, and he must be at liberty to go
wherever he pleased; that it must rest with Sindia himself to prevail on
him to reside in his country: all that we could do was to _agree_, after
a reasonable time, _to withdraw our protection from him, and not to
insist on the payment of the stipend to him_, as Sindia had proposed,
unless on the condition of his residing in some part of Sindia's
territories."

That, notwithstanding all the preceding declarations, and in violation
of the public faith repeatedly pledged to Ragoba, he was totally
abandoned by the said Hastings in the treaty, no provision whatever
being made even for his subsistence, but on a condition to which he
could not submit without the certain loss of his liberty and probable
hazard of his life, namely, _that he should voluntarily and of his own
accord repair to Sindia, and quietly reside with him_. That such
treacherous desertion of the said Ragoba is not capable of being
justified by any plea of necessity: but that in fact no such necessity
existed; since it appears that the Nizam, who of all the contracting
parties in the confederacy was personally most hostile to Ragoba, did
himself _propose that Ragoba, might have an option given him_ of
residing within the Company's territories.

That the plan of negotiating a peace with the Mahrattas by application
to Sindia, and through his mediation, was earnestly recommended to the
said Hastings by the Presidency of Bombay so early as in February, 1779,
who stated clearly to him the reasons why such application ought to be
made to Sindia in preference to any other of the Mahratta chiefs, and
why it would probably be successful; the truth and justice of which
reasons were fully evinced in the issue, when the said Hastings, after
incurring, by two years' delay, all the losses and distresses of a
calamitous war, did actually pursue that very plan with much less effect
or advantage than might have been obtained at the time the advice was
given. That he neglected the advice of the Presidency of Bombay, and
retarded the peace, as well as made its conditions worse, from an
obstinate attachment to his project of an alliance offensive and
defensive with the Rajah of Berar, the object of which was rather a new
war than a termination of the war then existing against the Peshwa.

That the said Hastings did further embarrass and retard the conclusion
of a peace by employing different ministers at the courts of the several
confederat