he office of farmer-general and
sub-farmer-general in the manner that we have described. We know that
there did exist in that country such a rebellion. But mark, my Lords,
against whom!--against these mild and gracious sovereigns, Colonel
Hannay, Captain Gordon, Captain Williams. Oh, unnatural and abominable
rebellion!--But will any one pretend to say that the Nabob himself was
ever attacked by any of these rebels? No: the attacks were levelled
against the English. The people rose in favor of their lawful sovereign,
against a rebellion headed by Mr. Middleton, who, you see, usurped his
authority,--headed by Colonel Hannay,--headed by Captain Gordon,--headed
by all those abominable persons exercising, under the Nabob's name, an
authority destructive to himself and his subjects. Against them there
was a rebellion. But was this an unnatural rebellion,--a rebellion
against usurped authority, to save the prince, his children, and state,
from a set of vile usurpers?

My Lords, I shall soon close our proceeding for this day, because I wish
to leave this part of our charge strongly and distinctly impressed upon
your Lordships' memory, and because nothing can aggravate it. I shall
next proceed, in the farther examination of the prisoner's defence, to
dissipate, as I trust we have done, and as I hope we shall do, all the
miserable stuff they have given by way of defence. I shall often have
occasion to repeat and press upon your Lordships that that miserable
defence is a heavy aggravation of his crime. At present, I shall
conclude, leaving this part of our charge with the impression upon your
Lordships' minds that this pretended rebellion was merely an
insurrection against the English, excited by their oppression.

If the rebellion was against the Nabob, or if he was the author of the
oppression which caused it, why do the English only appear to be
concerned in both of them? How comes it that the Nabob never appears to
have expressed any resentment against the rebels? We shall prove beyond
a doubt, that the Begums had nothing to do with it. There was, indeed,
as I have already said, what may be called a rebellion; but it was a
rebellion against--not the Nabob, but in favor of the lawful prince of
the country,--against the usurpers of his authority and the destroyers
of his country. With this, as a rebellion, Mr. Hastings has charged
these women; he has charged them with a war against their son, for the
purpose of exterminating th