Fate; on the other hand that convention being in stantly abandoned, the people of India were taught, that no terms on which they can furrender to the company are to be regarded when farther con quefts are in view.

Next, Sir, let me bring before you the pious care that was taken of our allies under that treaty which is the fubject of the company's applaufes. These allies were Ragonaut Row, for whom we had engaged to find a throne; the Guickwar, (one of the Guzerat princes) who was to be emancipated from the Maratta authority, and to grow great by feveral acceffions of dominion; and lastly, the rana of Gohud, with whom we had entered into a treaty of partition for eleven fixteenths of our joint conquefts. Some of thefe ineftimable fe curities, called vague articles, were inferted in fa vour of them all.

As to the first, the unhappy abdicated peishwa, and pretender to the Maratta throne, Ragonaut Row was delivered up to his people, with an article for fafety, and fome provifion. This man, knowing how little vague the hatred of his countrymen was towards him, and well apprifed of what black crimes he stood accufed (among which our invafion of his country would not appear the leaft) took a mortal alarm at the fecurity we had provided for him. He was thunderstruck at the article in his favour, by which he was furrendered VOL. IV. D

to

to his enemies. He never had the leaft notice of the treaty; and it was apprehended that he would fly to the protection of Hyder Ali, or fome other, difpofed or able to protect him. He was therefore not left without comfort; for Mr. Anderfon did him the favour to fend a special messenger, defiring him to be of good cheer and to fear nothing. And his old enemy, Scindia, at our request, fent him a meffage equally well calculated to quiet his apprehenfions.

By the fame treaty the Guickwar was to come again, with no better fecurity, under the dominion of the Maratta ftate. As to the rana of Gohud, a long negotiation depended for giving him up. At first this was refused by Mr. Haftings with great indignation; at another stage it was admitted as proper, because he had fhewn himself a moft perfidious perfon. But at length a method of reconciling thefe extremes was found out, by contriving one of the ufual articles in his favour What I believe will appear beyond all belief, Mr. Anderfon exchanged the final ratifications of that treaty by which the rana was nominally fecured in his poffeffions, in the camp of the Maratta chief, Scindia, whilft he was (really, and not nominally) battering the caftle of Gualior, which we had given, agreeably to treaty, to this deluded ally. Scindia had already reduced the town; and was at the very time, by various detachments, reducing,

ing, one after another, the fortreffes of our protected ally, as well as in the act of chastising all the rajahs who had affifted colonel Carnac in his invafion. I have feen in a letter from Calcutta, that the rana of Gohud's agent would have reprefented these hostilities (which went hand in hand with the protecting treaty) to Mr. Haftings; but he was not admitted to his prefence.

In this manner the company has acted with their allies in the Maratta war. But they did not reft here: the Marattas were fearful left the perfons delivered to them by that treaty fhould attempt to escape into the British territories, and thus might elude the punishment intended for them, and by reclaiming the treaty, might ftir up new disturb

ances.

To prevent this, they defired an article to be inferted in the fupplemental treaty, to which they had the ready confent of Mr. Haftings, and the reft of the company's reprefentatives in Bengal. It was this, "That the English and Maratta

governments mutually agree not to afford `re'fuge to any chiefs, merchants, or other perfons, flying for protection to the territories of the "other." This was readily affented to, and affented to without any exception whatever, in favour of our furrendered allies. On their part a reciprocity was ftipulated which was not unnatural for a government like the company's to afk; a government conscious that many fubjects had been, and D 2 would

would in future be, driven to fly from its jurifdiction.

To complete the fyftem of pacifick intention and publick faith, which predominate in these treaties, Mr. Haftings fairly refolved to put all peace, except on the terms of abfolute conqueft, wholly out of his own power. For, by an article in this fecond treaty with Scindia, he binds the company not to make any peace with Tippoo Saheb, without the confent of the peishwa of the Marattas; and binds Scindia to him by a reciprocal engagement. The treaty between France and England obliges us mutually to withdraw our forces, if our allies in India do not accede to the peace within four months; Mr. Haftings's treaty obliges us to continue the war as long as the peishwa thinks fit. We are now in that happy situation, that the breach of the treaty with France, or the violation of that with the Marattas, is inevitable; and we have only to take our choice.

My third affertion, relative to the abufe made of the right of war and peace is, that there are none who have ever confided in us who have not been utterly ruined. The examples I have given of Ragonaut Row, of Guickwar, of the rana of Gohud, are recent. There is proof more than enough in the condition of the mogul; in the flavery and indigence of the nabob of Oude; the exile of the rajah of Benares; the beggary of the

nabob

nabob of Bengal; the undone and captive condition of the rajah and kingdom of Tanjour; the deftruction of the polygars; and laftly, in the deftruction of the nabob of Arcot himself, who, when his dominions were invaded, was found en. tirely deftitute of troops, provifions, stores, and (as he afferts) of money, being a million in debt to the company, and four millions to others: the many millions which he had extorted from fo many extirpated princes and their defolated countries having (as he has frequently hinted) been expended for the ground rent of his manfion-house in an alley in the fuburbs of Madras. Compare the condition of all these princes with the power and authority of all the Maratta states; with the independence and dignity of the Soubah of the Decan; and the mighty ftrength, the resources, and the manly struggle of Hyder Ali; and then the house will discover the effects on every power in India, of an eafy confidence, or of a rooted dif truft in the faith of the company.

These are some of my reafons, grounded on the abuse of the external political truft of that body, for thinking myself not only justified, but bound, to declare against those chartered rights which produce fo many wrongs. I fhould deem myself the wickedeft of men, if any yote of mine could contribute to the continuance of fo great an evil. Now, Sir, according to the plan I proposed, I