over a circumstance so obvious and striking as the intelligence of the French war, and to have discovered a motive so base and diabolical as that which he had imputed to Mr. Hastings, could only be accounted for on principles extremely injurious to the candour and integrity of the honourable gentleman, or else by supposing that the laborious and pertinacious attention which distinguished his conduct in every other part of this proceeding, was, in the present instance, more unfortunately for himself than for Mr. Hastings, somewhat intermitted. He vindicated the right of the Council of Bengal to call for extraordinary aids for defence of the Company's interests; nor was the aid demanded extravagant, considering the well-known ability of Cheyt Sing. Yet he felt it impossible to acquit Mr. Hastings of the whole charge; for he had pushed the exercise of the arbitrary discretion intrusted to him to a greater length than was warranted by the necessity of the service he was firmly persuaded that Mr. Hastings had been influenced, through the whole of his government, by the warmest zeal for the interests of his employers ; but that zeal, however commendable in itself, lost its merit when exerted in a manner repugnant to principles, which should never give way to motives of interest or policy. The Council of Bengal, having made a well-warranted demand, which had been contumaciously resisted, were justifiable in inflicting punishment on the delinquent; but it was their duty to apportion the punishment to the degree of guilt: in fining the Rajah five hundred thousand pounds for a mere delay in paying fifty thousand (but which, in fact, he had actually paid), Mr. Hastings had proceeded in an arbitrary and tyrannical manner. It destroyed all relation and connexion between the degrees of guilt and punishment; it was grinding; it was overbearing; utterly disproportionate, and shamefully exorbitant. The subsequent revolution of Benares was an event that, under all the circumstances, could not possibly have been avoided: for Cheyt Sing having reluctantly obeyed, in one instance, the orders СНАР. LXI. 1786 СНАР. 1787. Impeachment voted. Feb. 7. Oude charge. of the Council, and having disobeyed the other part of their commands, the governor was at liberty to impose a fine, and to march into his country to enforce the payment. The astonishment occasioned by the conclusion of this speech, contrasted with its antecedent parts, appears to have taken away the power of resistance or reply. The debate was feebly continued: the cause of Mr. Hastings was espoused by Lord Mulgrave, Major Scott, Mr. Grenville, the Attorney-general, and some other members; but, on a division, the impeachment was voted*. Except some unimportant motions, no further progress was made in these charges until the following session, when Mr. Sheridan introduced the fourth charge, relating to the Princes of Oude, by one of the Mr. Sheridan's most eloquent orations ever heard in Parliament. celebrated speech. It occupied, in the delivery, five hours and three quarters, and was hailed, at its close, by the unprecedented compliment of long and repeated clapping of hands. Of this celebrated display, little beside the reputation remains; the report in the Debates is exceedingly flat and jejune: a separate publication, said, in the title page, to be by "a member of the House of Commons,' is rather a narrative or review than a speech; and it is said that, although Mr. Sheridan was frequently urged, and, from his habit of preparing and writing out his speeches, undoubtedly able to have done it, he would never publish a report of it himselft. It would therefore be a vain and useless task to extract from such materials parts of this celebrated, but lost, harangue. Its effect, and the opinions pronounced on it at the time by all parties, amicable and adverse to the speaker, are the only medium through which a judgment on it can be formed. Mr. Burke declared it to be the most astonishing effort of eloquence, argument, and wit united, of which there is any record or tradidition. Mr. Fox said, "All that he had ever heard, • 119 to 79. + Moore's Life of Sheridan, vol. i. p. 451. The report alluded to was published by J. French, Fenchurch Street. "all that he had ever read, when compared with it, "dwindled into nothing, and vanished like vapour "before the sun." Mr. Pitt, although he censured its bitterness and acrimony, acknowledged that it surpassed all the eloquence of ancient or modern times, and possessed every thing that genius or art could furnish to agitate and controul the human mind. Several members confessed that they had come down strongly prepossessed in favour of the accused, and imagined nothing less than a miracle could have wrought so entire a revolution in their sentiments. Others de СНАР. LXI. 1787. clared, that although they could not resist the conviction that flashed upon their minds, yet they wished to have time to cool before they were called upon to vote; and although they were persuaded that it would require another miracle to produce another change in their opinions, yet, for the sake of decorum, they thought it proper that the debate should be adjourned*. Impeachment This course, resisted at first, was finally adopted; and voted. on the following day, Mr. Francis having opened the debate, and Major Scott having laboriously defended Mr. Hastings, Mr. Pitt threw his weight into the opposite scale, and the motion on this charge was carriedt. on this charge ceedings. 