civil governor; and I much doubt whether the breach caused by the conflict, between the compaffion of the military and the firmness of the civil governor, be closed at this hour.

In Bengal, Seraja Dowla was fold to Mir Jaffier; Mir Jaffier was fold to Mir Coffim ; and Mir Coffim was fold to Mir Jaffier again. The fucceffion to Mir Jaffier was fold to his eldest fon;-another fon of Mir Jaffier, Mobarech ul Dowla, was fold to his ftep-mother-The Maratta empire was fold to Ragoba; and Ragoba was fold and delivered to the Peishwa of the Marattas. Both Ragoba and the Peishwa of the Marattas were offered to fale to the rajah of Berar. Scindia, the chief of Malva, was offered to fale to the fame rajah; and the Subah of the Decan was fold to the great trader Mahomet Ali, nabob of Arcot. To the fame nabob. of Arcot they fold Hyder Ali and the kingdom of Myfore. To Mahomet Ali they twice fold the kingdom of Tanjore.. To the fame Mahomet Ali they fold at least twelve fovereign princes, called the Polygars. But to keep things even, the territory of Tinnivelly, belonging to their nabob, they would have fold to the Dutch; and to conclude the account of fales, their great customer, the nabob of Arcot himself, and his lawful fucceffion, has been fold to his fecond fon, Amir ul Omrah, whofe character, views, and conduct, are in the accounts upon your table. It remains with you whether they fhall finally perfect this last bargain.

All these bargains and fales were regularly attended with the waste and havoc of the country, always by the buyer, and fometimes by the object of the fale. This was explained to you by the honourable mover, when he stated the mode of paying debts due from the country powers to the company. An honourable gentleman, who is not now in his place, objected to his jumping near two thousand

miles for an example. But the fouthern example is perfectly applicable to the northern claim, as the northern is to the southern; for, throughout the whole space of these two thousand miles, take your stand where you will, the proceeding is perfectly uniform, and what is done in one part will apply exactly to the other.

My fecond affertion is, that the company never has made a treaty which they have not broken. This position is fo connected with that of the fales of provinces and kingdoms, with the negotiation of universal distraction in every part of India, that a very minute detail may well be fpared on this point. It has not yet been contended, by any enemy to the reform, that they have obferved any public agreement. When I hear that they have done fo in any one instance (which hitherto, I confess, I never heard alledged) I shall speak to the particular treaty. The governor general has even amufed himfelf and the court of directors in a very fingular letter to that board, in which he admits he has not been very delicate with regard to public faith; and he goes so far as to state a regular eftimate of the fums which the company would have loft, or never acquired, if the rigid ideas of public faith entertained by his colleagues had been obferved. The learned gentleman over against me has indeed faved me much trouble. On a former occafion he obtained no small credit, for the clear and forcible manner in which he stated what we have not forgot, and I hope he has not forgot, that univerfal fyftematic breach of treaties, which had made the British faith proverbial in the East.

It only remains, Sir, for me juft to recapitulate fome heads. The treaty with the Mogul, by which we stipulated to pay him . 260,000 annually, was broken. This treaty they have broken, and not paid him a shilling. They

*Mr. Dundas, lord advocate of Scotland.

