s or any persons whatever, he [General
Clavering] has strictly complied, since his arrival here, both with the
spirit and the letter of the act of Parliament, and has accordingly
returned all the presents which have been made to him." I have dwelt
thus long upon this subject, not merely upon account of its own corrupt
character, which has been sufficiently stigmatized by my honorable
colleague, but upon account of the principle that is laid down by the
prisoner, in his defence of his conduct,--a principle directly leading
to a continuance of the same iniquitous practice, and subversive of
every attempt to check or control it.

I must beg leave to recall your Lordships' attention to another, but
similar instance of his peculation, another and new mode of taking
presents: I mean, the present which Mr. Hastings took, through Gunga
Govind Sing, from those farmers of the revenues amongst whom he had
distributed the pillage of the whole country. This scandalous breach of
his covenant he attempts to justify by the inward intention of his own
mind to apply the money so taken to the public service. Upon this, my
Lords, I shall only observe, that this plea of an inward intention in
his own mind may, if admitted, justify any evil act whatever of this
kind. You have seen how presents from the Nabob are justified; you have
seen how the taking a sum of money or allowance for entertainment,
directly contrary to the covenant, how that is attempted to be
justified; you see in what manner he justifies this last-mentioned act
of peculation; and your Lordships will now have to decide upon the
validity of these pleas.

There still remains, unobserved upon, an instance of his malversation,
wholly new in its kind, to which I will venture to desire your Lordships
very seriously to turn your attention. In all the causes of peculation
or malversation in office that ever have been tried before this high
court, or before any lower court of judicature, in all the judicial
records of modern crimes, or of antiquity, you will not find anything in
any degree like it. We have all, in our early education, read the
Verrine Orations. We read them not merely to instruct us, as they will
do, in the principles of eloquence, and to acquaint us with the manners,
customs, and laws of the ancient Romans, of which they are an abundant
repository, but we may read them from a much higher motive. We may read
them from a motive which the great author had doubtless in