19th. As the impeachment of Mr. Hastings was now Further proirrevocably determined on, a very slight sketch of subsequent proceedings in the House of Commons may suffice. An intimation, given by Mr. Burke, being understood to imply that Mr. Hastings had disposed of funded property to the amount of fifty thousand pounds, Major Scott, by a declaration upon his honour, and a statement of Mr. Hastings's pecuniary circumstances, refuted the calumny, and shewed that his entire property did not exceed fifty thousand pounds. Mr. Burke denied that his observation was intended for Mr. Hastings; it applied to Sir Elijah Impey. March 2. Farruckabad Mr. Thomas Pelham having moved the charge relative to the revolution in Farruckabad, Mr. Dundas charge Copied from the Annual Register, vol. xxix. p. 150. See also Tomline's Life of Pitt, vol. ii. p. 39; and Moore's Life of Sheridan, ubi supra. † 175 to 68. VOL. IV. S moved by Mr. T. Pelham. CHAP. 15th. 1787. Contracts by 22nd. Fyzoola Khan Windham. suggested that it could not add much to Mr. Hastings's criminality or punishment, and could not be proved without the production of a vast volume of evidence. Lord Hood bore ample testimony to the honourable character and unimpeachable integrity of Mr. Hastings; but Mr. Pitt suggested that the noble Lord imputed the sentiments of his own breast to that of another, where, he much feared, they had not existed. The motion was carried*. On the next charge, relating to contracts, which was opened by Sir John Erskine, Mr. Pitt observed that much of its matter was beneath the dignity of a parliamentary inquiry, and therefore added an amendment, confining the charge to certain contracts for bullocks and opium, and the salary of Sir Eyre Coote. Another was superadded by Mr. Burke, extending the charge to the agency for rice and some other articles. Both amendments were carried, and incorporated in the resolution†. Mr. Windham moved the charge respecting Fymoved by Mr. Zoola Khan, in a speech which united the elegance of a scholar with the solidity of a statesman and the fancy of a poet; the debate was short, and the charge was voted, distinguished principally by an observation of Mr. Dundas, that, although he should agree to the motion, he did not concur in the principles on which it was founded. April 2. Mr. Sheridan. Mr. Sheridan introduced the charge concerning Presents by presents. He had once conceived, he said, that Mr. Hastings had not been stimulated by any view to his own emolument; and that his fortune was trifling, compared with the advantages which fell within his power; but a more close and minute investigation had completely altered his opinion, and he scarcely doubted that he should satisfy the committee that the corruption of Mr. Hastings had been no less gross and determined, than his oppression and injustice had proved severe and galling. His conduct appeared to spring from a wild, eccentric, and irregular mind. He had * 112 to 50. † Mr. Pitt's, 60 to 28; Mr. Burke's, 66 to 57. been every thing by fits and starts. Now proud and lofty, now mean and insidious; now generous, now just, now artful, now open; now deceitful, now decided; in pride, in passion, in every thing changeable, except in corruption. In that he had proved uniform, systematic, and methodical; his revenge a tempest, a tornado; his corruption a monsoon, a trade wind that blew regularly and constantly. The principal speakers in the debate were Major Scott and Lord Mulgrave; the division was adverse to Mr. Hastings*. CHAP. LXI. 1787. Mr. Francis. To Mr. Francis was allotted the fifteenth charge, 19th. on the mal-administration of the Bengal revenues. He Revenue: by made a speech of great length; the debate was not interesting, and the motion was carried, but not by a great majority†. Oude: by Mr. At a very advanced period of the session, even May 14. after the impeachment had been announced to the House of Lords, Mr. Burke produced a sixteenth charge, respecting misdemeanors in Oude. Major Scott contented himself with treating the accusation as nonsensical, and averring that, where criminality was alleged, infinite merit would appear; and he did not divide the committee. of Mr. Dundas. In the course of these discussions, Mr. Dundas, March 22. after some animadversions on the practice which had Observations prevailed of asking for voluminous papers on the very eve of opening a charge, adverted to the state of the proceedings. Every gentleman must, he conceived, be desirous to have the impeachment go up to the Lords in sufficient time to have it put in a way of trial, at least, during the session; and, at any rate, he should consider it disgraceful to that House, if they did not form the articles of impeachment by the beginning of May, and enable the Lords to proceed on the trial in that month. He expected, therefore, that the report of the resolutions already voted would have been called for, and the necessary questions moved; so that, by the aid of professional persons, the articles of impeachment, which were to be ultimately carried up to |