complaints are made; exclusive of the aumils and collectors, others lodge complaints. Whatever I do, I desire no benefit from it; I am remediless and silent; from what happens to me, I know that worse will happen in other places; the second word, I know, is from their mouths only. This is the case. In this country formerly, and even now, whatever is to be received or paid among the zemindars, ryots, and inhabitants of the cities, and poor people, neither those who can pay, or those who cannot pay, ever make any excuse to the Shroffs;

1

but when they could pay, they did. In old debts of fifty years, whoever complain to the gentlemen, they agree that they shall pay one fourth, and send dustucks and sepoys to all the aumils, the chowdries, and canoongoes, and inhabitants of all the towns; they send for every body, to do them justice, confine them, and say they will settle the business. So many and numerous are these calamities, that I know not how much room it will take up to mention them. Mr. Briscoe is at Daranghur; and the complaints of the aumils arrive daily. I am silent. Now Mr. Middleton is coming here, let the nabob appoint him for settling all these affairs, that whatever he shall order those gentlemen, they will do. From this every thing will be settled, and the particulars of this quarter will be made known to the nabob. I have written this, which you will deliver to the governor, that every thing may be settled; and when he has understood it, whatever is his inclination, he will favor me with it. The nabob is master in this country, and is my friend; there is no distinction."

Copy of another Letter, entered upon the consultation of the 4th of June 1781.

"I have received your letter, requesting leave for a battalion, to be raised by Captain Clark on the same footing as Major Osborne's was, agreeable to the requests and complaints of Ishmael Beg, the aumil of Illahabad, &c. and in compliance with the directions of the council. You are well acquainted with the particulars and negotiation of Ishmael Beg, and the nature of Mr. Osborne's battalion. At the beginning of the year 1186 (1779) the affairs of Illahabad were given on a lease of three years to Ishmael Beg, together with the pergunnahs Arreel and Parra; and I gave orders for troops to be stationed and raised, conformable to his request. Ishmael Beg accordingly collected twelve hundred peons, which were not allowed to the aumil of that place in the