ernment, and by
difficulties arising from the conduct of officials both at Benares and
Lucknow, Hastings in 1783 declared his intention of resigning office.
His hope that the cabinet would request him to remain with extended
powers was crushed by the speech with which Pitt introduced his India
bill, and he left India in February, 1785, esteemed and honoured by the
natives of all classes in the Bengal government. His wife came to
England a year earlier, and though her conduct before her marriage with
Hastings would have debarred other ladies from appearing at so strictly
moral a court, she was received at St. James's, and the queen accepted
presents from her. On the return of Hastings the directors thanked him
for his eminent services, the king was gracious to him, the chancellor,
Thurlow, who was in the royal confidence, was loud in his praise, and
society generally smiled upon him. Pitt was cold; there was much in his
conduct which needed defence. Preparations for an attack upon him were
steadily pursued. Burke found a useful ally in Francis, who gratified
his spite by giving him information to be used against his former
antagonist. Fox and the opposition as a party adopted Burke's case. It
was believed that Pitt would stand by Hastings in order to please the
king. If he did so, they could represent him as shielding a criminal; if
he joined in bringing him to trial, he would incur the risk of offending
the king and alienating many of the supporters of the government.

[Sidenote: _CHARGES AGAINST HASTINGS._]

During 1785 Burke went on accumulating facts which were distorted by his
fervent imagination. The delay of the attack encouraged the friends of
Hastings, and on the first day of the session of 1786 his parliamentary
agent, Major Scott, an ill-advised person, challenged Burke to fulfil a
pledge made the year before that he would bring charges against him. In
February Burke announced that he would propose to impeach Hastings
before the lords, and in April exhibited charges against him. Pitt
insisted that a copy of them should be delivered to Hastings, and that
he should be heard in his defence before the house voted upon them. Fox
and Burke, who on every check to their proceedings accused the
government of a design to screen Hastings, declared with much heat that
Pitt's proposal was intended to quash the accusation. The house,
however, determined to hear Hastings, and he read his defence, which
occupied two days and