ts and general decline of the country, he did,
immediately after his appointment to the government, in the year 1772,
make an arbitrary settlement of the revenues for five years at a higher
rate than had ever been received before, and with a progressive and
accumulating increase on each of the four last years of the said
settlement.

That, notwithstanding the right of property and inheritance, repeatedly
acknowledged by the said Warren Hastings to be in the zemindars and
other native landholders, and notwithstanding he had declared "that the
security of private property is the greatest encouragement to industry,
on which the wealth of every state depends," the said Warren Hastings,
nevertheless, in direct violation of those acknowledged rights and
principles, did universally let the lands of Bengal _in farm_ for five
years,--thereby destroying all the rights of private property of the
zemindars,--thereby delivering the management of their estates to
farmers, and transferring by a most arbitrary and unjust act of power
the whole landed property of Bengal from the owners to strangers. That,
to accomplish this iniquitous purpose, he, the said Warren Hastings, did
put the lands of Bengal up to a pretended public auction, _and invited
all persons to make proposals for farming the same_, thereby encouraging
strangers to bid against the proprietors,--in consequence of which, not
only the said proprietors were ousted of the possession and management
of their estates, but a great part of the lands fell into the hands of
the banians, or principal black servants of British subjects connected
with and protected by the government; and that the said Warren Hastings
himself has since declared, that _by this way the lands too generally
fell into the hands of desperate or knavish adventurers_.[6] That,
before the measure hereinbefore described was carried into execution,
the said Warren Hastings did establish certain fundamental regulations
in Council, to be observed in executing the same.[7] That among these
regulations it was specially and strictly ordered, that no farm should
exceed the annual amount of _one_ lac of rupees, and "that no peshcar,
banian, or other servant, of whatever denomination, of the collector, or
relation or dependant of any such servant, should be allowed to farm
lands, nor directly or indirectly to hold a concern in any farm, nor to
be security for any farmer." That, in direct violation of these his own
regulat