s an accused person, and was put upon his defence, but
without the authority and without the favor which ought to go with an
accused person for the purpose of enabling him to make out such defence.

These persons went down into that country, and, after spending a long
time in mere matters of form, found they could not do without a
representative of Debi Sing, and accordingly they ordered Debi Sing to
send up his _vakeel_.

I forgot to state to your Lordships what the condition of Debi Sing was
during this proceeding. This man had been ordered to Calcutta on two
grounds: one, on the matter of his flagitious misconduct at Rungpore;
and the other, for a great failure in the payment of his stipulated
revenue. Under this double accusation, he was to be considered,
according to the usual mode of proceeding in such cases, as a prisoner;
and he was kept, not in the common gaol of Calcutta, not in the prison
of the fort, not in that gaol in which Rajah Nundcomar, who had been
prime-minister of the empire, was confined, but, according to the mild
ways of that country, where they choose to be mild, and the persons are
protected by the official influence of power, under a free custody. He
was put under a guard of sepoys, but not confined to his house; he was
permitted to go abroad, where he was daily in conference with those who
were to judge him; and having an address which seldom fails, and a
dexterity never wanting to a man possessed of 700,000_l._, he converted
this guard into a retinue of honor: their bayonets were lowered, their
muskets laid aside; they attended him with their side-arms, and many
with silver verges in their hands, to mark him out rather as a great
magistrate attended by a retinue than a prisoner under guard.

When he was ordered to send a vakeel to defend his conduct, he refused
to send him. Upon which the commissioners, instead of saying, "If you
will not send your agent, we will proceed in our inquiry without him,"
(and, indeed, it was not made necessary by the commission that he should
be there either by vakeel or otherwise,) condescendingly admitted his
refusal, and suffered him to come up in person. He accordingly enters
the province, attended with his guard, in the manner I have before
mentioned, more as a person returning in triumph from a great victory
than as a man under the load of all those enormous charges which I have
stated. He enters the province in this manner; and Mr. Paterson, who saw
hims