on that day write to Captain Waugh, the officer commanding
the guard, the letter following, full of disgrace to the honor, justice,
and humanity of the British nation.

XLIII. "SIR,--The Nabob having determined _to inflict corporal
punishment upon the prisoners_ under your guard, this is to desire that
his officers, when they shall come, may have free access to the
prisoners, and _be permitted to do with them as they shall see proper_,
only taking care that they leave them always under your charge."

XLIV. That the said Richard Johnson did, further to terrify the
prisoners, and to extort by all ways the remainder of the said unjust,
oppressive, and rapacious demand, threaten to remove them out of the
Nabob's dominions into the castle of Churnagur, in order forever to
separate them from their principals, and deprive both of their
reciprocal protection and services,[67]--and did order a further guard
to be put on the palace of the grandmother of the Nabob, an ally of the
Company, and to prevent the entrance of the provisions to her, (which
order relative to the guard only was executed,) and did use sundry
unworthy and insulting menaces both with regard to herself and to her
principal ministers.[68]

XLV. That a proposal was soon after made by the said princess and her
daughter-in-law, praying that their ministers aforesaid should be
returned to Fyzabad, and offering to raise a sum of money on that
condition;[69] as also that they would remove from one of their palaces,
whilst the English were to be permitted to search the other.[70] But the
Assistant Resident, Johnson, did, instead of a compliance with the
former of these propositions, send the following orders, dated 23d July,
1782, to the officer commanding the guard on the ministers aforesaid:
"Some violent demands having been made for the release of the prisoners,
it is necessary that every possible precaution be taken for their
security; you will therefore be pleased to be very strict in guarding
them; and I herewith send _another pair of fetters to be added to those
now upon the prisoners_." And in answer to the second proposition, the
said Resident did reply in the following terms: "The proposal of
evacuating one palace, that it may be searched, and then evacuating the
next, upon the same principle, is apparently fair; but it is well known,
in the first place, that such bricked-up or otherwise hidden treasure
is not to be hit upon in a day without a guide. I hav