broke

broke their treaty with him, in which they ftipulated to pay £. 400,000 a year to the soubah of Bengal. They agreed with the mogul, for fervices admitted to have been performed, to pay Nudjif Cawn a penfion. They broke this article with the reft, and ftopped also this small penfion. They broke their treaties with the Nizam, and with Hyder Ali. As to the Marattas, they had fo many cross treaties with the states general of that nation, and with each of the chiefs, that it was notorious, that no one of thefe agreements could be kept without grofsly violating the reft. It was obferved, that if the terms of these feveral treaties had been kept, two British armies would at one and the fame time have met in the field to cut each other's throats. The wars which defolate India, originated from a most atrocious violation of public faith on our part. In the midst of profound peace, the company's troops invaded the Maratta territories, and furprised the ifland and fortrefs of Salfette. The Marattas nevertheless yielded to a treaty of peace, by which folid advantages were procured to the company. But this treaty, like every other treaty, was foon violated by the company. Again the company invaded the Maratta dominions. The difafter that enfued gave occafion to a new treaty. The whole army of the company was obliged, in effect, to surrender to this injured, betrayed, and infulted people. Juftly irritated however, as they were, the terms which they prescribed were reasonable and moderate; and their treatment of their captive invaders, of the most distinguifhed humanity. But the humanity of the Marattas was of no power whatsoever to prevail on the company to attend to the obfervance of the terms dictated by their moderation. The war was renewed with greater vigour than ever; and fuch was their infatiable luft of plunder, that they never would have given ear to any terms of peace, if Hyder Ali had not broke through the Gauts, and rufhing like a torrent Y Y

VOL. II.

into

into the Carnatic, fwept away every thing in his career. This was in confequence of that confederacy, which by a fort of miracle united the moft difcordant powers for our deftruction, as a nation in which no other could put any truft, and who were the declared enemies of the human species.

It is very remarkable, that the late controverfy between the several presidencies, and between them and the court of directors, with relation to thefe wars and treaties, has not been, which of the parties might be defended for his fhare in them; but on which of the parties the guilt of all this load of perfidy fhould be fixed. But I am content to admit all these proceedings to be perfectly regular, to be full of honour and good faith; and wish to fix your attention folely to that fingle tranfaction which the advocates of this fystem select for so tranfcendant a merit as to cancel the guilt of all the reft of their proceedings; I mean the late treaties with the Marattas.

I make no obfervation on the total ceffion of territory, by which they surrendered all they had obtained by their unhappy fucceffes in war, and almoft all they had obtained under the treaty of Poorunder. The restitution was proper, if it had been voluntary and seasonable. I attach on the spirit of the treaty, the difpofitions it fhewed, the provisions it made for a general peace, and the faith kept with allies and confederates; in order that the house may form a judgment, from this chofen piece, of the ufe which has been made (and is likely to be made, if things continue in the fame hands) of the trust of the federal powers of this country.

It was the wish of almost every Englishman, that the Maratta peace might lead to a general one; because the Maratta war was only a part of a general confederacy formed against us on account of the universal abhorrence of our

conduct

conduct which prevailed in every state and almost in every house in India. Mr. Haftings was obliged to pretend fome fort of acquiefcence in this general and rational defire. He therefore confented, in order to fatisfy the point of honour of the Marattas, that an article should be inferted to admit Hyder Ali to accede to the pacification. But observe, Sir, the spirit of this man (which if it were not made manifeft by a thousand things, and particularly by his proceedings with regard to lord Macartney) would be fufficiently manifeft by this-What fort of article think you does he require this effential head of a folemn treaty of general pacification to be? In his inftruction to Mr. Anderson, he defires him to admit "a vague article" in favour of Hyder. Evasion and fraud were the declared basis of the treaty. These vague articles, intended for a more vague performance, are the things which have damned our reputation in India.

Hardly was this vague article inferted, than, without waiting for any act on the part of Hyder, Mr. Hastings enters into a negociation with the Maratta chief, Scindia, for a partition of the territories of the prince who was one of the objects to be fecured by the treaty. He was to be parcelled out in three parts-one to Scindia; one to the peishwa of the Marattas; and the third to the East India company, or to (the old dealer and chapman) Mahomet Ali.

During the formation of this project, Hyder dies; and before his fon could take any one step, either to conform to the tenour of the article, or to contravene it, the treaty of partition is renewed on the old footing, and an instruction is fent to Mr. Anderson to conclude it in form.

A circumstance intervened, during the pendency of this negociation, to fet off the good faith of the company with an additional brilliancy, and to make it sparkle and glow with a variety of splendid faces. General Matthews