Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

writer? I will read to your Lordship's a letter from Major Naylor to Colonel Jaqués, commanding the second batallion 20th regiment.

[ocr errors]

"Sir,Hoolas Roi, the person appointed by "the Nabob for transacting the business for " which the troops are required here, will hold "constant communication and intercourse with you; and as he is instructed and acquainted " with the best method to accomplish this bu"siness, Mr. Middleton requests implicit atten"tion to be paid to what he may from time to "time represent respecting the prisoners or "the business on which he is employed; in "short, as he is the person nominated by the "Nabob, he wishes Hoolas Roi to be consi"dered in the same light as if he himself was " present."

Mr. Middleton, in a letter to Lieutenant Francis Rutledge, writes thus of him: "Sir,"When this note is delivered to you by Hoolas "Roi, I have to desire that you order the two prisoners to be put in irons, keeping them " from all food, &c. agreeably to my instructions "of yesterday."

[ocr errors]

You will first see in how confidential a manner Hoolas Roi was employed, and in what light he E 4

was

was held. That he was employed to carry some instructions which do not indeed appear, but were accompanied by an order from Mr. Middleton. "When these instructions shall come "to you, to put these prisoners in irons and "keep them without food," &c. The Begums, say, without food and water. Et cetera are words of large import-but he was "to keep "them without food, &c. agreeable to my in"structions of yesterday." This was a pretty general warrant for sufferings. This Hoolas Roi, this mere news writer, was not only intrusted with this warrant, but Mr. Middleton declares him to be a person who was to be received there, and to represent the Nabob, and very justly too; for he, Mr. Middleton, was undoubtedly the real Nabob of the country. The man therefore, whom they talk of in this contemptuous manner in order to make slight of an observation we made, and which I shall make again, and whom they affect to consider as a mere paragraphmonger in some scandalous newspaper, was a man vested by Mr. Middleton with authority equal to that of the Nabob himself.

Mr. Hastings not only thought him of consequence enough to be a witness to the severities used on the ministers of the Begums, but he considered that he would afterwards be a fit witness to the rebellion. I pray your Lordships

to

to mark this-he sent for this Hoolas Roi, (who is now nothing but a mere paragraph-monger) -he sent for him from Fyzabad to Benares-a pretty long journey; and at last caused him to be examined before. Sir Elijah Impey. He has, however, sunk his evidence. A suppression which is strongly in favour of the Begums; and equally strong against their accuser. Here we have a man, who was intrusted with all their orders; who represented the English government; who represented the Nabob's government; this man is sent for by Mr. Hastings: he gives his depositions before Sir Elijah Impey; and the deposition so given is not to be found either upon the Company's record, in Sir Elijah Impey's trunk, in Jonathan Scott's trunk, nor in any other place whatever. The evidence of a witness, who could speak most clearly, as probably he did, and most decisively upon this subject, is sunk. They suppress, and dare not produce, the affidavit of the man who was at the bottom of every secret of both governments. They had the folly to let you know, obliquely, that he had been sent for by Mr. Hastings, but they conceal the information obtained from him; a silence more damning than any positive evidence could be. You have here a proof of their practice of producing such evidence only as they thought

most

most favourable to their wicked purposes, in the destruction of this great and ancient family.

But all the English, they say, believed in the existence of this rebellion. This we deny. Mr. Purling, who was Resident the year before its pretended explosion, has told you, that he never knew of any thing like a plot carrying on by these women. We were almost ashamed to put the question to him. Did Mr. Bristow, the next Resident, know or. believe in this plot? He seems, indeed, to have been induced to give some oblique hints to Mr. Hastings of improper conduct on the part of the Begums, but without stating what it was. In a letter to Mr. Hastings, he appears to endeavour to soften the cruel temper of this inflexible man, by going a little way with him, by admitting that he thought they had behaved improperly. When Mr. Wombwell, another Resident, is asked, whether any Englishman doubted of it; he says, Mr Bristow doubted of it. No one indeed, who reads these papers, can avoid seeing that Mr. Bristow did not believe one word of it; no more in fact than did Mr. Hastings or any body else.

But, my Lords, let us go from these inferior agents and servants of the Company to their higher officers. Did Mr. Stables believe it? This gentleman was Mr. Hastings's colleague

in the Council, a man of as much honour, I really believe, as ever went to India; a faithful old servant of the Company and very worthy of credit. I believe there is not a spot upon him during all his long service under the Company -if any, it is his being a little too obsequious, sometimes, to Mr. Hastings. Did he believe it? No. He did not; and yet he was one of the persons authorized to investigate it coolly, and most able to do so. Upon the whole then the persons who best knew the state of the country did not believe it; the Nabob did not believe it; the Begums were never charged with it; no ground of suspicion is suggested except loose' rumours and the story of two nudjeeves. Under these circumstances the treasures of these ancient ladies were seized, their property confiseated, and the Nabob dragged most reluctantly to this act. Yes, my Lords, this poor miserable victim was forced to violate all the laws of nature, all decency, all property; to rob his own mother for the benefit of Mr. Hastings. All this he was forced to do, he was made the reluctant instrument of punishing his mother and grandmother for a plot, of which even their accusers do not pretend to say that the parties accused had ever received any intimation.

My Lords, in forming your judgment upon this nefarious proceeding, your Lordships will

not

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »