spirit, and tendency of the said proceedings, for the defective
execution of which he brought the said charge, appearing in the defence
or apology made by Mr. Middleton, the Resident, for his temporary and
short forbearances.

LXXXVI. "It could not, I flatter myself, be termed a long or
unwarrantable delay [two days], when the importance of the business, and
the peculiar embarrassments attending the prosecution of it to its
desired end, are considered. The Nabob was _son_ to the Begum whom we
were to proceed against: a son against a mother must at least _save
appearances in his mode of proceeding_. The produce of his negotiation
was to be received by the Company. Receiving a benefit, accompanying the
Nabob, withdrawing their protection, were circumstances sufficient to
_mark the English as the principal movers in this business_. At a court
where no opportunity is lost to throw odium on us, so favorable an
occasion was not missed to persuade the Nabob that we instigated him to
dishonor his family for our benefit. The impressions made by these
suggestions constantly retarded the progress, and more than once
actually broke off the business: which rendered the utmost caution on my
part necessary, especially as I had no assistance to expect from the
ministers, who could not openly move in the business. In the East, it is
well known that no man either by himself or his troops, can enter the
walls of a zenanah, scarcely in the case of acting against an open
enemy, much less of _an ally,--an ally acting against his own mother_.
The outer walls, and the Begum's agents, were all that were liable to
immediate attack: they were dealt with, and successfully, as the event
proved."--He had before observed to Mr. Hastings, in his correspondence,
what Mr. Hastings well knew to be true, "that no farther rigor than that
he had exerted could be used against females in that country; where
force could be employed, it was not spared;--that the place of
concealment was only known to the chief eunuchs, who could not be drawn
out of the women's apartments, where they had taken refuge, and from
which, if an attempt had been made to storm them, they might escape; and
the secret of the money being known only to them, it was necessary to
get their persons into his hands, which could be obtained by negotiation
only."--The Resident concluded his defence by declaring his "hope, that,
if the main object of his orders was fulfilled, he should be no longer