"Does your conscience," says he,
"acquit you of having acted wrong?" The accused makes no reply; and then
Mr. Hastings, by an hypothetical conclusion, acquits him.

Mr. Hastings is accused by the Commons for that, having a moral
certainty of the money's being intended for his use, he would not have
ceased to inquire into the actual application of it but from some
corrupt motive and intention. With this he is charged. He comes before
you to make his defence. Mr. Middleton is in England. Does he call Mr.
Middleton to explain it here? Does he call upon Mr. Johnson, who was the
other day in this court, to account for it? Why did he not, when he sent
for these curious papers and testimonials to Major Palmer, (the person
authorized, as he pretends, by him, to resign all his pretensions to the
money procured,) send for Major Palmer, who is the person that accused
him in this business,--why not send for him to bear some testimony
respecting it? No: he had time enough, but at no one time and in no
place did he do this; therefore the imputation of the foulest corruption
attaches upon him, joined with the infamy of a collusive prosecution,
instituted for the sake of a collusive acquittal.

Having explained to your Lordships the nature, and detailed the
circumstances, as far as we are acquainted with them, of this fraudulent
transaction, we have only further to remind you, that, though Mr.
Middleton was declared guilty of five of the six charges brought against
him by Mr. Hastings, yet the next thing you hear is, that Mr. Hastings,
after declaring that this conduct of Mr. Middleton had been very bad,
and that the conduct of the other servants of the Company concerned with
him had been ten times worse, he directly appoints him to one of the
most honorable and confidential offices the Company had to dispose of:
he sends him ambassador to the Nizam,--to give to all the courts of
India a specimen of the justice, honor, and decency of the British
government.

My Lords, with regard to the bribe for the _entertainment_, I only beg
leave to make one observation to you upon that article. I could say, if
the time would admit it, a great deal upon that subject; but I wish to
compress it, and I shall therefore only recommend it in general to your
Lordships' deliberate consideration. The covenant subsisting between the
Company and its servants was made for the express purpose of putting an
end to all such entertainments. By this convention i