d to this
enterprise, which without him could not be undertaken at all. But Major
Calliaud had different views. He concurred inwardly, as he tells us
himself, in all the principles of this intended revolution, in the
propriety and necessity of it. He only wished delay. But he gave such
powerful, solid, and satisfactory reasons, not against the delay, but
the very merits of the design itself, exposing the injustice and the
danger of it, and the impossibility of mending by it their condition in
any respect, as must have damned it in the minds of all rational men: at
least it ought to have damned it forever in his own. But you will see
that Holwell persevered in his plan, and that Major Calliaud thought two
things necessary: first, not wholly to destroy the scheme, which he
tells us he always approved, but to postpone the execution,--and in the
mean time to delude the Nabob by the most strong, direct, and sanguine
assurances of friendship and protection that it was possible to give to
man.

Whilst the projected revolution stood suspended,--whilst Mr. Holwell
urged it forward, and Mr. Vansittart was expected every day to give it
effect,--whilst Major Calliaud, with this design of ruining the Nabob
lodged in his breast, suspended in execution, and condemned in
principle, kept the fairest face and the most confidential interviews
with that unfortunate prince and his son,--as the operations of the
campaign relaxed, the army drew near to Moorshedabad, the capital, when
a truly extraordinary scene happened, such I am sure the English annals
before that time had furnished no example of, nor will, I trust, in
future. I shall state it as one piece from beginning to end, reserving
the events which intervened; because, as I do not produce any part of
this series for the gratification of historical curiosity, the
con-texture is necessary to demonstrate to your Lordships the spirit of
our Bengal politics, and the necessity of some other sort of judicial
inquiries than those which that government institute for themselves.
The transaction so manifestly marks the character of the whole
proceeding that I hope I shall not be blamed for suspending for a moment
the narrative of the steps taken towards the revolution, that you may
see the whole of this episode together,--that by it you may judge of the
causes which led progressively to the state in which the Company's
affairs stood, when Mr. Hastings was sent for the express purpose of
reform